The foot of Homo naledi

Nat Commun. 2015 Oct 6:6:8432. doi: 10.1038/ncomms9432.

Abstract

Modern humans are characterized by a highly specialized foot that reflects our obligate bipedalism. Our understanding of hominin foot evolution is, although, hindered by a paucity of well-associated remains. Here we describe the foot of Homo naledi from Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa, using 107 pedal elements, including one nearly-complete adult foot. The H. naledi foot is predominantly modern human-like in morphology and inferred function, with an adducted hallux, an elongated tarsus, and derived ankle and calcaneocuboid joints. In combination, these features indicate a foot well adapted for striding bipedalism. However, the H. naledi foot differs from modern humans in having more curved proximal pedal phalanges, and features suggestive of a reduced medial longitudinal arch. Within the context of primitive features found elsewhere in the skeleton, these findings suggest a unique locomotor repertoire for H. naledi, thus providing further evidence of locomotor diversity within both the hominin clade and the genus Homo.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution
  • Foot / anatomy & histology*
  • Foot Bones / anatomy & histology*
  • Fossils*
  • Gorilla gorilla / anatomy & histology
  • Hominidae / anatomy & histology*
  • Humans
  • Pan paniscus / anatomy & histology
  • Pan troglodytes / anatomy & histology
  • Pongo pygmaeus / anatomy & histology