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Abstract
We review the state of paleoanthropology research in Asia. We survey the fossil record, articulate the current understanding, and delineate the points of contention. Although Asia received less attention than Europe and Africa did in the second half of the twentieth century, an increase in reliably dated fossil materials and the advances in genetics have fueled new research. The long and complex evolutionary history of humans in Asia throughout the Pleistocene can be explained by a balance of mechanisms, between gene flow among different populations and continuity of regional ancestry. This pattern is reflected in fossil morphology and paleogenomics. Critical understanding of the sociocultural forces that shaped the history of hominin fossil research in Asia is important in charting the way forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Hee Lee
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | - Autumn Hudock
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, USA
- Current affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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Massilani D, Skov L, Hajdinjak M, Gunchinsuren B, Tseveendorj D, Yi S, Lee J, Nagel S, Nickel B, Devièse T, Higham T, Meyer M, Kelso J, Peter BM, Pääbo S. Denisovan ancestry and population history of early East Asians. Science 2020; 370:579-583. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abc1166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diyendo Massilani
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Laurits Skov
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Byambaa Gunchinsuren
- Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 13343, Mongolia
| | | | - Seonbok Yi
- Department of Archaeology, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Jungeun Lee
- Department of Archaeology, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Birgit Nickel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thibaut Devièse
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Tom Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janet Kelso
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benjamin M. Peter
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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3
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Devièse T, Massilani D, Yi S, Comeskey D, Nagel S, Nickel B, Ribechini E, Lee J, Tseveendorj D, Gunchinsuren B, Meyer M, Pääbo S, Higham T. Compound-specific radiocarbon dating and mitochondrial DNA analysis of the Pleistocene hominin from Salkhit Mongolia. Nat Commun 2019; 10:274. [PMID: 30700710 PMCID: PMC6353915 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08018-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
A skullcap found in the Salkhit Valley in northeast Mongolia is, to our knowledge, the only Pleistocene hominin fossil found in the country. It was initially described as an individual with possible archaic affinities, but its ancestry has been debated since the discovery. Here, we determine the age of the Salkhit skull by compound-specific radiocarbon dating of hydroxyproline to 34,950-33,900 Cal. BP (at 95% probability), placing the Salkhit individual in the Early Upper Paleolithic period. We reconstruct the complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of the specimen. It falls within a group of modern human mtDNAs (haplogroup N) that is widespread in Eurasia today. The results now place the specimen into its proper chronometric and biological context and allow us to begin integrating it with other evidence for the human occupation of this region during the Paleolithic, as well as wider Pleistocene sequences across Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Devièse
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
| | - Diyendo Massilani
- Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Seonbok Yi
- Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Daniel Comeskey
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Birgit Nickel
- Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erika Ribechini
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via G. Moruzzi 13, Pisa, 56124, Italy
| | - Jungeun Lee
- Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Damdinsuren Tseveendorj
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Jucov St 77, Ulaanbaatar, 13343, Mongolia
| | - Byambaa Gunchinsuren
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Jucov St 77, Ulaanbaatar, 13343, Mongolia
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tom Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
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