Mystery for scientists – a family that walks on all fours

For many years, researchers around the world have been trying to unravel the secret of a Turkish family, whose members move in a very strange way - on their hands and feet.

Five siblings, aged 18 to 34, from a village in Hatay province in southern Turkey, have inspired scientists around the world to conduct research over the past 11 years. Members of this unique family walk on their arms and legs and can stay upright for a very short period of time, while their knees and head remain bent.

An earlier theory claimed that the gait of the Ulas family is similar to that of primates, suggesting that the family is an example of "reverse evolution." But now American scientists have come to the conclusion that the way siblings move is a consequence of a rare disease.



In a report published in PLoS One, the researchers say the way members of a Turkish family are moved is not like the gait of primates. They argue that it is actually a consequence of an inherited disease that causes cerebellar hypoplasia, complicating the sense of balance. To adapt, the family developed their own way of moving.



In 2005, British researchers also noted that the gait of siblings is different from the gait of primates. However, Turkish evolutionary biologist Uner Tan has previously claimed that siblings who have brain damage suffer from a disease called a brain injury.Uner Tan syndrome.



He stated that people suffering from this syndrome walk, relying on all four limbs and communicate in simple phrases. The scientist insisted that the syndrome, which he named in his honor, is the result of "reverse evolution."

The general public first learned about the siblings, whose parents move normally, in 2006 after the release of the documentary. According to Mail Online, two daughters and a son are constantly moving on their hands and feet, and the other two children sometimes manage to walk only on their feet.

Source: nlo-mir.ru

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