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Brophy JK, Bolter DR, Elliott M, Hawks J, Berger LR. An examination of Homo naledi early juveniles recovered from the Rising Star cave system, South Africa. Ann Hum Biol 2024; 51:2321128. [PMID: 38509686 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2024.2321128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Six Homo naledi early juveniles were recovered from U.W. 101 (Dinaledi Chamber), U.W. 102 (Lesedi Chamber), and U.W. 110 in the Rising Star cave system. AIM This paper develops the information for the H. naledi early juvenile life stage, as defined by a combination of deciduous and permanent dentition, and the eruption of the first permanent molar. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The growing number of young individuals recovered from the Rising Star cave system allows us to gain a better understanding of their variation, or lack thereof, and provides a basis to estimate broad ranges for age at death of the individuals. The individuals are identified and described through craniodental remains and spatial associations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Our results show that the teeth are remarkably consistent across the localities in their metric and non-metric traits, and our analyses refine previous estimations on dental eruptions with the first permanent molar erupting first in the sequence among permanent teeth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliet K Brophy
- Department of Geography and Anthropology, LA State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
- The Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Debra R Bolter
- The Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, CA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, CA State University Stanislaus, Turlock, CA, USA
| | - Marina Elliott
- The Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - John Hawks
- The Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, University of WI-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lee R Berger
- The Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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2
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Viciano J, López-Lázaro S, Tanga C. Post-Mortem Dental Profile as a Powerful Tool in Animal Forensic Investigations—A Review. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12162038. [PMID: 36009628 PMCID: PMC9404435 DOI: 10.3390/ani12162038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Veterinary forensics is becoming more important in our society as a result of the growing demand for investigations related to crimes against animals or investigations of criminal deaths caused by animals. A veterinarian may participate as an expert witness or may be required to give forensic assistance, by providing knowledge of the specialty to establish a complete picture of the involvement of an animal and allowing the Courts to reach a verdict. By applying diverse dental profiling techniques, not only can species, sex, age-at-death, and body size of an animal be estimated, but also data about their geographical origin (provenance) and the post-mortem interval. This review concentrates on the dental techniques that use the characteristics of teeth as a means of identification of freshly deceased and skeletonised animals. Furthermore, this highlights the information that can be extracted about the animal from the post-mortem dental profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Viciano
- Department of Medicine and Ageing Sciences, ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (S.L.-L.); (C.T.)
| | - Sandra López-Lázaro
- Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 6850331, Chile
- Forensic Dentistry Lab, Centro de Investigación en Odontología Legal y Forense–CIO–, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (S.L.-L.); (C.T.)
| | - Carmen Tanga
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (S.L.-L.); (C.T.)
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3
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Romero A, Pérez-Pérez A, Atiénzar GG, Martínez LM, Macho GA. Do rates of dental wear in extant African great apes inform the time of weaning? J Hum Evol 2021; 163:103126. [PMID: 34954400 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructing the life histories of extinct hominins remains one of the main foci of paleoanthropological inquiry, as an extended juvenile period impacts the social and cognitive development of species. However, the paucity of hominin remains, the lack of comparative hominoid data, and the destructive nature of many life history approaches have limited our understanding of the relationship between dental development (eruption) and weaning in primates. Alternatively, the rate of dental wear in early-forming teeth has been suggested a good proxy for the timing of weaning. Here we test this hypothesis on an ontogenetic series of Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Pan troglodytes troglodytes, using geographic information systems-based shape descriptors of M1s in relation to the nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope composition of their associated hair. Results show that Gorilla g. gorilla are fully weaned considerably later than Pan t. troglodytes, that is, after M1s had been in full functional occlusion for some time. Yet, throughout ontogeny, gorilla dental wear rates are greater than they are in chimpanzees. This refutes the hypothesis that the rates of wear of early-forming teeth inform the time of weaning (i.e., nutritional independence). Instead, dietary breadth and seasonal variation in resource availability are implicated. This finding has implications for interpreting the hominin fossil record and raises questions about the triggers for, and the mechanisms of, life history change in hominin evolution. As a case in point, commonalities in life history patterns between early hominins and Western lowland gorillas seem to be a means to mitigate the effects of recurrent (i.e., seasonal) resource limitations and-conceivably-to prevent high infant mortality rates. Taken further, difference between hominid life histories are likely to be of degree, not kind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Romero
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico (INAPH), Universidad de Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Arqueologia de la Universitat de Barcelona (IAUB), 08001 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Gabriel García Atiénzar
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico (INAPH), Universidad de Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain; Departamento de Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | - Laura M Martínez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Arqueologia de la Universitat de Barcelona (IAUB), 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriele A Macho
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, OX1 3TG Oxford, UK; Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Birkbeck University of London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
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4
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Glowacka H, Schwartz GT. A biomechanical perspective on molar emergence and primate life history. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj0335. [PMID: 34613774 PMCID: PMC8494445 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The strong relationship between M1 emergence age and life history across primates provides a means of reconstructing fossil life history. The underlying process that leads to varying molar emergence schedules, however, remains elusive. Using three-dimensional data to quantify masticatory form in ontogenetic samples representing 21 primate species, we test the hypothesis that the location and timing of molar emergence are constrained to avoid potentially dangerous distractive forces at the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) throughout growth. We show that (i) molars emerge in a predictable position to safeguard the TMJ, (ii) the rate and duration of jaw growth determine the timing of molar emergence, and (iii) the rate and cessation age of jaw growth is related to life history. Thus, orofacial development is constrained by biomechanics throughout ontogeny. This integrative perspective on primate skull growth is consistent with a long sought-after causal explanation underlying the correlation between molar emergence and life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halszka Glowacka
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
- Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Gary T. Schwartz
- Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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Lee SM, Sutherland LJ, Fruth B, Murray CM, Lonsdorf EV, Arbenz-Smith K, Augusto R, Brogan S, Canington SL, Lee KC, McGrath K, McFarlin SC, Hohmann G. In vivo deciduous dental eruption in LuiKotale bonobos and Gombe chimpanzees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:684-691. [PMID: 34308558 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Existing data on bonobo and chimpanzee dental eruption timing are derived predominantly from captive individuals or deceased wild individuals. However, recent advances in noninvasive photographic monitoring of living, wild apes have enabled researchers to characterize dental eruption in relatively healthy individuals under naturalistic conditions. At present, such data are available for only one population of wild chimpanzees. We report data for an additional population of wild chimpanzees and the first dental eruption data for wild bonobos. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected photographs and video footage of teeth from the open mouths of wild bonobos and East African chimpanzees of known age from LuiKotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gombe National Park, Tanzania, respectively. We scored the presence and absence of deciduous teeth from photographs and video footage to characterize deciduous dental eruption timing in these two populations. RESULTS Deciduous dental eruption ages in our sample fall within the range of variation previously documented for captive chimpanzees, but eruption ages are later in wild than in captive contexts. We found substantial variation in deciduous canine eruption timing, particularly among bonobos. One bonobo had a deciduous canine present by 227 days old while another did not have a deciduous canine present at 477 days old. DISCUSSION Our data indicate that deciduous teeth erupt later in wild individuals than in captive individuals. We also found that deciduous dental eruption timing varies considerably between individuals within our study populations, a pattern that is consistent with previous studies. Future studies should consider sources of variation in deciduous canine eruption timing and relationships with other aspects of life history as additional data become available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Lee
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - L J Sutherland
- School of Communication and Information, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Barbara Fruth
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Carson M Murray
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Elizabeth V Lonsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Keely Arbenz-Smith
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Rafael Augusto
- LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sean Brogan
- LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Stephanie L Canington
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kevin C Lee
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.,Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Kate McGrath
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Shannon C McFarlin
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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McGrath K, Limmer LS, Lockey AL, Guatelli-Steinberg D, Reid DJ, Witzel C, Bocaege E, McFarlin SC, El Zaatari S. 3D enamel profilometry reveals faster growth but similar stress severity in Neanderthal versus Homo sapiens teeth. Sci Rep 2021; 11:522. [PMID: 33436796 PMCID: PMC7804262 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80148-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life stress disrupts growth and creates horizontal grooves on the tooth surface in humans and other mammals, yet there is no consensus for their quantitative analysis. Linear defects are considered to be nonspecific stress indicators, but evidence suggests that intermittent, severe stressors create deeper defects than chronic, low-level stressors. However, species-specific growth patterns also influence defect morphology, with faster-growing teeth having shallower defects at the population level. Here we describe a method to measure the depth of linear enamel defects and normal growth increments (i.e., perikymata) from high-resolution 3D topographies using confocal profilometry and apply it to a diverse sample of Homo neanderthalensis and H. sapiens anterior teeth. Debate surrounds whether Neanderthals exhibited modern human-like growth patterns in their teeth and other systems, with some researchers suggesting that they experienced more severe childhood stress. Our results suggest that Neanderthals have shallower features than H. sapiens from the Upper Paleolithic, Neolithic, and medieval eras, mirroring the faster growth rates in Neanderthal anterior teeth. However, when defect depth is scaled by perikymata depth to assess their severity, Neolithic humans have less severe defects, while Neanderthals and the other H. sapiens groups show evidence of more severe early life growth disruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate McGrath
- CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, Univ. Bordeaux, Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 33615, Pessac, France. .,Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington, DC, 20052, USA.
| | - Laura Sophia Limmer
- Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 23, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annabelle-Louise Lockey
- Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 23, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg
- Department of Anthropology, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 4034 Smith Laboratory, 174 W 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.,Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Donald J Reid
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Carsten Witzel
- Department of Biology, Universität Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Emmy Bocaege
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Shannon C McFarlin
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Suite 6000, Washington, DC, 20052, USA.,Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th Street & Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Sireen El Zaatari
- Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 23, 72070, Tübingen, Germany
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7
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Dean C, Zanolli C, Le Cabec A, Tawane M, Garrevoet J, Mazurier A, Macchiarelli R. Growth and development of the third permanent molar in Paranthropus robustus from Swartkrans, South Africa. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19053. [PMID: 33149180 PMCID: PMC7642444 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76032-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Third permanent molars (M3s) are the last tooth to form but have not been used to estimate age at dental maturation in early fossil hominins because direct histological evidence for the timing of their growth has been lacking. We investigated an isolated maxillary M3 (SK 835) from the 1.5 to 1.8-million-year-old (Mya) site of Swartkrans, South Africa, attributed to Paranthropus robustus. Tissue proportions of this specimen were assessed using 3D X-ray micro-tomography. Thin ground sections were used to image daily growth increments in enamel and dentine. Transmitted light microscopy and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging revealed fluctuations in Ca concentration that coincide with daily growth increments. We used regional daily secretion rates and Sr marker-lines to reconstruct tooth growth along the enamel/dentine and then cementum/dentine boundaries. Cumulative growth curves for increasing enamel thickness and tooth height and age-of-attainment estimates for fractional stages of tooth formation differed from those in modern humans. These now provide additional means for assessing late maturation in early hominins. M3 formation took ≥ 7 years in SK 835 and completion of the roots would have occurred between 11 and 14 years of age. Estimated age at dental maturation in this fossil hominin compares well with what is known for living great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Dean
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK. .,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600 Pessac, France.,Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600 Pessac, France.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mirriam Tawane
- Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Jan Garrevoet
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arnaud Mazurier
- IC2MP, UMR 7285 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Roberto Macchiarelli
- UMR 7194 CNRS, Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de L'Homme, Paris, France.,Unité de Formation Géosciences, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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