#Chimpanzee skeleton full

Researchers have long argued about whether our early ancestors passed through a great-ape stage in which they looked like protochimpanzees, with short backs arms adapted for swinging through the trees and a pelvis and limbs adapted for knuckle-walking ( Science, 21 November 1969, p. 'We thought Lucy was the find of the century,' says paleoanthropologist Andrew Hill of Yale University, referring to the famous 3.2-million-year-old skeleton that revolutionized thinking about human origins. Instead, 'Ardi' walked upright, with a big, stiff foot and short, wide pelvis, researchers report in Science. Although the creature, named Ardipithecus ramidus, had a brain and body the size of a chimpanzee, it did not knuckle-walk or swing through the trees like an ape.

#Chimpanzee skeleton full

Researchers have unveiled the oldest known skeleton of a putative human ancestor-and it is full of surprises.

To see the full slideshow (and not just this one picture), download the latest version of the free Flash plug-in. JavaScript must be enabled in your browser. This ScienceNOW slideshow requires the Flash plug-in (version 8 or higher).