Review article
Gestation and the evolution of vertical stance bipedal humans
DS Robertson
Abstract
During mammalian gestation a change in maternal stance alters the velocities of maternal blood flows and results in a changed rate of delivery and distribution of nutrients required to form the bone and tissue in various parts of a developing foetus. The latter in turn results in change in the extent and position of tissue and bone formation in the foetus. It is shown that such changes would, over many generations, alter the physical characteristics of the ancestor offspring under conditions where the pregnant maternal ancestor normally exhibiting horizontal stance was constrained to adopt a vertical stance for all or most of the gestation period. This behaviour produced the physical characteristics seen in humans and other Hominidae primates, including the vertical stance and bipedalism of the former accompanied by increase in skull and brain size. The manner in which difficulties of giving birth as the change from horizontal stance to vertical stance proceeded from generation to generation, limited survival is discussed andreasons for the adoption of this behaviour are proposed. The induction of evolutionary change and the operation of natural selection through alterations in the characteristics of embryo/foetus of an animal, induced by physical, chemical, mechanical or behavioural means, is shown to be feasible. The changes are not related to the Lamarckian principle of inheritance of acquired characteristics as the changes described occurred before birth and are not related to any physical or mental characteristics already present in or acquired during the lifetime of the breeding pair.
Keywords
blood velocities; stance; evolution
Hrčak ID:
75168
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2011.
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