How do we walk on two legs? Scientists answer

Research conducted by Yale University tries to associate the development of the femur of dinosaurs and birds which allowed these animals to be bipedal. The findings resolve a longstanding question about dinosaur evolution and provide an excellent example of how new physical traits can emerge.

Researchers have focused on evolutionary changes in the femoral head — where the upper femur connects to the hip bone — of various dinosaurs, early reptiles and birds. Yale University professor Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar said the femur is a key part of dinosaur anatomy. “Inward-facing femoral heads are necessary for fast and effective bipedal locomotion,” Bhullar pointed out.

According to Bhullar, for many years there have been two conflicting theories about how the femoral heads of dinosaurs developed. While one theory held that the head of the femur had a protrusion, which reoriented the legs; the other pointed out that it was the head of the femur that twisted inward over time.

Both bone theories find support in modern animals. The torsion theory can be tested in early dinosaurs and modern crocodilians; growth theory was observed in dinosaurs and later in birds.

Innovation in bone analysis

in this new she studies 3D imaging has been used to study femoral head development in a variety of animal fossils and embryos. What they found was surprising, as evidence shows that both theories occur together.

Bhullar pointed out that “the embryonic development of this important bony feature has completely changed. This kind of hidden change in development may be more common in evolution than we think, and should serve to warn against the widely held notion that traits that develop differently must have evolved separately.

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Source: Olhar Digital