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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martín-Francés L, Modesto-Mata M, García-Campos C, Arsuaga JL, Martinón-Torres M. Dental remains of the Middle Pleistocene hominins from the Sima de los Huesos site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): Mandibular dentition. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:2394-2409. [PMID: 34851548 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24840] [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: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The Middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain) has yielded a considerable number of human fossils during the period 1984-2020. Among them, up to 314 mandibular teeth have been identified. In this second paper dedicated to the dentition we present the description of the eight dental classes of the mandible following the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) classification. In addition, we show the mean mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters obtained in these teeth compared to those of Neanderthals and a modern human sample. The morphology of both the anterior and posterior teeth suggests a close relationship of the Sima de los Huesos hominins with the populations of the second half of the Middle Pleistocene of Europe and the Near East, as well as with the so-called classic Neanderthals of Europe. The combination of dental traits in these populations is characteristic and diagnostic and suggests grouping the Sima de los Huesos hominins with the other paleodemes in a Neanderthal clade. The dental evidence of the Sima de los Huesos hominins is key to propose a complex model for the settlement of Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. In this period, different migrations of human groups probably coming from Southwest Asia, replacements, prolonged isolations, as well as hybridization and introgression processes would have contributed to the diversity of hominins in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- CENIEH (Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana), Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Laura Martín-Francés
- CENIEH (Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana), Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Fundación Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura, Casa de la Cultura Rodríguez Moñino, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Cecilia García-Campos
- CENIEH (Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana), Burgos, Spain
- Fundación Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- CENIEH (Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana), Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
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2
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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martín-Francés L, Modesto-Mata M, García-Campos C, Arsuaga JL, Martinón-Torres M. Dental remains of the Middle Pleistocene hominins from the Sima de los Huesos site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): Maxillary dentition. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:2325-2342. [PMID: 34866354 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The Middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain) has yielded a considerable number of human fossils during the period 1984-2020. Among them, up to 253 maxillary teeth have been recovered. In this article, we present the description of the eight dental classes of the maxilla following the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System classification. In addition, we present the mean mesiodistal and buccolingual diameters of these teeth compared to those of Neanderthals and a modern human sample. The morphology of both the anterior and posterior teeth suggests a close relationship of the Sima de los Huesos hominins with the populations of the second half of the Middle Pleistocene of Europe and the Near East, as well as with the so-called classic Neanderthals of Europe. Features with a recognizable taxonomic signal allow grouping the Sima de los Huesos hominins with different paleodemes into a Neanderthal clade. The dental evidence of the Sima de los Huesos hominins is key to suggest a complex model for the settlement of Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. During this period, different migrations of human groups probably coming from Southwest Asia, replacements, prolonged isolations, as well as hybridization and introgression processes would have contributed to the diversity of hominins in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Department of Paleobiology, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Department of Paleobiology, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Department of Paleobiology, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
- Fundación Atapuerca, Carretera de Logroño 44, Ibeas de Juarros, Burgos, 09198, Spain
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura, Casa de la Cultura Rodríguez Moñino, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Cecilia García-Campos
- Department of Paleobiology, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
- Fundación Atapuerca, Carretera de Logroño 44, Ibeas de Juarros, Burgos, 09198, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Department of Paleobiology, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
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3
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Davies TW, Gunz P, Spoor F, Alemseged Z, Gidna A, Hublin JJ, Kimbel WH, Kullmer O, Plummer WP, Zanolli C, Skinner MM. Dental morphology in Homo habilis and its implications for the evolution of early Homo. Nat Commun 2024; 15:286. [PMID: 38177110 PMCID: PMC10767101 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44375-9] [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: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The phylogenetic position of Homo habilis is central to debates over the origin and early evolution of the genus Homo. A large portion of the species hypodigm consists of dental remains, but they have only been studied at the often worn enamel surface. We investigate the morphology of the H. habilis enamel-dentine junction (EDJ), which is preserved in cases of moderate tooth wear and known to carry a strong taxonomic signal. Geometric morphometrics is used to characterise dentine crown shape and size across the entire mandibular and maxillary tooth rows, compared with a broad comparative sample (n = 712). We find that EDJ morphology in H. habilis is for the most part remarkably primitive, supporting the hypothesis that the H. habilis hypodigm has more in common with Australopithecus than later Homo. Additionally, the chronologically younger specimen OH 16 displays a suite of derived features; its inclusion in H. habilis leads to excessive levels of variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Davies
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fred Spoor
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Zeresenay Alemseged
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Agness Gidna
- Department of Cultural Heritage, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, P. O. Box 1, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Collège de France, Paris, France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - William H Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Palaeobiology and Environment workgroup, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - William P Plummer
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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4
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Popovici M, Groza VM, Bejenaru L, Petraru OM. Dental morphological variation in Chalcolithic and Bronze Age human populations from North-Eastern Romania. Ann Anat 2023; 245:152015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2022.152015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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5
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The Impact of Tooth Wear on Occlusal Shape and the Identification of Fossils of New World Porcupines (Rodentia: Erethizontidae). J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09601-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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6
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Brophy JK, Moggi-Cecchi J, Matthews GJ, Bailey SE. Comparative morphometric analyses of the deciduous molars of Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:299-314. [PMID: 33290582 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to help elucidate the taxonomic relationship between Homo naledi and other hominins. MATERIALS AND METHODS Homo naledi deciduous maxillary and mandibular molars from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa were compared to those of Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus afarensis, Paranthropus robustus, Paranthropus boisei, early Homo sp., Homo erectus, early Homo sapiens, Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens, recent southern African H. sapiens, and Neanderthals by means of morphometric analyses of crown outlines and relative cusp areas. The crown shapes were analyzed using elliptical Fourier analyses followed by principal component analyses (PCA). The absolute and relative cusp areas were obtained in ImageJ and compared using PCA and cluster analyses. RESULTS PCA suggests that the crown shapes and relative cusp areas of mandibular molars are more diagnostic than the maxillary molars. The H. naledi deciduous mandibular first and second molar (dm1 and dm2 ) do not have a strong affinity to any taxon in the comparative sample in all analyses. While the H. naledi dm2 plots as an outlier in the relative cusp analysis, the H. naledi specimen fall closest to Australopithecus due to their relatively large metaconid, a primitive trait for the genus Homo. Although useful for differentiating Neanderthals from recent southern African H. sapiens and UP H. sapiens, the PCA of the relative cusp areas suggests that the deciduous maxillary second molars (dm2 ) do not differentiate other groups. The three H. naledi dm2 cuspal areas are variable and fall within the ranges of other Homo, as well as Australopithecus, and Paranthropus suggesting weak diagnostic utility. DISCUSSION This research provides another perspective on the morphology of, and variation within, H. naledi. The H. naledi deciduous molars do not consistently align with any genus or species in the comparative sample in either the crown shape or relative cusp analyses. This line of inquiry is consistent with other cranial and postcranial studies suggesting that H. naledi is unique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliet K Brophy
- Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.,Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, WITS, South Africa
| | - Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi
- Laboratori di Antropologia, Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Gregory J Matthews
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Shara E Bailey
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Martínez de Pinillos M, Martín-Francés L, de Castro JMB, García-Campos C, Modesto-Mata M, Martinón-Torres M, Vialet A. Inner morphological and metric characterization of the molar remains from the Montmaurin-La Niche mandible: The Neanderthal signal. J Hum Evol 2020; 145:102739. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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8
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Gómez-Olivencia A, López-Onaindia D, Sala N, Balzeau A, Pantoja-Pérez A, Arganda-Carreras I, Arlegi M, Rios-Garaizar J, Gómez-Robles A. The human remains from Axlor (Dima, Biscay, northern Iberian Peninsula). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 172:475-491. [PMID: 31889305 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We provide the description and comparative analysis of all the human fossil remains found at Axlor during the excavations carried out by J. M. de Barandiarán from 1967 to 1974: a cranial vault fragment and seven teeth, five of which likely belonged to the same individual, although two are currently lost. Our goal is to describe in detail all these human remains and discuss both their taxonomic attribution and their stratigraphic context. MATERIALS AND METHODS We describe external and internal anatomy, and use classic and geometric morphometrics. The teeth from Axlor are compared to Neandertals, Upper Paleolithic, and recent modern humans. RESULTS Two teeth (a left dm2 , a left di1 ) and the parietal fragment show morphological features consistent with a Neandertal classification, and were found in an undisturbed Mousterian context. The remaining three teeth (plus the two lost ones), initially classified as Neandertals, show morphological features and a general size that are more compatible with their classification as modern humans. DISCUSSION A left parietal fragment (Level VIII) from a single probably adult Neandertal individual was recovered during the old excavations performed by Barandiarán. Additionally, two different Neandertal children lost deciduous teeth during the formations of levels V (left di1 ) and IV (right dm2 ). In addition, a modern human individual is represented by five remains (two currently lost) from a complex stratigraphic setting. Some of the morphological features of these remains suggest that they may represent one of the scarce examples of Upper Paleolithic modern human remains in the northern Iberian Peninsula, which should be confirmed by direct dating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asier Gómez-Olivencia
- Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.,IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.,Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.,Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diego López-Onaindia
- GREAB, Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Facutat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Nohemi Sala
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- Équipe de Paléontologie Humaine, UMR 7194, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France.,Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Ana Pantoja-Pérez
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ignacio Arganda-Carreras
- IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.,Departamento de Ciencias de la Computacion e Inteligencia Artificial, Facultad de Informatica, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) Manuel Lardizabal Ibilbidea 1, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.,Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Manuel Lardizabal Ibilbidea 4, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Mikel Arlegi
- Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.,PACEA UMR 5199, Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Joseba Rios-Garaizar
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
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9
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Morita W, Morimoto N, Kono RT, Suwa G. Metameric variation of upper molars in hominoids and its implications for the diversification of molar morphogenesis. J Hum Evol 2019; 138:102706. [PMID: 31785453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Metameric variation of molar size is in part associated with the dietary adaptations of mammals and results from slight alterations of developmental processes. Humans and great apes exhibit conspicuous variation in tooth morphology both between taxa and across tooth types. However, the manner in which metameric variation in molars emerged among apes and humans via evolutionary alterations in developmental processes remains largely unknown. In this study, we compare the enamel-dentine junction of the upper molars of humans-which closely correlates with morphology of the outer enamel surface and is less affected by wear-with that of the other extant hominoids: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons. We used the morphometric mapping method to quantify and visualize three-dimensional morphological variation, and applied multivariate statistical analyses. Results revealed the following: 1) extant hominoids other than humans share a common pattern of metameric variation characterized by a largely linear change in morphospace; this indicates a relatively simple graded change in metameric molar shape; 2) intertaxon morphological differences become less distinct from the mesial to distal molars; and 3) humans diverge from the extant ape pattern in exhibiting a distinct metameric shape change trajectory in the morphospace. The graded shape change and lower intertaxon resolution from the mesial to distal molars are consistent with the concept of a 'key' tooth. The common metameric pattern observed among the extant nonhuman hominoids indicates that developmental patterns underlying metameric variation were largely conserved during ape evolution. Furthermore, the human-specific metameric pattern suggests considerable developmental modifications in the human lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Morita
- Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Oral Functional Anatomy, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.
| | - Naoki Morimoto
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Reiko T Kono
- Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Gen Suwa
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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10
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Dykes SJ, Pilbrow VC. A mathematical landmark-based method for measuring worn molars in hominoid systematics. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6990. [PMID: 31198638 PMCID: PMC6535218 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Worn teeth pose a major limitation to researchers in the fields of extinct and extant hominoid systematics because they lack clearly identifiable anatomical landmarks needed to take measurements on the crown enamel surface and are typically discarded from a study. This is particularly detrimental when sample sizes for some groups are already characteristically low, if there is an imbalance between samples representing populations, sexes or dietary strategies, or if the worn teeth in question are type specimens of fossil species or other key specimens. This study proposes a methodology based predominantly on mathematically-derived landmarks for measuring size and shape features of molars, irrespective of wear. With 110 specimens of lower second molars from five species of extant hominoids (Pan troglodytes, P. paniscus, Gorilla gorilla, G. beringei, Homo sapiens), n ≥ 20 per species, n ≥ 10 per subspecies, good species separation in morphospace is achieved in a principal components analysis. Classification accuracy in a discriminant function analysis is 96.4% at the species level and 88.2% at the subspecies level (92.7% and 79.1%, respectively, on cross-validation). The classification accuracy compares favorably to that achieved by anatomically-derived measurements based on published research (94% and 84% at the species and subspecies level respectively; 91% and 76% on cross-validation). The mathematical landmarking methodology is rapid and uncomplicated. The results support the use of mathematical landmarks to enable the inclusion of worn molar teeth in dental studies so as to maximize sample sizes and restore balance between populations and/or sexes in hominoid systematic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan J. Dykes
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Varsha C. Pilbrow
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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11
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Gómez-Robles A. Dental evolutionary rates and its implications for the Neanderthal-modern human divergence. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaaw1268. [PMID: 31106274 PMCID: PMC6520022 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw1268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The origin of Neanderthal and modern human lineages is a matter of intense debate. DNA analyses have generally indicated that both lineages diverged during the middle period of the Middle Pleistocene, an inferred time that has strongly influenced interpretations of the hominin fossil record. This divergence time, however, is not compatible with the anatomical and genetic Neanderthal affinities observed in Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos (Spain), which are dated to 430 thousand years (ka) ago. Drawing on quantitative analyses of dental evolutionary rates and Bayesian analyses of hominin phylogenetic relationships, I show that any divergence time between Neanderthals and modern humans younger than 800 ka ago would have entailed unexpectedly rapid dental evolution in early Neanderthals from Sima de los Huesos. These results support a pre-800 ka last common ancestor for Neanderthals and modern humans unless hitherto unexplained mechanisms sped up dental evolution in early Neanderthals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton St., London WC1E 0BW, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
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12
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Becam G, Verna C, Gómez‐Robles A, Gómez‐Olivencia A, Albessard L, Arnaud J, Frelat MA, Madelaine S, Schwab C, Souday C, Turq A, Balzeau A. Isolated teeth from La Ferrassie: Reassessment of the old collections, new remains, and their implications. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:132-142. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gaël Becam
- Département Homme et environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMusée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS, Université de Perpignan "Via Domitia", EPCC‐CERP de Tautavel Paris France
| | - Christine Verna
- Département Homme et environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMusée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS, Université de Perpignan "Via Domitia", EPCC‐CERP de Tautavel Paris France
| | - Aida Gómez‐Robles
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity College London London United Kingdom
| | - Asier Gómez‐Olivencia
- Département Homme et environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMusée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS, Université de Perpignan "Via Domitia", EPCC‐CERP de Tautavel Paris France
- Dept. Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y TecnologíaUniversidad del País Vasco‐Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) Leioa Spain
- IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science Bilbao Spain
- Centro Mixto UCM‐ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos Madrid Spain
| | - Lou Albessard
- Département Homme et environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMusée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS, Université de Perpignan "Via Domitia", EPCC‐CERP de Tautavel Paris France
| | - Julie Arnaud
- Dipartimento di Studi UmanisticiSezione di Scienze Preistoriche e Antropologiche, Università degli Studi di Ferrara Ferrara Italy
| | - Mélanie A. Frelat
- UMR 7268 ADES, Aix‐Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Equipe 1 – Paléoanthropologie et Bioarchéologie Marsielle France
| | - S. Madelaine
- Musée national de Préhistoire Les Eyzies de Tayac‐Sireuil France
- UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux CS Pessac cedex France
| | | | - Caroline Souday
- Département Homme et environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMusée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS, Université de Perpignan "Via Domitia", EPCC‐CERP de Tautavel Paris France
| | - Alain Turq
- Musée national de Préhistoire Les Eyzies de Tayac‐Sireuil France
- UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux CS Pessac cedex France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- Département Homme et environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelleMusée de l'Homme, UMR 7194 CNRS, Université de Perpignan "Via Domitia", EPCC‐CERP de Tautavel Paris France
- Department of African ZoologyRoyal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren Belgium
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Hardin AM. Genetic contributions to dental dimensions in brown-mantled tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 168:292-302. [PMID: 30508220 PMCID: PMC6328332 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The use of dental metrics in phylogenetic reconstructions of fossil primates assumes variation in tooth size is highly heritable. Quantitative genetic studies in humans and baboons have estimated high heritabilities for dental traits, providing a preliminary view of the variability of dental trait heritability in nonhuman primate species. To expand upon this view, the heritabilities and evolvabilities of linear dental dimensions are estimated in brown-mantled tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). MATERIALS AND METHODS Quantitative genetic analyses were performed on linear dental dimensions collected from 302 brown-mantled tamarins and 364 rhesus macaques. Heritabilities were estimated in SOLAR using pedigrees from each population, and evolvabilities were calculated manually. RESULTS Tamarin heritability estimates range from 0.19 to 0.99, and 25 of 26 tamarin estimates are significantly different from zero. Macaque heritability estimates range from 0.08 to 1.00, and 25 out of 28 estimates are significantly different from zero. DISCUSSION Dental dimensions are highly heritable in captive brown-mantled tamarins and free-ranging rhesus macaques. The range of heritability estimates in these populations is broadly similar to those of baboons and humans. Evolvability tends to increase with heritability, although evolvability is high relative to heritability in some dimensions. Estimating evolvability helps to contextualize differences in heritability, and the observed relationship between evolvability and heritability in dental dimensions requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Hardin
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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Martín-Francés L, Martinón-Torres M, Martínez de Pinillos M, García-Campos C, Modesto-Mata M, Zanolli C, Rodríguez L, Bermúdez de Castro JM. Tooth crown tissue proportions and enamel thickness in Early Pleistocene Homo antecessor molars (Atapuerca, Spain). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203334. [PMID: 30281589 PMCID: PMC6169863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tooth crown tissue proportions and enamel thickness distribution are considered reliable characters for inferring taxonomic identity, phylogenetic relationships, dietary and behavioural adaptations in fossil and extant hominids. While most Pleistocene hominins display variations from thick to hyper-thick enamel, Neanderthals exhibit relatively thinner. However, the chronological and geographical origin for the appearance of this typical Neanderthal condition is still unknown. The European late Early Pleistocene species Homo antecessor (Gran Dolina-TD6 site, Sierra de Atapuerca) represents an opportunity to investigate the appearance of the thin condition in the fossil record. In this study, we aim to test the hypothesis if H. antecessor molars approximates the Neanderthal condition for tissue proportions and enamel thickness. To do so, for the first time we characterised the molar inner structural organization in this Early Pleistocene hominin taxon (n = 17) and compared it to extinct and extant populations of the genus Homo from African, Asian and European origin (n = 355). The comparative sample includes maxillary and mandibular molars belonging to H. erectus, East and North African Homo, European Middle Pleistocene Homo, Neanderthals, and fossil and extant H. sapiens. We used high-resolution images to investigate the endostructural configuration of TD6 molars (tissue proportions, enamel thickness and distribution). TD6 permanent molars tend to exhibit on average thick absolute and relative enamel in 2D and 3D estimates, both in the complete crown and the lateral enamel. This condition is shared with the majority of extinct and extant hominin sample, except for Neanderthals and some isolated specimens. However, while the total crown percentage of dentine in TD6 globally resembles the low modern values, the lateral crown percentage of dentine tends to be much higher, closer to the Neanderthal signal. Similarly, the H. antecessor molar enamel distribution maps reveal a relative distribution pattern that is more similar to the Neanderthal condition (with the thickest enamel more spread at the periphery of the occlusal basin) rather than that of other fossil specimens and modern humans (with thicker cuspal enamel). Future studies on European Middle Pleistocene populations will provide more insights into the evolutionary trajectory of the typical Neanderthal dental structural organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Martín-Francés
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199 F_33615, Pessac, France
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cecilia García-Campos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Laboratoire AMIS, UMR 5288 CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Laura Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Departamento de Ciencias Históricas y Geografía, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Burgos, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Isabel I, Burgos, Spain
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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15
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Hanegraef H, Martinón-Torres M, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martín-Francés L, Vialet A, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM. Dentine morphology of Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos lower molars: Evolutionary implications through three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:276-295. [PMID: 29417989 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aims to explore the affinities of the Sima de los Huesos (SH) population in relation to Homo neanderthalensis, Arago, and early and contemporary Homo sapiens. By characterizing SH intra-population variation, we test current models to explain the Neanderthal origins. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three-dimensional reconstructions of dentine surfaces of lower first and second molars were produced by micro-computed tomography. Landmarks and sliding semilandmarks were subjected to generalized Procrustes analysis and principal components analysis. RESULTS SH is often similar in shape to Neanderthals, and both groups are generally discernible from Homo sapiens. For example, the crown height of SH and Neanderthals is lower than for modern humans. Differences in the presence of a mid-trigonid crest are also observed, with contemporary Homo sapiens usually lacking this feature. Although SH and Neanderthals show strong affinities, they can be discriminated based on certain traits. SH individuals are characterized by a lower intra-population variability, and show a derived dental reduction in lower second molars compared to Neanderthals. SH also differs in morphological features from specimens that are often classified as Homo heidelbergensis, such as a lower crown height and less pronounced mid-trigonid crest in the Arago fossils. DISCUSSION Our results are compatible with the idea that multiple evolutionary lineages or populations coexisted in Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, with the SH paradigm phylogenetically closer to Homo neanderthalensis. Further research could support the possibility of SH as a separate taxon. Alternatively, SH could be a subspecies of Neanderthals, with the variability of this clade being remarkably higher than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hester Hanegraef
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.,National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.,National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain.,Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199 F_33615, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Amélie Vialet
- Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, 1 Rue René-Panhard, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Avd. Monforte de Lemos 5, Pabellón 14, Madrid, 28029, Spain
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, United Kingdom.,National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain
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Martin RM, Hublin JJ, Gunz P, Skinner MM. The morphology of the enamel–dentine junction in Neanderthal molars: Gross morphology, non-metric traits, and temporal trends. J Hum Evol 2017; 103:20-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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19
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Morita W, Morimoto N, Ohshima H. Exploring metameric variation in human molars: a morphological study using morphometric mapping. J Anat 2016; 229:343-55. [PMID: 27098351 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Human molars exhibit a type of metameric variation, which is the difference in serially repeated morphology within an organism. Various theories have been proposed to explain how this variation is brought about in the molars. Actualistic data that support the theories, however, are still relatively scarce because of methodological limitations. Here we propose new methods to analyse detailed tooth crown morphologies. We applied morphometric mapping to the enamel-dentine junction of human maxillary molars and examined whether odontogenetic models were adaptable to human maxillary molars. Our results showed that the upper first molar is phenotypically distinct among the maxillary molars. The average shape of the upper first molar is characterized by four well-defined cusps and precipitous surface relief of the occlusal table. On the other hand, upper third molar is characterized by smooth surface relief of the occlusal table and shows greater shape variation and distinct distribution patterns in morphospace. The upper second molar represents an intermediate state between first and third molar. Size-related shape variation was investigated by the allometric vector analysis, and it appeared that human maxillary molars tend to converge toward the shape of the upper first molar as the size increases. Differences between the upper first molar and the upper second and third molar can thus be largely explained as an effect of allometry. Collectively, these results indicate that the observed pattern of metameric variation in human molars is consistent with odontogenetic models of molar row structure (inhibitory cascade model) and molar crown morphology (patterning cascade model). This study shows that morphometric mapping is a useful tool to visualize and quantify the morphological features of teeth, which can provide the basis for a better understanding of tooth evolution linking morphology and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Morita
- Department of Oral Functional Anatomy, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.,Division of Anatomy and Cell Biology of the Hard Tissue, Department of Tissue Regeneration and Reconstruction, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Naoki Morimoto
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hayato Ohshima
- Division of Anatomy and Cell Biology of the Hard Tissue, Department of Tissue Regeneration and Reconstruction, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
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20
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Kaifu Y, Kono RT, Sutikna T, Saptomo EW, Jatmiko, Due Awe R. Unique Dental Morphology of Homo floresiensis and Its Evolutionary Implications. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141614. [PMID: 26624612 PMCID: PMC4651360 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Homo floresiensis is an extinct, diminutive hominin species discovered in the Late Pleistocene deposits of Liang Bua cave, Flores, eastern Indonesia. The nature and evolutionary origins of H. floresiensis' unique physical characters have been intensively debated. Based on extensive comparisons using linear metric analyses, crown contour analyses, and other trait-by-trait morphological comparisons, we report here that the dental remains from multiple individuals indicate that H. floresiensis had primitive canine-premolar and advanced molar morphologies, a combination of dental traits unknown in any other hominin species. The primitive aspects are comparable to H. erectus from the Early Pleistocene, whereas some of the molar morphologies are more progressive even compared to those of modern humans. This evidence contradicts the earlier claim of an entirely modern human-like dental morphology of H. floresiensis, while at the same time does not support the hypothesis that H. floresiensis originated from a much older H. habilis or Australopithecus-like small-brained hominin species currently unknown in the Asian fossil record. These results are however consistent with the alternative hypothesis that H. floresiensis derived from an earlier Asian Homo erectus population and experienced substantial body and brain size dwarfism in an isolated insular setting. The dentition of H. floresiensis is not a simple, scaled-down version of earlier hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousuke Kaifu
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Reiko T. Kono
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Thomas Sutikna
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
- The National Research and Development Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Emanuel Wahyu Saptomo
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
- The National Research and Development Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Jatmiko
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
- The National Research and Development Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Rokus Due Awe
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
- The National Research and Development Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta, Indonesia
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Bailey SE, Benazzi S, Buti L, Hublin JJ. Allometry, merism, and tooth shape of the lower second deciduous molar and first permanent molar. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 159:93-105. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shara E. Bailey
- Department of Anthropology; Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University; New York NY 10003
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig D-04103 Germany
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig D-04103 Germany
- Department of Cultural Heritage; University of Bologna; Ravenna 48121 Italy
| | - Laura Buti
- Department of Cultural Heritage; University of Bologna; Ravenna 48121 Italy
| | - J.-J. Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig D-04103 Germany
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22
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A geometric morphometric analysis of hominin lower molars: Evolutionary implications and overview of postcanine dental variation. J Hum Evol 2015; 82:34-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Revised: 10/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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23
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Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Zhang Y, Fan X, Zheng L, Huang W, Liu W. Middle Pleistocene hominin teeth from Longtan Cave, Hexian, China. PLoS One 2014; 9:e114265. [PMID: 25551383 PMCID: PMC4281145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Excavations at the Longtan Cave, Hexian, Anhui Province of Eastern China, have yielded several hominin fossils including crania, mandibular fragments, and teeth currently dated to 412 ± 25 ka. While previous studies have focused on the cranial remains, there are no detailed analyses of the dental evidence. In this study, we provide metric and morphological descriptions and comparisons of ten teeth recovered from Hexian, including microcomputed tomography analyses. Our results indicate that the Hexian teeth are metrically and morphologically primitive and overlap with H. ergaster and East Asian Early and mid-Middle Pleistocene hominins in their large dimensions and occlusal complexities. However, the Hexian teeth differ from H. ergaster in features such as conspicuous vertical grooves on the labial/buccal surfaces of the central incisor and the upper premolar, the crown outline shapes of upper and lower molars and the numbers, shapes, and divergences of the roots. Despite their close geological ages, the Hexian teeth are also more primitive than Zhoukoudian specimens, and resemble Sangiran Early Pleistocene teeth. In addition, no typical Neanderthal features have been identified in the Hexian sample. Our study highlights the metrical and morphological primitive status of the Hexian sample in comparison to contemporaneous or even earlier populations of Asia. Based on this finding, we suggest that the primitive-derived gradients of the Asian hominins cannot be satisfactorily fitted along a chronological sequence, suggesting complex evolutionary scenarios with the coexistence and/or survival of different lineages in Eurasia. Hexian could represent the persistence in time of a H. erectus group that would have retained primitive features that were lost in other Asian populations such as Zhoukoudian or Panxian Dadong. Our study expands the metrical and morphological variations known for the East Asian hominins before the mid-Middle Pleistocene and warns about the possibility that the Asian hominin variability may have been taxonomically oversimplified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - Yingqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - Wanbo Huang
- Chongqing Three Gorges Institute of Paleoanthropology, China Three Gorges Museum, Chongqing, China
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Wu X, Liu W. Hominin teeth from the early Late Pleistocene site of Xujiayao, Northern China. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156:224-40. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH); Burgos 09002 Spain
| | | | - Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
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25
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Metric and geometric morphometric analysis of new hominin fossils from Maba (Guangdong, China). J Hum Evol 2014; 74:1-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2012] [Revised: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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26
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Bailey SE, Benazzi S, Souday C, Astorino C, Paul K, Hublin JJ. Taxonomic differences in deciduous upper second molar crown outlines of Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo erectus. J Hum Evol 2014; 72:1-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2013] [Revised: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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27
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Arsuaga JL, Martinez I, Arnold LJ, Aranburu A, Gracia-Tellez A, Sharp WD, Quam RM, Falgueres C, Pantoja-Perez A, Bischoff J, Poza-Rey E, Pares JM, Carretero JM, Demuro M, Lorenzo C, Sala N, Martinon-Torres M, Garcia N, Alcazar de Velasco A, Cuenca-Bescos G, Gomez-Olivencia A, Moreno D, Pablos A, Shen CC, Rodriguez L, Ortega AI, Garcia R, Bonmati A, Bermudez de Castro JM, Carbonell E. Neandertal roots: Cranial and chronological evidence from Sima de los Huesos. Science 2014; 344:1358-63. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1253958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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28
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Benazzi S, Bailey SE, Peresani M, Mannino MA, Romandini M, Richards MP, Hublin JJ. Middle Paleolithic and Uluzzian human remains from Fumane Cave, Italy. J Hum Evol 2014; 70:61-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 03/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Gómez-Robles A, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Arsuaga JL, Carbonell E, Polly PD. No known hominin species matches the expected dental morphology of the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:18196-201. [PMID: 24145426 PMCID: PMC3831471 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1302653110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A central problem in paleoanthropology is the identity of the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans ([N-MH]LCA). Recently developed analytical techniques now allow this problem to be addressed using a probabilistic morphological framework. This study provides a quantitative reconstruction of the expected dental morphology of the [N-MH]LCA and an assessment of whether known fossil species are compatible with this ancestral position. We show that no known fossil species is a suitable candidate for being the [N-MH]LCA and that all late Early and Middle Pleistocene taxa from Europe have Neanderthal dental affinities, pointing to the existence of a European clade originated around 1 Ma. These results are incongruent with younger molecular divergence estimates and suggest at least one of the following must be true: (i) European fossils and the [N-MH]LCA selectively retained primitive dental traits; (ii) molecular estimates of the divergence between Neanderthals and modern humans are underestimated; or (iii) phenotypic divergence and speciation between both species were decoupled such that phenotypic differentiation, at least in dental morphology, predated speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, A-3422 Altenberg, Austria
| | | | - Juan-Luis Arsuaga
- Centro de Investigación Sobre la Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid–Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eudald Carbonell
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; and
| | - P. David Polly
- Departments of Geological Sciences, Biology, and Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington,IN 47405
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Benazzi S, Bailey SE, Mallegni F. Brief communication: A morphometric analysis of the neandertal upper second molar Leuca I. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 152:300-5. [PMID: 23999832 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 07/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The scarcity of Neandertal remains from Southern Europe hampers our understanding of Neandertal variability, and can bias interpretations about Neandertal geographic variation. To address this issue, it is often important to reassess human remains that, while discovered decades ago, remain relatively unknown to the scientific community. In this contribution, we provide a complete state-of-the-art comparative morphometric analysis of Leuca I, an unworn left second upper molar (LM(2) ) discovered in 1958 in Bambino's Cave (near Santa Maria di Leuca, Apulia, Italy) and attributed to Homo neanderthalensis. Our study includes comparisons of standard metric and nonmetric data, a 2D image analysis of the occlusal surface and measurements of both 2D and 3D enamel thickness and dental tissue proportions. Although Leuca I follows the Neandertal M(2) s trend in some morphometric aspects (i.e., small relative occlusal polygon area), in other cases it falls to the higher end (for 3D average enamel thickness) or even outside (for 3D-relative enamel thickness) the Neandertal M(2) variability, thus increasing the known Neandertal range of variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Martinón-Torres M, Spěváčková P, Gracia-Téllez A, Martínez I, Bruner E, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM. Morphometric analysis of molars in a Middle Pleistocene population shows a mosaic of 'modern' and Neanderthal features. J Anat 2013; 223:353-63. [PMID: 23914934 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of upper first molar (M1) crown shape have shown significant differences between Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis that were already present in the European Middle Pleistocene populations, including the large dental sample from Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos (SH). Analysis of other M1 features such as the total crown base area, cusp proportions, cusp angles and occlusal polygon have confirmed the differences between both lineages, becoming a useful tool for the taxonomic assignment of isolated teeth from Late Pleistocene sites. However, until now the pattern of expression of these variables has not been known for the SH sample. This fossil sample, the largest collection from the European Middle Pleistocene, is generally interpreted as being from the direct ancestors of Neanderthals, and thus is a reference sample for assessing the origin of the Neanderthal morphologies. Surprisingly, our study reveals that SH M(1) s present a unique mosaic of H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens features. Regarding the cusp angles and the relative occlusal polygon area, SH matches the H. neanderthalensis pattern. However, regarding the total crown base area and relative cusps size, SH M(1) s are similar to H. sapiens, with a small crown area, a strong hypocone reduction and a protocone enlargement, although the protocone expansion in SH is significantly larger than in any other group studied. The SH dental sample calls into question the uniqueness of some so-called modern traits. Our study also sounds a note of caution on the use of M(1) occlusal morphology for the alpha taxonomy of isolated M(1) s.
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