[imagesource:Needpix]

A family in Turkey has come under the spotlight over their habit of walking on all fours. Scientists from England and Turkey are at odds over the reasons the family do this, with Turkish researchers pointing to ‘backward evolution’ as the cause.

The scientists at Üner Tan of Çukurova University Medical School in Adana, Turkey, have dubbed the family’s ‘condition’ Üner Tan Syndrome, but British scientists dispute this label, and along with a documentary crew, visited the family to study firsthand how they move about.

The two factions have discussed the potential of backwards evolution due to five members of the family walking on all fours, like a bear crawl, reminiscent of the Homo sapiens before the bipedal mode became the norm.

The English researchers believe there are balancing issues and have pointed to an inherited congenital condition that makes standing upright difficult. Five of the 19 children in the Ulas family walk on all fours to get around and have done so since birth. The affected children have intellectual disabilities and imbalance issues, suggesting their way of walking was more of an opportunity for them to better navigate their world.

Researchers continue to weigh in on the issue, with many saying there’s no backwards evolution going on here, but rather, a potentially complicated gene disorder.

Have a look at the fascinating study in the below video by British scientists Nicholas Humphrey, John Skoyles, and professor Roger Keynesto:

[source:popularmechanics]