Irish scientist Niamh Nowlan has made a groundbreaking discovery that sheds light on how humans evolved to stand upright on two legs. According to her research published in the journal Nature, significant changes occurred in the ilium, a part of the pelvis that anchors the powerful gluteus maximus muscles.
These changes involved the direction of cartilage growth and bone formation processes. The new orientation of cartilage growth plates allowed for the ilium to sit perpendicular to other animals’, while differences in mineralization enabled humans to balance upright mobility with accommodating large brain sizes.
The research has crucial implications for understanding hip dysplasia, a condition that affects joint stability and causes pain from infancy to adulthood. Prof Nowlan’s personal experience with the condition fuels her passion for developing better diagnostic and treatment methods.
Her team uses MRI and CT scans to track skeletal development and prenatal movements, enabling them to understand how mechanical forces influence joint formation and stability. The study reveals a key evolutionary shift in the pelvis that enabled bipedal locomotion, largely through examining embryonic development.
Source: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/irish-scientist-helps-crack-mystery-of-how-humans-came-to-stand-on-two-legs/a1864292807.html