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When did humans adopt an upright posture? New evidence suggests it happened 7 million years ago
Analysis of extinct hominin remains indicates that bipedal creatures walked the Earth as early as 7 million years ago. According to scientists, the ability to adopt an upright posture was crucial to the evolution of our ancient ancestors.
Why do people walk on two legs? It’s not entirely clear. “Of the 250 or so primate species, we are the only ones who chose to stand up and move exclusively this way. Some researchers believe that bipedalism is at least as important a trait that makes us human as our wonderfully functioning brains,” writes Bill Bryson in his book “The Body. A User’s Manual.”
There are many hypotheses explaining why our ancient ancestors decided to straighten up. The most popular one, the so-called savannah hypothesis, says that it was the result of a gradual change in the place of life — from forests to open areas. And there, in the savannas, the ability to straighten up gave a better field of vision.
Other theories indicate that thanks to bipedalism, our predecessors gained free hands. This allowed them to carry a variety of things, from babies to objects. And also invented and used new weapons, such as spears.
