1
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Peyrégne S, Slon V, Kelso J. More than a decade of genetic research on the Denisovans. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:83-103. [PMID: 37723347 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00643-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Denisovans, a group of now extinct humans who lived in Eastern Eurasia in the Middle and Late Pleistocene, were first identified from DNA sequences just over a decade ago. Only ten fragmentary remains from two sites have been attributed to Denisovans based entirely on molecular information. Nevertheless, there has been great interest in using genetic data to understand Denisovans and their place in human history. From the reconstruction of a single high-quality genome, it has been possible to infer their population history, including events of admixture with other human groups. Additionally, the identification of Denisovan DNA in the genomes of present-day individuals has provided insights into the timing and routes of dispersal of ancient modern humans into Asia and Oceania, as well as the contributions of archaic DNA to the physiology of present-day people. In this Review, we synthesize more than a decade of research on Denisovans, reconcile controversies and summarize insights into their population history and phenotype. We also highlight how our growing knowledge about Denisovans has provided insights into our own evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Peyrégne
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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2
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Rybin EP, Belousova NE, Derevianko AP, Douka K, Higham T. The Initial Upper Paleolithic of the Altai: New radiocarbon determinations for the Kara-Bom site. J Hum Evol 2023; 185:103453. [PMID: 37931353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103453] [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: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
The Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) is one of the most important phases in the recent period of the evolution of humans. During a narrow period in the first half of Marine Isotope Stage 3 laminar industries, accompanied by developed symbolism and specific blade technology, emerged over a vast area, replacing different variants of the Middle Paleolithic. In western Eurasia, the earliest appearance of IUP technology is seen at the Boker Tachtit site, dated ca. 50 ka cal BP. The earliest evidence of IUP industries in the Balkans and Central Europe, linked to the spread of Homo sapiens, has been dated to around 48 ka cal BP. A key area of IUP dispersals are the mountains and piedmont of southern Siberia and eastern Central Asia. One of the reference assemblages here is Kara-Bom, an open-air site in the Siberian Altai. Three major settlement phases are distinguished in the sediment sequence. In this paper, we present the results of new radiocarbon determinations and Bayesian models. We find that the latest phase of the IUP, Upper Paleolithic 1 ('UP1') is bracketed between 43 and 35 ka cal BP (at 95.4% probability). The earliest IUP phase, 'UP2', begins to accumulate from ca. 49 ka cal BP and ends by ca. 45 ka cal BP. The Middle Paleolithic 'MP2' assemblages all fall prior to 50 ka cal BP. We can detect a spatial distribution of dates from the geographic core of the IUP beyond the Altai where it appears around 47-45 ka cal BP. The current distribution of dates suggests a west-east dispersal of the IUP technocomplex along the mountain belts of Central Asia and South Siberia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny P Rybin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAET SB RAS): 17, Acad. Lavrentiev Avenue, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Natalia E Belousova
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAET SB RAS): 17, Acad. Lavrentiev Avenue, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - Anatoly P Derevianko
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAET SB RAS): 17, Acad. Lavrentiev Avenue, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Katerina Douka
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Djerassiplatz 1, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria; Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tom Higham
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Djerassiplatz 1, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria; Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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3
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Bacon AM, Bourgon N, Dufour E, Demeter F, Zanolli C, Westaway KE, Joannes-Boyau R, Duringer P, Ponche JL, Morley MW, Suzzoni E, Frangeul S, Boesch Q, Antoine PO, Boualaphane S, Sichanthongtip P, Sihanam D, Huong NTM, Tuan NA, Fiorillo D, Tombret O, Patole-Edoumba E, Zachwieja A, Luangkhoth T, Souksavatdy V, Dunn TE, Shackelford L, Hublin JJ. Palaeoenvironments and hominin evolutionary dynamics in southeast Asia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16165. [PMID: 37758744 PMCID: PMC10533506 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43011-2] [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: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Secure environmental contexts are crucial for hominin interpretation and comparison. The discovery of a Denisovan individual and associated fauna at Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra) Cave, Laos, dating back to 164-131 ka, allows for environmental comparisons between this (sub)tropical site and the Palearctic Denisovan sites of Denisova Cave (Russia) and Baishiya Karst Cave (China). Denisovans from northern latitudes foraged in a mix of forested and open landscapes, including tundra and steppe. Using stable isotope values from the Cobra Cave assemblage, we demonstrate that, despite the presence of nearby canopy forests, the Denisovan individual from Cobra Cave primarily consumed plants and/or animals from open forests and savannah. Using faunal evidence and proxy indicators of climates, results herein highlight a local expansion of rainforest at ~ 130 ka, raising questions about how Denisovans responded to this local climate change. Comparing the diet and habitat of the archaic hominin from Cobra Cave with those of early Homo sapiens from Tam Pà Ling Cave (46-43 ka), Laos, it appears that only our species was able to exploit rainforest resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Marie Bacon
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, BABEL UMR 8045, 75012, Paris, France.
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- IsoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elise Dufour
- UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements, MNHN, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Fabrice Demeter
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), MNHN, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Musée de l'Homme, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Kira E Westaway
- 'Traps' Luminescence Dating Facility, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Renaud Joannes-Boyau
- Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group (GARG), Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
| | - Philippe Duringer
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-Luc Ponche
- Laboratoire Image, Ville Environnement, UMR 7362 UdS CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Mike W Morley
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Eric Suzzoni
- Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration, La Chapelle en Vercors, France
| | - Sébastien Frangeul
- Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration, La Chapelle en Vercors, France
| | - Quentin Boesch
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Antoine
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Daovee Sihanam
- Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | | | | | - Denis Fiorillo
- UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements, MNHN, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Tombret
- UMR 7209 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques, Environnements, MNHN, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Elise Patole-Edoumba
- Muséum d'histoire naturelle de La Rochelle, UMRU 24140 Dynamiques, interactions, interculturalité asiatiques (UBM, LRUniv), La Rochelle, France
| | - Alexandra Zachwieja
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth, Duluth, USA
| | | | | | - Tyler E Dunn
- Anatomical Sciences Education Center, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Laura Shackelford
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France
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4
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Ruan J, Timmermann A, Raia P, Yun KS, Zeller E, Mondanaro A, Di Febbraro M, Lemmon D, Castiglione S, Melchionna M. Climate shifts orchestrated hominin interbreeding events across Eurasia. Science 2023; 381:699-704. [PMID: 37561879 DOI: 10.1126/science.add4459] [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: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
When, where, and how often hominin interbreeding happened is largely unknown. We study the potential for Neanderthal-Denisovan admixture using species distribution models that integrate extensive fossil, archaeological, and genetic data with transient coupled general circulation model simulations of global climate and biomes. Our Pleistocene hindcast of past hominins' habitat suitability reveals pronounced climate-driven zonal shifts in the main overlap region of Denisovans and Neanderthals in central Eurasia. These shifts, which influenced the timing and intensity of potential interbreeding events, can be attributed to the response of climate and vegetation to past variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide and Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet volume. Therefore, glacial-interglacial climate swings likely played an important role in favoring gene flow between archaic humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaoyang Ruan
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, South Korea
- Center for Climate Physics, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Axel Timmermann
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, South Korea
- Center for Climate Physics, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Pasquale Raia
- DiSTAR, Monte Sant'Angelo, Napoli Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Kyung-Sook Yun
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, South Korea
- Center for Climate Physics, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Elke Zeller
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, South Korea
- Department of Climate System, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | | | - Mirko Di Febbraro
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, C. da Fonte Lappone, Pesche, Italy
| | - Danielle Lemmon
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, South Korea
- Center for Climate Physics, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Silvia Castiglione
- DiSTAR, Monte Sant'Angelo, Napoli Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marina Melchionna
- DiSTAR, Monte Sant'Angelo, Napoli Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
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5
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Baca M, Popović D, Agadzhanyan AK, Baca K, Conard NJ, Fewlass H, Filek T, Golubiński M, Horáček I, Knul MV, Krajcarz M, Krokhaleva M, Lebreton L, Lemanik A, Maul LC, Nagel D, Noiret P, Primault J, Rekovets L, Rhodes SE, Royer A, Serdyuk NV, Soressi M, Stewart JR, Strukova T, Talamo S, Wilczyński J, Nadachowski A. Ancient DNA of narrow-headed vole reveal common features of the Late Pleistocene population dynamics in cold-adapted small mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222238. [PMID: 36787794 PMCID: PMC9928523 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The narrow-headed vole, collared lemming and common vole were the most abundant small mammal species across the Eurasian Late Pleistocene steppe-tundra environment. Previous ancient DNA studies of the collared lemming and common vole have revealed dynamic population histories shaped by climatic fluctuations. To investigate the extent to which species with similar adaptations share common evolutionary histories, we generated a dataset comprised the mitochondrial genomes of 139 ancient and 6 modern narrow-headed voles from several sites across Europe and northwestern Asia covering approximately the last 100 thousand years (kyr). We inferred Bayesian time-aware phylogenies using 11 radiocarbon-dated samples to calibrate the molecular clock. Divergence of the main mtDNA lineages across the three species occurred during marine isotope stages (MIS) 7 and MIS 5, suggesting a common response of species adapted to open habitat during interglacials. We identified several time-structured mtDNA lineages in European narrow-headed vole, suggesting lineage turnover. The timing of some of these turnovers was synchronous across the three species, allowing us to identify the main drivers of the Late Pleistocene dynamics of steppe- and cold-adapted species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Baca
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Danijela Popović
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Katarzyna Baca
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Nicholas J Conard
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology and.,Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Filek
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Ivan Horáček
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Monika V Knul
- Department of Archaeology, Anthropology and Geography, University of Winchester, Winchester, UK
| | - Magdalena Krajcarz
- Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń, Poland
| | - Maria Krokhaleva
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Loïc Lebreton
- Department of Human and Environment, (HNHP) UMR 7194MNHN-CNRS-UPVD, National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France.,Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA), Tarragona, Spain.,Department of History and Art History, Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Anna Lemanik
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland
| | - Lutz C Maul
- Senckenberg Research Station of Quaternary Palaeontology, Weimar, Germany
| | - Doris Nagel
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pierre Noiret
- Research Group Prehistory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jérome Primault
- DRAC/SRA Poitou-Charentes, Ministry of Culture and Communications, Poitiers, France
| | - Leonid Rekovets
- Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Sara E Rhodes
- Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behavior, University of Algavre, Faro, Portugal
| | - Aurélien Royer
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - Natalia V Serdyuk
- Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marie Soressi
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - John R Stewart
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | - Tatiana Strukova
- Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jarosław Wilczyński
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland
| | - Adam Nadachowski
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland
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6
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de March CA, Matsunami H, Abe M, Cobb M, Hoover KC. Genetic and functional odorant receptor variation in the Homo lineage. iScience 2022; 26:105908. [PMID: 36691623 PMCID: PMC9860384 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans independently adapted to a wide range of geographic environments and their associated food odors. Using ancient DNA sequences, we explored the in vitro function of thirty odorant receptor genes in the genus Homo. Our extinct relatives had highly conserved olfactory receptor sequence, but humans did not. Variations in odorant receptor protein sequence and structure may have produced variation in odor detection and perception. Variants led to minimal changes in specificity but had more influence on functional sensitivity. The few Neanderthal variants disturbed function, whereas Denisovan variants increased sensitivity to sweet and sulfur odors. Geographic adaptations may have produced greater functional variation in our lineage, increasing our olfactory repertoire and expanding our adaptive capacity. Our survey of olfactory genes and odorant receptors suggests that our genus has a shared repertoire with possible local ecological adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire A. de March
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR2301 CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Corresponding author
| | - Hiroaki Matsunami
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Masashi Abe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Matthew Cobb
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Kara C. Hoover
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA,Corresponding author
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7
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Dating the Paleolithic: Trapped charge methods and amino acid geochronology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2109324119. [PMID: 36252044 PMCID: PMC9618083 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109324119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the vast array of different geochronological tools available, dating the Paleolithic remains one of the discipline’s greatest challenges. This review focuses on two different dating approaches: trapped charge and amino acid geochronology. While differing in their fundamental principles, both exploit time-dependent changes in signals found within crystals to generate a chronology for the material dated and hence, the associated deposits. Within each method, there is a diverse range of signals that can be analyzed, each covering different time ranges, applicable to different materials and suitable for different paleoenvironmental and archaeological contexts. This multiplicity of signals can at first sight appear confusing, but it is a fundamental strength of the techniques, allowing internal checks for consistency and providing more information than simply a chronology. For each technique, we present an overview of the basis for the time-dependent signals and the types of material that can be analyzed, with examples of their archaeological application, as well as their future potential.
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8
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Finestone EM, Breeze PS, Breitenbach SFM, Drake N, Bergmann L, Maksudov F, Muhammadiyev A, Scott P, Cai Y, Khatsenovich AM, Rybin EP, Nehrke G, Boivin N, Petraglia M. Paleolithic occupation of arid Central Asia in the Middle Pleistocene. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273984. [PMID: 36269723 PMCID: PMC9586385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Central Asia is positioned at a crossroads linking several zones important to hominin dispersal during the Middle Pleistocene. However, the scarcity of stratified and dated archaeological material and paleoclimate records makes it difficult to understand dispersal and occupation dynamics during this time period, especially in arid zones. Here we compile and analyze paleoclimatic and archaeological data from Pleistocene Central Asia, including examination of a new layer-counted speleothem-based multiproxy record of hydrological changes in southern Uzbekistan at the end of MIS 11. Our findings indicate that Lower Palaeolithic sites in the steppe, semi-arid, and desert zones of Central Asia may have served as key areas for the dispersal of hominins into Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene. In agreement with previous studies, we find that bifaces occur across these zones at higher latitudes and in lower altitudes relative to the other Paleolithic assemblages. We argue that arid Central Asia would have been intermittently habitable during the Middle Pleistocene when long warm interglacial phases coincided with periods when the Caspian Sea was experiencing consistently high water levels, resulting in greater moisture availability and more temperate conditions in otherwise arid regions. During periodic intervals in the Middle Pleistocene, the local environment of arid Central Asia was likely a favorable habitat for paleolithic hominins and was frequented by Lower Paleolithic toolmakers producing bifaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M. Finestone
- Department of Anthropology, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, OH, United States of America
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Paul S. Breeze
- Department of Geography, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Nick Drake
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Department of Geography, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Bergmann
- Department of Physical Geography, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
| | - Farhod Maksudov
- National Center of Archaeology, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Akmal Muhammadiyev
- National Center of Archaeology, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Pete Scott
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Yanjun Cai
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Arina M. Khatsenovich
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Evgeny P. Rybin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Gernot Nehrke
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Nicole Boivin
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Michael Petraglia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
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9
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First known Neanderthal family discovered in Siberian cave. Nature 2022; 610:615-616. [PMID: 36261727 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-022-03339-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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10
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Skov L, Peyrégne S, Popli D, Iasi LNM, Devièse T, Slon V, Zavala EI, Hajdinjak M, Sümer AP, Grote S, Bossoms Mesa A, López Herráez D, Nickel B, Nagel S, Richter J, Essel E, Gansauge M, Schmidt A, Korlević P, Comeskey D, Derevianko AP, Kharevich A, Markin SV, Talamo S, Douka K, Krajcarz MT, Roberts RG, Higham T, Viola B, Krivoshapkin AI, Kolobova KA, Kelso J, Meyer M, Pääbo S, Peter BM. Genetic insights into the social organization of Neanderthals. Nature 2022; 610:519-525. [PMID: 36261548 PMCID: PMC9581778 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05283-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Genomic analyses of Neanderthals have previously provided insights into their population history and relationship to modern humans1-8, but the social organization of Neanderthal communities remains poorly understood. Here we present genetic data for 13 Neanderthals from two Middle Palaeolithic sites in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia: 11 from Chagyrskaya Cave9,10 and 2 from Okladnikov Cave11-making this one of the largest genetic studies of a Neanderthal population to date. We used hybridization capture to obtain genome-wide nuclear data, as well as mitochondrial and Y-chromosome sequences. Some Chagyrskaya individuals were closely related, including a father-daughter pair and a pair of second-degree relatives, indicating that at least some of the individuals lived at the same time. Up to one-third of these individuals' genomes had long segments of homozygosity, suggesting that the Chagyrskaya Neanderthals were part of a small community. In addition, the Y-chromosome diversity is an order of magnitude lower than the mitochondrial diversity, a pattern that we found is best explained by female migration between communities. Thus, the genetic data presented here provide a detailed documentation of the social organization of an isolated Neanderthal community at the easternmost extent of their known range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurits Skov
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Stéphane Peyrégne
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Divyaratan Popli
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Leonardo N M Iasi
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thibaut Devièse
- European Centre for Research and Education in Environmental Geosciences (CEREGE), Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Collège de France, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology Sackler, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Elena I Zavala
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Arev P Sümer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Steffi Grote
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alba Bossoms Mesa
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - David López Herráez
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Birgit Nickel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia Richter
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elena Essel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marie Gansauge
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Schmidt
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Petra Korlević
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Daniel Comeskey
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Anatoly P Derevianko
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Aliona Kharevich
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sergey V Markin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katerina Douka
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences Forschungsverbund, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maciej T Krajcarz
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Richard G Roberts
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Thomas Higham
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences Forschungsverbund, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bence Viola
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrey I Krivoshapkin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Kseniya A Kolobova
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benjamin M Peter
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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11
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A Middle Pleistocene Denisovan molar from the Annamite Chain of northern Laos. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2557. [PMID: 35581187 PMCID: PMC9114389 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29923-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Pleistocene presence of the genus Homo in continental Southeast Asia is primarily evidenced by a sparse stone tool record and rare human remains. Here we report a Middle Pleistocene hominin specimen from Laos, with the discovery of a molar from the Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra Cave) limestone cave in the Annamite Mountains. The age of the fossil-bearing breccia ranges between 164–131 kyr, based on the Bayesian modelling of luminescence dating of the sedimentary matrix from which it was recovered, U-series dating of an overlying flowstone, and U-series–ESR dating of associated faunal teeth. Analyses of the internal structure of the molar in tandem with palaeoproteomic analyses of the enamel indicate that the tooth derives from a young, likely female, Homo individual. The close morphological affinities with the Xiahe specimen from China indicate that they belong to the same taxon and that Tam Ngu Hao 2 most likely represents a Denisovan. Evidence for the presence of Homo during the Middle Pleistocene is limited in continental Southeast Asia. Here, the authors report a hominin molar from Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra Cave), dated to 164–131 kyr. They use morphological and paleoproteomic analysis to show that it likely belonged to a female Denisovan.
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12
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Phosphate Record in Pleistocene-Holocene Sediments from Denisova Cave: Formation Mechanisms and Archaeological Implications. MINERALS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/min12050553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of authigenic phosphates in the sedimentary sequence of prehistoric Denisova Cave (Altai, South Siberia) has important archeological implications. The sampled Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene sedimentary sequence in the East Chamber of the cave consists of argilo-sandy-phosphatic sediments intercalated with guano layers of insectivorous bats. The sediments bear partially degraded N-rich organic matter (OM); chitin fragments enriched in S, P, Zn, and Cu; and a set of phosphates. The guano layers record at least three prolonged episodes of cave occupation by colonies of insectivorous bats between 10 kyr and 5 kyr BP, after people had left the cave or visited it rarely in small groups. The formation of phosphates follows the OM biodegradation pathways, with acidic leaching and gradual neutralization of P-rich solutions. The depth profile of authigenic phosphates shows a suite of mineral assemblages that mark a trend from acidic to slightly alkaline pH conditions of guano degradation (from top to bottom): ardealite, taranakite, and leucophosphite corresponding to acidic environments; whitlockite, brushite, and hydroxylapatite, which are stable under slightly acidic and neutral conditions; and hydroxylapatite in coexistence with calcite and stable at the bottom of the leaching profile under alkaline conditions. Authigenic phosphates can be used as reliable indicators of human non-occupation (abandonment) periods of Denisova Cave. Acidic leaching is responsible for disturbance and/or elimination of archaeological and paleontological materials in Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene sediments that were exposed to at least three “acidic waves”.
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13
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Brand CM, Colbran LL, Capra JA. Predicting Archaic Hominin Phenotypes from Genomic Data. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2022; 23:591-612. [PMID: 35440148 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-111521-121903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ancient DNA provides a powerful window into the biology of extant and extinct species, including humans' closest relatives: Denisovans and Neanderthals. Here, we review what is known about archaic hominin phenotypes from genomic data and how those inferences have been made. We contend that understanding the influence of variants on lower-level molecular phenotypes-such as gene expression and protein function-is a promising approach to using ancient DNA to learn about archaic hominin traits. Molecular phenotypes have simpler genetic architectures than organism-level complex phenotypes, and this approach enables moving beyond association studies by proposing hypotheses about the effects of archaic variants that are testable in model systems. The major challenge to understanding archaic hominin phenotypes is broadening our ability to accurately map genotypes to phenotypes, but ongoing advances ensure that there will be much more to learn about archaic hominin phenotypes from their genomes. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics, Volume 23 is October 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin M Brand
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; , .,Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Laura L Colbran
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John A Capra
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA; , .,Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
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14
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Zhang P, Zhang X, Zhang X, Gao X, Huerta-Sanchez E, Zwyns N. Denisovans and Homo sapiens on the Tibetan Plateau: dispersals and adaptations. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:257-267. [PMID: 34863581 PMCID: PMC9140327 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent archaeological discoveries suggest that both archaic Denisovans and Homo sapiens occupied the Tibetan Plateau earlier than expected. Genetic studies show that a pulse of Denisovan introgression was involved in the adaptation of Tibetan populations to high-altitude hypoxia. These findings challenge the traditional view that the plateau was one of the last places on earth colonized by H. sapiens and warrant a reappraisal of the population history of this highland. Here, we integrate archaeological and genomic evidence relevant to human dispersal, settlement, and adaptation in the region. We propose two testable models to address the peopling of the plateau in the broader context of H. sapiens dispersal and their encounters with Denisovans in Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiqi Zhang
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Xinjun Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xiaoling 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 100044, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 10044, China
| | - Xing Gao
- 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; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 10044, China
| | - Emilia Huerta-Sanchez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Nicolas Zwyns
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Insititute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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15
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Microstratigraphic preservation of ancient faunal and hominin DNA in Pleistocene cave sediments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2113666118. [PMID: 34969841 PMCID: PMC8740756 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113666118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA preserved in sediments has emerged as an important source of information about past ecosystems, independent of the discovery of skeletal remains. However, little is known about the sources of sediment DNA, the factors affecting its long-term preservation, and the extent to which it may be translocated after deposition. Here, we show that impregnated blocks of intact sediment are excellent archives of DNA. DNA distribution is highly heterogeneous at the microscale in the cave sediment we studied, suggesting that postdepositional movement of DNA is unlikely to be a common phenomenon in cases where the stratigraphy is undisturbed. Combining micromorphological analysis with microstratigraphic retrieval of ancient DNA therefore allows genetic information to be associated with the detailed archaeological and ecological record preserved in sediments. Ancient DNA recovered from Pleistocene sediments represents a rich resource for the study of past hominin and environmental diversity. However, little is known about how DNA is preserved in sediments and the extent to which it may be translocated between archaeological strata. Here, we investigate DNA preservation in 47 blocks of resin-impregnated archaeological sediment collected over the last four decades for micromorphological analyses at 13 prehistoric sites in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America and show that such blocks can preserve DNA of hominins and other mammals. Extensive microsampling of sediment blocks from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains reveals that the taxonomic composition of mammalian DNA differs drastically at the millimeter-scale and that DNA is concentrated in small particles, especially in fragments of bone and feces (coprolites), suggesting that these are substantial sources of DNA in sediments. Three microsamples taken in close proximity in one of the blocks yielded Neanderthal DNA from at least two male individuals closely related to Denisova 5, a Neanderthal toe bone previously recovered from the same layer. Our work indicates that DNA can remain stably localized in sediments over time and provides a means of linking genetic information to the archaeological and ecological records on a microstratigraphic scale.
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16
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Brown S, Massilani D, Kozlikin MB, Shunkov MV, Derevianko AP, Stoessel A, Jope-Street B, Meyer M, Kelso J, Pääbo S, Higham T, Douka K. The earliest Denisovans and their cultural adaptation. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:28-35. [PMID: 34824388 PMCID: PMC7612221 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01581-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Since the initial identification of the Denisovans a decade ago, only a handful of their physical remains have been discovered. Here we analysed ~3,800 non-diagnostic bone fragments using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting to locate new hominin remains from Denisova Cave (Siberia, Russia). We identified five new hominin bones, four of which contained sufficient DNA for mitochondrial analysis. Three carry mitochondrial DNA of the Denisovan type and one was found to carry mtDNA of the Neanderthal type. The former come from the same archaeological layer near the base of the cave's sequence and are the oldest securely dated evidence of Denisovans at 200 ka (thousand years ago) (205-192 ka at 68.2% or 217-187 ka at 95% probability). The stratigraphic context in which they were located contains a wealth of archaeological material in the form of lithics and faunal remains, allowing us to determine the material culture associated with these early hominins and explore their behavioural and environmental adaptations. The combination of bone collagen fingerprinting and genetic analyses has so far more-than-doubled the number of hominin bones at Denisova Cave and has expanded our understanding of Denisovan and Neanderthal interactions, as well as their archaeological signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Brown
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany. .,Institute for Scientific Archaeology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Diyendo Massilani
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Maxim B. Kozlikin
- Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Michael V. Shunkov
- Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Anatoly P. Derevianko
- Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Stoessel
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany,Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Blair Jope-Street
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janet Kelso
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Katerina Douka
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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17
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Abramov AV, Puzachenko AYU. Cranial variation in the Altai weasel Mustela altaica (Carnivora: Mustelidae) and its possible taxonomic implications. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The Altai weasel, Mustela altaicaPallas 1811 (Carnivora: Mustelidae), is widely distributed across open landscapes of central and eastern Asia. The geographical variation in skull morphology and taxonomic composition of this small mustelid remain poorly known. Based on extensive sampling in museum collections, we analyzed morphometric variation in 23 cranial characters of 232 M. altaica specimens from across its entire range. The multivariate analysis (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) revealed a geographical pattern of variation in cranial size and shape. Based on this result, two morphological groups have been comprehensively characterized. Weasels of the first group differ from those of the second in having larger skulls, wider neurocrania, elongated toothrows, and larger carnassial teeth, as well as in sexual size dimorphism. The first group is confined to the southwestern part of the species range (Tien Shan Mountains, Pamir, the Himalayas, and southern Tibet). The second group is widespread from the foothills of Tien Shan in the west to Khingan and Manchuria in the east. The distribution of the two groups of M. altaica is consistent with the “Out-of-Tibet” hypothesis. The first group presumably can be attributed to M. a. temonHodgson, 1857, whereas the second group can be treated as nominotypical M. a. altaicaPallas, 1811.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei V Abramov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey Y U Puzachenko
- Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetniy lane. 29, Moscow, Russia
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18
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Brown S, Wang N, Oertle A, Kozlikin MB, Shunkov MV, Derevianko AP, Comeskey D, Jope-Street B, Harvey VL, Chowdhury MP, Buckley M, Higham T, Douka K. Zooarchaeology through the lens of collagen fingerprinting at Denisova Cave. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15457. [PMID: 34326389 PMCID: PMC8322063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94731-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Denisova Cave, a Pleistocene site in the Altai Mountains of Russian Siberia, has yielded significant fossil and lithic evidence for the Pleistocene in Northern Asia. Abundant animal and human bones have been discovered at the site, however, these tend to be highly fragmented, necessitating new approaches to identifying important hominin and faunal fossils. Here we report the results for 8253 bone fragments using ZooMS. Through the integration of this new ZooMS-based data with the previously published macroscopically-identified fauna we aim to create a holistic picture of the zooarchaeological record of the site. We identify trends associated with climate variability throughout the Middle and Upper Pleistocene as well as patterns explaining the process of bone fragmentation. Where morphological analysis of bones from the site have identified a high proportion of carnivore bones (30.2%), we find that these account for only 7.6% of the ZooMS assemblage, with large mammals between 3 and 5 more abundant overall. Our analysis suggests a cyclical pattern in fragmentation of bones which sees initial fragmentation by hominins using percussive tools and secondary carnivore action, such as gnawing and digestion, likely furthering the initial human-induced fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Brown
- Institute for Scientific Archaeology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. .,Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
| | - Naihui Wang
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Annette Oertle
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Maxim B Kozlikin
- Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Michael V Shunkov
- Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Anatoly P Derevianko
- Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Daniel Comeskey
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Blair Jope-Street
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Virginia L Harvey
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Manasij Pal Chowdhury
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Michael Buckley
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Thomas Higham
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, RLAHA, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katerina Douka
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany. .,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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19
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Wang F, Guo Y, Xian Q, Li M, Rui X, Xie F. Luminescence chronology for the Paleolithic site of Xinmiaozhuang Locality 1 (XMZ1) in the Nihewan Basin, northern China, and its paleoenvironmental and archaeological implications. J Hum Evol 2021; 157:103033. [PMID: 34246050 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103033] [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: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In contrast to the prevailing view that the Chinese Paleolithic has been dominated by the Mode 1 technology-with a slow and conservative development from the Early to the Late Pleistocene-recent discoveries indicate that the lithic technology might have developed into an 'advanced' phase in some parts of China, at least since the early Late Pleistocene. The Xinmiaozhuang Locality 1 (XMZ1), located on the southern edge of the Nihewan Basin in northern China, is one of the examples belonging to such an 'advanced' phase. Although the stone artifacts at this site still belong to the long-existing 'small-tool' industry (core-and-flake) in this basin, some 'advanced' traits, including discoidal cores, elongated flakes, and 'Mousterian-like' triangular points and scrapers, are present. We provide a dating of the XMZ1 using the multiple elevated temperatures (MET) post infrared (pIR) infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) procedure (MET-pIRIR) on both multigrained single aliquots and 'individual' grains of potassium-rich feldspars (K-feldspars). The consistency between the single-aliquot and single-grain K-feldspar equivalent dose results mutually confirmed the reliability of the obtained ages. Our chronology indicates that the cultural layer falls within the period of ca. 63-75 ka, corresponding to the early stage of the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4. Based on the correlation of the cultural age to the environmental proxies of loess and stalagmites from China, we suggest that the site might have witnessed dramatic fluctuations of paleoclimate during the site formation. Additionally, based on the discoidal cores distribution, a potential corridor along the Xuefeng-Wu-Tainhang-Great Khingan Mountains for ancient humans migrating between South and North China is suggested. However, more archaeological and chronological studies are required to figure out the origin and the dispersal patterns of the discoidal core associated with lithic assemblage and the tool-makers in East Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fagang Wang
- Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China
| | - Yujie Guo
- Institute of Nihewan Archaeology, College of History and Culture, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China.
| | - Qi Xian
- Institute of Nihewan Archaeology, College of History and Culture, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China
| | - Manyue Li
- Institute of Nihewan Archaeology, College of History and Culture, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China
| | - Xue Rui
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
| | - Fei Xie
- Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China
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20
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Zavala EI, Jacobs Z, Vernot B, Shunkov MV, Kozlikin MB, Derevianko AP, Essel E, de Fillipo C, Nagel S, Richter J, Romagné F, Schmidt A, Li B, O'Gorman K, Slon V, Kelso J, Pääbo S, Roberts RG, Meyer M. Pleistocene sediment DNA reveals hominin and faunal turnovers at Denisova Cave. Nature 2021; 595:399-403. [PMID: 34163072 PMCID: PMC8277575 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03675-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Denisova Cave in southern Siberia is the type locality of the Denisovans, an archaic hominin group who were related to Neanderthals1–4. The dozen hominin remains recovered from the deposits also include Neanderthals5,6 and the child of a Neanderthal and a Denisovan7, which suggests that Denisova Cave was a contact zone between these archaic hominins. However, uncertainties persist about the order in which these groups appeared at the site, the timing and environmental context of hominin occupation, and the association of particular hominin groups with archaeological assemblages5,8–11. Here we report the analysis of DNA from 728 sediment samples that were collected in a grid-like manner from layers dating to the Pleistocene epoch. We retrieved ancient faunal and hominin mitochondrial (mt)DNA from 685 and 175 samples, respectively. The earliest evidence for hominin mtDNA is of Denisovans, and is associated with early Middle Palaeolithic stone tools that were deposited approximately 250,000 to 170,000 years ago; Neanderthal mtDNA first appears towards the end of this period. We detect a turnover in the mtDNA of Denisovans that coincides with changes in the composition of faunal mtDNA, and evidence that Denisovans and Neanderthals occupied the site repeatedly—possibly until, or after, the onset of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic at least 45,000 years ago, when modern human mtDNA is first recorded in the sediments. Ancient mitochondrial DNA from sediments reveals the sequence of Denisovan, Neanderthal and faunal occupation of Denisova Cave, and evidence for the appearance of modern humans at least 45,000 years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena I Zavala
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Zenobia Jacobs
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. .,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Benjamin Vernot
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael V Shunkov
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Maxim B Kozlikin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Anatoly P Derevianko
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Elena Essel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cesare de Fillipo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia Richter
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frédéric Romagné
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bo Li
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kieran O'Gorman
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Viviane Slon
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, 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.,The Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, The Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Janet Kelso
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Richard G Roberts
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. .,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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21
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Salazar-García DC, Power RC, Rudaya N, Kolobova K, Markin S, Krivoshapkin A, Henry AG, Richards MP, Viola B. Dietary evidence from Central Asian Neanderthals: A combined isotope and plant microremains approach at Chagyrskaya Cave (Altai, Russia). J Hum Evol 2021; 156:102985. [PMID: 34051612 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Neanderthals are known primarily from their habitation of Western Eurasia, but they also populated large expanses of Northern Asia for thousands of years. Owing to a sparse archaeological record, relatively little is known about these eastern Neanderthal populations. Unlike in their western range, there are limited zooarchaeological and paleobotanical studies that inform us about the nature of their subsistence. Here, we perform a combined analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes on bone collagen and microbotanical remains in dental calculus to reconstruct the diet of eastern Neanderthals at Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains of Southern Siberia, Russia. Stable isotopes identify one individual as possessing a high trophic level due to the hunting of large- and medium-sized ungulates, while the analysis of dental calculus also indicates the presence of plants in the diet of this individual and others from the site. These findings indicate eastern Neanderthals may have had broadly similar subsistence patterns to those elsewhere in their range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domingo C Salazar-García
- Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia I Història Antiga, Universitat de València, València, Spain; Grupo de Investigación en Prehistoria IT-1223-19 (UPV-EHU)/IKERBASQUE-Basque Foundation for Science, Vitoria, Spain; Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Robert C Power
- Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Institut für Vor- und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie und Provinzialrömische Archäologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße, 1280799, München, Germany.
| | - Natalia Rudaya
- Institute for Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Ksenya Kolobova
- Institute for Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Sergey Markin
- Institute for Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Andrey Krivoshapkin
- Institute for Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Amanda G Henry
- Department of Archaeological Sciences, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bence Viola
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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22
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Vernot B, Zavala EI, Gómez-Olivencia A, Jacobs Z, Slon V, Mafessoni F, Romagné F, Pearson A, Petr M, Sala N, Pablos A, Aranburu A, de Castro JMB, Carbonell E, Li B, Krajcarz MT, Krivoshapkin AI, Kolobova KA, Kozlikin MB, Shunkov MV, Derevianko AP, Viola B, Grote S, Essel E, Herráez DL, Nagel S, Nickel B, Richter J, Schmidt A, Peter B, Kelso J, Roberts RG, Arsuaga JL, Meyer M. Unearthing Neanderthal population history using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA from cave sediments. Science 2021; 372:science.abf1667. [PMID: 33858989 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf1667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Bones and teeth are important sources of Pleistocene hominin DNA, but are rarely recovered at archaeological sites. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been retrieved from cave sediments but provides limited value for studying population relationships. We therefore developed methods for the enrichment and analysis of nuclear DNA from sediments and applied them to cave deposits in western Europe and southern Siberia dated to between 200,000 and 50,000 years ago. We detected a population replacement in northern Spain about 100,000 years ago, which was accompanied by a turnover of mtDNA. We also identified two radiation events in Neanderthal history during the early part of the Late Pleistocene. Our work lays the ground for studying the population history of ancient hominins from trace amounts of nuclear DNA in sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Vernot
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Elena I Zavala
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Asier Gómez-Olivencia
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.,Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.,Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Zenobia Jacobs
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.,Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anatomy and Anthropology and Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,The Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Fabrizio Mafessoni
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frédéric Romagné
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alice Pearson
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Petr
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nohemi Sala
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Adrián Pablos
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Arantza Aranburu
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.,Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | | | - Eudald Carbonell
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.,Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Bo Li
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.,Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Maciej T Krajcarz
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Andrey I Krivoshapkin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Kseniya A Kolobova
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Maxim B Kozlikin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Michael V Shunkov
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Anatoly P Derevianko
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Bence Viola
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Steffi Grote
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elena Essel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - David López Herráez
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Birgit Nickel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia Richter
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anna Schmidt
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benjamin Peter
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Richard G Roberts
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.,Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Juan-Luis Arsuaga
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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23
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Cullen VL, Smith VC, Tushabramishvili N, Mallol C, Dee M, Wilkinson KN, Adler DS. A revised AMS and tephra chronology for the Late Middle to Early Upper Paleolithic occupations of Ortvale Klde, Republic of Georgia. J Hum Evol 2020; 151:102908. [PMID: 33370643 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The nature and timing of the shift from the Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) to the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) varied geographically, temporally, and substantively across the Near East and Eurasia; however, the result of this process was the archaeological disappearance of Middle Paleolithic technologies across the length and breadth of their geographic distribution. Ortvale Klde rockshelter (Republic of Georgia) contains the most detailed LMP-EUP archaeological sequence in the Caucasus, an environmentally and topographically diverse region situated between southwest Asia and Europe. Tephrochronological investigations at the site reveal volcanic ash (tephra) from various volcanic sources and provide a tephrostratigraphy for the site that will facilitate future correlations in the region. We correlate one of the cryptotephra layers to the large, caldera-forming Nemrut Formation eruption (30,000 years ago) from Nemrut volcano in Turkey. We integrate this tephrochronological constraint with new radiocarbon dates and published ages in an OxCal Bayesian age model to produce a revised chronology for the site. This model increases the ages for the end of the LMP (∼47.5-44.2 ka cal BP) and appearance of the EUP (∼46.7-43.6 ka cal BP) at Ortvale Klde, which are earlier than those currently reported for other sites in the Caucasus but similar to estimates for specific sites in southwest Asia and eastern Europe. These data, coupled with archaeological, stratigraphic, and taphonomic observations, suggest that at Ortvale Klde, (1) the appearance of EUP technologies of bone and stone has no technological roots in the preceding LMP, (2) a LMP population vacuum likely preceded the appearance of these EUP technologies, and (3) the systematic combination of tephra correlations and absolute dating chronologies promises to substantially improve our inter-regional understanding of this critical time interval of human evolution and the potential interconnectedness of hominins at different sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria L Cullen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria C Smith
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Carolina Mallol
- Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarker Research Lab, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de La Laguna Campus de Guajara, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Michael Dee
- Centre for Isotope Research, ESRIG, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Keith N Wilkinson
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Winchester, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel S Adler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, CT, USA.
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24
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Naihui W, Samantha B, Peter D, Sandra H, Maxim K, Sindy L, Oshan W, Stefano G, Michael C, Liora HK, Matthew S, Glenn S, Michael S, Kristine RK, Katerina D. Testing the efficacy and comparability of ZooMS protocols on archaeological bone. J Proteomics 2020; 233:104078. [PMID: 33338688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.104078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Collagen peptide mass fingerprinting, best known as Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (or ZooMS) when applied to archaeology, has become invaluable for the taxonomic identification of archaeological collagenous materials, in particular fragmentary and modified bone remains. Prior to MALDI-based spectrometric analysis, collagen needs to be extracted from the bone's inorganic matrix, isolated and purified. Several protocols are currently employed for ZooMS analysis, however their efficacy and comparability has not been directly tested. Here, we use four different ZooMS protocols to analyze 400 bone samples from seven archaeological sites, dating to between ~500,000-2000 years ago. One of them, single-pot solid-phase-enhance sample preparation (SP3), is used for the first time as a ZooMS protocol. Our results indicate that the least-destructive ZooMS protocol which uses an ammonium bicarbonate buffer as a means of extracting collagen is most suitable for bones with good collagen preservation, whereas the acid-based methodologies can improve success rates for bones with low-to-medium collagen preservation. Since preservation of biomolecules in archaeological bones is highly variable due to age and environmental conditions, we use the percent nitrogen by weight (%N) value as an independent semi-quantitative proxy for assessing collagen content and for predicting which bones will likely result in a successful ZooMS-based identification. We find that 0.26%N as a threshold for screening material could optimize the number of spectra which produce identifications using ZooMS. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We present a direct comparison of three previously published ZooMS protocols for the analyses of archaeological bones, and the first use of an SP3-based approach to ZooMS analysis. Our results show that the acid-based ZooMS protocols increase the success rate for bones with low-medium collagen preservation. We identify 0.26%N as a threshold for optimizing the number of samples with enough collagen for successful peptide mass fingerprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Naihui
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Brown Samantha
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Ditchfield Peter
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
| | - Hebestreit Sandra
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Kozilikin Maxim
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva, 17, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Luu Sindy
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
| | - Wedage Oshan
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of History and Archaeology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
| | - Grimaldi Stefano
- LaBAAF -Laboratorio Bagolini Archeologia, Archeometria, Fotografia, CeASUm - Centro di Alti Studi Umanistici, Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, Università di Trento, via T.Gar14, I-38122 Trento, Italy; IsIPU - Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Anagni, Italy.
| | - Chazan Michael
- Department of Anthropology, Canada Institute of Evolutionary Studies, University of Toronto, 19 Russell Street, Toronto, Canada; University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Horwitz Kolska Liora
- National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University, Berman Building, E. Safra-Givat Ram Campus, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Spriggs Matthew
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Sir Roland Wilson Bldg 120, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.
| | | | - Shunkov Michael
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva, 17, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Richter Korzow Kristine
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Douka Katerina
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Kahlaische Straße 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
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25
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Zhang D, Xia H, Chen F, Li B, Slon V, Cheng T, Yang R, Jacobs Z, Dai Q, Massilani D, Shen X, Wang J, Feng X, Cao P, Yang MA, Yao J, Yang J, Madsen DB, Han Y, Ping W, Liu F, Perreault C, Chen X, Meyer M, Kelso J, Pääbo S, Fu Q. Denisovan DNA in Late Pleistocene sediments from Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau. Science 2020; 370:584-587. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abb6320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dongju Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (LAE), CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China
- Frontier Center for Eco-environment and Climate Change in Pan-third Pole Regions, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Huan Xia
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Fahu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (LAE), CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences and Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China
| | - Bo Li
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Ting Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ruowei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing 100044, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Zenobia Jacobs
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Qingyan Dai
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Diyendo Massilani
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Xuke Shen
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaotian Feng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Peng Cao
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Melinda A. Yang
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 23173, USA
| | - Juanting Yao
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jishuai Yang
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - David B. Madsen
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada–Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Han
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wanjing Ping
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Feng Liu
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Charles Perreault
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Xiaoshan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Qiaomei Fu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing 100044, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
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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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Kuzmin YV, Keates SG. The chronology of hominin fossils from the Altai Mountains, Siberia: An alternative view. J Hum Evol 2020; 146:102834. [PMID: 32659509 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yaroslav V Kuzmin
- Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Koptyug Ave. 3, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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Schroeder L. Revolutionary Fossils, Ancient Biomolecules, and Reflections in Ethics and Decolonization: Paleoanthropology in 2019. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Schroeder
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON Canada
- Human Evolution Research Institute University of Cape Town Rondebosch Western Cape South Africa
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29
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Peng F, Lin SC, Patania I, Levchenko V, Guo J, Wang H, Gao X. A chronological model for the Late Paleolithic at Shuidonggou Locality 2, North China. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232682. [PMID: 32459803 PMCID: PMC7252617 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The site of Shuidonggou Locality 2 offers important evidence for the Late Paleolithic sequence of north China. The site not only contains one of the earliest instances of ornamental freshwater shell and ostrich eggshell beads in the region, but also stone artifacts with features arguably resembling the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) blade technology found farther north. The appearance of these innovative archaeological forms have been attributed to the arrival of hominin populations, possibly modern humans, into the region during Marine Isotope Stage 3. Yet, the chronology of the site remains debated due to ambiguities in the existing dates. In this study, we conduct a systematical radiocarbon analysis of charcoal and ostrich eggshell samples obtained throughout the site sequence. Both acid-base-acid and the more stringent acid-base-oxidation pretreatment methods were applied to the charcoal samples. The resulting ages follow an age-depth relationship that is consistent with the stratigraphic profile. In line with previous stratigraphic assessments, Bayesian age modeling suggests that site formation history can be split into two phases: an early phase 43–35 cal kBP associated with a lacustrine depositional environment, and a later phase 35–28 cal kBP associated with rapid terrestrial silt accumulation. The chronology of the archaeological layers containing IUP-like artifacts are placed at 43–39 cal kBP and 35–34 cal kBP respectively. This finding supports the interpretation that an IUP-like blade technology appeared in the SDG region by at least ~41 ka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Peng
- Department of Archaeology and Museology, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
- 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
- * E-mail: (FP); (SCL)
| | - Sam C. Lin
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail: (FP); (SCL)
| | - Ilaria Patania
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel
| | - Vladimir Levchenko
- Centre for Accelerator Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jialong Guo
- Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, China
| | - Huimin Wang
- Institute of Culture Relics and Archaeology of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, China
| | - Xing Gao
- 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
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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30
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Puzachenko AY, Markova AK. Evolution of Mammalian Diversity in the Late Pleistocene–Middle Holocene of the Mountainous Regions of Northern Eurasia: Between Two Interglacials. BIOL BULL+ 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359020020077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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31
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Archaeological evidence for two separate dispersals of Neanderthals into southern Siberia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:2879-2885. [PMID: 31988114 PMCID: PMC7022189 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918047117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Neanderthals were once widespread across Europe and western Asia. They also penetrated into the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, but the geographical origin of these populations and the timing of their dispersal have remained elusive. Here we describe an archaeological assemblage from Chagyrskaya Cave, situated in the Altai foothills, where around 90,000 Middle Paleolithic artifacts and 74 Neanderthal remains have been recovered from deposits dating to between 59 and 49 thousand years ago (age range at 95.4% probability). Environmental reconstructions suggest that the Chagyrskaya hominins were adapted to the dry steppe and hunted bison. Their distinctive toolkit closely resembles Micoquian assemblages from central and eastern Europe, including the northern Caucasus, more than 3,000 kilometers to the west of Chagyrskaya Cave. At other Altai sites, evidence of earlier Neanderthal populations lacking associated Micoquian-like artifacts implies two or more Neanderthal incursions into this region. We identify eastern Europe as the most probable ancestral source region for the Chagyrskaya toolmakers, supported by DNA results linking the Neanderthal remains with populations in northern Croatia and the northern Caucasus, and providing a rare example of a long-distance, intercontinental population movement associated with a distinctive Paleolithic toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongju Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Huan Xia
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ting Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Fahu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (LAE), Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth System Sciences, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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33
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Zhang J, Li SH. Review of the Post-IR IRSL Dating Protocols of K-Feldspar. Methods Protoc 2020; 3:mps3010007. [PMID: 31947608 PMCID: PMC7189667 DOI: 10.3390/mps3010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared to quartz, the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) of K-feldspar saturates at higher dose, which has great potential for extending the dating limit. However, dating applications with K-feldspar has been hampered due to anomalous fading of the IRSL signal. The post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) signal of K-feldspar stimulated at a higher temperature after a prior low-temperature IR stimulation has significantly lower fading rate. Different dating protocols have been proposed with the pIRIR signals and successful dating applications have been made. In this study, we review the development of various pIRIR dating protocols, and compare their performance in estimating the equivalent dose (De). Standard growth curves (SGCs) of the pIRIR signals of K-feldspar are introduced. Single-grain K-feldspar pIRIR dating is presented and the existing problems are discussed.
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34
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Hu Y, Li B, Jacobs Z. Single-Grain Quartz OSL Characteristics: Testing for Correlations within and between Sites in Asia, Europe and Africa. Methods Protoc 2019; 3:mps3010002. [PMID: 31888092 PMCID: PMC7189676 DOI: 10.3390/mps3010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the characteristics of the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal of single-grain quartz from three sites in China, Italy, and Libya, including the brightness, decay curve and dose response curve (DRC) shapes, recuperation, and reproducibility. We demonstrate the large variation in OSL behaviors for individual quartz grains of different samples from different regions, and show that recuperation, sensitivity change, and reproducibility are independent of the brightness and decay curve shape of the OSL signals. The single-grain DRCs can be divided into at least eight groups with different characteristic saturation doses (D0), and a standardized growth curve (SGC) can be established for each of the DRC groups. There is no distinctive difference in the shape of OSL decay curves among different DRC groups, but samples from different regions have a difference in the OSL sensitivities and decay shapes for different groups. Many of the quartz grains have low D0 values (30–50 Gy), and more than 99% of the grains have D0 values of <200 Gy. Our results raise caution against the dating of samples with equivalent dose values higher than 100 Gy, if there are many low-D0 and ‘saturated’ grains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Hu
- Department of Archaeology, School of History and Culture, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.L.); (Z.J.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Bo Li
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.L.); (Z.J.)
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Zenobia Jacobs
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; (B.L.); (Z.J.)
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
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35
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Impact of Historic Migrations and Evolutionary Processes on Human Immunity. Trends Immunol 2019; 40:1105-1119. [PMID: 31786023 PMCID: PMC7106516 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2019.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of mankind has constantly been influenced by the pathogens encountered. The various populations of modern humans that ventured out of Africa adapted to different environments and faced a large variety of infectious agents, resulting in local adaptations of the immune system for these populations. The functional variation of immune genes as a result of evolution is relevant in the responses against infection, as well as in the emergence of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases observed in modern populations. Understanding how host-pathogen interactions have influenced the human immune system from an evolutionary perspective might contribute to unveiling the causes behind different immune-mediated disorders and promote the development of new strategies to detect and control such diseases.
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36
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Morley MW, Goldberg P, Uliyanov VA, Kozlikin MB, Shunkov MV, Derevianko AP, Jacobs Z, Roberts RG. Hominin and animal activities in the microstratigraphic record from Denisova Cave (Altai Mountains, Russia). Sci Rep 2019; 9:13785. [PMID: 31558742 PMCID: PMC6763451 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49930-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Denisova Cave in southern Siberia uniquely contains evidence of occupation by a recently discovered group of archaic hominins, the Denisovans, starting from the middle of the Middle Pleistocene. Artefacts, ancient DNA and a range of animal and plant remains have been recovered from the sedimentary deposits, along with a few fragmentary fossils of Denisovans, Neanderthals and a first-generation Neanderthal–Denisovan offspring. The deposits also contain microscopic traces of hominin and animal activities that can provide insights into the use of the cave over the last 300,000 years. Here we report the results of a micromorphological study of intact sediment blocks collected from the Pleistocene deposits in the Main and East Chambers of Denisova Cave. The presence of charcoal attests to the use of fire by hominins, but other evidence of their activities preserved in the microstratigraphic record are few. The ubiquitous occurrence of coprolites, which we attribute primarily to hyenas, indicates that the site was visited for much of its depositional history by cave-dwelling carnivores. Microscopic traces of post-depositional diagenesis, bioturbation and incipient cryoturbation are observed in only a few regions of the deposit examined here. Micromorphology can help identify areas of sedimentary deposit that are most conducive to ancient DNA preservation and could be usefully integrated with DNA analyses of sediments at archaeological sites to illuminate features of their human and environmental history that are invisible to the naked eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike W Morley
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia. .,Archaeology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, 5042, Australia.
| | - Paul Goldberg
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia.,Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, Tübingen, 72070, Germany
| | - Vladimir A Uliyanov
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Maxim B Kozlikin
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Michael V Shunkov
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Anatoly P Derevianko
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Zenobia Jacobs
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia.,Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
| | - Richard G Roberts
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia.,Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
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37
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The Northern Route for Human dispersal in Central and Northeast Asia: New evidence from the site of Tolbor-16, Mongolia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11759. [PMID: 31409814 PMCID: PMC6692324 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47972-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The fossil record suggests that at least two major human dispersals occurred across the Eurasian steppe during the Late Pleistocene. Neanderthals and Modern Humans moved eastward into Central Asia, a region intermittently occupied by the enigmatic Denisovans. Genetic data indicates that the Denisovans interbred with Neanderthals near the Altai Mountains (South Siberia) but where and when they met H. sapiens is yet to be determined. Here we present archaeological evidence that document the timing and environmental context of a third long-distance population movement in Central Asia, during a temperate climatic event around 45,000 years ago. The early occurrence of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, a techno-complex whose sudden appearance coincides with the first occurrence of H. sapiens in the Eurasian steppes, establishes an essential archaeological link between the Siberian Altai and Northwestern China . Such connection between regions provides empirical ground to discuss contacts between local and exogenous populations in Central and Northeast Asia during the Late Pleistocene.
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38
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Abstract
The dispersal of anatomically modern human populations out of Africa and across much of the rest of the world around 55 to 50 thousand years before present (ka) is recorded genetically by the multiple hominin groups they met and interbred with along the way, including the Neandertals and Denisovans. The signatures of these introgression events remain preserved in the genomes of modern-day populations, and provide a powerful record of the sequence and timing of these early migrations, with Asia proving a particularly complex area. At least 3 different hominin groups appear to have been involved in Asia, of which only the Denisovans are currently known. Several interbreeding events are inferred to have taken place east of Wallace's Line, consistent with archaeological evidence of widespread and early hominin presence in the area. However, archaeological and fossil evidence indicates archaic hominins had not spread as far as the Sahul continent (New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania), where recent genetic evidence remains enigmatic.
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39
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Li F, Vanwezer N, Boivin N, Gao X, Ott F, Petraglia M, Roberts P. Heading north: Late Pleistocene environments and human dispersals in central and eastern Asia. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216433. [PMID: 31141504 PMCID: PMC6541242 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The adaptability of our species, as revealed by the geographic routes and palaeoenvironmental contexts of human dispersal beyond Africa, is a prominent topic in archaeology and palaeoanthropology. Northern and Central Asia have largely been neglected as it has been assumed that the deserts and mountain ranges of these regions acted as 'barriers', forcing human populations to arc north into temperate and arctic Siberia. Here, we test this proposition by constructing Least Cost Path models of human dispersal under glacial and interstadial conditions between prominent archaeological sites in Central and East Asia. Incorporating information from palaeoclimatic, palaeolake, and archaeological data, we demonstrate that regions such as the Gobi Desert and the Altai Mountain chains could have periodically acted as corridors and routes for human dispersals and framing biological interactions between hominin populations. Review of the archaeological datasets in these regions indicates the necessity of wide-scale archaeological survey and excavations in many poorly documented parts of Eurasia. We argue that such work is likely to highlight the 'northern routes' of human dispersal as variable, yet crucial, foci for understanding the extreme adaptive plasticity characteristic of the emergence of Homo sapiens as a global species, as well as the cultural and biological hybridization of the diverse hominin species present in Asia during the Late Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- 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
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Nils Vanwezer
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Nicole Boivin
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Xing Gao
- 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
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Florian Ott
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Michael Petraglia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
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40
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Abstract
Editorial summaries of selected papers relevant to Quaternary science published in high-impact multidisciplinary journals between December 2018 and February 2019 [...]
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41
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42
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43
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Ancient-human species mingled in Siberia’s hottest property for 300,000 years. Nature 2019. [DOI: 10.1038/d41586-019-00353-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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44
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Age estimates for hominin fossils and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic at Denisova Cave. Nature 2019; 565:640-644. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0870-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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