SRI LANKAN SCIENTIST LEADS GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERY ON HUMAN EVOLUTION

A team of scientists from Harvard University, led by Sri Lankan researcher Dr Gayani Seneviratne, has made a new discovery that offers a crucial insight into how the human race evolved to walk upright. The landmark findings were recently published in the prestigious journal, The Nature.

The new research sheds light on how our ancient ancestors, who once walked on all fours like apes, evolved to become bipedal. This is considered one of the most profound changes in the process of becoming human, a topic first explored by Charles Darwin in his 1871 work, The Descent of Man.

The team’s study revealed that ancient genes began to work in a new way, allowing our early ancestors to become bipedal. The scientists found that certain genes in the human embryo became active in new locations, while others were switched on and off at different times.

Scientists have long known that a key to walking upright is the ilium, the largest bone in the hip. The new study found a unique difference in how this bone develops in humans compared to other primates. While the ilium in other species begins as a rod parallel to the spine, the human ilium starts as a rod perpendicular to the spine, a "complete flip" in orientation. Dr Terence Capellini, a fellow evolutionary geneticist at Harvard, described the finding as "truly stunning."

Dr Seneviratne, a postdoctoral researcher, analysed human foetal tissue to create 3D models of the developing ilium. She then performed similar experiments on mice and primates, finding that only in humans did this unique developmental "flip" occur.

The findings have significant implications for both understanding human history and medicine, as the ilium plays a vital role in movement and childbirth.

In recognition of her work, Dr Seneviratne has been awarded the renowned Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship, a globally respected honour previously granted to several Nobel laureates.

The study notes that the ilium bone went through a second major change millions of years later when humans evolved to have larger brains, enabling a more rounded birth canal to accommodate larger infant heads.

However, the team's research is now at risk. According to Dr Capellini, the US government recently ended millions of dollars in funding for their project. "We can't guess what we would have found next if we had not lost this funding," he said.