Scientists argue ape-like Sahelanthropus tchadensis that lived in Africa 7m years ago is best contender but more are fossils needed
In the murky first chapters of the human story is an unknown ancestor that made the profound transition from walking on all fours to standing up tall, an act that came to define us.
The odds of stumbling on the fossilised evidence of such an evolutionary prize are slim, but in new research, scientists argue that an ape-like animal that lived in Africa 7m years ago is the best contender yet.
After a fresh analysis of bones belonging to a species called Sahelanthropus tchadensis, the researchers concluded that while it resembled an ape, its bones were adapted to walking upright, rather than moving around on all fours. It is considered the oldest known hominin, or member of the human lineage since the evolutionary split with chimpanzees.
“Based on the features we’ve found, this would have looked like a bipedal ape, most similar to a chimpanzee or bonobo,” said Dr Scott Williams, an associate professor at New York University and the lead author on the study. While chimps and bonobos can walk upright for short stretches, they are mostly knuckle-walkers.
