bipedalism

New York University A seven-million-year-old fossil may rewrite human origins, showing our ancestors were walking upright far earlier than anyone expected. Scientists may have cracked the case of whether a seven-million-year-old fossil could walk upright. A new study found strong anatomical evidence that Sahelanthropus tchadensis was bipedal, including a ligament attachment seen only in human ancestors. Despite its ape-like appearance and small brain, its leg and hip structure suggest it moved confidently on two legs. The finding places bipedalism near the very root of the human family tree. For decades, researchers have argued over whether a fossil that is about seven million years old could walk on two legs. If true, that ability would make it the earliest known human