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Pantoja-Pérez A, Arsuaga JL. The Cranium I: Neurocranium. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:2278-2324. [PMID: 38454744 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
The Sima de los Huesos (SH) site has provided a significant collection of hominin remains, including numerous cranial fragments, which have contributed to our understanding of the MP human population. The taxonomic classification of the SH hominins remains a topic of debate, with some studies suggesting a close relationship to Neandertals based on nuclear DNA analysis. The cranial morphology of the SH specimens exhibits a mix of Neandertal-like features and primitive traits observed in earlier Homo populations, providing insights into the evolutionary pattern of the Neanderthal lineage. This study focuses on the neurocranial traits of the SH population and describes three previously undescribed cranial individuals. The SH cranial collection now comprises 20 nearly complete crania, representing approximately two-thirds of the estimated population size. The analysis of the SH population reveals variations in robustness, frontal torus development, sagittal keeling, and occipital torus morphology, which may be related to sexual dimorphism and ontogenetic factors. The suprainiac region exhibits notable ontogenetic changes, while suture obliteration patterns do not strictly correlate with dental age. Metric measurements, particularly cranial breadths, highlight significant intrapopulation variation within the SH sample. Compared with other Middle Pleistocene (MP) hominins, the SH cranial vault displays archaic characteristics but differs from Homo erectus and Neandertals. The SH individuals have relatively short and tall cranial vaults, distinguishing them from other MP fossils. These findings contribute to our understanding of the MP human populations and their evolutionary trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Pantoja-Pérez
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre Evolución Humana-CENIEH, Burgos, Spain
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan-Luis Arsuaga
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Hautavoine H, Arnaud J, Balzeau A, Mounier A. Quantifying hominin morphological diversity at the end of the middle Pleistocene: Implications for the origin of Homo sapiens. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24915. [PMID: 38444398 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Middle Pleistocene (MP) saw the emergence of new species of hominins: Homo sapiens in Africa, H. neanderthalensis, and possibly Denisovans in Eurasia, whose most recent common ancestor is thought to have lived in Africa around 600 ka ago. However, hominin remains from this period present a wide range of morphological variation making it difficult to securely determine their taxonomic attribution and their phylogenetic position within the Homo genus. This study proposes to reconsider the phenetic relationships between MP hominin fossils in order to clarify evolutionary trends and contacts between the populations they represent. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used a Geometric Morphometrics approach to quantify the morphological variation of the calvarium of controversial MP specimens from Africa and Eurasia by using a comparative sample that can be divided into 5 groups: H. ergaster, H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens, as well as individuals from current modern human populations. We performed a Generalized Procrustes Analysis, a Principal Component Analysis, and Multinomial Principal Component Logistic Regressions to determine the phenetic affinities of the controversial Middle Pleistocene specimens with the other groups. RESULTS MP African and Eurasian specimens represent several populations, some of which show strong affinities with H. neanderthalensis in Europe or H. sapiens in Africa, others presenting multiple affinities. DISCUSSION These MP populations might have contributed to the emergence of these two species in different proportions. This study proposes a new framework for the human evolutionary history during the MP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Hautavoine
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
| | - Julie Arnaud
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
- Département de Zoologie Africaine, Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Aurélien Mounier
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
- Turkana Basin Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
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3
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Hu W, Hao Z, Du P, Di Vincenzo F, Manzi G, Cui J, Fu YX, Pan YH, Li H. Genomic inference of a severe human bottleneck during the Early to Middle Pleistocene transition. Science 2023; 381:979-984. [PMID: 37651513 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq7487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Population size history is essential for studying human evolution. However, ancient population size history during the Pleistocene is notoriously difficult to unravel. In this study, we developed a fast infinitesimal time coalescent process (FitCoal) to circumvent this difficulty and calculated the composite likelihood for present-day human genomic sequences of 3154 individuals. Results showed that human ancestors went through a severe population bottleneck with about 1280 breeding individuals between around 930,000 and 813,000 years ago. The bottleneck lasted for about 117,000 years and brought human ancestors close to extinction. This bottleneck is congruent with a substantial chronological gap in the available African and Eurasian fossil record. Our results provide new insights into our ancestry and suggest a coincident speciation event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangjie Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziqian Hao
- College of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data for Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Pengyuan Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- College of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data for Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | | | - Giorgio Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Jialong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun-Xin Fu
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bioresources, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Yi-Hsuan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haipeng Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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4
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Lockey AL, Rodríguez L, Martín-Francés L, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Crété L, Martinón-Torres M, Parfitt S, Pope M, Stringer C. Comparing the Boxgrove and Atapuerca (Sima de los Huesos) human fossils: Do they represent distinct paleodemes? J Hum Evol 2022; 172:103253. [PMID: 36162354 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The early Middle Pleistocene human material from Boxgrove (West Sussex, UK) consists of a partial left tibia and two lower incisors from a separate adult individual. These remains derive from deposits assigned to the MIS 13 interglacial at about 480 ka and have been referred to as Homo cf. heidelbergensis. The much larger skeletal sample from the Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain) is dated to the succeeding MIS 12, at about 430 ka. This fossil material has previously been assigned to Homo heidelbergensis but is now placed within the Neanderthal clade. Because of the scarcity of human remains from the Middle Pleistocene and their morphological variability, this study assessed whether the Boxgrove specimens fit within the morphological variability of the homogeneous Sima de los Huesos population. Based on morphometric analyses performed against 22 lower incisors from Sima de los Huesos and published material, the data from the Boxgrove incisors place them comfortably within the range of Sima de los Huesos. Both assemblages present robust incisors distinct from the overall small recent Homo sapiens incisors, and Boxgrove also aligns closely with Homo neanderthalensis and some other European Middle Pleistocene hominins. Following morphological and cross-sectional analyses of the Boxgrove tibia compared to seven adult Sima de los Huesos specimens and a set of comparative tibiae, Boxgrove is shown to be similar to Sima de los Huesos and Neanderthals in having thick cortices and bone walls, but in contrast resembles modern humans in having a straight anterior tibial crest and a suggestion of a lateral concavity. Based on the patterns observed, there is no justification for assigning the Boxgrove and Sima de los Huesos incisors to distinct paleodemes, but the tibial data show greater contrasts and suggest that all three of these samples are unlikely to represent the same paleodeme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabelle L Lockey
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK; Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Universität Tübingen, 72070, Germany
| | - Laura Rodríguez
- Área de Antropología Física, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas y Ambientales, Universidad de León. Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain; Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Departamento de Historia, Geografía y Comunicación, Facultad de Humanidades y Comunicación, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, C/ Villadiego s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain; Centro Mixto (UCM-ISCIII) de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Av. Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain; Centro Mixto (UCM-ISCIII) de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Av. Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Cátedra de Bioacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales - Universidad de Alcalá), Área de Antropología Física, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK; National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain
| | - Lucile Crété
- Centre for Human Evolution Research (CHER), The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK; National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain
| | - Simon Parfitt
- Centre for Human Evolution Research (CHER), The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK; Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK
| | - Matt Pope
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK
| | - Chris Stringer
- Centre for Human Evolution Research (CHER), The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
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Caparros M, Prat S. Protocol combining tree-based Maximum Parsimony and web-like Phylogenetic Networks analyses to investigate reticulate human evolution. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101191. [PMID: 35308130 PMCID: PMC8931433 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our protocol combines Maximum Parsimony and Phylogenetic Networks approaches to understand the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary processes of hominin species that might have shared inheritance from multiple ancestors. By addressing the questions of pattern and process in human phylogeny, the protocol can be used to clarify the taxonomic definition(s) of diverse hominin groups and ascertain whether or not the mode of evolution of genus Homo is reticulate. Using high quality and informative phenotypic data sets is necessary to yield meaningful results. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Caparros and Prat (2021). Combine Maximum Parsimony and Phylogenetic Networks in human phylogenetic research Maximum Parsimony (MP) is used to clarify taxonomic definitions of hominin groups MP results are validated by comparing them with alternative statistical analysis Phylogenetic Networks approach used to make inferences about modes of evolution
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Caparros
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l'Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Prat
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l'Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
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6
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A New Integrated Tool to Calculate and Map Bilateral Asymmetry on Three-Dimensional Digital Models. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13091644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The observation and the quantification of asymmetry in biological structures are deeply investigated in geometric morphometrics. Patterns of asymmetry were explored in both living and fossil species. In living organisms, levels of directional and fluctuating asymmetry are informative about developmental processes and health status of the individuals. Paleontologists are primarily interested in asymmetric features introduced by the taphonomic process, as they may significantly alter the original shape of the biological remains, hampering the interpretation of morphological features which may have profound evolutionary significance. Here, we provide a new R tool that produces the numerical quantification of fluctuating and directional asymmetry and charts asymmetry directly on the specimens under study, allowing the visual inspection of the asymmetry pattern. We tested this show.asymmetry algorithm, written in the R language, on fossil and living cranial remains of the genus Homo. show.asymmetry proved successful in discriminating levels of asymmetry among sexes in Homo sapiens, to tell apart fossil from living Homo skulls, to map effectively taphonomic distortion directly on the fossil skulls, and to provide evidence that digital restoration obliterates natural asymmetry to unnaturally low levels.
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7
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Retrodeformation of the Steinheim Cranium: Insights into the Evolution of Neanderthals. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13091611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A number of different approaches are currently available to digitally restore the symmetry of a specimen deformed by taphonomic processes. These tools include mirroring and retrodeformation to approximate the original shape of an object by symmetrisation. Retrodeformation has the potential to return a rather faithful representation of the original shape, but its power is limited by the availability of bilateral landmarks. A recent protocol proposed by Schlager and colleagues (2018) overcomes this issue by using bilateral landmarks and curves as well as semilandmarks. Here we applied this protocol to the Middle Pleistocene human cranium from Steinheim (Germany), the holotype of an abandoned species named Homo steinheimensis. The peculiar morphology of this fossil, associated with the taphonomic deformation of the entire cranium and the lack of a large portion of the right side of the face, has given rise to different hypotheses over its phylogenetic position. The reconstruction presented here sheds new light on the taphonomic origin of some features observed on this crucial specimen and results in a morphology consistent with its attribution to the Neanderthal lineage.
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8
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Athreya S, Hopkins A. Conceptual issues in hominin taxonomy: Homo heidelbergensis and an ethnobiological reframing of species. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175 Suppl 72:4-26. [PMID: 34117636 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Efforts to name and classify Middle Pleistocene Homo, often referred to as "Homo heidelbergensis" are hampered by confusing patterns of morphology but also by conflicting paleoanthropological ideologies that are embedded in approaches to hominin taxonomy, nomenclature, and the species concept. We deconstruct these issues to show how the field's search for a "real" species relies on strict adherence to pre-Darwinian essentialist naming rules in a post-typological world. We then examine Middle Pleistocene Homo through the framework of ethnobiology, which examines on how Indigenous societies perceive, classify, and name biological organisms. This research reminds us that across human societies, taxonomies function to (1) identify and classify organisms based on consensus pattern recognition and (2) construct a stable nomenclature for effective storage, retrieval and communication of information. Naming Middle Pleistocene Homo as a "real" species cannot be verified with the current data; and separating regional groups into distinct evolutionary lineages creates taxa that are not defined by readily perceptible or universally salient differences. Based on ethnobiological studies of this kind of patterning, referring to these hominins above the level of the species according to their generic category with modifiers (e.g., "European Middle Pleistocene Homo") is consistent with observed human capabilities for cognitive differentiation, is both necessary and sufficient given the current data, and will allow for the most clear communication across ideologies going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheela Athreya
- Liberal Arts Program, Texas A&M University-Qatar, Doha, Qatar.,Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Allison Hopkins
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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9
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Parins-Fukuchi C. Morphological and phylogeographic evidence for budding speciation: an example in hominins. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20200754. [PMID: 33465331 PMCID: PMC7876604 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Parametric phylogenetic approaches that attempt to delineate between distinct 'modes' of speciation (splitting cladogenesis, budding cladogenesis and anagenesis) between fossil taxa have become increasingly popular among comparative biologists. But it is not yet well understood how clearly morphological data from fossil taxa speak to detailed questions of speciation mode when compared with the lineage diversification models that serve as their basis. In addition, the congruence of inferences made using these approaches with geographical patterns has not been explored. Here, I extend a previously introduced maximum-likelihood approach for the examination of ancestor-descendant relationships to accommodate budding speciation and apply it to a dataset of fossil hominins. I place these results in a phylogeographic context to better understand spatial dynamics underlying the hypothesized speciation patterns. The spatial patterns implied by the phylogeny hint at the complex demographic processes underlying the spread and diversification of hominins throughout the Pleistocene. I also find that inferences of budding are driven primarily by stratigraphic, versus morphological, data and discuss the ramifications for interpretations of speciation process in hominins specifically and from phylogenetic data in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Parins-Fukuchi
- Division of the Physical Sciences, Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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10
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Miller IF, Barton RA, Nunn CL. Quantitative uniqueness of human brain evolution revealed through phylogenetic comparative analysis. eLife 2019; 8:e41250. [PMID: 30702428 PMCID: PMC6379089 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
While the human brain is clearly large relative to body size, less is known about the timing of brain and brain component expansion within primates and the relative magnitude of volumetric increases. Using Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods and data for both extant and fossil species, we identified that a distinct shift in brain-body scaling occurred as hominins diverged from other primates, and again as humans and Neanderthals diverged from other hominins. Within hominins, we detected a pattern of directional and accelerating evolution towards larger brains, consistent with a positive feedback process in the evolution of the human brain. Contrary to widespread assumptions, we found that the human neocortex is not exceptionally large relative to other brain structures. Instead, our analyses revealed a single increase in relative neocortex volume at the origin of haplorrhines, and an increase in relative cerebellar volume in apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian F Miller
- Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyDuke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Robert A Barton
- Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group, Department of AnthropologyUniversity of DurhamDurhamUnited Kingdom
| | - Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyDuke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Duke Global Health InstituteDuke UniversityDurhamUnited States
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11
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Li ZY, Wu XJ, Zhou LP, Liu W, Gao X, Nian XM, Trinkaus E. Late Pleistocene archaic human crania from Xuchang, China. Science 2017; 355:969-972. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aal2482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhan-Yang Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Xiu-Jie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Li-Ping Zhou
- Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Department of Geography, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Xing Gao
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Mei Nian
- Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Department of Geography, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Erik Trinkaus
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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12
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Cau A. Specimen-level phylogenetics in paleontology using the Fossilized Birth-Death model with sampled ancestors. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3055. [PMID: 28265519 PMCID: PMC5335686 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bayesian phylogenetic methods integrating simultaneously morphological and stratigraphic information have been applied increasingly among paleontologists. Most of these studies have used Bayesian methods as an alternative to the widely-used parsimony analysis, to infer macroevolutionary patterns and relationships among species-level or higher taxa. Among recently introduced Bayesian methodologies, the Fossilized Birth-Death (FBD) model allows incorporation of hypotheses on ancestor-descendant relationships in phylogenetic analyses including fossil taxa. Here, the FBD model is used to infer the relationships among an ingroup formed exclusively by fossil individuals, i.e., dipnoan tooth plates from four localities in the Ain el Guettar Formation of Tunisia. Previous analyses of this sample compared the results of phylogenetic analysis using parsimony with stratigraphic methods, inferred a high diversity (five or more genera) in the Ain el Guettar Formation, and interpreted it as an artifact inflated by depositional factors. In the analysis performed here, the uncertainty on the chronostratigraphic relationships among the specimens was included among the prior settings. The results of the analysis confirm the referral of most of the specimens to the taxa Asiatoceratodus, Equinoxiodus, Lavocatodus and Neoceratodus, but reject those to Ceratodus and Ferganoceratodus. The resulting phylogeny constrained the evolution of the Tunisian sample exclusively in the Early Cretaceous, contrasting with the previous scenario inferred by the stratigraphically-calibrated topology resulting from parsimony analysis. The phylogenetic framework also suggests that (1) the sampled localities are laterally equivalent, (2) but three localities are restricted to the youngest part of the section; both results are in agreement with previous stratigraphic analyses of these localities. The FBD model of specimen-level units provides a novel tool for phylogenetic inference among fossils but also for independent tests of stratigraphic scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cau
- Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna University, Bologna, Italy; Geological and Paleontological Museum "G. Capellini", Bologna, Italy
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13
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Mounier A, Balzeau A, Caparros M, Grimaud-Hervé D. Brain, calvarium, cladistics: A new approach to an old question, who are modern humans and Neandertals? J Hum Evol 2016; 92:22-36. [PMID: 26989014 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary history of the genus Homo is the focus of major research efforts in palaeoanthropology. However, the use of palaeoneurology to infer phylogenies of our genus is rare. Here we use cladistics to test the importance of the brain in differentiating and defining Neandertals and modern humans. The analysis is based on morphological data from the calvarium and endocast of Pleistocene fossils and results in a single most parsimonious cladogram. We demonstrate that the joint use of endocranial and calvarial features with cladistics provides a unique means to understand the evolution of the genus Homo. The main results of this study indicate that: (i) the endocranial features are more phylogenetically informative than the characters from the calvarium; (ii) the specific differentiation of Neandertals and modern humans is mostly supported by well-known calvarial autapomorphies; (iii) the endocranial anatomy of modern humans and Neandertals show strong similarities, which appeared in the fossil record with the last common ancestor of both species; and (iv) apart from encephalisation, human endocranial anatomy changed tremendously during the end of the Middle Pleistocene. This may be linked to major cultural and technological novelties that had happened by the end of the Middle Pleistocene (e.g., expansion of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) in Africa and Mousterian in Europe). The combined study of endocranial and exocranial anatomy offers opportunities to further understand human evolution and the implication for the phylogeny of our genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Mounier
- The Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Biological Anthropology Division, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, United Kingdom; UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - Secteur Nord Aix-Marseille Université, CS80011, Bd Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille, France.
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- Équipe de Paléontologie Humaine, UMR 7194 du CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Miguel Caparros
- Équipe de Paléontologie Humaine, UMR 7194 du CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Grimaud-Hervé
- Équipe de Paléontologie Humaine, UMR 7194 du CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Mounier A, Mirazón Lahr M. Virtual ancestor reconstruction: Revealing the ancestor of modern humans and Neandertals. J Hum Evol 2015; 91:57-72. [PMID: 26852813 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2015] [Revised: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The timing and geographic origin of the common ancestor of modern humans and Neandertals remain controversial. A poor Pleistocene hominin fossil record and the evolutionary complexities introduced by dispersals and regionalisation of lineages have fuelled taxonomic uncertainty, while new ancient genomic data have raised completely new questions. Here, we use maximum likelihood and 3D geometric morphometric methods to predict possible morphologies of the last common ancestor of modern humans and Neandertals from a simplified, fully resolved phylogeny. We describe the fully rendered 3D shapes of the predicted ancestors of humans and Neandertals, and assess their similarity to individual fossils or populations of fossils of Pleistocene age. Our results support models of an Afro-European ancestral population in the Middle Pleistocene (Homo heidelbergensis sensu lato) and further predict an African origin for this ancestral population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Mounier
- The Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, United Kingdom; UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine - Secteur Nord, CS80011, Bd Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille, France.
| | - Marta Mirazón Lahr
- The Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, United Kingdom; Turkana Basin Institute, Kenya
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