Abdulazeez Abubakar
3 weeks ago
Overview
Scientists discover why some babies learn to walk later than others
A new study suggests that a slightly later start to walking is not always a sign of problems
A child’s first steps are a momentous occasion, but the age at which this milestone is reached could be determined by genetics, a new study suggests.
Scientists analysed the genetic information of more than 70,000 babies and identified 11 genetic markers that influence when youngsters take their first steps.
In findings published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, the team, from the universities of Surrey and Essex, suggested that genetics accounts for about a quarter of the differences in when children begin to walk.
Professor Angelica Ronald, senior researcher on the study from the University of Surrey, said that “most babies take their first step sometime between ages eight months and 24 months, so it is a wide window in which this exciting milestone happens.
“It is a big moment for both parents and baby; it symbolises a new phase in a child’s life.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/age-babies-learn-to-walk-genes-study-b2745710.html