法国普瓦捷大学F. Guy团队发现乍得中新世晚期古人类双足运动的颅后证据。2022年8月24日，国际知名学术期刊《自然》在线发表了这一成果。

研究人员提出了乍得沙赫人（Sahelanthropus tchadensis）运动行为的颅后证据，对人类演化史早期阶段的两足运动有了新的认识。原始材料发现于Toros-Ménalla化石区的TM266地点，包括一根左股骨和两根左右尺骨。股骨的形态与习惯性双足最为吻合，而尺骨则保留了大量树栖行为的证据。综上所述，这些发现表明，古人类在7百万年前左右已经是两足动物，但也表明，树栖攀爬可能是他们运动方式的一个重要部分。

据悉，双足运动是定义古人类的关键适应性之一。早在6百万年前，非洲东部的中新世晚期古人类的后颅骨就有双足运动的证据。迄今为止，在非洲中部（乍得），根据颅骨证据推断出乍得沙赫人的两足特性约在7百万年前。

附：英文原文

Title: Postcranial evidence of late Miocene hominin bipedalism in Chad

Author: Daver, G., Guy, F., Mackaye, H. T., Likius, A., Boisserie, J. -R., Moussa, A., Pallas, L., Vignaud, P., Clarisse, N. D.

Issue&Volume: 2022-08-24

Abstract: Bipedal locomotion is one of the key adaptations that define the hominin clade. Evidence of bipedalism is known from postcranial remains of late Miocene hominins as early as 6million years ago (Ma) in eastern Africa1,2,3,4. Bipedality of Sahelanthropus tchadensis was hitherto inferred about 7Ma in central Africa (Chad) based on cranial evidence5,6,7. Here we present postcranial evidence of the locomotor behaviour of S.tchadensis, with new insights into bipedalism at the early stage of hominin evolutionary history. The original material was discovered at locality TM266 of the Toros-Ménalla fossiliferous area and consists of one left femur and two, right and left, ulnae. The morphology of the femur is most parsimonious with habitual bipedality, and the ulnae preserve evidence of substantial arboreal behaviour. Taken together, these findings suggest that hominins were already bipeds at around 7Ma but also suggest that arboreal clambering was probably a significant part of their locomotor repertoire.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04901-z

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04901-z