Scientists finally uncovered the mysterious condition that made a Turkish family walk on all fours

People with disabilities across the globe are known to develop different methods to perform everyday tasks that the rest of us take for granted, no matter how challenging they are for them. One Turkish family's way of life shaped by their disability has made them the subject of a documentary titled "The Family That Walks On All Fours," and has also baffled scientists because of how they get through everyday life. The Ulas family's case was studied by Evolutionary psychologist professor Nicholas Humphrey, whose team was shocked when they discovered that out of 18 children born into the Ulas family, six had a 'unique disability' which resulted in them walking on all fours.

Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey conducted scans that showed how the middle of their cerebellum was 'shrunk', but that provided no conclusive answers. "The thing that sets us apart from the rest of the animal world is the fact that we're the species that walks on two legs and holds our heads high in the air… of course, it's language and all other sorts of things too, but it's terribly important to our sense of ourselves as being different from others in the animal kingdom. These people cross that boundary," Nicholas Humphrey told 60 Minutes Australia.

"I never expected that even under the most extraordinary scientific fantasy that modern human beings could return to an animal state," Professor Humphrey added. 

Many researchers before Humphrey had suggested that the way the family walks has to be an example of "backward evolution" which the professor deemed as "deeply insulting" towards them and even "scientifically irresponsible."

Researchers at Liverpool University later found that the children who were being studied had skeletons that were more like that of apes as opposed to humans, and had shrunken cerebellums, which is a condition that doesn't usually affect the ability to walk among other human.

"I think it’s possible that what we are seeing in this family is something that does correspond to a time when we didn’t walk like chimpanzees but was an important step between coming down from the trees and becoming fully bipedal," Humphrey suggested. He also said that since the children were not necessarily encouraged to stand after nine months, their development could have been affected.

But after further research, a team of Danish scientists finally understood the real reason behind the condition. Scientists from Aarhus University in 2014 found that the cause was Cerebellar Ataxia, Mental Retardation and Dysequilibrium Syndrome (CAMRQ). As per Science Nordic, CAMRQ is a very rare syndrome that results from a rare mutation preventing proteins from distributing molecules of fat in the body.

This leads to defective nerve cells, brain damage, and a loss of balance, which would explain why the family walked on all fours as their poor balance refrained them from walking upright. According to reports by the New York Post, the children were provided with a physiotherapist as well as equipment to help them walk on two feet, which led to improvements in mobility by the time Humphrey returned to Turkey.