Ancient Hominid Males Stuck Close to the Cave While Females Traveled, Study Says

A University of Colorado-Boulder study suggests that two species of early hominids, Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus, sported males that generally preferred to stick close to home while their female counterparts traveled the countryside. The study results may also contradict the generally accepted theory that bipedalism in humans evolved in part to enable them to travel longer distances with greater efficiency.

The study, led by adjunct professor Sandi Copeland of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, acquired key data by directing lasers through a technique called laser ablation at 19 sample teeth from Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus individuals that had been recovered in previous excavations at the famed South African caves of Sterkfontein and Swartkrans. The specimens ranged in age from 2.7 to 1.7 million years.

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