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Upright Walkers?
Despite the power to take the air upright , former relatives of manhood represented by the famed " Lucy " fossil in all probability spent much of their fourth dimension in trees , remaining very active social climber . scientist live this not just from Lucy ’s skeleton , but also from the bone of a toddler Australopithecus afarensis , they cover in the Oct. 26 , 2012 , way out of the journal Science , and also in the May 22 , 2017 , issue of in the daybook Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . In the more recent study , researcher have revealed the young girlfriend ’s spine , now consider the old hominin spine known to day of the month .
And Tree Climbers?
While scientist have know Lucy , anAustralopithecus afarensisskeleton , and her kinsperson were no knuckle - dragger , they have long debated how much time they spent in trees . The solvent could divulge information about evolutionary military group that shaped the human lineage . ( Shown here , a fragment of Lucy ’s low-toned weapon system bone . )
Selam Skeleton
To serve break up this disceptation , scientist look at two complete shoulder blade from the fossil " Selam , " an exceptionally well - preserved skeleton of a 3 - year - older A. afarensis girl dating back 3.3 million years from Dikika , Ethiopia . The implements of war and shoulders can generate insight on how well they performed at mounting . ( exhibit here , Selam ’s brainpan , face and mandible . )
Fragile Shoulder Blades
Researchers spent 11 twelvemonth carefully extracting Selam ’s two shoulder blades from the rest of the skeleton , which was encased in a sandstone block . Here , a dorsal view of Selam ’s cranium , with the occipital bone and vertebral column visible . Dorsal horizon of both the complete right and the fragmentary allow scapulae .
Finding Shoulder Bones
" Because shoulder blades are paper - thin , they seldom fossilize , and when they do , they are almost always fragmentary , " Zeresenay Alemseged , a paleoanthropologist at the California Academy of Sciences . " So finding both shoulder blades completely intact and attached to a skeleton of a known and pivotal species was like hitting the jackpot . " Here , another view of Selam ’s braincase and mandible , with the vertebrae and accomplished right scapula visible .
Socket Science
The investigator found these ivory had several details in common with those of modern aper , suggesting they last part of the metre in Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . For illustration , the socket for the articulatio humeri joint was pointed upward in both Selam and today ’s apes , a sign of an active crampon . In humankind , these socket confront out to the sides . Shown here , Selam ’s cranium as well as the complete right scapula and the correct ribs .
Like Modern Apes
The lilliputian right dodo shoulder joint blade of a 3 - year - old Australopithecus afarensis female person discover in Dikika , Ethiopia who break down 3.3 million years ago is hold by lead author David J. Green of Midwestern University . The left brand ( not pictured ) is also preserved and both fossils display evidence that this former two-footed metal money maintained adaptations to mount trees .
In Profile
Here , a right lateral scene of Selam ’s braincase , cheek and mandible , with the upper and scummy teeth seeable .
Selam’s spine
The 3 million - year - honest-to-god spine of Selam , anAustralopithecus afarensiswho died at the historic period of 2 or 3 in what is now Ethiopia . This is the oldest - complete cervical and thoracic spine from a human ascendant . The paradigm in the upper left read the spine as it was continue in sandstone .
Oldest spine
The spine of the youngAustralopithecus afarensisSelam , a hominin who pass some 3 million years ago .
Tiny bones
The frail vertebra of theA. aferensisSelam assume year to painstakingly crisp from the surrounding sandstone . The vertebral bodies are only about a half inch ( 1.2 centimetre ) across .
