Anthropology researchers from the University of Texas have confirmed a direct link between the bipedal walking and the position of the foramen magnum.
When Raymond Dart discovered the first known two-walking human ancestor, Australopithecus africanus , in 1925, physical anthropologists started to discuss whether the position of the foramen magnum could be a direct link to bipedal fossils. Nowadays the discussion continues.
In humans, the foramen magnum is centrally positioned under the braincase and in the case of the chimpanzees and most mammals, is located back of the skull. The reason is that in bipedal postures the head is just on top of an upright spine. However, the four-legged postures show the position of the spine behind the head.
The researchers also obtained the position of the foramen magnum in 71 species from three mammalian groups: primates, marsupials and rodents. According to the findings, the position of the foramen magnum in the base of the skull is not just found in humans, but also in other bipedal mammals, such as kangaroos.
Scientists want to know whether these mammals evolved bipedal locomotion and the position of the foramen magnum independently, or by convergent evolution.
Gabrielle Russo, postdoctoral research fellow at Northeast Ohio Medical University, thinks that the position of the foramen magnum is an important feature for the study of our evolution, the human evolution.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130926111903.htm
Curiosities of physical anthropology 