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van Heteren AH, Friess M, Détroit F, Balzeau A. Covariation of proximal finger and toe phalanges in Homo sapiens: A novel approach to assess covariation of serially corresponding structures. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:471-488. [PMID: 36787692 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES As hands and feet are serially repeated corresponding structures in tetrapods, the morphology of fingers and toes is expected to covary due to a shared developmental origin. The present study focuses on the covariation of the shape of proximal finger and toe phalanges of adult Homo sapiens to determine whether covariation is different in the first ray relative to the others, as its morphology is also different. MATERIAL AND METHODS Proximal phalanges of 76 individuals of unknown sex (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, and the Natural History Museum, London) were digitized using a surface scanner. Landmarks were positioned on 3D surface models of the phalanges. Generalized Procrustes analysis and two-block partial least squares (PLS) analyses were conducted. A novel landmark-based geometric morphometric approach focusing on covariation is based on a PCoA of the angles between PLS axes in morphospace. The results can be statistically evaluated. RESULTS The difference in PCo scores between the first and the other rays indicates that the integration between the thumb and the big toe is different from that between the lateral rays of the hand and foot. DISCUSSION We speculate that the results are possibly the evolutionary consequence of differential selection pressure on the big toe relative to the other toes related to the rise of bipedalism, which is proposed to have emerged very early in the hominin clade. In contrast, thumb morphology and its precision grip never ceased undergoing changes, suggesting less acute selection pressures related to the evolution of the precision grip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneke H van Heteren
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Martin Friess
- Éco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université de Paris, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Florent Détroit
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, Place du Trocadéro, Paris, 75016, France.,Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, 3080, Belgium
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Anaya A, Patel BA, Orr CM, Ward CV, Almécija S. Evolutionary trends of the lateral foot in catarrhine primates: Contextualizing the fourth metatarsal of Australopithecus afarensis. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103078. [PMID: 34749002 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In 2000, a complete fourth metatarsal (Mt4) of the ∼3- to 4-Million-year-old hominin Australopithecus afarensis was recovered in Hadar, Ethiopia. This metatarsal presented a mostly human-like morphology, suggesting that a rigid lateral foot may have evolved as early as ∼3.2 Ma. The lateral foot is integral in providing stability during the push off phase of gait and is key in understanding the transition to upright, striding bipedalism. Previous comparisons of this fossil were limited to Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and modern humans. This study builds on previous studies by contextualizing the Mt4 morphology of A. afarensis (A.L. 333-160) within a diverse comparative sample of nonhuman hominoids (n = 144) and cercopithecids (n = 138) and incorporates other early hominins (n = 3) and fossil hominoids that precede the Pan-Homo split (n = 4) to better assess the polarity of changes in lateral foot morphology surrounding this divergence. We investigate seven morphological features argued to be functionally linked to human-like bipedalism. Our results show that some human-like characters used to assess midfoot and lateral foot stiffness in the hominin fossil record are present in our Miocene ape sample as well as in living cercopithecids. Furthermore, modern nonhuman hominoids can be generally distinguished from other species in most metrics. These results suggest that the possession of a rigid foot in hominins could represent a conserved trait, whereas the specialized pedal grasping mechanics of extant apes may be more derived, in which case some traits often used to infer bipedal locomotion in early hominins may, instead, reflect a lower reliance on pedal grasping. Another possibility is that early hominins reverted from modern ape Mt4 morphology into a more plesiomorphic condition when terrestrial bipedality became a dominant behavior. More fossils dating around the Pan-Homo divergence time are necessary to test these competing hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisha Anaya
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27705, USA; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Biren A Patel
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA; Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Caley M Orr
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA; New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10024, USA; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
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Carlson KJ, Green DJ, Jashashvili T, Pickering TR, Heaton JL, Beaudet A, Stratford D, Crompton R, Kuman K, Bruxelles L, Clarke RJ. The pectoral girdle of StW 573 ('Little Foot') and its implications for shoulder evolution in the Hominina. J Hum Evol 2021; 158:102983. [PMID: 33888323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The ca. 3.67 Ma adult skeleton known as 'Little Foot' (StW 573), recovered from Sterkfontein Member 2 breccia in the Silberberg Grotto, is remarkable for its morphology and completeness. Preservation of clavicles and scapulae, including essentially complete right-side elements, offers opportunities to assess morphological and functional aspects of a nearly complete Australopithecus pectoral girdle. Here we describe the StW 573 pectoral girdle and offer quantitative comparisons to those of extant hominoids and selected homininans. The StW 573 pectoral girdle combines features intermediate between those of humans and other apes: a long and curved clavicle, suggesting a relatively dorsally positioned scapula; an enlarged and uniquely proportioned supraspinous fossa; a relatively cranially oriented glenoid fossa; and ape-like reinforcement of the axillary margin by a stout ventral bar. StW 573 scapulae are as follows: smaller than those of some homininans (i.e., KSD-VP-1/1 and KNM-ER 47000A), larger than others (i.e., A.L. 288-1, Sts 7, and MH2), and most similar in size to another australopith from Sterkfontein, StW 431. Moreover, StW 573 and StW 431 exhibit similar structural features along their axillary margins and inferior angles. As the StW 573 pectoral girdle (e.g., scapular configuration) has a greater affinity to that of apes-Gorilla in particular-rather than modern humans, we suggest that the StW 573 morphological pattern appears to reflect adaptations to arboreal behaviors, especially those with the hand positioned above the head, more than human-like manipulatory capabilities. When compared with less complete pectoral girdles from middle/late Miocene apes and that of the penecontemporaneous KSD-VP-1/1 (Australopithecus afarensis), and mindful of consensus views on the adaptiveness of arboreal positional behaviors soliciting abducted glenohumeral joints in early Pliocene taxa, we propose that the StW 573 pectoral girdle is a reasonable model for hypothesizing pectoral girdle configuration of the crown hominin last common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristian J Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa.
| | - David J Green
- Department of Anatomy, Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Geology and Paleontology, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia
| | - Travis R Pickering
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa; Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Department of Vertebrates, Ditsong National Museum, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Jason L Heaton
- Department of Biology, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL 35254, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa; Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Department of Vertebrates, Ditsong National Museum, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa; Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, PO Box 2034, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Dominic Stratford
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Robin Crompton
- Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, UK
| | - Kathleen Kuman
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Laurent Bruxelles
- TRACES, UMR 5608 of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Jean Jaurès University, 31058 Toulouse, France; French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Researches (INRAP), 30900 Nîmes, France; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050 South Africa
| | - Ronald J Clarke
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg WITS 2050, South Africa
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DeSilva JM, McNutt E, Zipfel B, Ward CV, Kimbel WH. Associated Australopithecusafarensis second and third metatarsals (A.L. 333-133) from Hadar, Ethiopia. J Hum Evol 2020; 146:102848. [PMID: 32717476 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy M DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Ellison McNutt
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Bernhard Zipfel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Carol V Ward
- Integrative Anatomy Program, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - William H Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
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Komza K, Skinner MM. First metatarsal trabecular bone structure in extant hominoids and Swartkrans hominins. J Hum Evol 2019; 131:1-21. [PMID: 31182196 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Changes in first metatarsal (MT1) morphology within the hominin clade are crucial for reconstructing the evolution of a forefoot adapted for human-like gait. Studies of the external morphology of the MT1 in humans, non-human apes, and fossil hominins have documented changes in its robusticity, epiphyseal shape and its articulation with the medial cuneiform. Here, we test whether trabecular structure in the MT1 reflects different loading patterns in the forefoot across extant large apes and humans, and within this comparative context, infer locomotor behavior in two fossil hominins from Swartkrans, South Africa. Microtomographic scans were collected from the MT1 of Pongo sp. (n = 6), Gorilla gorilla (n = 10), Pan troglodytes (n = 10), Homo sapiens (n = 11), as well as SKX 5017 (Paranthropus robustus), and SK 1813 (Hominin gen. sp. indet.). Trabecular structure was quantified within the head and base using a 'whole-epiphysis' approach with medtool 4.2. We found that modern humans displayed relatively higher bone volume fraction (BV/TV) in the dorsal region of each epiphysis and a higher overall degree of anisotropy (DA), whereas great apes showed higher BV/TV in the plantar regions, reflecting dorsiflexion at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint in the former and plantarflexion in the latter. Both fossils displayed low DA, with SKX 5017 showing a hyper-dorsal concentration of trabecular bone in the head (similar to humans), while SK 1813 showed a more central trabecular distribution not seen in either humans or non-human apes. Additionally, we found differences between non-human apes, modern humans, and the fossil taxa in trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp.), number (Tb.N.), and thickness (Tb.th.). While low DA in both fossils suggests increased mobility of the MT1, differences in their trabecular distributions could indicate variable locomotion in these Pleistocene hominins (recognizing that the juvenile status of SK 1813 is a potential confounding factor). In particular, evidence for consistent loading in hyper-dorsiflexion in SKX 5017 would suggest locomotor behaviors beyond human-like toe off during terrestrial locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Komza
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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DeSilva J, McNutt E, Benoit J, Zipfel B. One small step: A review of Plio‐Pleistocene hominin foot evolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168 Suppl 67:63-140. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy DeSilva
- Department of AnthropologyDartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of GeosciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Ellison McNutt
- Department of AnthropologyDartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of GeosciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Bernhard Zipfel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of GeosciencesUniversity of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
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McNutt EJ, Zipfel B, DeSilva JM. The evolution of the human foot. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:197-217. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ellison J. McNutt
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
- Ecology, Evolution, Ecosystems, and Society; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
| | - Bernhard Zipfel
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of Geosciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Jeremy M. DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of Geosciences; University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg South Africa
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Foot use during vertical climbing in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). J Hum Evol 2017; 109:1-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2015] [Revised: 04/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Fernández PJ, Almécija S, Patel BA, Orr CM, Tocheri MW, Jungers WL. Functional aspects of metatarsal head shape in humans, apes, and Old World monkeys. J Hum Evol 2015; 86:136-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Proctor DJ. Proximal metatarsal articular surface shape and the evolution of a rigid lateral foot in hominins. J Hum Evol 2013; 65:761-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Quinn G. Normal genetic variation of the human foot: part 1: the paradox of normal anatomical alignment in an evolutionary epigenetic context. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 2013; 102:64-70. [PMID: 22232324 DOI: 10.7547/1020064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Molecular genetics is changing our understanding of the developmental translation of genotype to phenotype between and within different phylogenetic groups. Together with a growing understanding of our own evolutionary relationships to common ancestors, the epigenetic processes involved enforce a reexamination of what is regarded as a normal foot structure. A revised populationist approach is proposed and supported by paleoanthropologic evidence that reflects a picture of emerging suitability for bipedalism that is driven by natural genetic divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Quinn
- Podiatric Surgery, Holywell Healthcare, Chesterfield, England.
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Ruff CB, Higgins R. Femoral neck structure and function in early hominins. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 150:512-25. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Revised: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B. Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore; MD; 21111
| | - Ryan Higgins
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore; MD; 21111
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Metatarsal torsion in monkeys, apes, humans and australopiths. J Hum Evol 2012; 64:93-108. [PMID: 23219163 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2012] [Revised: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of metatarsal torsion in apes, cercopithecoids and humans, compares australopiths with these species, and discusses their inferred foot morphology and function relative to prehensility, arboreality and the presence or absence of a longitudinal arch. Our results show that locomotor modes are reflected in metatarsal torsion values. Apes, which climb vertically with their foot inverted, have hallucal metatarsal heads that are turned toward the other toes and lateral toes that are inverted. Cercopithecoids, which tend to orient their feet in an axis more parallel to the line of motion, present signs of prehensility by having inverted 2nd metatarsals that oppose the hallux, while their two lateral-most metatarsals are strongly everted. Humans, with their rigid feet and longitudinal arches, have all toes that present their plantar surface toward the ground, resulting in hallucal and 2nd metatarsals that are relatively untwisted and the others that are strongly everted. Humans are different from all taxa only for the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal. It is hypothesized that the untwisted 2nd metatarsal reflects the lack of digit opposability of the medial foot and the strongly everted 3rd metatarsal reflects the longitudinal arch. Australopithecus afarensis was characterized by an everted lateral foot, the prerequisite for the development, but not necessarily an indicator, of a longitudinal arch. In Australopithecus africanus, torsion of fragmentary and complete 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th metatarsals suggest that the species did not have a foot with monkey- or ape-like prehensile capabilities and did not have a human-like longitudinal arch. In the Swartkrans remains, torsion is consistent with an unprehensile foot. The morphology of the fossils indicates that there was strong selection to orient the plantar surface of the toes facing the ground at the expense of a grasping foot and inversion ability.
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DeSilva JM, Proctor DJ, Zipfel B. A complete second metatarsal (StW 89) from Sterkfontein Member 4, South Africa. J Hum Evol 2012; 63:487-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2011] [Revised: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Lu Z, Meldrum D, Huang Y, He J, Sarmiento E. The Jinniushan hominin pedal skeleton from the late Middle Pleistocene of China. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2011; 62:389-401. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2011.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/25/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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Zipfel B, DeSilva JM, Kidd RS, Carlson KJ, Churchill SE, Berger LR. The foot and ankle of Australopithecus sediba. Science 2011; 333:1417-20. [PMID: 21903807 DOI: 10.1126/science.1202703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
A well-preserved and articulated partial foot and ankle of Australopithecus sediba, including an associated complete adult distal tibia, talus, and calcaneus, have been discovered at the Malapa site, South Africa, and reported in direct association with the female paratype Malapa Hominin 2. These fossils reveal a mosaic of primitive and derived features that are distinct from those seen in other hominins. The ankle (talocrural) joint is mostly humanlike in form and inferred function, and there is some evidence for a humanlike arch and Achilles tendon. However, Au. sediba is apelike in possessing a more gracile calcaneal body and a more robust medial malleolus than expected. These observations suggest, if present models of foot function are correct, that Au. sediba may have practiced a unique form of bipedalism and some degree of arboreality. Given the combination of features in the Au. sediba foot, as well as comparisons between Au. sediba and older hominins, homoplasy is implied in the acquisition of bipedal adaptations in the hominin foot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Zipfel
- Institute for Human Evolution, University of the Witwatersrand, Post Office Wits, 2050 Wits, South Africa.
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Ward CV, Kimbel WH, Johanson DC. Complete Fourth Metatarsal and Arches in the Foot of Australopithecus afarensis. Science 2011; 331:750-3. [PMID: 21311018 DOI: 10.1126/science.1201463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carol V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA.
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Mijares AS, Détroit F, Piper P, Grün R, Bellwood P, Aubert M, Champion G, Cuevas N, De Leon A, Dizon E. New evidence for a 67,000-year-old human presence at Callao Cave, Luzon, Philippines. J Hum Evol 2010; 59:123-32. [PMID: 20569967 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2009] [Revised: 03/17/2010] [Accepted: 04/22/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Documentation of early human migrations through Island Southeast Asia and Wallacea en route to Australia has always been problematic due to a lack of well-dated human skeletal remains. The best known modern humans are from Niah Cave in Borneo (40-42ka), and from Tabon Cave on the island of Palawan, southwest Philippines (47+/-11ka). The discovery of Homo floresiensis on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia has also highlighted the possibilities of identifying new hominin species on islands in the region. Here, we report the discovery of a human third metatarsal from Callao Cave in northern Luzon. Direct dating of the specimen using U-series ablation has provided a minimum age estimate of 66.7+/-1ka, making it the oldest known human fossil in the Philippines. Its morphological features, as well as size and shape characteristics, indicate that the Callao metatarsal definitely belongs to the genus Homo. Morphometric analysis of the Callao metatarsal indicates that it has a gracile structure, close to that observed in other small-bodied Homo sapiens. Interestingly, the Callao metatarsal also falls within the morphological and size ranges of Homo habilis and H. floresiensis. Identifying whether the metatarsal represents the earliest record of H. sapiens so far recorded anywhere east of Wallace's Line requires further archaeological research, but its presence on the isolated island of Luzon over 65,000 years ago further demonstrates the abilities of humans to make open ocean crossings in the Late Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armand Salvador Mijares
- Archaeological Studies Program, Palma Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
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DeSilva JM. Revisiting the "midtarsal break". AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2010; 141:245-58. [PMID: 19672845 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The midtarsal break was first described in this journal nearly 75 years ago to explain the ability of non-human primates to lift their heel independently of the rest of the foot. Since the initial description of the midtarsal break, the calcaneocuboid joint has been assumed to be the anatomical source of this motion. Recently, however, it has been suggested that the midtarsal break may occur at the cuboid-metatarsal joint, rather than at the calcaneocuboid joint. Data compiled from X-rays, dissections, manual manipulation of living primate feet, video of captive catarrhines, and osteological specimens concur that the midtarsal break is a complex motion caused by dorsiflexion at both joints with the cuboid-metatarsal joint contributing roughly 2/3 of total midfoot dorsiflexion, and the calcaneocuboid joint only about 1/3 of total midfoot dorsiflexion. The convexity of the proximal articular surface of the fourth and fifth metatarsals and corresponding concave cuboid facets provide skeletal correlates for the presence of midfoot dorsiflexion at the cuboid-metatarsal joint. Study of hominin metatarsals from Australopithecus afarensis, A. africanus, Homo erectus, and the metatarsals and a cuboid from the OH 8 foot show little capacity for dorsiflexion at the cuboid-metatarsal joint. These results suggest that hominins may have already evolved a stable midfoot region well adapted for the push-off phase of bipedalism by at least 3.2 million years ago. These data illuminate the evolution of the longitudinal arch and show further evidence of constraints on the arboreal capacity in early hominins.
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Marchi D. Articular to diaphyseal proportions of human and great ape metatarsals. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2010; 143:198-207. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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