NEWS AND OPINION: The purpose of this article is to correct what I see as a very misleading headline on the Internet today on the Indy 100 website. The headline is: "Family that walk on all fours have 'undone the last three million years of evolution'". The article does discuss a medical issue but the headline is clickbait.
It's misleading as I said. I explain why below:
The family in Türkiye (Turkey) that walks on all fours suffers from a health issue known as non-progressive congenital cerebellar ataxia. This condition affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for balance and coordination. Due to this genetic mutation, the affected individuals have difficulty maintaining the balance required for bipedal walking, leading them to develop a quadrupedal gait.
Are they the only Turkish family affected? There have been reports primarily focused on a specific family in Turkey known for walking on all fours, but it's not common for multiple families to exhibit this behaviour. The most studied case involved a small group from a rural area who displayed this unique locomotion due to a neurological condition affecting balance and coordination. This phenomenon is quite rare, and while there may be isolated instances, the majority of individuals do not walk this way.
P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.
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