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Kaifu Y, Kurniawan I, Yurnaldi D, Setiawan R, Setiyabudi E, Insani H, Takai M, Nishioka Y, Takahashi A, Aziz F, Yoneda M. Modern human teeth unearthed from below the ∼128,000-year-old level at Punung, Java: A case highlighting the problem of recent intrusion in cave sediments. J Hum Evol 2022; 163:103122. [PMID: 35016125 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of modern humans in the eastern edge of the Eurasian Continent is debated between two major models: early (∼130-70 ka) and late (∼50 ka) dispersal models. The former view is grounded mainly on the claims that several cave sites in Southeast Asia and southern China yielded modern human fossils of those early ages, but such reports have been disputed for the lack of direct dating of the human remains and insufficient documentation of stratigraphy and taphonomy. By tracing possible burial process and conducting direct dating for an early Late Pleistocene paleontological site of Punung III, East Java, we here report a case that demonstrates how unexpected intrusion of recent human remains into older stratigraphic levels could occur in cave sediments. This further highlights the need of direct dating and taphonomic assessment before accepting either model. We also emphasize that the state of fossilization of bones and teeth is a useful guide for initial screening of recent intrusion and should be reported particularly when direct dating is unavailable. Additionally, we provide a revised stratigraphy and faunal list of Punung III, a key site that defines the tropical rainforest Punung Fauna during the early Late Pleistocene of the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousuke Kaifu
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Iwan Kurniawan
- Bandung Geological Museum, Geological Agency of Indonesia, Jl. Diponegoro No. 57 Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Dida Yurnaldi
- Geological Survey Institute, Geological Agency of Indonesia, Jl. Diponegoro No. 57 Bandung, West Java 40122, Indonesia
| | - Ruly Setiawan
- Geological Survey Institute, Geological Agency of Indonesia, Jl. Diponegoro No. 57 Bandung, West Java 40122, Indonesia
| | - Erick Setiyabudi
- Bandung Geological Museum, Geological Agency of Indonesia, Jl. Diponegoro No. 57 Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Halmi Insani
- Bandung Geological Museum, Geological Agency of Indonesia, Jl. Diponegoro No. 57 Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Masanaru Takai
- Systematics and Phylogeny Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Nishioka
- Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka, 5762 Oya, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Akio Takahashi
- Faculty of Biosphere-Geosphere Science, Okayama University of Science, Ridaicho 1-1, Kitaku, Okayama, Japan
| | - Fachroel Aziz
- Bandung Geological Museum, Geological Agency of Indonesia, Jl. Diponegoro No. 57 Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Minoru Yoneda
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Curnoe D, Datan I, Goh HM, Sauffi MS. Femur associated with the Deep Skull from the West Mouth of the Niah Caves (Sarawak, Malaysia). J Hum Evol 2019; 127:133-148. [PMID: 30777354 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The skeletal remains of Pleistocene anatomically modern humans are rare in island Southeast Asia. Moreover, continuing doubts over the dating of most of these finds has left the arrival time for the region's earliest inhabitants an open question. The unique biogeography of island Southeast Asia also raises questions about the physical and cultural adaptations of early anatomically modern humans, especially within the setting of rainforest inhabitation. Within this context the Deep Skull from the West Mouth of the Niah Caves continues to figure prominently owing to its relative completeness and the greater certainty surrounding its geological age. Recovered along with this partial cranium in 1958 were several postcranial bones including a partial femur which until now has received little attention. Here we provide a description and undertake a comparison of the Deep Skull femur finding it to be very small in all of its cross-sectional dimensions. We note a number of size and shape similarities to the femora of Indigenous Southeast Asians, especially Aeta people from the Philippines. We estimate its stature to have been roughly 145-146 cm and body mass around 35 kg, confirming similarities to Aeta females. Its extreme gracility indicated by low values for a range of biomechanical parameters taken midshaft meets expectations for a very small (female) Paleolithic East Asian. Interestingly, the second moment of area about the mediolateral axis is enlarged relative to the second moment of area about the anteroposterior axis, which could potentially signal a difference in activity levels or lifestyle compared with other Paleolithic femora. However, it might also be the result of sexual dimorphism in these parameters as well as possibly reflecting changes associated with aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren Curnoe
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Palaeontology, Geobiology and Earth Archives Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | - Ipoi Datan
- Sarawak Museum Department, Jalan Barak, Kuching, Sarawak, 93000, Malaysia
| | - Hsiao Mei Goh
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Palaeontology, Geobiology and Earth Archives Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
| | - Mohammed S Sauffi
- Sarawak Museum Department, Jalan Barak, Kuching, Sarawak, 93000, Malaysia
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Reyes-Centeno H, Rathmann H, Hanihara T, Harvati K. Testing Modern Human Out-of-Africa Dispersal Models Using Dental Nonmetric Data. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1086/694423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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