In a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers examined the presence of fabella in 93 primate species and concluded that it is present in most primates but almost absent in hominoids, which include humans, chimpanzees and gorillas.
But fabella may develop differently in humans, which could explain the evolutionary transition to upright walking.
Dr. Michael Berthaume, one of the study’s authors, suggested that changing the function of the fabella may have helped early human ancestors, such as Australopithecus, walk on two legs.
This discovery could provide new insight into how humans evolved the traits that allowed them to become upright walkers, unlike other primates where fabella almost always develop in a pair (medial and lateral). However, humans only have lateral fabella.
The researchers suggest that this “gap” in bone development may be a sign of exaptation, when an existing body part comes to be used for a new function, in this case to support bipedalism.
Source: Ferra
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