The debate about the Ulas family of Turkey and their five members who walk on all fours has been ongoing for years. The family has been the subject of much speculation from the scientific community, as some have proposed the condition signified “backward evolution” and others have argued that the way the family walks is a result of a complicated gene disorder.
The debate first came to light in 2006 when Üner Tan, a scientist at Çukurova University Medical School in Adana, Turkey, classified the family’s walking style as backwards evolution and dubbed it “Üner Tan Syndrome”. This then caught the attention of British scientists Nicholas Humphrey and John Skoyles and professor Roger Keynesto, who argued that the family’s balance issues and an inherited congenital condition made walking upright difficult, and that the five children had continued walking on all fours to better get around.
Since then, researchers from around the world have weighed in on the issue, with many suggesting that the family’s way of walking is likely the result of a gene disorder. While the debate about the Ulas family has been ongoing for years, the family has been invaluable in the advancement of scientific thought and research.
The Ulas family has been documented in a documentary, which provides a glimpse into the lives of the family as well as the ongoing debate about the members who walk on all fours. While the family has been thrust into the spotlight due to their unique situation, their story can help to shed light on the complexities of gene disorders and the incredible diversity of the human experience.
