For centuries, the question of how humans became upright walkers has fascinated scientists and philosophers. Charles Darwin famously argued in The Descent of Man (1871) that humans evolved from apes, and one of the most striking transformations along the way was bipedalism. A new study, published in Nature, sheds light on the molecular and genetic steps that enabled this evolutionary leap.

The Pelvis: The Unsung Hero of Walking

Walking on two feet may feel ordinary today, but it required major anatomical innovations. At the heart of this transformation lies the ilium, the largest bone of the pelvis. This bowllike bone curves around the waist, anchors key leg muscles, supports the pelvic floor, and helps hold our internal organs in place when we stand upright.

The ilium is not only essential for walking, it plays a critical role in childbirth by forming much of the birth canal. Its shape is therefore central to two major evolutionary pressures: efficient locomotion and safe delivery of babies. Yet, until recently, the genetic blueprint behind its development remained poorly understood.

“It’s remarkable to me,” said Terence Capellini, a developmental geneticist at Harvard, “The ilium is essential to how we walk and how we give birth, and yet very little is known about it.”

Peering Into the Womb: A Molecular Detective Story

To unravel this mystery, Dr. Capellini and his team embarked on an ambitious project, analyzing how the ilium forms in embryos. Gayani Senevirathne, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard, used fetal tissue samples from a University of Washington repository to build 3D models of ilium development and track which genes switched on and off at various stages.

The researchers didn’t stop with humans. They performed similar experiments on mice embryos and then expanded their investigation to primates, including chimpanzees, gibbons, and lemurs, by collaborating with museums across the U.S. and Europe.

Their efforts resulted in a treasure trove of data covering 18 different primate species, offering unprecedented insight into how this bone evolved over millions of years.

The Big Surprise: A Complete Flip

Conventional wisdom suggested that the human ilium should form like that of other mammals, starting as a rod of cartilage running parallel to the spine, which then curves forward over time. But the Harvard team’s results showed something entirely different.

In humans, the ilium starts as a rod perpendicular to the spine, one end pointing toward the belly and the other toward the back. Rather than gradually curving, it retains this perpendicular orientation as it grows into its final shape.

“That was really striking to us,” said Dr. Capellini. “Nowhere in the human body do you find a place where humans have just changed the way we grow altogether.”

Even more strikingly, the team found that humans use the same set of genes that mice do, but regulate them differently. Genes are switched on and off in a new pattern in human embryos, triggered by signals from surrounding cells. This change in genetic “timing and location” is what reoriented the ilium and made upright walking possible.

Evolution in Two Acts: Walking and Birthing

The researchers believe that this reorientation of the ilium was a turning point in human evolution, allowing our ancestors to grow a pelvis that could support strong leg muscles for bipedal locomotion.

But their work also revealed a second major shift that likely occurred millions of years later, linked to the rise of larger brains. They discovered that the human ilium is slower to transform from cartilage into bone compared to the rest of the skeleton, lagging by about 15 weeks.

This delay may have been a critical adaptation: as brain size increased, so did the risk of babies getting stuck in the birth canal. Natural selection favored rounder, more flexible pelvic shapes that made childbirth safer.

The Evolutionary Trade-Off

While these changes were crucial for survival, they may have also made humans more vulnerable to pelvic problems, including fractures, arthritis, and complications during delivery. Dr. Capellini and his team hope to continue studying the ilium to better understand these vulnerabilities, but funding cuts have placed future research in jeopardy.

“We are all wondering what would have come next had we not lost this funding,” he said.

Why This Matters

This discovery is more than an evolutionary curiosity, it offers a window into why the human body looks and functions the way it does today. It also highlights the delicate balance of adaptations: the very changes that allowed humans to walk upright and give birth to big-brained babies may have introduced new health challenges.

By mapping these genetic changes, scientists hope to not only reconstruct the story of our evolution but also find better ways to diagnose and treat conditions related to the pelvis and lower body.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging British tourists to take one simple step to prevent their autumn holiday from being "ruined" by illness. Amid a potential rise in infections this year, the agency is advising travelers to make sure they are protected against measles before heading abroad.

What is Measles?

Measles is a very contagious illness that can make you feel quite sick. It's caused by a virus and can be serious, sometimes leading to dangerous problems like brain swelling or pneumonia. The best way to protect yourself and others is to get the measles vaccine. The first signs of measles can feel like a bad cold or flu. You might have:

• High fever
• A cough
• Runny nose
• Red or watery eyes
• Tirednes
• Sore throat and muscle pain

Are Measles Cases Rising Globally?

Measles is a highly contagious illness that can cause a fever, a cough, red eyes, and a rash. It can be prevented with the MMR vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that measles cases in Europe have reached a 25-year high, with over 127,000 cases reported last year. More than half of these cases required hospitalization, and there were 38 recorded deaths.

The UKHSA issued a message on social media platform X, stating, "Planning an autumn or winter getaway? Don't let measles ruin your holiday. Two doses of the #MMR vaccine give you full protection, and you can catch up at your GP practice if you've missed any."

Why Vaccination Is Key For Measles

Getting vaccinated against measles is a critical step in staying healthy. Measles isn't just a simple rash; it's a serious illness that can lead to severe, life-threatening problems like pneumonia (a lung infection), meningitis (brain inflammation), and even blindness.

The good news is that the MMR vaccine is highly effective at preventing measles, as well as mumps and rubella. In the UK, all children are offered this vaccine, and two doses can give you protection for life. If you're not sure if you or your child has had the vaccine, you can contact your local doctor's office (GP surgery), which can provide it for free. Health experts emphasize that when more people are vaccinated, it protects everyone, especially those who can't get the vaccine themselves.

What Measles Looks Like: How To Identify Measles?

According to Center of Disease Control and Prevention, a measles rash is a key sign of the illness, and it has a very specific pattern. It usually begins as flat, red spots on your face near the hairline. Over the next few days, it will spread downwards to cover your neck, body, arms, and legs.

Facial Rash: The rash often appears as small, red, raised spots on the forehead and cheeks. It might look different depending on a person's skin tone. as small, red, raised spots. It can look different on various skin tones.

Body Rash: The rash won't stay on your face; it will spread across your entire body.

Other Symptoms: The rash is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as a runny nose, watery eyes, and a cough.

Healing: As you start to recover, the rash will fade, and your skin may begin to peel or flake off.

Koplik spots: One of the earliest signs of measles is tiny white spots with a bluish center that show up inside the mouth. These are called Koplik spots and often appear a few days before the main rash.

If you smoke or around people who smoke, you may have heard them exclaim how smoking makes them lose appetite and helps them lose weight. If you are a person who struggles with weight gain, this logic may appeal to you, however, it could affect you in a completely different way than you realize. Type 2 diabetes is more common than you may realize, more than 38 million Americans have diabetes and 90% to 95% of them have type 2 diabetes (CDC data).

One of the best ways to contain type 2 diabetes is by losing weight. If you think that smoking could be a way to lose this weight, you may want to re-think that.

New research suggests that smoking increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, regardless of the specific subtype a person might have. This study, which combines data from Sweden, Norway, and Finland, also found that people with a genetic risk for diabetes are even more vulnerable to the negative effects of smoking.

What Are The Sub-Types of Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is not a one-size-fits-all condition. Researchers have proposed that it can be broken down into four distinct subtypes, each with different characteristics and health risks.

• SIRD (Severe Insulin-Resistant Diabetes): The body's cells do not respond well to insulin.
• SIDD (Severe Insulin-Deficient Diabetes): The body does not produce enough insulin.
• MOD (Mild Obesity-Related Diabetes): Linked to obesity, often starting at a younger age.
• MARD (Mild Age-Related Diabetes): Develops later in life.

How Does Smoking Affect Diabetes?

The study, which analyzed data from over 3,300 people with type 2 diabetes and almost 3,900 healthy individuals, found a strong connection between smoking and all four diabetes subtypes.

Increased Risk for All Subtypes

People who had ever smoked (current and past smokers) were at a higher risk of developing any of the four diabetes subtypes compared to non-smokers.

What Diabetes Was Linked To Smoking?

The connection was particularly strong for SIRD, the type of diabetes where the body resists insulin. Smokers were more than twice as likely (2.15 times) to develop SIRD than non-smokers. Smoking was also responsible for over a third of all SIRD cases in the study.

Heavy Smoking Increases Risk Further: Heavy smokers (those who smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day for 15 years) had an even higher risk for all four subtypes, with the risk for SIRD being 2.35 times higher than for non-smokers.

Smokeless Tobacco: The study also found a link between heavy use of snus (a smokeless tobacco product) and an increased risk of the more severe diabetes subtypes (SIRD and SIDD) in men.

Could Your Genetics Put You At Higher Risk of Diabetes?

The research also explored how smoking affects people who are already at a high genetic risk for diabetes. The findings showed that heavy smokers with a genetic predisposition for poor insulin production were particularly vulnerable. For example, a heavy smoker with a high genetic risk for impaired insulin secretion was over three times more likely (3.52-fold) to develop SIRD compared to a person without these risk factors.

The study's overall conclusion is clear: smoking raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of which subtype a person is prone to developing.

If you are in Delhi-NCR and have recently been coughing, sneezing, or running a fever, you are not alone. A recent LocalCircles survey shows that 69 per cent of households in the region currently have one or more members experiencing Covid, flu, or viral fever-like symptoms.

The report, titled “Viral illnesses soar in Delhi NCR as 69% households surveyed confirm one or more members experiencing symptoms,” highlights a sharp increase from 54 per cent in March 2025 to 69 per cent now. Here’s a closer look at the H3N2 virus, its symptoms, and the precautions you should take.

What Is the H3N2 Virus?

The virus spreads rapidly through droplets from coughing, sneezing, or even talking. It can also spread when a person touches contaminated surfaces and then touches their face. H3N2 can be particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that in these groups, H3N2 can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and hospitalization.

ALSO READ: Global Warming Is Driving a Surge in Dengue Cases, Study Warns

Symptoms of H3N2 Virus to Watch ForAccording to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), H3N2 has been the predominant strain causing the recent surge in flu cases across India. Data from hospital admissions for Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) indicates that 50% of these patients tested positive for H3N2.

Common symptoms include:

• Sudden high fever (often above 38–39°C) with chills
• Persistent cough and sore throat
• Severe fatigue, weakness, and body aches
• Headache and nasal congestion
• In children: nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

ALSO READ: West Nile Virus Isn't Over Yet, New Cases In US On Rise

Precautions Against H3N2 Virus

• Wash hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Wear masks in crowded or poorly ventilated areas
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing; dispose of tissues immediately
• Avoid close contact with sick individuals; isolate infected household members if possible
• Keep living spaces well-ventilated
• Maintain good nutrition, hydration, and adequate rest
• Consider the seasonal influenza vaccine, which often protects against H3N2 strains—especially important for children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses

H3N2 in the United States

The WHO continues to stress that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza, particularly for high-risk groups and their caregivers.