Family that walks on all fours stuns scientists as they 'could be missing link between man and ape'
A family who was found walking on all fours are being analysed by scientists in an effort to piece together gaps in the theory of human evolution.
A trait never before reported in modern humans has been found in a family in Turkey, who have been living their lives by walking on their hands and feet.
The unusual Ulas family were noticed through a BBC documentary titled The Family That Walks on All Fours.
British scientist Professor Nicholas Humphrey, who has studied their setup, discovered that six out of the family's 19 children were born with this tendency.
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Tragically, one of these six children has since died.
Professor Humphrey said: “I never expected that even under the most extraordinary scientific fantasy that modern human beings could return to an animal state.
“The thing which marks us off from the rest of the animal world is the fact that we’re the species which walks on two legs and holds our heads up high in the air…amongst many other traits.”
During studies in Turkey, scientists have proposed that the process of ‘devolution’ may have occurred.
However, Professor Humphreys has debunked this theory, stating that this would be 'deeply insulting' and 'scientifically irresponsible'.
The children in the family were found to have shrunken cerebellum, a condition which doesn’t affect other humans.
The children’s skeletons resembled apes more so than humans, according to researchers at Liverpool University.
Despite the similarities, the family do not walk on their knuckles like primates do - they instead use their flat hands.
Professor Humphrey also said: “I think it is possible that what we are seeing in this family is something that does correspond to a time when we didn’t walk like chimpanzees but was an important step between coming down from the trees and becoming fully bipedal.”
Despite the medical condition, the professor also suggested that the children’s development may not have just been due to nature, nurture could have played a part.
He said that the lack of encouragement to stand on two feet and walk after nine months of age also could have contributed.
The children have been assigned a physiotherapist following the studies, and have been provided with equipment designed to help them walk on two feet.
Topics: TV and Film, Science, Health
Mia Williams