Man first learned to throw two million years ago

Homo erectus could have been able to throw further than many modern athletes, according to the research

Early human ancestors may have evolved to throw spears allowing them to hunt around two million years ago, a new study has suggested.

Scientists have found that the skeletons of early species of human changed to give them the ability to throw much like modern humans.

A study of fossils of Homo erectus, an extinct human ancestor, shows that their shoulders and collar bone would have allowed them to hurl sticks accurately and powerfully.

This would have enabled Homo erectus to become a proficient hunter, able to throw weapons like spears and rocks at potential prey.

Dr Neil Roach, an anthropologist at The George Washington University in Washington, said: 'The combination of inferiorly rotated, human-like shoulders with a tall, mobile waist and low humeral torsion, support Homo erectus as the first known hominin possessing the full anatomical complex associated with proficient throwing. [...] dailymail.co.uk