1
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Šimková PG, Wurm L, Fornai C, Krenn VA, Weber GW. Shape variation in modern human upper premolars. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301482. [PMID: 38593117 PMCID: PMC11003632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301482] [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: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Morphological variation in modern human dentition is still an open field of study. The understanding of dental shape and metrics is relevant for the advancement of human biology and evolution and is thus of interest in the fields of dental anthropology, as well as human anatomy and medicine. Of concern is also the variation of the inner aspects of the crown which can be investigated using the tools and methods of virtual anthropology. In this study, we explored inter- and intra-population morphometric variation of modern humans' upper third and fourth premolars (P3s and P4s, respectively) considering both the inner and outer aspects of the crown, and discrete traits. We worked by means of geometric morphometrics on 3D image data from a geographically balanced sample of human populations from five continents, to analyse the shape of the dentinal crown, and the crown outline in 78 P3s and 76 P4s from 85 individuals. For the study of dental traits, we referred to the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System integrated with more recent classification systems. The 3D shape variation of upper premolar crowns varied between short and mesio-distally broad, and tall and mesio-distally narrow. The observed shape variation was independent from the geographical origin of the populations, and resulted in extensive overlap. We noted a high pairwise correlation (r1 = 0.83) between upper P3s and P4s. We did not find any significant geographic differences in the analysed non-metric traits. Our outcomes thus suggest that geographical provenance does not play a determinant role in the shaping of the dental crown, whose genesis is under strict genetic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra G. Šimková
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences HEAS, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Wurm
- Medical Technology Cluster, Business Upper Austria–OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH, Linz, Austria
| | - Cinzia Fornai
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences HEAS, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Research in Occlusion Medicine, Vienna School of Interdisciplinary Dentistry–VieSID, Klosterneuburg, Austria
- Center for Clinical Research, University Clinic of Dentistry Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Viktoria A. Krenn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH, Graz, Austria
| | - Gerhard W. Weber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences HEAS, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility for Micro-Computed Tomography, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Zhang Y, Urciuoli A, Zanolli C, Kullmer O, Wu X. Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the bony labyrinth of Xujiayao 6. J Hum Evol 2024; 189:103514. [PMID: 38547737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Yameng Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Universidad de Alcalá, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-UAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Paleobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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3
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Ao H, Ruan J, Martinón-Torres M, Krapp M, Liebrand D, Dekkers MJ, Caley T, Jonell TN, Zhu Z, Huang C, Li X, Zhang Z, Sun Q, Yang P, Jiang J, Li X, Xie X, Song Y, Qiang X, Zhang P, An Z. Concurrent Asian monsoon strengthening and early modern human dispersal to East Asia during the last interglacial. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2308994121. [PMID: 38190536 PMCID: PMC10801887 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308994121] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The relationship between initial Homo sapiens dispersal from Africa to East Asia and the orbitally paced evolution of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM)-currently the largest monsoon system-remains underexplored due to lack of coordinated synthesis of both Asian paleoanthropological and paleoclimatic data. Here, we investigate orbital-scale ASM dynamics during the last 280 thousand years (kyr) and their likely influences on early H. sapiens dispersal to East Asia, through a unique integration of i) new centennial-resolution ASM records from the Chinese Loess Plateau, ii) model-based East Asian hydroclimatic reconstructions, iii) paleoanthropological data compilations, and iv) global H. sapiens habitat suitability simulations. Our combined proxy- and model-based reconstructions suggest that ASM precipitation responded to a combination of Northern Hemisphere ice volume, greenhouse gas, and regional summer insolation forcing, with cooccurring primary orbital cycles of ~100-kyr, 41-kyr, and ~20-kyr. Between ~125 and 70 kyr ago, summer monsoon rains and temperatures increased in vast areas across Asia. This episode coincides with the earliest H. sapiens fossil occurrence at multiple localities in East Asia. Following the transcontinental increase in simulated habitat suitability, we suggest that ASM strengthening together with Southeast African climate deterioration may have promoted the initial H. sapiens dispersal from their African homeland to remote East Asia during the last interglacial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Ao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao266237, China
| | - Jiaoyang Ruan
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan46241, South Korea
- Pusan National University, Busan46241, South Korea
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Dental Anthropology Group, National Research Center on Human Evolution, Burgos09002, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1H 0BW, United Kingdom
| | - Mario Krapp
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1TN, United Kingdom
| | - Diederik Liebrand
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, ManchesterM13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J. Dekkers
- Palaeomagnetic Laboratory ‘Fort Hoofddijk’, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht3584 CD, The Netherlands
| | - Thibaut Caley
- Bordeaux Institut National Polytechnique, Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux, University of Bordeaux, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, UMR 5805, PessacF-33600, France
| | - Tara N. Jonell
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, GlasgowG12 8QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Zongmin Zhu
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan430074, China
| | - Chunju Huang
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan430074, China
| | - Xinxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Ziyun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- College of Geology and Environment, University of Science and Technology, Xi’an710054, China
| | - Pingguo Yang
- College of Life Science, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan030031, China
| | - Jiali Jiang
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan430074, China
| | - Xinzhou Li
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Xiaoxun Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Yougui Song
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Xiaoke Qiang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao266237, China
| | - Zhisheng An
- State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an710049, China
- Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
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4
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Wu X, Pei S, Cai Y, Tong H, Zhang Z, Yan Y, Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Liu W. Morphological and morphometric analyses of a late Middle Pleistocene hominin mandible from Hualongdong, China. J Hum Evol 2023; 182:103411. [PMID: 37531709 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Excavations in Hualongdong (HLD), East China, have yielded abundant hominin fossils dated to 300 ka. There is a nearly complete mandible that fits well with a partial cranium, and together they compose the skull labeled as HLD 6. Thus far, detailed morphological description and comparisons of the mandible have not been conducted. Here we present a comprehensive morphological, metric, and geometric morphometric assessment of this mandible and compare it with both adult and immature specimens of Pleistocene hominins and recent modern humans. Results indicate that the HLD 6 mandible exhibits a mosaic morphological pattern characterized by a robust corpus and relatively gracile symphysis and ramus. The moderately developed mental trigone and a clear anterior mandibular incurvation of the HLD 6 mandible are reminiscent of Late Pleistocene hominin and recent modern human morphology. However, the weak expression of all these features indicates that this mandible does not possess a true chin. Moreover, a suite of archaic features that resemble those of Middle Pleistocene hominins includes pronounced alveolar planum, superior transverse torus, thick corpus, a pronounced endocondyloid crest, and a well-developed medial pterygoid tubercle. The geometric morphometric analysis further confirms the mosaic pattern of the HLD 6 mandible. The combination of both archaic and modern human features identified in the HLD 6 mandible is unexpected, given its late Middle Pleistocene age and differs from approximately contemporaneous Homo members such as Xujiayao, Penghu, and Xiahe. This mosaic pattern has never been recorded in late Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil assemblages in East Asia. The HLD 6 mandible provides further support for the high morphological diversity during late Middle Pleistocene hominin evolution. With these findings, it is possible that modern human morphologies are present as early as 300 ka and earlier than the emergence of modern humans in East Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Shuwen Pei
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Yanjun Cai
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
| | - Haowen Tong
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Ziliang Zhang
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Yi Yan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, Burgos, 09002, Spain.
| | | | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China.
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5
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Liu W, Athreya S, Xing S, Wu X. Hominin evolution and diversity: a comparison of earlier-Middle and later-Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil variation in China. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210040. [PMID: 35125004 PMCID: PMC8819364 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Historical views of Asia as an evolutionary 'backwater' are associated with the idea that Homo erectus experienced long periods of stasis and ultimately went extinct. However, recent discoveries of well-dated Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils in China have considerably challenged these ideas and provide sufficient data to propose a testable model that explains the patterning of variation in Middle Pleistocene China, and why it changed over time. A series of hominin fossil studies comparing earlier-Middle and later-Middle Pleistocene groups confirm that the expressions of certain traits shift around 300 ka. Fossils from the later Middle Pleistocene are more variable with a mix of archaic traits as well as ones that are common in Western Eurasian early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. The period around 300 ka appears to have been a critical turning point for later-Middle Pleistocene morphological changes in China. It coincides with a phase of climatic instability in the Northern Hemisphere between Marine Isotope Stages 12 and 10 that would have led to changes in gene flow patterning, and regional population survival/extinction. This localized and testable model can be used for future explorations of hominin evolution in later Pleistocene eastern Eurasia. This article is part of the theme issue 'The impact of Chinese palaeontology on evolutionary research'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Liu
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheela Athreya
- Liberal Arts Program, Texas A&M University-Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | - Song Xing
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiujie Wu
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
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6
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Late Quaternary Proboscidean Sites in Africa and Eurasia with Possible or Probable Evidence for Hominin Involvement. QUATERNARY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/quat5010018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a list of >100 publicly known late Quaternary proboscidean sites that have certain or possible traces of hominin utilization in Africa, Europe, and Asia, along with a sample of references, chronometric or estimated ages, and brief descriptions of the associated materials and bone modifications. Summary discussions of important sites are also presented. Lower Palaeolithic/Early Stone Age hominins created far fewer proboscidean site assemblages than hominins in later Palaeolithic phases, in spite of the time span being many times longer. Middle Palaeolithic/Middle Stone Age hominins created assemblages at eight times the earlier hominin rate. Upper Palaeolithic/Later Stone Age hominins created site assemblages at >90 times the rate of Lower Palaeolithic hominins. Palaeoloxodon spp. occur in nearly one third of the sites with an identified or probable proboscidean taxon and Mammuthus species are in nearly one half of the sites with identified or probable taxon. Other identified proboscidean genera, such as Elephas, Loxodonta, and Stegodon, occur in few sites. The sites show variability in the intensity of carcass utilization, the quantity of lithics bedded with bones, the extent of bone surface modifications, such as cut marks, the diversity of associated fauna, and mortality profiles.
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7
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Comparative dental study between Homo antecessor and Chinese Homo erectus: Nonmetric features and geometric morphometrics. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103087. [PMID: 34742110 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The Chinese Middle Pleistocene fossils from Hexian, Xichuan, Yiyuan, and Zhoukoudian have been generally classified as Homo erectus s.s. These hominins share some primitive features with other Homo specimens, but they also display unique cranial and dental traits. Thus, the Chinese Middle Pleistocene hominins share with other European and Asian hominin populations the so-called 'Eurasian dental pattern'. The late Early Pleistocene hominins from Gran Dolina-TD6.2 (Spain), representing the species Homo antecessor, also exhibit the Eurasian dental pattern, which may suggest common roots. To assess phylogenetic affinities of these two taxa, we evaluated and compared nonmetric and metric dental features and interpreted morphological differences within a comparative hominin framework. We determined that the robust roots of the molars, the shelf-like protostylid, the dendrite-like pattern of the enamel-dentine junction surface of the upper fourth premolars and molars, the strongly folded dentine of the labial surface of the upper incisors, and the rare occurrence of a mid-trigonid crest in the lower molars, are all characteristic of Chinese H. erectus. With regard to H. antecessor, we observed the consistent expression of a continuous mid-trigonid crest, the absence of a cingulum in the upper canines, a complex root pattern of the lower premolars, and a rhomboidal occlusal contour and occlusal polygon and protrusion in the external outline of a large a bulging hypocone in the first and second upper molars. Using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics, we further demonstrated that H. antecessor falls outside the range of variation of Chinese H. erectus for occlusal crown outline shape, the orientation of occlusal grooves, and relative locations of anterior and posterior foveae in the P4s, P3s, M1s, M2s, and M2s. Given their geographic and temporal separation, the differences between these two species suggest their divergence occurred at some point in the Early Pleistocene, and thereafter they followed different evolutionary paths.
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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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9
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Wu X, Pei S, Cai Y, Tong H, Xing S, Jashashvili T, Carlson KJ, Liu W. Morphological description and evolutionary significance of 300 ka hominin facial bones from Hualongdong, China. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103052. [PMID: 34601289 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Late Middle Pleistocene hominins in Africa displaying key modern morphologies by 315 ka are claimed as the earliest Homo sapiens. Evolutionary relationships among East Asian hominins appear complex due to a growing fossil record of late Middle Pleistocene hominins from the region, reflecting mosaic morphologies that contribute to a lack of consensus on when and how the transition to modern humans transpired. Newly discovered 300 ka hominin fossils from Hualongdong, China, provide further evidence to clarify these relationships in the region. In this study, facial morphology of the juvenile partial cranium (HLD 6) is described and qualitatively and quantitatively compared with that of other key Early, Middle, and Late Pleistocene hominins from East Asia, Africa, West Asia, and Europe and with a sample of modern humans. Qualitatively, facial morphology of HLD 6 resembles that of Early and Middle Pleistocene hominins from Zhoukoudian, Nanjing, Dali, and Jinniushan in China, as well as others from Java, Africa, and Europe in some of these features (e.g., supraorbital and malar regions), and Late Pleistocene hominins and modern humans from East Asia, Africa, and Europe in other features (e.g., weak prognathism, flat face and features in nasal and hard plate regions). Comparisons of HLD 6 measurements to group means and multivariate analyses support close affinities of HLD 6 to Late Pleistocene hominins and modern humans. Expression of a mosaic morphological pattern in the HLD 6 facial skeleton further complicates evolutionary interpretations of regional morphological diversity in East Asia. The prevalence of modern features in HLD 6 suggests that the hominin population to which HLD 6 belonged may represent the earliest pre-modern humans in East Asia. Thus, the transition from archaic to modern morphology in East Asian hominins may have occurred at least by 300 ka, which is 80,000 to 100,000 years earlier than previously recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Shuwen Pei
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Yanjun Cai
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049 Xi'an, China
| | - Haowen Tong
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA; Department of Geology and Paleontology, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, 0105, Georgia
| | - Kristian J Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2000 South Africa.
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China.
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10
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Hershkovitz I, May H, Sarig R, Pokhojaev A, Grimaud-Hervé D, Bruner E, Fornai C, Quam R, Arsuaga JL, Krenn VA, Martinón-Torres M, de Castro JMB, Martín-Francés L, Slon V, Albessard-Ball L, Vialet A, Schüler T, Manzi G, Profico A, Di Vincenzo F, Weber GW, Zaidner Y. A Middle Pleistocene
Homo
from Nesher Ramla, Israel. Science 2021. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Sarig
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ariel Pokhojaev
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dominique Grimaud-Hervé
- UMR7194, HNHP, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, UPVD, Paris, France
| | - Emiliano Bruner
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
| | - Cinzia Fornai
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rolf Quam
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY, USA
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Geodináica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Viktoria A. Krenn
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Martinón-Torres
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution), Burgos, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lou Albessard-Ball
- UMR7194, HNHP, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, UPVD, Paris, France
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Amélie Vialet
- UMR7194, HNHP, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, UPVD, Paris, France
| | - Tim Schüler
- Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology Weimar, Germany
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Profico
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Gerhard W. Weber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility for Micro-Computed Tomography, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yossi Zaidner
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
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11
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Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Deng C, Shao Q, Wang Y, Luo Y, Zhou X, Pan L, Ge J, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Liu W. Early Pleistocene hominin teeth from Meipu, southern China. J Hum Evol 2021; 151:102924. [PMID: 33418452 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The rarity and poor preservation of hominin fossils from the East Asian Early Pleistocene hamper our understanding of their taxonomy and possible phylogenetic relationship with other members of the genus Homo. In the 1970s, four isolated hominin teeth were recovered from the Meipu site, southern China, which biostratigraphic analysis placed in the late Early Pleistocene. Early reports assigned the teeth to late Homo erectus. Since then, the teeth have not been re-evaluated, nor has reliable dating been performed at the Meipu site. Here, biostratigraphic and paleomagnetic dating allow for a more precise chronological constraint of the Meipu hominins in the late Early Pleistocene, between 780 ka and 990 ka, making them one of the few known hominins for this time in mainland Asia. The comparison of the morphology of the Meipu teeth with other members of the genus Homo reveals that the Meipu teeth preserve traits such as moderate shoveling of the I1, the square crown contour of M1, and a buccolingually wider lingual cusp in P4 that make them closer to early Homo specimens from Africa and Homo ergaster from Dmanisi (Georgia). In addition, the Meipu teeth exhibit features that are more typical for late mainland East Asian H. erectus, such as the moderately convex I1 labial surface and a pronouncedly convex I2 labial surface. In these features, the Meipu hominins are morphologically intermediate between African/Dmanisi early Homo and East Asian Middle Pleistocene hominins. This study contributes to a better understanding of the morphologies and the taxonomic status of East Asian Early Pleistocene hominins, a time period for which the hominin evidence with secure stratigraphic context is scarce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China; Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, Burgos, Spain
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, Burgos, Spain; University College London Anthropology, London, UK
| | - Chenglong Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qingfeng Shao
- College of Geographical Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Yunbing Luo
- Institute of Archeology and Cultural Relics of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Lei Pan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Junyi Ge
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo de La Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, Burgos, Spain; University College London Anthropology, London, UK
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
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12
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Pan L, Dumoncel J, Mazurier A, Zanolli C. Hominin diversity in East Asia during the Middle Pleistocene: A premolar endostructural perspective. J Hum Evol 2020; 148:102888. [PMID: 33039881 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Following the recent studies of East Asian mid-Middle to early Late Pleistocene hominin material, a large spectrum of morphological diversity has been recognized and the coexistence of archaic ('Homo erectus-like') and derived ('modern-like') dental morphological patterns has been highlighted. In fact, for most of these Chinese fossils, generally categorized as 'archaic Homo sapiens' or 'post-H. erectus Homo', the taxonomic attribution is a matter of contention. With the help of μCT techniques and a deformation-based 3D geometric morphometric approach, we focused on the morphological variation in the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) of 18 upper and lower premolars from Chinese Middle Pleistocene hominins. We then compared our results with a number of fossil and modern human groups, including Early Pleistocene H. erectus from Sangiran; late Early Pleistocene hominins from Tighenif, Algeria; classic Neanderthals; and modern humans. Our results highlight an evolutionary/chronological trend of crown base reduction, elevation of EDJ topography, and EDJ surface simplification in the hominin groups studied here. Moreover, this study brings insights to the taxonomy/phylogeny of 6 late Middle Pleistocene specimens whose evolutionary placement has been debated for decades. Among these specimens, Changyang premolars show features that can be aligned with the Asian H. erectus hypodigm, whereas Panxian Dadong and Tongzi premolars are more similar to Late Pleistocene Homo. Compared with early to mid-Middle Pleistocene hominins in East Asia, late Middle Pleistocene hominins evince an enlarged morphological variation. A persistence of archaic morphotypes and possible admixture among populations during the late Middle Pleistocene are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Pan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, Nanjing, China
| | - Jean Dumoncel
- Laboratoire AMIS, UMR 5288 CNRS, Université Toulouse III, Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Arnaud Mazurier
- Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux, UMR 7285 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, 86073, Poitiers, France
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600 Pessac, France.
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Davies TW, Delezene LK, Gunz P, Hublin JJ, Skinner MM. Endostructural morphology in hominoid mandibular third premolars: Discrete traits at the enamel-dentine junction. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102670. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Pan L, Dumoncel J, Mazurier A, Zanolli C. Structural analysis of premolar roots in Middle Pleistocene hominins from China. J Hum Evol 2019; 136:102669. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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15
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Zanolli C, Biglari F, Mashkour M, Abdi K, Monchot H, Debue K, Mazurier A, Bayle P, Le Luyer M, Rougier H, Trinkaus E, Macchiarelli R. A Neanderthal from the Central Western Zagros, Iran. Structural reassessment of the Wezmeh 1 maxillary premolar. J Hum Evol 2019; 135:102643. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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26Al/ 10Be Burial Dating of the Middle Pleistocene Yiyuan Hominin Fossil Site, Shandong Province, Northern China. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6961. [PMID: 31061440 PMCID: PMC6502808 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43401-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The Yiyuan hominin fossil site is one of the few localities in China where a partial skullcap and several loose teeth of Homo erectus have been discovered. Yiyuan was previously assigned broadly to the Middle Pleistocene by biostratigraphical correlation and ESR/U-series dating. Here, we report the first application of a radio-isotopic dating method to the site. 26Al/10Be burial dating results derived from two sand samples from the fossiliferous deposits show that the hominin fossils can be confidently dated to 0.64 ± 0.08 Ma (million years ago). The reliability of this age is supported by the zero age of modern fluvial sediment near the cave. Our result is consistent with the age estimation based on biostratigraphic correlation and supports the argument that the Yiyuan and Zhoukoudian Locality 1 H. erectus fossils are contemporaneous. The results presented here, along with other recent chronological studies on Chinese Middle Pleistocene hominin sites, indicate that the time span from 600–400 ka (thousand years ago) is a critical period for human evolution in East Asia. Importantly, this time bracket includes several major climatic changes that would have influenced hominins, both morphologically and behaviorally.
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Late Middle Pleistocene hominin teeth from Tongzi, southern China. J Hum Evol 2019; 130:96-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Archaic human remains from Hualongdong, China, and Middle Pleistocene human continuity and variation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:9820-9824. [PMID: 31036653 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1902396116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Middle to Late Pleistocene human evolution in East Asia has remained controversial regarding the extent of morphological continuity through archaic humans and to modern humans. Newly found ∼300,000-y-old human remains from Hualongdong (HLD), China, including a largely complete skull (HLD 6), share East Asian Middle Pleistocene (MPl) human traits of a low vault with a frontal keel (but no parietal sagittal keel or angular torus), a low and wide nasal aperture, a pronounced supraorbital torus (especially medially), a nonlevel nasal floor, and small or absent third molars. It lacks a malar incisure but has a large superior medial pterygoid tubercle. HLD 6 also exhibits a relatively flat superior face, a more vertical mandibular symphysis, a pronounced mental trigone, and simple occlusal morphology, foreshadowing modern human morphology. The HLD human fossils thus variably resemble other later MPl East Asian remains, but add to the overall variation in the sample. Their configurations, with those of other Middle and early Late Pleistocene East Asian remains, support archaic human regional continuity and provide a background to the subsequent archaic-to-modern human transition in the region.
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Pan L, Zanolli C. Comparative observations on the premolar root and pulp canal configurations of Middle Pleistocene Homo
in China. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 168:637-646. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Pan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS; Beijing China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS; Nanjing China
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Laboratory AMIS, UMR 5288 CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier; France
- Laboratory PACEA; UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux France
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20
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Zanolli C, Pan L, Dumoncel J, Kullmer O, Kundrát M, Liu W, Macchiarelli R, Mancini L, Schrenk F, Tuniz C. Inner tooth morphology of Homo erectus from Zhoukoudian. New evidence from an old collection housed at Uppsala University, Sweden. J Hum Evol 2018; 116:1-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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21
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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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22
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Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Bermúdez de Castro JM. The fossil teeth of the Peking Man. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2066. [PMID: 29391445 PMCID: PMC5794973 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20432-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study provides new original data, including the endostructure of most Zhoukoudian H. erectus teeth preserved to date, since the publication of Black in 1927 and Weidenreich in 1937. The new evidence ratifies the similarities of Zhoukoudian with other East Asian mid-Middle Pleistocene hominins such as Hexian and Yiyuan, and allows defining a dental pattern potentially characteristic of this population commonly referred to as classic H. erectus. Given the possible chronological overlaps of classic H. erectus with other archaic Homo, the characterization of this group becomes a key issue when deciphering the taxonomy and evolutionary scenario of the Middle Pleistocene hominins in East Asia. Internally, the most remarkable feature of Zhoukoudian teeth is the highly crenulated enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) and its imprint on the roof of the pulp cavity. So far, this "dendrite-like" EDJ has been found only in East Asia Middle Pleistocene hominins although a large group of samples were assessed, and it could be useful to dentally define classic H. erectus in China. The crenulated EDJ surface, together with the stout roots and the taurodontism could be a mechanism to withstand high biomechanical demand despite a general dentognathic reduction, particularly of the crowns, in these populations.
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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, 100044, China.
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.,University College London (UCL) Anthropology, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.,University College London (UCL) Anthropology, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
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Hershkovitz I, Weber GW, Quam R, Duval M, Grün R, Kinsley L, Ayalon A, Bar-Matthews M, Valladas H, Mercier N, Arsuaga JL, Martinón-Torres M, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Fornai C, Martín-Francés L, Sarig R, May H, Krenn VA, Slon V, Rodríguez L, García R, Lorenzo C, Carretero JM, Frumkin A, Shahack-Gross R, Bar-Yosef Mayer DE, Cui Y, Wu X, Peled N, Groman-Yaroslavski I, Weissbrod L, Yeshurun R, Tsatskin A, Zaidner Y, Weinstein-Evron M. The earliest modern humans outside Africa. Science 2018; 359:456-459. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aap8369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 297] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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24
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Martinón-Torres M, Wu X, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Xing S, Liu W. Homo sapiens in the Eastern Asian Late Pleistocene. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1086/694449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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26
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Liu W, Martinón-Torres M, Kaifu Y, Wu X, Kono RT, Chang CH, Wei P, Xing S, Huang W, Bermúdez de Castro JM. A mandible from the Middle Pleistocene Hexian site and its significance in relation to the variability of Asian Homo erectus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 162:715-731. [PMID: 28109118 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study presents the first detailed morphological description and comparison of a Middle Pleistocene hominin mandibular fragment (PA 831) and associated teeth from the Hexian site in Eastern China. We aim to investigate where the Hexian mandible fits within the genus Homo variability in the light of an increased and better characterized Asian fossils record. METHODS Comparative samples include Pleistocene Homo mandibles and teeth from Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as earlier African hominins (Australopithecus and early Homo) and Holocene recent humans. Both conventional morphological description and metric analysis were used. In addition, virtual reconstructions of the enamel dentine junction (EDJ) surface, pulp cavity, and roots with micro-CT were used to the mandible and teeth. RESULTS The Hexian mandible is characterized by a plesiomorphic structural pattern for the Homo clade, with strong corpus robustness and a subparallel and low-positioned mylohyoid line that differentiates the swollen subalveolar planum from the shallow subalveolar fossa. Features that are derived compared to early Homo include a moderately curved dental arcade, a well-developed lateral prominence placed at the M2 -M3 level, and multiple mental foramina. The Hexian mandible's complex enamel surface and strong, stout root structure are primitive traits for the Homo clade. Finally, the highly crenulated "dendrite-like" EDJ found in the molars may represent a dental feature specific to the continental Asian Homo erectus, but more data is needed to confirm this. CONCLUSIONS Mandibular and dental features indicate that the Hexian mandible and teeth differ from northern Chinese H. erectus and European Middle Pleistocene hominins, but show some affinities with the Early Pleistocene specimens from Africa (Homo ergaster) and Java (H. erectus), as well as the Middle-Late Pleistocene mandible from Penghu, Taiwan. Compared to contemporaneous continental Asian hominin populations, the Hexian fossils may represent the survival of a primitive hominin, with more primitive morphologies than other contemporaneous or some chronologically older Asian hominin specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW.,Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Departamento de Historia, Geografía y Comunicación, University of Burgos, Burgos, 09001, Spain
| | - Yousuke Kaifu
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-0005, Japan
| | - 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
| | - Reiko T Kono
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-0005, Japan
| | - Chun-Hsiang Chang
- Department of Geology, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, 40453, Taiwan
| | - Pianpian Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - 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
| | - Wanbo Huang
- 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
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Department of Anthropology, University College London (UCL), 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW.,Hominid Paleobiology Program, National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca s/n. Burgos, 09002, Spain
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Hominin teeth from the Middle Pleistocene site of Yiyuan, Eastern China. J Hum Evol 2016; 95:33-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2014] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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28
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The earliest unequivocally modern humans in southern China. Nature 2015; 526:696-9. [DOI: 10.1038/nature15696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 298] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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29
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Zeng YW, Du J, Pu XY, Yang JZ, Yang T, Yang SM, Yang XM. Coevolution between Human's Anticancer Activities and Functional Foods from Crop Origin Center in the World. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2015; 16:2119-28. [DOI: 10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.6.2119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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30
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Chang CH, Kaifu Y, Takai M, Kono RT, Grün R, Matsu'ura S, Kinsley L, Lin LK. The first archaic Homo from Taiwan. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6037. [PMID: 25625212 PMCID: PMC4316746 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies of an increasing number of hominin fossils highlight regional and chronological diversities of archaic Homo in the Pleistocene of eastern Asia. However, such a realization is still based on limited geographical occurrences mainly from Indonesia, China and Russian Altai. Here we describe a newly discovered archaic Homo mandible from Taiwan (Penghu 1), which further increases the diversity of Pleistocene Asian hominins. Penghu 1 revealed an unexpectedly late survival (younger than 450 but most likely 190–10 thousand years ago) of robust, apparently primitive dentognathic morphology in the periphery of the continent, which is unknown among the penecontemporaneous fossil records from other regions of Asia except for the mid-Middle Pleistocene Homo from Hexian, Eastern China. Such patterns of geographic trait distribution cannot be simply explained by clinal geographic variation of Homo erectus between northern China and Java, and suggests survival of multiple evolutionary lineages among archaic hominins before the arrival of modern humans in the region. Growing evidence reveals great diversity of archaic Asian hominins. Here, Chang and colleagues describe a newly discovered archaic Homo mandible from Taiwan, which suggests the survival of multiple evolutionary lineages among archaic hominins before the arrival of modern humans to eastern Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Hsiang Chang
- Department of Geology, National Museum of Natural Science, 1, Guancian Road, Taichung 40453, Taiwan
| | - Yousuke Kaifu
- 1] Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan [2] Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masanaru Takai
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Reiko T Kono
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan
| | - Rainer Grün
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Mills Road Building 142, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Shuji Matsu'ura
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Ochanomizu University, 2-1-1 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8610, Japan
| | - Les Kinsley
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Mills Road Building 142, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Liang-Kong Lin
- Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, 0704 PO Box 988, No. 181, Sector 3, Taichung Port Road, Taichung 40704, Taiwan
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31
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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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32
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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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33
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Zanolli C. Molar crown inner structural organization in JavaneseHomo erectus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156:148-57. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clément Zanolli
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory; International Centre for Theoretical Physics; Trieste Italy
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34
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Wu XJ, Crevecoeur I, Liu W, Xing S, Trinkaus E. Temporal labyrinths of eastern Eurasian Pleistocene humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:10509-13. [PMID: 25002467 PMCID: PMC4115500 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1410735111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the morphological features that has been identified as uniquely derived for the western Eurasian Neandertals concerns the relative sizes and positions of their semicircular canals. In particular, they exhibit a relatively small anterior canal, a relatively larger lateral one, and a more inferior position of the posterior one relative to the lateral one. These discussions have not included full paleontological data on eastern Eurasian Pleistocene human temporal labyrinths, which have the potential to provide a broader context for assessing Pleistocene Homo trait polarities. We present the temporal labyrinths of four eastern Eurasian Pleistocene Homo, one each of Early (Lantian 1), Middle (Hexian 1), and Late (Xujiayao 15) Pleistocene archaic humans and one early modern human (Liujiang 1). The labyrinths of the two earlier specimens and the most recent one conform to the proportions seen among western early and recent modern humans, reinforcing the modern human pattern as generally ancestral for the genus Homo. The labyrinth of Xujiayao 15 is in the middle of the Neandertal variation and separate from the other samples. This eastern Eurasian labyrinthine dichotomy occurs in the context of none of the distinctive Neandertal external temporal or other cranial features. As such, it raises questions regarding possible cranial and postcranial morphological correlates of Homo labyrinthine variation, the use of individual "Neandertal" features for documenting population affinities, and the nature of late archaic human variation across Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Jie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Isabelle Crevecoeur
- Unité Mixte de Recherche 5199 De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie des Populations Passées et Présentes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bordeaux 1, 33405 Talence, France; and
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Erik Trinkaus
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
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35
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Zanolli C, Bondioli L, Coppa A, Dean CM, Bayle P, Candilio F, Capuani S, Dreossi D, Fiore I, Frayer DW, Libsekal Y, Mancini L, Rook L, Medin Tekle T, Tuniz C, Macchiarelli R. The late Early Pleistocene human dental remains from Uadi Aalad and Mulhuli-Amo (Buia), Eritrean Danakil: macromorphology and microstructure. J Hum Evol 2014; 74:96-113. [PMID: 24852385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2013] [Revised: 04/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Fieldwork performed during the last 15 years in various Early Pleistocene East African sites has significantly enlarged the fossil record of Homo erectus sensu lato (s.l.). Additional evidence comes from the Danakil Depression of Eritrea, where over 200 late Early to early Middle Pleistocene sites have been identified within a ∼1000 m-thick sedimentary succession outcropping in the Dandiero Rift Basin, near Buia. Along with an adult cranium (UA 31), which displays a blend of H. erectus-like and derived morpho-architectural features and three pelvic remains, two isolated permanent incisors (UA 222 and UA 369) have also been recovered from the 1 Ma (millions of years ago) Homo-bearing outcrop of Uadi Aalad. Since 2010, our surveys have expanded to the nearby (4.7 km) site of Mulhuli-Amo (MA). This is a fossiliferous area that has been preliminarily surveyed because of its exceptional concentration of Acheulean stone tools. So far, the site has yielded 10 human remains, including the unworn crown of a lower permanent molar (MA 93). Using diverse analytical tools (including high resolution μCT and μMRI), we analysed the external and internal macromorphology and microstructure of the three specimens, and whenever possible compared the results with similar evidence from early Homo, H. erectus s.l., H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis (from North Africa), Neanderthals and modern humans. We also assessed the UA 369 lower incisor from Uadi Aalad for root completion timing and showed that it compares well with data for root apex closure in modern human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Zanolli
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico 'Luigi Pigorini', Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - Christopher M Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, UK
| | | | - Francesca Candilio
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Capuani
- CNR-IPCF, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - Diego Dreossi
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SYRMEP Group, Basovizza, Italy
| | - Ivana Fiore
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - David W Frayer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
| | | | - Lucia Mancini
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SYRMEP Group, Basovizza, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Rook
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Tsegai Medin Tekle
- National Museum of Eritrea, Asmara, Eritrea; Institut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Claudio Tuniz
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy; Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Roberto Macchiarelli
- Département de Préhistoire, UMR 7194, MNHN, Paris, France; Département Géosciences, Université de Poitiers, France
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