CRAHL
Financiado
Comparative Reconstruction of Ape and Hominin Locomotor ontogeny
Of all the traits that define humans, bipedal locomotion likely evolved first. How and why bipedalism evolved in the fossil human (hominin) lineage are fundamental questions in palaeoanthropology. An underexplored dimension of how...
Of all the traits that define humans, bipedal locomotion likely evolved first. How and why bipedalism evolved in the fossil human (hominin) lineage are fundamental questions in palaeoanthropology. An underexplored dimension of how bipedalism evolved is its growth and development (ontogeny). Humans locomotion develops much slower than those of other apes. Modern humans are also fully terrestrial, while the other African apes transition from predominantly arboreal locomotion using their upper limbs as juveniles to predominantly terrestrial knuckle-walking as adults. The importance of arboreal locomotion throughout hominin evolution has remained debated since the 1980s. However, since all extant apes are most arboreal as juveniles, the answers to this debate are most likely found in juvenile hominins.We know little about hominin locomotor ontogeny and the behaviour of juveniles due to (1) a lack of fossils and (2) limited tools for behavioural reconstruction. CRAHL applies recent methodological advances to both well-studied and newly discovered fossils to overcome these limitations, and will be the first to investigate the evolutionary pattern of hominin locomotor development.
Bones can dynamically adapt to changes in loading direction, magnitude, and frequency by altering the structure of trabecular bone, the 3D mesh-like structure found underneath joint surfaces. Trabecular structure can therefore provide a functional record of developmental variation in loading conditions as animals learn to locomote. By using state-of-the-art methods for analysing age-related changes in trabecular bone structure throughout the skeleton, CRAHL will reconstruct how quickly hominins learned to locomote and the variety of postures they assumed, including arboreal versus terrestrial locomotion.
By combining state-of-the-art methods new fossil discoveries, CRAHL sheds new light on the evolution of two defining human traits: slow development and fully terrestrial bipedalism.
ver más
Duración del proyecto: 31 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2022-06-08
Fecha Fin: 2025-01-08
Fecha Fin: 2025-01-08
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2022-06-08
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-01:
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021
Cerrada
hace 3 años
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
188K€
Líder del proyecto
STICHTING NATURALIS BIODIVERSITY CENTER
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5