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Path: ...!news.tomockey.net!2.eu.feeder.erje.net!feeder.erje.net!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Primum Sapienti <invalide@invalid.invalid> Newsgroups: sci.anthropology.paleo Subject: The costs of bipedal locomotion through time in hominins Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2024 21:54:52 -0600 Organization: sum Lines: 63 Message-ID: <vf4jad$q1jm$1@dont-email.me> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Injection-Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2024 05:54:54 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="039988d12b7c43491a84c0a333ae4866"; logging-data="853622"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18U2ctPUUhuhRaBH60tnT/G" User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:91.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/91.0 SeaMonkey/2.53.18.2 Cancel-Lock: sha1:2QOVwRKqJdA98arr2dQWZqQWJO4= X-Mozilla-News-Host: snews://news.eternal-september.org:563 Bytes: 3775 <https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024_SVP_Program_Final3.pdf> Technical Session 12: Euarchontoglires (Friday, November 1, 2024, 8:00 AM) The costs of bipedal locomotion through time in hominins Bipedal locomotion is a cornerstone of hominin evolution and is hypothesised to have contributed to the evolution of large brains and stone-tool use. Elongated hindlimbs and specialisations in the feet and hips of later Homo are considered adaptations to minimise further the costs of long-distance endurance running. Many studies have used a variety of approaches for estimating the costs of walking and running in select hominin species; however, it remains untested whether there was a general trend through time to minimise locomotor costs. Such a trend would be consistent with persistent selection pressures to reduce the costs of a new advantageous mode of locomotion. Here, we apply Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods to biophysical models of bipedal walking and synthesise estimates on locomotor costs with morphological characters commonly linked to efficient bipedal movement. We leverage data from over 450 hominoid fossils to make phylogenetically informed predictions about hindlimb length, stature, and body mass, from which we estimate variation in the mechanical and metabolic costs of walking for 25 hominoid species. Hindlimb length strongly predicts mass specific locomotor costs across terrestrial animals. When available, we also collected data on the presence of characters linked to efficient bipedal locomotion, such as larger articular surfaces in the knee, shorter pedal phalanges, and a rigid plantar arch in the foot. We then used a Bayesian phylogenetic generalised linear mixed model to test for a general trend in hindlimb length, stature, body mass, and the mechanical and metabolic costs of walking through time. Our model accounts for the uncertainties in our morphological predictions, fossil age ranges, taxonomic assignments of specimens, and phylogenetic topology. We also test for trends in locomotor costs and associated traits within species, such as in the long-persisting and wide-ranging Homo erectus, and examine potential deviations from an overall trend. For example, species like Homo floresiensis exhibited increased estimated locomotor costs relative to other late occurring Homo due in large part to its shorter hindlimbs. Future analyses will test for an association between locomotor costs, brain size evolution, and palaeo environmental change. Our study sets a benchmark for future studies on biomechanical evolution that applies to many terrestrial vertebrate clades.