Spectrum of Science:Spektrum Gesc

Dear readers, a few million years ago, one of our ancestors climbed through the branches of trees, jumped to the ground, and continued walking on two legs from there. Once on the ground, we soon stood upright. It wasn't that simple. The story of how humans became upright is likely much more complex than experts have previously assumed. Paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva from Dartmouth College in the United States has once again examined the famous footprints of Laetoli in Tanzania. There, 3.66 million years ago, relatives of Lucy, members of the pre-human species Australopithecus afarensis, marched through. Clearly, other ancestors of humans were also present in the area, as further previously misinterpreted traces reveal. DeSilva deciphers the path of humanity to upright walking in our cover story. About 300 years ago, Immanuel Kant was born. Countless pages could be filled about the life and works of the moral philosopher. Therefore, in the editorial team, we agreed not to tell more about him but to let the scholar speak for himself. What would he have said about climate change, refugee issues, and the war in Ukraine? Journalist Anton Benz interviewed Kant in a fictional dialogue, and philosopher Markus Tiedemann responded on his behalf. Wishing you an enlightening read, Karin Schlott, Editorial Team of Spektrum der Wissenschaft.