Lovejoy C Owen
Department of Anthropology, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Gait Posture. 2007 Mar;25(3):325-41. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2006.05.001.
The human fossil record is one of the most complete for any mammal. A basal ancestral species, Australopithecus afarensis, exhibits a well-preserved postcranium that permits reconstruction of important events in the evolution of our locomotor skeleton. When compared to those of living apes and humans, it provides insights into the origin and design of the modern human frame. Evolutionary aspects of the human knee are reviewed, including its highly specialized design with respect to upright walking and running. Design elements include increased tibial cartilage contact derived by both genomic and epigenetic mechanisms, valgus stance angulation, a mechanism for patellar retention, and a somewhat increased patellar moment arm. The history of these features in early hominids and their fundamental differences from their counterparts in apes are discussed.
人类化石记录是所有哺乳动物中最完整的之一。一个基础祖先物种——阿法南方古猿，其颅后骨骼保存完好，这使得我们能够重建运动骨骼进化过程中的重要事件。与现存猿类和人类的骨骼相比，它为了解现代人类身体结构的起源和设计提供了线索。本文回顾了人类膝盖的进化方面，包括其在直立行走和奔跑方面的高度专业化设计。设计元素包括通过基因组和表观遗传机制实现的胫骨软骨接触增加、外翻站立角度、髌骨固定机制以及略有增加的髌骨力臂。文中讨论了这些特征在早期原始人类中的历史以及它们与猿类对应特征的根本差异。
