When an ancient ancestor of the human race was discovered in South Africa that lived 3.67 million years ago, experts named her “Little Foot”. She was an elderly female from the
Australopithecus prometheus species who was a little over four feet tall, walked on two legs (her legs were a bit longer than her arms), had similar hands to humans (long thumb with short fingers and palms), and was a vegetarian who mostly fed on plants.
And now, new analysis has revealed even more interesting details about our ancient ancestor. By studying her upper body in greater detail, a team of researchers led by the University of Southern California (USC) and included experts from the University of Wisconsin, University of Liverpool, University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and others, found that Little Foot spent a lot of her time living in trees. Specifically, the way her shoulder was put together to support her arms revealed that she hung from branches in addition to climbing up and do
April 20, 2021
A long-awaited, high-tech analysis of the upper body of famed fossil Little Foot opens a window to a pivotal period when human ancestors diverged from apes, new USC research shows.
The Little Foot skeleton was discovered in the 1990s in a cave in South Africa and is the most intact ancient skeleton of any human ancestor. (Photo/Paul John Myburgh, Courtesy of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Little Foot’s shoulder assembly proved key to interpreting an early branch of the human evolutionary tree. Scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC focused on its so-called pectoral girdle, which includes collarbones, shoulder blades and joints.
The shoulders of the most complete Australopithecus fossil show that around 3.7 million years ago our ancestors still had arms suited to climbing trees and
Analysis of famous fossil helps unlock when humans and apes diverged
April 21, 2021USC
Along-awaited, high-tech analysis of the upper body of famed fossil Little Foot opens a window to a pivotal period when human ancestors diverged from apes, new USC research shows.
Little Foot’s shoulder assembly proved key to interpreting an early branch of the human evolutionary tree. Scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC focused on its so-called pectoral girdle, which includes collarbones, shoulder blades and joints.
Although other parts of Little Foot, especially its legs, show humanlike traits for upright walking, the shoulder components are clearly apelike, supporting arms surprisingly well suited for suspending from branches or shimmying up and down trees rather than throwing a projectile or dangling astride the torso like humans.
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VIDEO: The USC-led research team used advanced CT scans and comparisons with humans, primates and other fossils to interpret Little Foot s shoulder bones, seen in this video animation. view more
Credit: Kristian Carlson
A long-awaited, high-tech analysis of the upper body of famed fossil Little Foot opens a window to a pivotal period when human ancestors diverged from apes, new USC research shows.
Little Foot s shoulder assembly proved key to interpreting an early branch of the human evolutionary tree. Scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC focused on its so-called pectoral girdle, which includes collarbones, shoulder blades and joints.