An alternative paradigm for hominoid evolution

Biological clock data from protein sequences indicate times for the divergence of humans and African apes that are only 2–3 million years before the present and hence inconsistent with the generally accepted view ofAustralopithecus on the evolutionary line toHomo. This inconsistency has been reconciled for most investigators by postulating a slowing of the biological clock among higher primates. However, there is no independent evidence for such a slowing, and for a number of reasons a specific slowing is unlikely. Therefore, an alternative paradigm is considered here based on the hypothesis that the molecular clock data are correct. The main consequence of this hypothesis is the placement ofA. afarensis in a position ancestral to African apes. An argument in support of this alternative paradigm is formulated concerning the evolution of knuckle-walking in African apes from ancestors whose bipedalism was already well developed. Published data are cited, particularly concerning the structure of the wrist, which accommodate poorly the evolution of African apes from palmigrad-walking or brachiating ancestors resemblingProconsul africanus orPongo. These arguments suggest that an alternative paradigm of hominoid evolution placingA. afarensis ancestral toHomo, Gorilla, andPan warrants further consideration.