Human-like external function of the foot, and fully upright gait, confirmed in the 3.66 million year old Laetoli hominin footprints by topographic statistics, experimental footprint-formation and computer simulation

J R Soc Interface. 2012 Apr 7;9(69):707-19. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0258. Epub 2011 Jul 20.

Abstract

It is commonly held that the major functional features of the human foot (e.g. a functional longitudinal medial arch, lateral to medial force transfer and hallucal (big-toe) push-off) appear only in the last 2 Myr, but functional interpretations of footbones and footprints of early human ancestors (hominins) prior to 2 million years ago (Mya) remain contradictory. Pixel-wise topographical statistical analysis of Laetoli footprint morphology, compared with results from experimental studies of footprint formation; foot-pressure measurements in bipedalism of humans and non-human great apes; and computer simulation techniques, indicate that most of these functional features were already present, albeit less strongly expressed than in ourselves, in the maker of the Laetoli G-1 footprint trail, 3.66 Mya. This finding provides strong support to those previous studies which have interpreted the G-1 prints as generally modern in aspect.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Body Weight
  • Computer Simulation
  • Dermatoglyphics
  • Foot / anatomy & histology*
  • Foot / physiology*
  • Fossils
  • Gait / physiology*
  • History, Ancient
  • Hominidae / anatomy & histology*
  • Hominidae / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Paleontology
  • Pressure
  • Systems Biology
  • Tanzania