Overview
- Researchers report a femoral tubercle on the Sahelanthropus thigh bone that anchors the iliofemoral ligament, a structure tied to standing and walking upright.
- The team confirms femoral antetorsion within hominin ranges and 3D muscle modeling indicating a gluteal configuration suited to stabilizing bipedal posture.
- Limb proportions show a relatively long femur compared with the ulna, placing the species between apes and later hominins and supporting some degree of terrestrial walking.
- If validated by additional fossils, the findings would push regular bipedal behavior to about seven million years ago, potentially making Sahelanthropus the earliest known hominin.
- Some specialists remain unconvinced due to fragmentary remains, and renewed excavations in Chad have been proposed to recover better-preserved material.