The members of the family use the palms during a “bear crawl”.
A family living in Turkey has baffled scientists who study human evolution. Certain members of the Ulas family walk on all fours, which had not been observed in mature adults before this discovery. This unusual behavior was first documented in 2006 BBC documentary titled ‘The Family That Walks on All Fours’. The video shows the members of the family using their palms during a “bear crawl”. A scientific paper has also been published detailing the family.
The BBC quoted Professor Humphrey from the London School of Economics (LSE), who said four sisters and one brother were born with the unusual trait that could provide clues as to why our ancestors made the switch from four-legged to bipedal animals.
Sadly, a sixth member of the family, who also had the trait, died.
“I never imagined that modern humans would be able to return to an animal state even under the most extraordinary scientific fantasy,” Professor Humphrey told 60 Minutes Australia.
“What sets us apart from the rest of the animal world is the fact that we are the species that walks on two legs and holds our heads high in the air,” he explained.
“Of course it’s language and all sorts of other things, but it’s terribly important to our sense of being different from others in the animal kingdom. These people cross that line,” the expert added.
A study by researchers at the University of Liverpool found that the children in the study had skeletons that looked more like monkeys than humans, and a shrunken cerebellum. New York Post.
Professor Humphrey later said that a physiotherapist later used equipment to help them walk on only two feet, leading to significant improvements in mobility.
