Our extinct Australopithecus relatives may have had difficult births
Illustration of a female Australopithecus sediba carrying an infant JOHN BAVARO FINE ART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Childbirth was difficult and dangerous for our ape-like ancestors, much as it is for women today. A new study of the pelvises of Australopithecus suggests that labour exerted powerful forces on their pelvic floors – meaning Australopithecus mothers risked perineal…