Human shoulders, elbows may have evolved from apes climbing down trees, researchers say
New Delhi, Sep 7 (PTI) Human shoulders and elbows may have first evolved to help primates and early humans climb down trees as gravity pulled on their heavier bodies downward, researchers say.
Given the size of apes and early humans, “downclimbing”, considered trickier than climbing up, presented a significant physical challenge that their body structure would have responded through natural selection because of the risk of falls, the researchers from Dartmouth University, US, said.
“The reason is that you’re not only resisting the pull of gravity, but you also have to decelerate,” said study co-author Nathaniel Dominy, professor of anthropology.
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