Support system of Lisfranc joint complex: An anatomical investigation with an evolutionary perspective.

Journal and index pages often block iframe embedding. This reader keeps the evidence details in Orthonotes and leaves the source page one click away.

Abstract

[Indexed for MEDLINE] 13. Science. 2011 Feb 11;331(6018):750-3. doi: 10.1126/science.1201463. Complete fourth metatarsal and arches in the foot of Australopithecus afarensis. Ward CV(1), Kimbel WH, Johanson DC. Author information: (1)Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA. wardcv@missouri.edu Erratum in Science. 2011 Apr 15;332(6027):306. The transition to full-time terrestrial bipedality is a hallmark of human evolution. A key correlate of human bipedalism is the development of longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot that provide a rigid propulsive lever and critical shock absorption during striding bipedal gait. Evidence for arches in the earliest well-known Australopithecus species, A. afarensis, has long been debated. A complete fourth metatarsal of A. afarensis was recently discovered at Hadar, Ethiopia. It exhibits torsion of the head relative to the base, a direct correlate of a transverse arch in humans. The orientation of the proximal and distal ends of the bone reflects a longitudinal arch. Further, the deep, flat base and tarsal facets imply that its midfoot had no ape-like midtarsal break. These features show that the A. afarensis foot was functionally like that of modern humans and support the hypothesis that this species was a committed terrestrial biped. DOI: 10.1126/science.1201463