Family that walks on all fours baffles scientists, 'shouldn't exist'

August 2024 · 3 minute read

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You probably wouldn’t be able to walk a mile in this family’s shoes.

Some members of a family in Turkey walk in a way that has baffled scientists and challenges the world’s understanding of human evolution — on all fours, using the palms of their hands in a “bear crawl.”

The Ulas family was first brought into the public sphere through a scientific paper which was followed by a 2006 documentary on the BBC called “The Family That Walks on All Fours.”

Professor Nicholas Humphrey, an evolutionary psychologist from the London School of Economics, found that out of the 18 kids in this family, six of them were born with this trait never before seen in modern human adults. Unfortunately, one of the six has since died.

The Ulas family became known through a scientific paper which was followed by a 2006 documentary on the BBC called “The Family That Walks on All Fours.” 60 Minutes Australia
Some members of a family in Turkey walk in a way that has baffled scientists and challenges the world’s understanding of human evolution — on all fours, using the palms of their hands in a “bear crawl.” 60 Minutes Australia

“I never expected that even under the most extraordinary scientific fantasy that modern human beings could return to an animal state,” Humphrey said on “60 Minutes Australia.”

“The thing which marks us off from the rest of the animal world is the fact that we’re the species which walks on two legs and holds our heads high in the air,” he explained.

“Of course, it’s language and all other sorts of things too, but it’s terribly important to our sense of ourselves as being different from others in the animal kingdom. These people cross that boundary.”

The Ulas family was described in the documentary as “the missing link between man and ape” — and a Turkish study suggested that “devolution” might have occurred, reversing three million years of evolution.

The Ulas family was described in the documentary as “the missing link between man and ape.” 60 Minutes Australia

But Humphrey slammed that theory in the BBC doc, calling it “deeply insulting” and “scientifically irresponsible.”

The documentary also maintained the family’s “untold significance for every one of us” and claimed they “shouldn’t exist.”

Researchers at Liverpool University found that the children at the center of the study had skeletons with more resemblance to apes than humans and had a shrunken cerebellum, a condition that doesn’t usually effect other humans’ ability to walk on their two legs, according to the Daily Star.

However, while apes use their knuckles to get around, these humans use the palms of their hands, marking a significant difference.

The documentary maintained the family’s “untold significance for every one of us” and claimed they “shouldn’t exist.” 60 Minutes Australia
Researchers at Liverpool University found that the children at the center of the study had skeletons with more resemblance to apes than humans and had a shrunken cerebellum. 60 Minutes Australia

“I think it’s possible that what we are seeing in this family is something that does correspond to a time when we didn’t walk like chimpanzees but was an important step between coming down from the trees and becoming fully bipedal,” Humphrey suggested.

He also noted that since the children were not necessarily encouraged to stand after 9 months old, their development could have been affected.

The children were provided with a physiotherapist as well as equipment used to help them walk on just two feet, which led to significant improvements in mobility by the time Humphrey returned to Turkey.

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