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Human ancestors may have evolved to walk upright in trees

31 points by Hooke 4y ago

lukas099 4y ago
I was wondering, do we observe baby-like crawling in chimps or other mammals? I know lots of animals crawl but do baby chimps crawl the way humans do at any point in their development?
- wolverine876 4y ago
  Very interesting question!
BarryMilo 4y ago
Having studied anthropology for a short while, there are many theories regarding the evolution of bipedalism. I'm sorry to say, as far as I understand it, they are all as flimsy as this one, in that they are barely based in empirical data. Not for a lack of trying, there just aren't any other species currently evolving bipedalism as far as we know. This one, however, seems flawed on the basis of internal validity: what is the link between standing in trees and walking on the ground, let alone running? The fact that this is not immediately obvious means it raises a new question for which we have to invent more theories. Occam's razor says no. If you find me dismissive, and you think surely the researchers have thought of this, I recommend having a look at the history of these theories, you'll notice their rise and fall seem more akin to fads than progress (much as predicted by Kuhn's Structure of scientific revolutions). As the encyclopedia Britannica says: "There are many theories that attempt to explain why humans are bipedal, but none is wholly satisfactory."
- pigtailgirl 4y ago
  -- I know little to nothing about the subject - was thinking - isn't waking pretty difficult? - would take a long time to figure out - building into the human system using evolution? - holding into things (like branches) might be a good way for evolutionary "ah ha" moment?? --
- wolverine876 4y ago
  > Having studied anthropology for a short while, there are many theories regarding the evolution of bipedalism. I'm sorry to say, as far as I understand it, they are all as flimsy as this one ... Don't be sorry, be curious! The researchers have studied anthropology for a long while. Let's be curious about what they think and how and why, not impose our judgments upon them.
unity1001 4y ago
Another indicator of how our earliest ancestors evolved living on trees. Studies found that just being around a tree improves people's psychology and general health. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/09/scientists-have-discovered-that-living-near-trees-is-good-for-your-health/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/20... Likely due to the same reason - we evolved on trees before moving onto land.
- mc32 4y ago
  Yeah but being near beaches with rolling waves improves mood too… and we’re way past having lived in the seas… And people love imagining the ability to fly yet as far as I know no one serious claims we have flying ancestors…
  - forgotusername6 4y ago
    We are not way past living by the sea though. Human populations have lived by the sea and depended on the food it provides for (probably) hundreds of thousands of years.
  - unity1001 4y ago
    That totally depends. There are people who prefer mountains to the sea for vacations, and even living. But the tree thing is something objectively measured in actual studies on a consistent basis across humans with different preferences.
marismith10001 4y ago
marismith10001 4y ago
WalterBright 4y ago
My theory is it resulted from persistence hunting. Walking upright has got to be more efficient than the crouch of apes.
jlbbellefeuille 4y ago
I wanted to contribute that bipedalism appears to be deeply hardwired into the human brain. I when these conversations come up, I like to remind myself of the “stepping reflex” that new born infants exhibit. “Stepping reflex: This reflex is also called the walking or dance reflex because a baby appears to take steps or dance when held upright with his or her feet touching a solid surface. This reflex lasts about 2 months.” Source: https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=newborn-reflexes-90-P02630 https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=newbor...

31 points by Hooke 4y ago

I was wondering, do we observe baby-like crawling in chimps or other mammals? I know lots of animals crawl but do baby chimps crawl the way humans do at any point in their development?

wolverine876 4y ago
Very interesting question!

BarryMilo 4y ago

Having studied anthropology for a short while, there are many theories regarding the evolution of bipedalism. I'm sorry to say, as far as I understand it, they are all as flimsy as this one, in that they are barely based in empirical data. Not for a lack of trying, there just aren't any other species currently evolving bipedalism as far as we know. This one, however, seems flawed on the basis of internal validity: what is the link between standing in trees and walking on the ground, let alone running? The fact that this is not immediately obvious means it raises a new question for which we have to invent more theories. Occam's razor says no. If you find me dismissive, and you think surely the researchers have thought of this, I recommend having a look at the history of these theories, you'll notice their rise and fall seem more akin to fads than progress (much as predicted by Kuhn's Structure of scientific revolutions). As the encyclopedia Britannica says: "There are many theories that attempt to explain why humans are bipedal, but none is wholly satisfactory."

pigtailgirl 4y ago
-- I know little to nothing about the subject - was thinking - isn't waking pretty difficult? - would take a long time to figure out - building into the human system using evolution? - holding into things (like branches) might be a good way for evolutionary "ah ha" moment?? --
wolverine876 4y ago
> Having studied anthropology for a short while, there are many theories regarding the evolution of bipedalism. I'm sorry to say, as far as I understand it, they are all as flimsy as this one ... Don't be sorry, be curious! The researchers have studied anthropology for a long while. Let's be curious about what they think and how and why, not impose our judgments upon them.

unity1001 4y ago

Another indicator of how our earliest ancestors evolved living on trees. Studies found that just being around a tree improves people's psychology and general health. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/09/scientists-have-discovered-that-living-near-trees-is-good-for-your-health/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/20... Likely due to the same reason - we evolved on trees before moving onto land.

mc32 4y ago
Yeah but being near beaches with rolling waves improves mood too… and we’re way past having lived in the seas… And people love imagining the ability to fly yet as far as I know no one serious claims we have flying ancestors…
- forgotusername6 4y ago
  We are not way past living by the sea though. Human populations have lived by the sea and depended on the food it provides for (probably) hundreds of thousands of years.
- unity1001 4y ago
  That totally depends. There are people who prefer mountains to the sea for vacations, and even living. But the tree thing is something objectively measured in actual studies on a consistent basis across humans with different preferences.

marismith10001 4y ago

WalterBright 4y ago

My theory is it resulted from persistence hunting. Walking upright has got to be more efficient than the crouch of apes.

jlbbellefeuille 4y ago

I wanted to contribute that bipedalism appears to be deeply hardwired into the human brain. I when these conversations come up, I like to remind myself of the “stepping reflex” that new born infants exhibit. “Stepping reflex: This reflex is also called the walking or dance reflex because a baby appears to take steps or dance when held upright with his or her feet touching a solid surface. This reflex lasts about 2 months.” Source: https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=newborn-reflexes-90-P02630 https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=newbor...