Monday, February 27, 2006
Claim of reversed human evolution provokes skepticism, interest
Scientists' reactions have ranged from deep skepticism to interest in a report of a mutation that makes people walk on all fours, cited in a Turkish study as a possible instance of 'backward evolution.'
The bizarre case, reported last week in World Science, has also drawn attention from several scientists in Europe, some of whom are collaborating on a BBC documentary on it.
Three researchers with the University of Cambridge, U.K., and the London School of Economics wrote recently that the case could represent a 'rediscovery' of a walking style much like that of human ancestors.
This might help resolve a debate over how our forebears walked, they added. [News]
technorati tags: backward, evolution, news, bbc, london, school, economics, mutation, human, ancestors
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