|
I think that the guy studying this family isn't studying enough, or rather, quite the right thing.
It's no big surprise that a family, particularly one that seems to be, uh, a little more closely genetically linked than most families. I think that's only part of the story.
What would happen if one of the family members with the genetic anomaly were raised in isolation from the family? WOuld they still show the all fours walking behavior, or would they walk upright? Are the skeletal deformities the result of the genetic defect (nature) or are they the consequence of only ever walking on all fours from childhood/infancy (nuture)?
I think the smart money's on nurture.
If someone would give me a sufficiently large research grant, I would be happy to test my hypothesis.
Oh, and I'll need to borrow an infant for a couple of years ... must be genetically sound, as I'll be swapping it for one of their offspring.
|