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Sangiran Museum, many collections about ancient humans and their environment are here (Source:kultur.kemdikbud.go.id)
Humans living today can be said to be the weakest in terms of physical strength. This is compared to prehistoric humans or ancient humans. Imagine, ancient humans had extraordinary running abilities. If they weren’t able to run fast, ancient humans certainly wouldn’t have been able to catch prey. In fact, animals are food ingredients besides plants. In fact, if they can’t run fast, they will be attacked by wild animals.
In the world of science, the term Podiatry is known, which refers to the anatomy and physiology of hominid feet, including in relation to their joints and legs. It is even associated with the spine and skeletal system. This podiatry has a special place in the study of human evolution in connection with fossil findings from hominid limb remains in Pleistocene or earlier layers which show anatomical differences that have become increasingly subtle over the course of time.
Podiatry
Podiatry, according to paleoanthropologist Rusyad Adi Suriyanto, has contributed to paleoanthropology, namely its role in providing a broader perspective in the study of remains from hominids to archaeological humans which concentrates on the anatomy and activities of their feet. So far the findings are increasingly abundant, including in Indonesia, which can include foot and leg bones, even footprints.
According to Rusyad, in August 1891, Marie Eugne Franois Thomas Dubois found an isolated molar tooth that was still doubtful as a hominid in an excavation in Trinil, Ngawi, East Java. Two months later, a meter from the site of the find was discovered the roof of a skull, a fossil that would become known as Pithecanthropus. In August 1892, a third fossil was found, an almost complete left femur, about 10 – 15 meters from the find. He published a description of the fossil finds, and gave the taxonomical name Pithecanthropus erectus (“upright walking ape-man”) in 1894.
“This publication shocked the world of science at that time because the personification did not depict an ape or a human, but as something in between,” said Rusyad. Immediately, reactions spread widely among scientists, especially in Europe. Eugne Dubois remained with his initial stance. This event has placed Indonesia in world paleoanthropology.
photo-info">Illustration of humans from walking bent over, upright, to running (Source: Out of the Box Community)
Barefoot
Humans have been walking barefoot for millions of years. This experience provided an opportunity to study how natural selection adapted the human body for walking. Here humans have developed the ability to walk barefoot, a gait that minimizes the worst impacts and provides increased proprioception (an anatomical term that refers to the sensation felt by parts of the body, especially the extremities and muscles, when performing movements) and strength. feet, which is hypothesized to help avoid injury, regardless of whether a person is barefoot. That’s Rusyad’s story.
Rusyad added, an experiment conducted by Cunningham et al concluded that humans are the most economical walkers, but not the most economical runners. If we look briefly at hunter-gatherers who were able to travel long distances to get sufficient nutrition, of course this is not a very surprising thing, because humans have inherited the posture of their legs from our ancestors, the arboreal hominids.
One of the distinguishing behavioral characteristics of modern humans is a habit of using some form of footwear, which is useful for thermal insulation in cold climates and for plantar foot protection in all climates. The use of footwear is still very rare in the Middle Paleolithic period, but is increasingly found in the middle Upper Paleolithic period. Rusyad spoke again.
photo-info">One of the collections at the Sangiran Museum (Source: travel.tribunnews.com)
Failed to adapt
2023-10-22 01:11:18
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