OUR ancestors might not have evolved legs to drag themselves out of the water onto land after all. The real reason, claims Robert Martin, a palaeontologist at Murray State University in Kentucky, was to make them better at sex. Past research has shown that limbs evolved while animals still lived exclusively in shallow water, possibly to help them move around and evade predators. But limbs also allowed them to grasp their partners while mating, Martin told last week’s meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Norman, Oklahoma. With a sturdier grip, males would be more likely to…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

Mind
The relationship recession is even bigger for Gen Z than we thought
News

Technology
Killer robots are here – we must finally decide whether to accept them
Leader

Technology
Quantum computer quickly mines cryptocurrency while using less energy
News

Mind
How to sparkle in conversation with strangers
Comment
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
2
Toy universe shows that time could be a quantum illusion
3
Wolves seen hunting European bison in rare camera-trap recording
4
How to sparkle in conversation with strangers
5
The relationship recession is even bigger for Gen Z than we thought
6
Unpicking endometriosis reveals how it affects more than the pelvis
7
How a radical new view of life could reveal its origin – and aliens
8
Mysterious ‘cold blob’ in the Atlantic suggests the AMOC is weakening
9
Explore the mind-bending and paradoxical art of M C. Escher
10
Is geothermal energy on the cusp of a worldwide renaissance?