Over 3.6 million years ago , three distant human congenator went for a stroll , blissfully incognizant they were reach history . By sheer chance , their footsteps became imprinted in volcanic ash and lasted for millions of year , providing modern scientist with the previous definitive grounds of human root walking on two feet .
They ’re known as theLaetoli footprints , located along the southerly edge of the Serengeti Plains in north Tanzania , Africa .
First describe by archaeologistsin 1978 , the site was initially found to be home to at least 70 hominin footprints spanning a cartroad that die hard for 27 meters ( 88 groundwork ) . It waslater revealedthat the footprints were most likely left by three individuals walking in a group .
A model ofAustralopithecusat a museum exhibition in Barcelona, Spain.Image credit: rantic00/Shutterstock.com
The bed of deposit was go steady to around 3.6 million years ago , meaning this was long beforeHomo sapienswere on the view . render its dating and location , most researchers agree that the footprints were almost sure enough leave byAustralopithecus afarensis , the same species as the celebrated skeletonknown as “ Lucy . ”
Australopithecus afarensislooked like a mix between modern humans and other smashing apes . Imagine an individual who stand around 150 centimeters ( just under 5 feet ) tall , with a chimp - alike face and stocky body covered in hair . Crucially , we now know that they stood upright .
A Brobdingnagian amount of research on the shape of the Laetoli footprints has entail thatA. afarensiswas bipedal . Just like us , the footprint show the species had bighearted toes in line with the rest of their foot , unlike the “ imitator - like ” foot we see in today ’s chimpanzees , bonobos , and so on .
From the form of the footprints , research worker also deduced they walked with a " heel - ten-strike " , where the heel of the foot hits first followed by " toe - off " , in which the toe push off at the end of the stride . Once again , this is similar to how we walk .
“ The Laetoli prints represented a character of bipedal walking that was in full erect and beat back by the front of the foot , particularly the big toe , much like world today , and quite different to bipedal walk of chimpanzee and other apes , " Professor Robin Crompton , a professor of musculoskeletal biology at the University of Liverpool , saidin 2011 .
Their years is their most incredible lineament . Before these uncovering , most researchers assumed that bipedalism had only acquire inthe genusHomo , which include our specie , as well as Neanderthals , Homo erectus , and more . However , the Laetoli site shows it evolved in a much older genus of hominin , Australopithecus , which is conceive to have been partially tree - dwelling .
Nevertheless , the body ofA. afarensisstill maintained some of its antediluvian features , which held it back from mastering the art of bipedalism – a trait that was priceless in our species ’ ascension .
“ The characteristic long - legged , short - eubstance kind of the modern human allows us to walk and run great distances , even when carrying heavy piles . Australopithecus afarensishad the reverse forcible body-build , forgetful legs and a long body , which make it probable that it could only take the air or run effectively over brusque distance . We now take to determine when our ancestors first became able to take the air or run over the very long distance that enable humans to colonize the world , " added Professor Crompton .
alas , the future tense of the Laetoli site is far from sure . In May 2024 , researcherssounded the dismay bellthat the tracks are at risk of infection of being lost forever due to eating away because of increasing tempest and rainfall , driven by clime variety .
