08/27/2026
Differences in the pelves (or pelvises, both terms are acceptable) between modern humans and Neanderthals have typically been interpreted as Neanderthals being an outlier in the human family tree. A new comparative study by Yoel Rak at Tel Aviv University and colleagues suggests that it is actually modern human males that are the outliers. A more forward-positioned hip joint allows for more efficient shock absorption in modern human male pelves compared to the ancestral condition present in human females and Neanderthal males. Little is known about Neanderthal females pelves, and the authors suggest that modern human females only retain the ancestral hip position due to obstetric limitations.
A new study by the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University, published in Scientific Reports, offers an explanation for one of the striking differences between men and women: the evolutionary development of the modern human pelvis.
