"Uncovering Human Upright Walking Evolution Through Ancient Ape's Inner Ear"

A study on the 6-million-year-old fossil ape, Lufengpithecus, sheds light on the evolution of human movement by analyzing its bony inner ear region using CT-scanning. The research suggests a three-step evolution of human bipedalism, indicating that the last common ancestor of apes and humans had a locomotor repertoire similar to Lufengpithecus, involving climbing, clambering, forelimb suspension, arboreal bipedalism, and terrestrial quadrupedalism. The study also proposes that climate change may have played a role in promoting the locomotor diversification of apes and humans.