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Bolter DR, Cameron N, Hawks J, Churchill SE, Berger L, Bernstein R, Boughner JC, Elton S, Leece AB, Mahoney P, Molopyane K, Monson TA, Pruetz J, Schell L, Stull KE, Wolfe CA. Addressing the growing fossil record of subadult hominins by reaching across disciplines. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:180-184. [PMID: 37555538 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Debra R Bolter
- Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, California, USA
- Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, California, USA
| | - Noel Cameron
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK
| | - John Hawks
- Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Anthropology Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Steven E Churchill
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lee Berger
- Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Robin Bernstein
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Julia C Boughner
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of the Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Sarah Elton
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - A B Leece
- Palaeoscience, Department of Archaeology and History, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Keneiloe Molopyane
- Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tesla A Monson
- Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Jill Pruetz
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas, USA
| | - Lawrence Schell
- Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Kyra E Stull
- Department of Anthropology, University of Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
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2
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Dean MC, Lim SY, Liversidge HM. Patterns of permanent incisor, canine and molar development in modern humans, great apes and early fossil hominins. Arch Oral Biol 2022; 143:105549. [PMID: 36167014 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2022.105549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to quantify the variation in coincident stages of incisor, canine and molar eruption and tooth formation in modern humans and great apes and then to ask if any early fossil hominins showed a dental development pattern beyond the human range and/or clearly typical of great apes. DESIGN Four stages of eruption and 18 stages of tooth development were defined and then scored for each developing tooth on radiographs of 159 once-free-living subadult great apes and on orthopantomographs of 4091 dental patients aged 1-23 years. From original observations, and from published images of eleven early fossil hominins, we then scored formation stages of permanent incisors when M1 was at root formation stage R¼-R½ and R¾-RC. RESULTS Incisor and canine eruption/development was delayed in great apes relative to molar development when compared with humans but there was overlap in almost all anterior tooth stages observed. Molar crown initiation was generally advanced in great apes and delayed in humans but again, we observed overlap in all stages in both samples. Only two fossil hominin specimens (L.H.-3 from Laetoli, Tanzania and KNM-KP 34725 from Kanapoi, Kenya) showed delayed incisor development relative to M1 beyond any individuals observed in the human sample. CONCLUSIONS For certain tooth types, the distribution of formation stages in our samples showed evidence of generally advanced or delayed development between taxa. However, it would rarely if ever be possible to allocate an individual to one taxon or another on this basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Christopher Dean
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Sing-Ying Lim
- Institute of Dentistry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
| | - Helen M Liversidge
- Institute of Dentistry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
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Zorrilla-Revilla G, Rodríguez J, Mateos A. Gathering Is Not Only for Girls : No Influence of Energy Expenditure on the Onset of Sexual Division of Labor. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:582-602. [PMID: 34570339 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09411-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In some small-scale societies, a sexual division of labor is common. For subadult hunter-gatherers, the onset of this division dates to middle childhood and the start of puberty; however, there is apparently no physiological explanation for this timing. The present study uses an experimental approach to evaluate possible energetic differences by sex in gathering-related activities. The energetic cost of gathering-related activities was measured in a sample of 42 subjects of both sexes aged between 8 and 14 years. Body mass and other anthropometric variables were also recorded. Our results show that the energetic differences in the simulated gathering activities depend only on body mass. Both sexes expend a similar amount of energy during locomotion activities related to gathering. Discarding the energetic factor, the sexual division of tasks may be explained as an adaptation to acquire the skills needed to undertake the complex activities required during adulthood as early as possible. Carrying out gathering activities during childhood and adolescence could be favored by the growth and development cycles of Homo sapiens. Moreover, if most of the energetic costs of gathering activities depend on body mass, the delayed growth in humans relative to other primates allows subadults to practice these tasks for longer periods, and to become better at performing them. In fact, this strategy could enable them to acquire adults' complex skills at a low energetic cost that can be easily subsidized by other members of the group.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesús Rodríguez
- National Research Center On Human Evolution (CENIEH), 09002, Burgos, Spain
| | - Ana Mateos
- National Research Center On Human Evolution (CENIEH), 09002, Burgos, Spain.
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4
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Villamil CI. The role of developmental rate, body size, and positional behavior in the evolution of covariation and evolvability in the cranium of strepsirrhines and catarrhines. J Hum Evol 2021; 151:102941. [PMID: 33482561 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies on hominin craniofacial evolution have focused on phenotypic integration or covariation among traits. Covariation is thought to significantly affect evolutionary trajectories, shaping the ways in which hominins and other primates could have evolved. However, the ways in which covariation itself evolves are not well understood. This study aims to investigate the role of phylogeny, development, body size, and positional behavior in shaping the strength of covariation in strepsirrhine and catarrhine primate crania (n = 1009, representing 11 genera). These factors may have been catalysts for change in the magnitude of covariation, and they have changed significantly during primate evolution and particularly hominin evolution. Modern humans in particular have slow developmental trajectories, large bodies, and a unique form of locomotion in the form of orthograde bipedalism. Variance of eigenvalues, mean integration, mean evolvability, and mean conditional evolvability was estimated and their relationship to the various factors described earlier was assessed using phylogenetic and nonphylogenetic analyses. Results indicate that some phylogenetic signal is present, but it is not equivalent across integration statistics or cranial regions. In particular, these results suggest that closely related species are more similar than more distantly related species in evolvability of the cranial base and integration of the face. Two divergent patterns were also identified, in which covariation and evolvability of the cranial base are linked to developmental rate, but those of the face are linked to body size. Neither locomotion nor posture appears related to covariation or evolvability of the primate cranium. These results suggest that overall low covariation observed in the hominin cranium may be a result of separate trends in different cranial regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina I Villamil
- School of Chiropractic, Universidad Central Del Caribe, PO Box 60327, Bayamón, PR, 00960-6032, USA; Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10024, USA.
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5
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Bolter DR, Cameron N. Utilizing auxology to understand ontogeny of extinct hominins: A case study on Homo naledi. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:368-380. [PMID: 32537780 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The methods used to study human growth and development (auxology) have not previously been applied within the setting of hominin maturation (ontogeny). Ontogeny is defined here as the pattern of biological change into an adult form, both at the individual and species level. The hominin fossil record has a lack of recovered immature materials, due to such factors as taphonomic processes that destroy pre-adults; the fragility of immature compared to adult bone; and the lower mortality rates of juveniles compared to adults. The recent discovery of pre-adult hominin skeletal material from a single, homogeneous Homo naledi species from the Rising Star cave system in South Africa provides the opportunity for a broader application of auxology methods and thus the need to understand their use in a modern context. Human auxology studies benefit from a robust database, across multiple populations, and with longitudinal studies in order to assess the patterns and variations in typical growth, development and life history stages. Here, we review the approach, vocabulary, and methods of these human studies, investigate commonalities in data with the fossil record, and then advance the reconstruction of ontogeny for the extinct hominin species H. naledi. To this end, we apply an auxology model into the paleontological context to broadly predict H. naledi birthweight of the offspring at 2.06 kg with a range (±1 SD) of 1.89 to 2.24 kg, with a length at birth 45.5 cm. We estimate a H. naledi juvenile partial skeleton DH7 to be a height of 111-125 cm at death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra R Bolter
- Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, California, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Noel Cameron
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
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6
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Burunat E. Love is a physiological motivation (like hunger, thirst, sleep or sex). Med Hypotheses 2019; 129:109225. [PMID: 31371074 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The multitude of terms associated with love has given rise to a false perception of love. In this paper, only maternal and romantic love are considered. Love is usually regarded as a feeling, motivation, addiction, passion, and, above all, an emotion. This confusion has consequences in the lives of human beings, leading not only to divorces, suicides, femicides but possibly also to a number of mental illnesses and suffering. Therefore, it is crucial to first clarify what is meant by emotion, motivation and love. This work aims to finally place love within the category of physiological motivations, such as hunger, thirst, sleep, or sex, on the basis that love is also essential for human survival, especially in childhood. Love is presented from an evolutionary perspective. Some other similarities between love and other physiological motivations are pointed out, such as its importance for appropriate human development, both its ontogeny and its permanence, and the long-lasting consequences of abuse and neglect. There are summarized reasons that account for this, such as the fact that physiological motivations are essential for survival and that love is an essential motivation for the survival of human offspring. Other reasons are that minimum changes in the quantity and quality of love alters development, that there can be a variety of neurophysiological and behavioural states within a motivation, and that motivations (also love) appear and change throughout development. Also, motivations and love sometimes may lead to an addictive behaviour. Finally, it is recognized that once physiological motivations (and love) appear, they become permanent. In a third section, some potential social, cultural, clinical and scientific consequences of the proposed consideration of love as a motivation are discussed. Accordingly, love's recognition as a motivation in the clinical field would imply a better understanding of its disorders and its inclusion in classifications manuals such as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), or in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Considering love as a motivation rather than an emotion could also impact the results of scientific research (an example is included). A comprehensive understanding of these questions could potentially allow for a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of mental illness, while offering an all-inclusive evolutionary explanation of cultural phenomena such as the origin and diffusion of both language and art. Love should be understood as a physiological motivation, like hunger, sleep or sex, and not as an emotion as it is commonly considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Burunat
- School of Health Sciences/School of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, P.O. Box 456, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
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New permanent teeth from Gran Dolina-TD6 (Sierra de Atapuerca). The bearing of Homo antecessor on the evolutionary scenario of Early and Middle Pleistocene Europe. J Hum Evol 2019; 127:93-117. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 12/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Mosquera M, Ollé A, Rodríguez-Álvarez XP, Carbonell E. Shedding light on the Early Pleistocene of TD6 (Gran Dolina, Atapuerca, Spain): The technological sequence and occupational inferences. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190889. [PMID: 29370188 PMCID: PMC5784927 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper aims to update the information available on the lithic assemblage from the entire sequence of TD6 now that the most recent excavations have been completed, and to explore possible changes in both occupational patterns and technological strategies evidenced in the unit. This is the first study to analyse the entire TD6 sequence, including subunits TD6.3 and TD6.1, which have never been studied, along with the better-known TD6.2 Homo antecessor-bearing subunit. We also present an analysis of several lithic refits found in TD6, as well as certain technical features that may help characterise the hominin occupations. The archaeo-palaeontological record from TD6 consists of 9,452 faunal remains, 443 coprolites, 1,046 lithic pieces, 170 hominin remains and 91 Celtis seeds. The characteristics of this record seem to indicate two main stages of occupation. In the oldest subunit, TD6.3, the lithic assemblage points to the light and limited hominin occupation of the cave, which does, however, grow over the course of the level. In contrast, the lithic assemblages from TD6.2 and TD6.1 are rich and varied, which may reflect Gran Dolina cave’s establishment as a landmark in the region. Despite the occupational differences between the lowermost subunit and the rest of the deposit, technologically the TD6 lithic assemblage is extremely homogeneous throughout. In addition, the composition and spatial distribution of the 12 groups of lithic refits found in unit TD6, as well as the in situ nature of the assemblage demonstrate the high degree of preservation at the site. This may help clarify the nature of the Early Pleistocene hominin occupations of TD6, and raise reasonable doubt about the latest interpretations that support the ex situ character of the assemblage as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Mosquera
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Andreu Ollé
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Xose Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
| | - Eudald Carbonell
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, Tarragona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain
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9
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Pereira‐Pedro AS, Masters M, Bruner E. Shape analysis of spatial relationships between orbito-ocular and endocranial structures in modern humans and fossil hominids. J Anat 2017; 231:947-960. [PMID: 29027198 PMCID: PMC5696126 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The orbits and eyes of modern humans are situated directly below the frontal lobes and anterior to the temporal lobes. Contiguity between these orbital and cerebral elements could generate spatial constraints, and potentially lead to deformation of the eye and reduced visual acuity during development. In this shape analysis we evaluate whether and to what extent covariation exists between ocular morphology and the size and spatial position of the frontal and temporal areas in adult modern humans. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to investigate patterns of variation among the brain and eyes, while computed tomography (CT) was used to compare cranial morphology in this anatomical region among modern humans, extinct hominids and chimpanzees. Seventeen landmarks and semi-landmarks that capture the outline of the eye, frontal lobe, anterior fossa/orbital roof and the position of the temporal tips were sampled using lateral scout views in two dimensions, after projection of the average grayscale values of each hemisphere, with midsagittal and parasagittal elements overlapped onto the same plane. MRI results demonstrated that eye position in adult humans varies most with regard to its horizontal distance from the temporal lobes and, secondly, in its vertical distance from the frontal lobes. Size was mainly found to covary with the distance between the eye and temporal lobes. Proximity to these cerebral lobes may generate spatial constraints, as some ocular deformation was observed. Considering the CT analysis, modern humans vary most with regard to the orientation of the orbits, while interspecific variation is mainly associated with separation between the orbits and endocranial elements. These findings suggest that size and position of the frontal and temporal lobes can affect eye and orbit morphology, though potential effects on eye shape require further study. In particular, possible effects of these spatial and allometric relationships on the eye and vision should be examined using ontogenetic samples, vision parameters such as refractive error in diopters, and three-dimensional approaches that include measures of extraocular soft tissues within the orbit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emiliano Bruner
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución HumanaBurgosSpain
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10
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Stringer C. The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0237. [PMID: 27298468 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
If we restrict the use of Homo sapiens in the fossil record to specimens which share a significant number of derived features in the skeleton with extant H. sapiens, the origin of our species would be placed in the African late middle Pleistocene, based on fossils such as Omo Kibish 1, Herto 1 and 2, and the Levantine material from Skhul and Qafzeh. However, genetic data suggest that we and our sister species Homo neanderthalensis shared a last common ancestor in the middle Pleistocene approximately 400-700 ka, which is at least 200 000 years earlier than the species origin indicated from the fossils already mentioned. Thus, it is likely that the African fossil record will document early members of the sapiens lineage showing only some of the derived features of late members of the lineage. On that basis, I argue that human fossils such as those from Jebel Irhoud, Florisbad, Eliye Springs and Omo Kibish 2 do represent early members of the species, but variation across the African later middle Pleistocene/early Middle Stone Age fossils shows that there was not a simple linear progression towards later sapiens morphology, and there was chronological overlap between different 'archaic' and 'modern' morphs. Even in the late Pleistocene within and outside Africa, we find H. sapiens specimens which are clearly outside the range of Holocene members of the species, showing the complexity of recent human evolution. The impact on species recognition of late Pleistocene gene flow between the lineages of modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans is also discussed, and finally, I reconsider the nature of the middle Pleistocene ancestor of these lineages, based on recent morphological and genetic data.This article is part of the themed issue 'Major transitions in human evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Stringer
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
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11
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Cofran Z, Walker CS. Dental development in Homo naledi. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2017.0339. [PMID: 28855415 PMCID: PMC5582112 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans’ prolonged somatic development and life history are unique among primates, yet their evolutionary origins remain unclear. Dental development has been used as a proxy to reconstruct life history evolution in the hominin clade and indicates a recent emergence of the human developmental pattern. Here, we analyse tooth formation and eruption in two developing dentitions of Homo naledi, a late-surviving, morphologically mosaic hominin species. Deciduous dental development is more similar to humans than to chimpanzees, probably reflecting hominin symplesiomorphy rather than bearing life history significance. The later stages of permanent tooth development present a mix of human- and chimpanzee-like patterns. Surprisingly, the M2 of H. naledi emerges late in the eruption sequence, a pattern previously unknown in fossil hominins and common in modern humans. This pattern has been argued to reflect a slow life history and is unexpected in a small-brained hominin. The geological age of H. naledi (approx. 300 kya), coupled with its small brain size and the dental development data presented here, raise questions about the relationship between dental development and other variables associated with life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Cofran
- Anthropology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA .,Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg-Braamfontein, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Christopher S Walker
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg-Braamfontein, Gauteng, South Africa
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12
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Cole J. Assessing the calorific significance of episodes of human cannibalism in the Palaeolithic. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44707. [PMID: 28383521 PMCID: PMC5382840 DOI: 10.1038/srep44707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Episodes of Palaeolithic cannibalism have frequently been defined as ‘nutritional’ in nature, but with little empirical evidence to assess their dietary significance. This paper presents a nutritional template that offers a proxy calorie value for the human body. When applied to the Palaeolithic record, the template provides a framework for assessing the dietary value of prehistoric cannibalistic episodes compared to the faunal record. Results show that humans have a comparable nutritional value to those faunal species that match our typical body weight, but significantly lower than a range of fauna often found in association with anthropogenically modified hominin remains. This could suggest that the motivations behind hominin anthropophagy may not have been purely nutritionally motivated. It is proposed here that the comparatively low nutritional value of hominin cannibalism episodes support more socially or culturally driven narratives in the interpretation of Palaeolithic cannibalism.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Cole
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK
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13
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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martinón‐Torres M, Martín‐Francés L, Martínez de Pinillos M, Modesto‐Mata M, García‐Campos C, Wu X, Xing S, Liu W. Early Pleistocene hominin deciduous teeth from theHomo antecessorGran Dolina‐TD6 bearing level (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:602-615. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3Burgos09002 Spain
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity College London (UCL)14 Taviton StreetLondonWC1H 0BW United Kingdom
| | - María Martinón‐Torres
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity College London (UCL)14 Taviton StreetLondonWC1H 0BW United Kingdom
- Laboratorio de Evolución HumanaDepartamento de Historia, Geografía y Comunicación. Universidad de Burgos Spain
| | - Laura Martín‐Francés
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3Burgos09002 Spain
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity College London (UCL)14 Taviton StreetLondonWC1H 0BW United Kingdom
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3Burgos09002 Spain
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity College London (UCL)14 Taviton StreetLondonWC1H 0BW United Kingdom
| | - Mario Modesto‐Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3Burgos09002 Spain
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura (EPPEX), Casa de la Cultura Rodríguez MoñinoAv. Cervantes s/nCáceres10003 Spain
| | - Cecilia García‐Campos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3Burgos09002 Spain
| | - Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyBeijing100044 China
| | - Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyBeijing100044 China
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and PaleoanthropologyBeijing100044 China
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Abstract
The last decade has seen a significant growth of our knowledge of the Neandertals, a population of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers who lived in (western) Eurasia between ∼400,000 and 40,000 y ago. Starting from a source population deep in the Middle Pleistocene, the hundreds of thousands of years of relative separation between African and Eurasian groups led to the emergence of different phenotypes in Late Pleistocene Europe and Africa. Both recently obtained genetic evidence and archeological data show that the biological and cultural gaps between these populations were probably smaller than previously thought. These data, reviewed here, falsify inferences to the effect that, compared with their near-modern contemporaries in Africa, Neandertals were outliers in terms of behavioral complexity. It is only around 40,000 y ago, tens of thousands of years after anatomically modern humans first left Africa and thousands of years after documented interbreeding between modern humans, Neandertals and Denisovans, that we see major changes in the archeological record, from western Eurasia to Southeast Asia, e.g., the emergence of representational imagery and the colonization of arctic areas and of greater Australia (Sahul).
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15
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Zanolli C, Dean MC, Assefa Y, Bayle P, Braga J, Condemi S, Endalamaw M, Engda Redae B, Macchiarelli R. Structural organization and tooth development in a Homo aff. erectus juvenile mandible from the Early Pleistocene site of Garba IV at Melka Kunture, Ethiopian highlands. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:533-549. [PMID: 27883188 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Revised: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The immature partial mandible GAR IVE from the c. 1.7 Ma old Garba IV site at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia), the earliest human representative from a mountain-like environment, represents one of the oldest early Homo specimens bearing a mixed dentition. Following its first description (Condemi, ), we extended the analytical and comparative record of this specimen by providing unreported details about its inner morphology, tooth maturational pattern and age at death, crown size, and tooth tissue proportions. MATERIALS AND METHODS The new body of quantitative structural information and virtual imaging derives from a medical CT record performed in 2013. RESULTS Compared to the extant human condition and to some fossil representatives of comparable individual age, the GAR IVE mandible reveals absolutely and relatively thick cortical bone. Crown size of the permanent lateral incisor and the canine fit the estimates of H. erectus s.l., while the dm2 and the M1 more closely approach those of H. habilis-rudolfensis. Molar crown pulp volumes are lower than reported in other fossil specimens and in extant humans. The mineralization sequence of the permanent tooth elements is represented four times in our reference sample of extant immature individuals (N = 795). CONCLUSIONS The tooth developmental pattern displayed by the immature individual from Garba IV falls within the range of variation of extant human populations and is also comparable with that of other very young early fossil hominins. Taken together, the evidence presented here for mandibular morphology and dental development suggest GAR IVE is a robust 2.5- to 3.5-year old early Homo specimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Zanolli
- Laboratoire AMIS, UMR 5288 CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - M Christopher Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yared Assefa
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH), National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Priscilla Bayle
- Laboratoire PACEA, UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - José Braga
- Laboratoire AMIS, UMR 5288 CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Silvana Condemi
- Laboratoire ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS, Université d'Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France
| | - Metasebia Endalamaw
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH), National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Blade Engda Redae
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH), National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Roberto Macchiarelli
- Laboratoire HNHP, UMR 7194 CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France.,Unité de Formation Géosciences Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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16
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Dean MC. Measures of maturation in early fossil hominins: events at the first transition from australopiths to early Homo. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150234. [PMID: 27298465 PMCID: PMC4920291 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
An important question in palaeoanthropology is whether, among the australopiths and the first fossil hominins attributed to early Homo, there was a shift towards a more prolonged period of growth that can be distinguished from that of the living great apes and whether between the end of weaning and the beginning of puberty there was a slow period of growth as there is in modern humans. Evidence for the pace of growth in early fossil hominins comes from preserved tooth microstructure. A record of incremental growth in enamel and dentine persists, which allows us to reconstruct tooth growth and compare key measures of dental maturation with modern humans and living great apes. Despite their diverse diets and way of life, it is currently difficult to identify any clear differences in the timing of dental development among living great apes, australopiths and the earliest hominins attributed to the genus Homo There is, however, limited evidence that some early hominins may have attained a greater proportion of their body mass and stature relatively earlier in the growth period than is typical of modern humans today.This article is part of the themed issue 'Major transitions in human evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Christopher Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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17
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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martín-Francés L, Modesto-Mata M, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martinón-Torres M, García-Campos C, Carretero JM. Virtual reconstruction of the Early Pleistocene mandible ATD6-96 from Gran Dolina-TD6-2 (Sierra De Atapuerca, Spain). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 159:729-36. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH); Burgos Spain
- University College London (UCL) Anthropology; 14 Taviton Street London WC1H 0BW UK
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH); Burgos Spain
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH); Burgos Spain
- Casa de La Cultura Rodríguez Moñino; Equipo Primeros Pobladores De Extremadura (EPPEX); Av. Cervantes S/N, 10003 Cáceres Spain
| | | | - María Martinón-Torres
- University College London (UCL) Anthropology; 14 Taviton Street London WC1H 0BW UK
- Departamento de la Ciencias Históricas y Geografía. Universidad de Burgos; Hospital del Rey S/N., 09001 Burgos Spain
| | | | - José Miguel Carretero
- Departamento de la Ciencias Históricas y Geografía. Universidad de Burgos; Hospital del Rey S/N., 09001 Burgos Spain
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18
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Dean MC, Liversidge HM. Age estimation in fossil hominins: comparing dental development in earlyHomowith modern humans. Ann Hum Biol 2015; 42:415-29. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2015.1046488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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19
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A geometric morphometric analysis of hominin lower molars: Evolutionary implications and overview of postcanine dental variation. J Hum Evol 2015; 82:34-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Revised: 10/05/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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20
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Paul KS, Stojanowski CM. Performance analysis of deciduous morphology for detecting biological siblings. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 157:615-29. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Revised: 03/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen S. Paul
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University; Tempe AZ 85287
| | - Christopher M. Stojanowski
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University; Tempe AZ 85287
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21
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Kramer KL, Otárola-Castillo E. When mothers need others: The impact of hominin life history evolution on cooperative breeding. J Hum Evol 2015; 84:16-24. [PMID: 25843884 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of cooperative breeding is particularly complex in humans because many other traits that directly affect parental care (shorter birth intervals, increased offspring survivorship, juvenile dependence, and older ages at dispersal) also emerge during the Pleistocene. If human cooperative breeding is ancient, it likely evolved in a hominin lacking a fully modern life history. However, the impact that changing life history traits has on parental care and cooperative breeding has not been analytically investigated. We develop an exploratory model to simulate an economic problem that would have arisen over the course of hominin life history evolution to identify those transitions that produced the strongest pressures for cooperative childrearing. The model generates two central predictions. First, help within maternal-offspring groups can support early changes in juvenile dependence, dispersal age, birth intervals, and fertility. If so, maternal-juvenile cooperation may be an important but understudied step in the evolution of human cooperative breeding. Second, pressure to recruit adult cooperation is most pronounced under more derived conditions of late dispersal and later ages of juvenile dependence, with a strong interaction at short birth intervals. Our findings indicate that changes in life history traits that affect parental care are critical in considering background selective forces that shaped the evolution of cooperative breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Kramer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, 270 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 03128, USA.
| | - Erik Otárola-Castillo
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 03128, USA
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22
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Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Wu X, Liu W. Hominin teeth from the early Late Pleistocene site of Xujiayao, Northern China. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156:224-40. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH); Burgos 09002 Spain
| | | | - Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - Wu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
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23
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Gallagher A. Absolute and relative endocranial size in Neandertals and later Pleistocene Homo. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2014; 65:349-75. [PMID: 24954798 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2014.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Eurasian Neandertals encompass the entire observed range of recent and fossil Homo sapiens in absolute, but not relative endocranial volume, and Neandertals attest an average EQ significantly lower than their Upper Pleistocene successors. While the cognitive, social, and evolutionary implications of this phenomenon have been emphasised, the statistical basis of a mean inference of EQ in the Neandertal hypodigm has not been appropriately demonstrated. A demonstrable male bias in the available postcranial, not cranial, series has skewed perceptions of Neandertal brain-to-body size scaling towards a rejection of the null hypothesis. A simple resolution to this problem is a concise assessment of paired associated covariates against a suitable recent human comparator series. Permutations of Fisher's z and Student's t statistics are valid metrics in tests of significance in single datum hypotheses. Bootstrapped single observation tests determined significance in body size, absolute and relative endocranial volume in Pleistocene archaic, early modern, and late Pleistocene H. sapiens. With respect to absolute ECV, all current Middle-Upper Pleistocene crania fall within the substantial recent Homo range. Nevertheless, simple indices derived from raw and modified data in normal and logarithmic space reveal that Western European Neandertal males approach the lower extremes of our observed size range in relative ECV, yet none exceed statistical significance. Results confirm that relative ECV/brain size in Neandertals was not significantly depressed relative to recent and fossil H. sapiens and this is consistent with a substantial body of data from living humans dismissing any simple correspondence of relative brain size with intelligence and, by extension, evolutionary success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gallagher
- Centre for Anthropological Research (CAfR), University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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24
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Zanolli C, Bondioli L, Coppa A, Dean CM, Bayle P, Candilio F, Capuani S, Dreossi D, Fiore I, Frayer DW, Libsekal Y, Mancini L, Rook L, Medin Tekle T, Tuniz C, Macchiarelli R. The late Early Pleistocene human dental remains from Uadi Aalad and Mulhuli-Amo (Buia), Eritrean Danakil: macromorphology and microstructure. J Hum Evol 2014; 74:96-113. [PMID: 24852385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2013] [Revised: 04/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Fieldwork performed during the last 15 years in various Early Pleistocene East African sites has significantly enlarged the fossil record of Homo erectus sensu lato (s.l.). Additional evidence comes from the Danakil Depression of Eritrea, where over 200 late Early to early Middle Pleistocene sites have been identified within a ∼1000 m-thick sedimentary succession outcropping in the Dandiero Rift Basin, near Buia. Along with an adult cranium (UA 31), which displays a blend of H. erectus-like and derived morpho-architectural features and three pelvic remains, two isolated permanent incisors (UA 222 and UA 369) have also been recovered from the 1 Ma (millions of years ago) Homo-bearing outcrop of Uadi Aalad. Since 2010, our surveys have expanded to the nearby (4.7 km) site of Mulhuli-Amo (MA). This is a fossiliferous area that has been preliminarily surveyed because of its exceptional concentration of Acheulean stone tools. So far, the site has yielded 10 human remains, including the unworn crown of a lower permanent molar (MA 93). Using diverse analytical tools (including high resolution μCT and μMRI), we analysed the external and internal macromorphology and microstructure of the three specimens, and whenever possible compared the results with similar evidence from early Homo, H. erectus s.l., H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis (from North Africa), Neanderthals and modern humans. We also assessed the UA 369 lower incisor from Uadi Aalad for root completion timing and showed that it compares well with data for root apex closure in modern human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Zanolli
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico 'Luigi Pigorini', Rome, Italy
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - Christopher M Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, UK
| | | | - Francesca Candilio
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Capuani
- CNR-IPCF, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - Diego Dreossi
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SYRMEP Group, Basovizza, Italy
| | - Ivana Fiore
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy
| | - David W Frayer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
| | | | - Lucia Mancini
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., SYRMEP Group, Basovizza, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Rook
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Tsegai Medin Tekle
- National Museum of Eritrea, Asmara, Eritrea; Institut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Claudio Tuniz
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, The 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy; Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Roberto Macchiarelli
- Département de Préhistoire, UMR 7194, MNHN, Paris, France; Département Géosciences, Université de Poitiers, France
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25
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DE CASTRO JOSÉMARÍABERMÚDEZ, MARTINÓN-TORRES MARÍA. Evolutionary interpretation of the modern human-like facial morphology of the Atapuerca Gran Dolina-TD6 hominins. ANTHROPOL SCI 2014. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.140827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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26
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Gallagher A. Stature, body mass, and brain size: a two-million-year odyssey. ECONOMICS AND HUMAN BIOLOGY 2013; 11:551-562. [PMID: 23562520 DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2012] [Accepted: 12/24/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Physical size has been critical in the evolutionary success of the genus Homo over the past 2.4 million-years. An acceleration in the expansion of savannah grasslands in Africa from 1.6Ma to 1.2Ma witnessed concomitant increases in physical stature (150-170cm), weight (50-70kg), and brain size (750-900cm(3)). With the onset of 100,000year Middle Pleistocene glacial cycles ("ice ages") some 780,000years ago, large-bodied Homo groups had reached modern size and had successfully dispersed from equatorial Africa, Central, and Southeast Asia to high-latitude localities in Atlantic Europe and North East Asia. While there is support for incursions of multiple Homo lineages to West Asia and Continental Europe at this time, data does not favour a persistence of Homo erectus beyond ∼400,000years ago in Africa, west and Central Asia, and Europe. Novel Middle Pleistocene Homo forms (780,000-400,000years) may not have been substantially taller (150-170cm) than earlier Homo (1.6Ma-800,000years), yet brain size exceeded 1000cm(3) and body mass approached 80kg in some males. Later Pleistocene Homo (400,000-138,000years) were 'massive' in their height (160-190cm) and mass (70-90kg) and consistently exceed recent humans. Relative brain size exceeds earlier Homo, yet is substantially lower than in final glacial H. sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. A final leap in absolute and relative brain size in Homo (300,000-138,000years) occurred independent of any observed increase in body mass and implies a different selective mediator to that operating on brain size increases observed in earlier Homo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gallagher
- Centre for Anthropological Research (CfAR), University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006 Johannesburg, South Africa.
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27
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Dediu D, Levinson SC. On the antiquity of language: the reinterpretation of Neandertal linguistic capacities and its consequences. Front Psychol 2013; 4:397. [PMID: 23847571 PMCID: PMC3701805 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is usually assumed that modern language is a recent phenomenon, coinciding with the emergence of modern humans themselves. Many assume as well that this is the result of a single, sudden mutation giving rise to the full "modern package." However, we argue here that recognizably modern language is likely an ancient feature of our genus pre-dating at least the common ancestor of modern humans and Neandertals about half a million years ago. To this end, we adduce a broad range of evidence from linguistics, genetics, paleontology, and archaeology clearly suggesting that Neandertals shared with us something like modern speech and language. This reassessment of the antiquity of modern language, from the usually quoted 50,000-100,000 years to half a million years, has profound consequences for our understanding of our own evolution in general and especially for the sciences of speech and language. As such, it argues against a saltationist scenario for the evolution of language, and toward a gradual process of culture-gene co-evolution extending to the present day. Another consequence is that the present-day linguistic diversity might better reflect the properties of the design space for language and not just the vagaries of history, and could also contain traces of the languages spoken by other human forms such as the Neandertals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Dediu
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University NijmegenNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Stephen C. Levinson
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University NijmegenNijmegen, Netherlands
- Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
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28
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Lacruz RS, de Castro JMB, Martinón-Torres M, O’Higgins P, Paine ML, Carbonell E, Arsuaga JL, Bromage TG. Facial morphogenesis of the earliest europeans. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65199. [PMID: 23762314 PMCID: PMC3675139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The modern human face differs from that of our early ancestors in that the facial profile is relatively retracted (orthognathic). This change in facial profile is associated with a characteristic spatial distribution of bone deposition and resorption: growth remodeling. For humans, surface resorption commonly dominates on anteriorly-facing areas of the subnasal region of the maxilla and mandible during development. We mapped the distribution of facial growth remodeling activities on the 900-800 ky maxilla ATD6-69 assigned to H. antecessor, and on the 1.5 My cranium KNM-WT 15000, part of an associated skeleton assigned to African H. erectus. We show that, as in H. sapiens, H. antecessor shows bone resorption over most of the subnasal region. This pattern contrasts with that seen in KNM-WT 15000 where evidence of bone deposition, not resorption, was identified. KNM-WT 15000 is similar to Australopithecus and the extant African apes in this localized area of bone deposition. These new data point to diversity of patterns of facial growth in fossil Homo. The similarities in facial growth in H. antecessor and H. sapiens suggest that one key developmental change responsible for the characteristic facial morphology of modern humans can be traced back at least to H. antecessor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo S. Lacruz
- Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Ostrow School of Dentistry, and Department of Anthropology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | | | | | - Paul O’Higgins
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Michael L. Paine
- Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Ostrow School of Dentistry, and Department of Anthropology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Eudald Carbonell
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid-Instituto Carlos III (UCM-ISCIII), Centro de Investigación de la Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Timothy G. Bromage
- Departments of Biomaterials and Biomimetics and Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York, United States of America
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29
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Dean MC, Cole TJ. Human life history evolution explains dissociation between the timing of tooth eruption and peak rates of root growth. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54534. [PMID: 23342167 PMCID: PMC3544739 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We explored the relationship between growth in tooth root length and the modern human extended period of childhood. Tooth roots provide support to counter chewing forces and so it is advantageous to grow roots quickly to allow teeth to erupt into function as early as possible. Growth in tooth root length occurs with a characteristic spurt or peak in rate sometime between tooth crown completion and root apex closure. Here we show that in Pan troglodytes the peak in root growth rate coincides with the period of time teeth are erupting into function. However, the timing of peak root velocity in modern humans occurs earlier than expected and coincides better with estimates for tooth eruption times in Homo erectus. With more time to grow longer roots prior to eruption and smaller teeth that now require less support at the time they come into function, the root growth spurt no longer confers any advantage in modern humans. We suggest that a prolonged life history schedule eventually neutralised this adaptation some time after the appearance of Homo erectus. The root spurt persists in modern humans as an intrinsic marker event that shows selection operated, not primarily on tooth tissue growth, but on the process of tooth eruption. This demonstrates the overarching influence of life history evolution on several aspects of dental development. These new insights into tooth root growth now provide an additional line of enquiry that may contribute to future studies of more recent life history and dietary adaptations within the genus Homo.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Christopher Dean
- Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, United Kingdom.
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30
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Pablos A, Lorenzo C, Martínez I, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martinón-Torres M, Carbonell E, Arsuaga JL. New foot remains from the Gran Dolina-TD6 Early Pleistocene site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain). J Hum Evol 2012; 63:610-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2012] [Revised: 06/28/2012] [Accepted: 06/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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31
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Gómez-Robles A, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Martinón-Torres M, Prado-Simón L, Arsuaga JL. A geometric morphometric analysis of hominin upper second and third molars, with particular emphasis on European Pleistocene populations. J Hum Evol 2012; 63:512-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2011] [Revised: 05/17/2012] [Accepted: 06/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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32
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Smith TM, Olejniczak AJ, Zermeno JP, Tafforeau P, Skinner MM, Hoffmann A, Radovčić J, Toussaint M, Kruszynski R, Menter C, Moggi-Cecchi J, Glasmacher UA, Kullmer O, Schrenk F, Stringer C, Hublin JJ. Variation in enamel thickness within the genus Homo. J Hum Evol 2012; 62:395-411. [PMID: 22361504 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Revised: 11/08/2011] [Accepted: 12/13/2011] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Recent humans and their fossil relatives are classified as having thick molar enamel, one of very few dental traits that distinguish hominins from living African apes. However, little is known about enamel thickness in the earliest members of the genus Homo, and recent studies of later Homo report considerable intra- and inter-specific variation. In order to assess taxonomic, geographic, and temporal trends in enamel thickness, we applied micro-computed tomographic imaging to 150 fossil Homo teeth spanning two million years. Early Homo postcanine teeth from Africa and Asia show highly variable average and relative enamel thickness (AET and RET) values. Three molars from South Africa exceed Homo AET and RET ranges, resembling the hyper thick Paranthropus condition. Most later Homo groups (archaic European and north African Homo, and fossil and recent Homo sapiens) possess absolutely and relatively thick enamel across the entire dentition. In contrast, Neanderthals show relatively thin enamel in their incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, although incisor AET values are similar to H. sapiens. Comparisons of recent and fossil H. sapiens reveal that dental size reduction has led to a disproportionate decrease in coronal dentine compared with enamel (although both are reduced), leading to relatively thicker enamel in recent humans. General characterizations of hominins as having 'thick enamel' thus oversimplify a surprisingly variable craniodental trait with limited taxonomic utility within a genus. Moreover, estimates of dental attrition rates employed in paleodemographic reconstruction may be biased when this variation is not considered. Additional research is necessary to reconstruct hominin dietary ecology since thick enamel is not a prerequisite for hard-object feeding, and it is present in most later Homo species despite advances in technology and food processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Smith
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Carretero JM, García-González R, Rodríguez-García L, Martinón-Torres M, Rosell J, Blasco R, Martín-Francés L, Modesto M, Carbonell E. Early pleistocene human humeri from the gran dolina-TD6 site (sierra de atapuerca, spain). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2012; 147:604-17. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2011] [Accepted: 12/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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34
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Villas-Bôas MH, Bernardineli N, Cavenago BC, Marciano M, del Carpio-Perochena A, de Moraes IG, Duarte MH, Bramante CM, Ordinola-Zapata R. Micro–Computed Tomography Study of the Internal Anatomy of Mesial Root Canals of Mandibular Molars. J Endod 2011; 37:1682-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2011] [Revised: 08/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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35
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Mounier A. Définition du taxon Homo heidelbergensis Schoetensack, 1908 : analyse phénétique du massif facial supérieur des fossiles du genre Homo du Pléistocène moyen. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s13219-011-0038-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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36
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Mounier A. Le massif facial supérieur d’Homo heidelbergensis Schoetensack, 1908 : l’apport de la morphométrie géométrique. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s13219-011-0041-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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37
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Liversidge HM. Similarity in dental maturation in two ethnic groups of London children. Ann Hum Biol 2011; 38:702-15. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2011.609565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Helen M. Liversidge
- Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London,
Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
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38
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The costal skeleton of Homo antecessor: preliminary results. J Hum Evol 2010; 59:620-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2010] [Revised: 06/09/2010] [Accepted: 07/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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39
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Gómez-Robles A, de Castro JMB, Martinón-Torres M, Prado-Simón L. Crown size and cusp proportions in Homo antecessor upper first molars. A comment on Quam et al. 2009. J Anat 2010; 218:258-62. [PMID: 21208207 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2010.01324.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent evaluation of upper first molar (M¹) crown size and cusp proportions in the genus Homo (Quam et al. 2009) describes Homo antecessor as maintaining a primitive pattern of cusp proportions, similar to that identified in australopithecines and the earliest members of the genus Homo. These results contrast with those of Gómez-Robles et al. (2007), who described the crown shape in these molars as derived and similar to Neanderthals and European Homo heidelbergensis. The reassessment of these measurements following the same methodology described by Quam et al. (2009) in all the M(1) s that are currently part of the hypodigm of H. antecessor demonstrates that the fossils from TD6 not only have the same cusp proportions identified in later Homo species, but also a strongly reduced metacone and a large hypocone shared with Middle and Upper Pleistocene members of the Neanderthal lineage. The evolutionary significance of these features should be evaluated in light of the results provided by recently discovered dental, cranial, mandibular, and postcranial H. antecessor fossils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Gómez-Robles
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain.
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Dental evidence for ontogenetic differences between modern humans and Neanderthals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:20923-8. [PMID: 21078988 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1010906107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have an unusual life history, with an early weaning age, long childhood, late first reproduction, short interbirth intervals, and long lifespan. In contrast, great apes wean later, reproduce earlier, and have longer intervals between births. Despite 80 y of speculation, the origins of these developmental patterns in Homo sapiens remain unknown. Because they record daily growth during formation, teeth provide important insights, revealing that australopithecines and early Homo had more rapid ontogenies than recent humans. Dental development in later Homo species has been intensely debated, most notably the issue of whether Neanderthals and H. sapiens differ. Here we apply synchrotron virtual histology to a geographically and temporally diverse sample of Middle Paleolithic juveniles, including Neanderthals, to assess tooth formation and calculate age at death from dental microstructure. We find that most Neanderthal tooth crowns grew more rapidly than modern human teeth, resulting in significantly faster dental maturation. In contrast, Middle Paleolithic H. sapiens juveniles show greater similarity to recent humans. These findings are consistent with recent cranial and molecular evidence for subtle developmental differences between Neanderthals and H. sapiens. When compared with earlier hominin taxa, both Neanderthals and H. sapiens have extended the duration of dental development. This period of dental immaturity is particularly prolonged in modern humans.
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Cultural Cannibalism as a Paleoeconomic System in the European Lower Pleistocene. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1086/653807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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