Researchers studied chimpanzee and monkey anatomy to better understand how humans evolved to have flexible shoulders and elbows.
Humans have ape ancestors to thank for their flexible shoulders and elbows, which may have evolved as a natural braking mechanism for tree-scaling.
The findings suggest that chimps and may have developed flexible shoulder and elbow joints as a way to"counteract" the effects of gravity on their heavier lower bodies. The result was a finely calibrated braking system that decreased their risk of falling while they descended downward high in the treetops, according to the study, published Sept. 6 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
But the study suggests that flexible appendages had evolved by the time of the last common ancestor between chimps and humans, but after apes and monkeys diverged. This flexibility would have proven beneficial for things that involved specific movements like gathering food, hunting and defending themselves, according to the study.
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