French Contribution to the study of Human Origins: The case ofAustralopithecus afarensis |
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Authors: | B Senut |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratoire d'Anthropologie et Institut de Paléontologie du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle à Paris, U.R.A. 49 au C.N.R.S., 8, Rue de Buffon, 75005 Paris |
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Abstract: | For a long time, French scientists have been involved in the study of human evolution and especially of human origins. Their
key works in Eastern Africa have led to the discovery of major fossil hominid sites, especially in the Afar region in Ethiopia,
where numerous remains ofAustralopithecus afarensis have been unearthed. The major contribution of the French scholars to the interpretation of the Hadar sample was to demonstrate
the impact of the postcranial features on taxonomy and phylogeny. Two groups were identified in the sample and by comparison
with modern populations of wild primates, these groups are assigned to different taxa. The other major impact was to show
that early hominid bipedalism was an exact replica of modern human bipedality. |
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Keywords: | Australopithecus afarensis Homo postcranial anatomy locomotion Omo Valley Hadar |
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