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Hui J, Balzeau A. Investigating the relationship between cranial bone thickness and diploic channels: A first comparison between fossil Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:2036-2046. [PMID: 38059273 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25360] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Diploic veins are part of the circulatory system of the head. They transport venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid and are housed in diploic channels (DCs). DCs are highly variable in terms of their position, extension, and size. These parameters were hypothesized to be related to the variations in cranial vault thickness (CVT). For the first time, we analyzed the spatial relationship between CVT and DCs in a sample of eight H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens cranial fossils. Using micro-CT scanning data, we constructed color maps of the CVT and visually inspected whether the regional thickness variation was associated with the morphology and distribution of the DC branches. The results showed that when regional bone thickness was below a certain threshold, no DCs or scattered small DC branches were present. Larger DC branches appeared only when the thickness exceeded the threshold. However, once the threshold was reached, further increases in thickness no longer resulted in more or larger DCs. This study also found that our sample of H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens have different distribution patterns in thin areas, which may affect how their DCs connect with different branches of the middle meningeal vessels. This preliminary study provides evidence for the discussion on the interaction between the cranium, brain, and blood vessels. Future research should include more hominin fossils to better document the variation within each species and possible evolutionary trends among hominin lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaming Hui
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
- Ecole Doctorale 227 Sciences de la nature et de l'Homme: évolution et écologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaleoFED Team, UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
- Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
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2
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Saltré F, Chadœuf J, Higham T, Ochocki M, Block S, Bunney E, Llamas B, Bradshaw CJA. Environmental conditions associated with initial northern expansion of anatomically modern humans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4364. [PMID: 38777837 PMCID: PMC11111671 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48762-8] [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: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability of our ancestors to switch food sources and to migrate to more favourable environments enabled the rapid global expansion of anatomically modern humans beyond Africa as early as 120,000 years ago. Whether this versatility was largely the result of environmentally determined processes or was instead dominated by cultural drivers, social structures, and interactions among different groups, is unclear. We develop a statistical approach that combines both archaeological and genetic data to infer the more-likely initial expansion routes in northern Eurasia and the Americas. We then quantify the main differences in past environmental conditions between the more-likely routes and other potential (less-likely) routes of expansion. We establish that, even though cultural drivers remain plausible at finer scales, the emergent migration corridors were predominantly constrained by a combination of regional environmental conditions, including the presence of a forest-grassland ecotone, changes in temperature and precipitation, and proximity to rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédérik Saltré
- Global Ecology | Partuyarta Ngadluku Wardli Kuu, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| | - Joël Chadœuf
- UR 1052, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Montfavet, France
| | - Thomas Higham
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, University Biology Building, Carl Djerassi Platz 1, A-1030, Wien, Austria
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TG, UK
| | - Monty Ochocki
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, University Biology Building, Carl Djerassi Platz 1, A-1030, Wien, Austria
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3TG, UK
| | - Sebastián Block
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544-1003, USA
| | - Ellyse Bunney
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia
| | - Bastien Llamas
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, The Environment Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Indigenous Genomics, Telethon Kids Institute, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Corey J A Bradshaw
- Global Ecology | Partuyarta Ngadluku Wardli Kuu, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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3
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Yaworsky PM, Nielsen ES, Nielsen TK. The Neanderthal niche space of Western Eurasia 145 ka to 30 ka ago. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7788. [PMID: 38565571 PMCID: PMC10987600 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57490-4] [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: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Neanderthals occupied Western Eurasia between 350 ka and 40 ka ago, during the climatically volatile Pleistocene. A key issue is to what extent Neanderthal populations expanded into areas of Western Eurasia and what conditions facilitated such range expansions. The range extent of Neanderthals is generally based on the distribution of Neanderthal material, but the land-altering nature of glacial periods has erased much of the already sparse material evidence of Neanderthals, particularly in the northern latitudes. To overcome this obstacle species distribution models can estimate past distributions of Neanderthals, however, most implementations are generally constrained spatially and temporally and may be artificially truncating the Neanderthal niche space. Using dated contexts from Neanderthal sites from across Western Eurasia, millennial-scale paleoclimate reconstructions, and a spatiotemporal species distribution model, we infer the fundamental climatic niche space of Neanderthals and estimate the extent of Neanderthal occupation. We find that (a.) despite the long timeframe, Neanderthals occupy a relatively narrow fundamental climatic niche space, (b.) the estimated projected potential Neanderthal niche space suggests a larger geographic range than the material record suggests, and (c.) that there was a general decline in the size of the projected potential Neanderthal niche from 145 ka ago onward, possibly contributing to their extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Yaworsky
- Department of Archeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, Building 4216, 8270, Højbjerg, Denmark.
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Emil S Nielsen
- Department of Archeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, Building 4216, 8270, Højbjerg, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Trine K Nielsen
- Department of Archeology and Heritage Studies, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, Building 4216, 8270, Højbjerg, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114-116, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Moesgaard Museum, Moesgård Allé 15, 8270, Højbjerg, Denmark
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4
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Zhang Y, Urciuoli A, Zanolli C, Kullmer O, Wu X. Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the bony labyrinth of Xujiayao 6. J Hum Evol 2024; 189:103514. [PMID: 38547737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Yameng Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Environmental and Social Archaeology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Universidad de Alcalá, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-UAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Paleobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Xiujie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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5
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Hautavoine H, Arnaud J, Balzeau A, Mounier A. Quantifying hominin morphological diversity at the end of the middle Pleistocene: Implications for the origin of Homo sapiens. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24915. [PMID: 38444398 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Middle Pleistocene (MP) saw the emergence of new species of hominins: Homo sapiens in Africa, H. neanderthalensis, and possibly Denisovans in Eurasia, whose most recent common ancestor is thought to have lived in Africa around 600 ka ago. However, hominin remains from this period present a wide range of morphological variation making it difficult to securely determine their taxonomic attribution and their phylogenetic position within the Homo genus. This study proposes to reconsider the phenetic relationships between MP hominin fossils in order to clarify evolutionary trends and contacts between the populations they represent. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used a Geometric Morphometrics approach to quantify the morphological variation of the calvarium of controversial MP specimens from Africa and Eurasia by using a comparative sample that can be divided into 5 groups: H. ergaster, H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis, and H. sapiens, as well as individuals from current modern human populations. We performed a Generalized Procrustes Analysis, a Principal Component Analysis, and Multinomial Principal Component Logistic Regressions to determine the phenetic affinities of the controversial Middle Pleistocene specimens with the other groups. RESULTS MP African and Eurasian specimens represent several populations, some of which show strong affinities with H. neanderthalensis in Europe or H. sapiens in Africa, others presenting multiple affinities. DISCUSSION These MP populations might have contributed to the emergence of these two species in different proportions. This study proposes a new framework for the human evolutionary history during the MP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Hautavoine
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
| | - Julie Arnaud
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
- Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
- Département de Zoologie Africaine, Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Aurélien Mounier
- PaléoFED, Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP, UMR 7194), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Paris, France
- Turkana Basin Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
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6
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Mylopotamitaki D, Weiss M, Fewlass H, Zavala EI, Rougier H, Sümer AP, Hajdinjak M, Smith GM, Ruebens K, Sinet-Mathiot V, Pederzani S, Essel E, Harking FS, Xia H, Hansen J, Kirchner A, Lauer T, Stahlschmidt M, Hein M, Talamo S, Wacker L, Meller H, Dietl H, Orschiedt J, Olsen JV, Zeberg H, Prüfer K, Krause J, Meyer M, Welker F, McPherron SP, Schüler T, Hublin JJ. Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago. Nature 2024; 626:341-346. [PMID: 38297117 PMCID: PMC10849966 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06923-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Europe is associated with the regional disappearance of Neanderthals and the spread of Homo sapiens. Late Neanderthals persisted in western Europe several millennia after the occurrence of H. sapiens in eastern Europe1. Local hybridization between the two groups occurred2, but not on all occasions3. Archaeological evidence also indicates the presence of several technocomplexes during this transition, complicating our understanding and the association of behavioural adaptations with specific hominin groups4. One such technocomplex for which the makers are unknown is the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ), which has been described in northwestern and central Europe5-8. Here we present the morphological and proteomic taxonomic identification, mitochondrial DNA analysis and direct radiocarbon dating of human remains directly associated with an LRJ assemblage at the site Ilsenhöhle in Ranis (Germany). These human remains are among the earliest directly dated Upper Palaeolithic H. sapiens remains in Eurasia. We show that early H. sapiens associated with the LRJ were present in central and northwestern Europe long before the extinction of late Neanderthals in southwestern Europe. Our results strengthen the notion of a patchwork of distinct human populations and technocomplexes present in Europe during this transitional period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Mylopotamitaki
- Chair of Paleoanthropology, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marcel Weiss
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Helen Fewlass
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Ancient Genomics Lab, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Elena Irene Zavala
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Hélène Rougier
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA
| | - Arev Pelin Sümer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Geoff M Smith
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Karen Ruebens
- Chair of Paleoanthropology, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, PACEA, UMR 5199, Bordeaux, France
| | - Sarah Pederzani
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarker Lab, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Elena Essel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florian S Harking
- Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Huan Xia
- College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jakob Hansen
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - André Kirchner
- Department of Soil Protection and Soil Survey, State Authority for Mining, Energy and Geology of Lower Saxony (LBEG), Hannover, Germany
| | - Tobias Lauer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Terrestrial Sedimentology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mareike Stahlschmidt
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Hein
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
- Historical Anthropospheres Working Group, Leipzig Lab, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Bologna University, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lukas Wacker
- Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Harald Meller
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt - Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Halle, Germany
| | - Holger Dietl
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt - Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Halle, Germany
| | - Jörg Orschiedt
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt - Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Halle, Germany
| | - Jesper V Olsen
- Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hugo Zeberg
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kay Prüfer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Johannes Krause
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frido Welker
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Tim Schüler
- Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology, Weimar, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Chair of Paleoanthropology, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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Abrams G, Devièse T, Pirson S, De Groote I, Flas D, Jungels C, Jadin I, Cattelain P, Bonjean D, Mathys A, Semal P, Higham T, Di Modica K. Investigating the co-occurrence of Neanderthals and modern humans in Belgium through direct radiocarbon dating of bone implements. J Hum Evol 2024; 186:103471. [PMID: 38043357 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Abrams
- Department of Archaeology, Ghent University, B-9000, Gent, Belgium; Scientific Department, Espace Muséal d'Andenne, B-5300, Andenne, Belgium; Faculty of Archaeology, Archaeological Sciences, Bio-Archaeology, Leiden University, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Thibaut Devièse
- Centre Européen de Recherche et d'Enseignement des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, BP80-13545, Aix-en-Provence, cedex 4, France.
| | - Stéphane Pirson
- Direction scientifique et technique, Agence wallonne du Patrimoine, B-5100, Namur, Belgium
| | - Isabelle De Groote
- Department of Archaeology, Ghent University, B-9000, Gent, Belgium; School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Damien Flas
- Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Préhistoire Europe Afrique, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 13097, Aix-en-Provence, cedex 2, France; Department of Prehistory, University of Liège, B-4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Cécile Jungels
- Scientific Department, Préhistomuseum, B-4400, Flémalle, Belgium; Les Chercheurs de la Wallonie, B-4400, Flémalle, Belgium
| | - Ivan Jadin
- Operational Direction Earth and History of Life, Quaternary Environments & Humans, Anthropology & Prehistory, Royal Belgium Institute of Natural Sciences, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Cattelain
- Department of Prehistory, University of Liège, B-4000, Liège, Belgium; Cedarc-Musée du Malgré-Tout, B-5670, Belgium; Centre de Recherches en Archéologie et Patrimoine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1150, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dominique Bonjean
- Scientific Department, Espace Muséal d'Andenne, B-5300, Andenne, Belgium
| | - Aurore Mathys
- Biological Collection and Data Management, Royal Museum for Central Africa, B-3080, Tervuren, Belgium; Scientific Heritage Service, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium; Art, Archaeology and Heritage Unit, University of Liège, B-4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Patrick Semal
- Scientific Heritage Service, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thomas Higham
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kévin Di Modica
- Scientific Department, Espace Muséal d'Andenne, B-5300, Andenne, Belgium
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8
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Fewlass H, Zavala EI, Fagault Y, Tuna T, Bard E, Hublin JJ, Hajdinjak M, Wilczyński J. Chronological and genetic analysis of an Upper Palaeolithic female infant burial from Borsuka Cave, Poland. iScience 2023; 26:108283. [PMID: 38047066 PMCID: PMC10690573 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108283] [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] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Six infant human teeth and 112 animal tooth pendants from Borsuka Cave were identified as the oldest burial in Poland. However, uncertainties around the dating and the association of the teeth to the pendants have precluded their association with an Upper Palaeolithic archaeological industry. Using <67 mg per tooth, we combined dating and genetic analyses of two human teeth and six herbivore tooth pendants to address these questions. Our interdisciplinary approach yielded informative results despite limited sampling material, and high levels of degradation and contamination. Our results confirm the Palaeolithic origin of the human remains and herbivore pendants, and permit us to identify the infant as female and discuss the association of the assemblage with different Palaeolithic industries. This study exemplifies the progress that has been made toward minimally destructive methods and the benefits of integrating methods to maximize data retrieval from precious but highly degraded and contaminated prehistoric material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Ancient Genomics Lab, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Elena I. Zavala
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Yoann Fagault
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Thibaut Tuna
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Edouard Bard
- CEREGE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Collège de France, Technopôle de l’Arbois BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 4, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241 – U1050), Collège de France, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jarosław Wilczyński
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland
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9
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van der Sluis LG, McGrath K, Thil F, Cersoy S, Pétillon JM, Zazzo A. Identification and tentative removal of collagen glue in Palaeolithic worked bone objects: implications for ZooMS and radiocarbon dating. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22119. [PMID: 38092830 PMCID: PMC10719399 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49242-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Collagen glue has been used for nearly two centuries to consolidate bone material, although its prevalence in museum collections is only now becoming visible. Identifying and removing collagen glue is crucial before the execution of any geochemical or molecular analyses. Palaeolithic bone objects from old excavations intended for radiocarbon dating were first analysed using ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) to identify the animal species, however peaks characteristic of both cattle and whale were discovered. Two extraction methods for ZooMS were tested to identify the authentic animal species of these objects, which revealed that these were originally whale bone objects that had been consolidated with cattle collagen glue. This is the first time animal collagen glue has been identified in archaeological remains with ZooMS, illustrating again the incredible versatility of this technique. Another technique, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflectance mode (FTIR-ATR), was also tested if it could rapidly identify the presence of collagen glue in archaeological bone material, which was not the case. Two other cleaning methods were tested to remove bone glue contamination prior to radiocarbon dating, along with two modified collagen extraction methods for ZooMS. These methods were applied to bone blank samples (FmC = 0.0031 ± 0.0002, (n = 219), 47 336 ± 277 yr BP) that were experimentally consolidated with collagen glue and to the Palaeolithic bone material (ca. 15 000 and 12 000 yr BP). The experimental bone blanks produced excellent 14C ages, suggesting the cleaning methods were successful, however the 14C ages for some of the Palaeolithic material remained too young considering their contextual age, suggesting that the collagen glue contamination had most likely cross-linked to the authentic collagen molecule. More research is needed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the occurrence and elimination of cross-linked collagen-based glues in material from museum collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- L G van der Sluis
- UMR 7209, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France.
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - K McGrath
- Department of Prehistory and Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - F Thil
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL UMR 8212, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris Saclay, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - S Cersoy
- Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), UAR 3224, CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - J-M Pétillon
- Travaux et Recherches Archéologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Sociétés (TRACES) UMR 5608, CNRS, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | - A Zazzo
- UMR 7209, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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10
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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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11
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Hui J, Balzeau A. The diploic venous system in Homo neanderthalensis and fossil Homo sapiens: A study using high-resolution computed tomography. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 182:412-427. [PMID: 37747127 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The diploic venous system has been hypothesized to be related to human brain evolution, though its evolutionary trajectory and physiological functions remain largely unclear. This study examines the characteristics of the diploic venous channels (DCs) in a selection of well-preserved Homo neanderthalensis and Upper Paleolithic Homo sapiens crania, searching for the differences between the two taxa and exploring the associations between brain anatomy and DCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five H. neanderthalensis and four H. sapiens fossil specimens from Western Europe were analyzed. Based on Micro-CT scanning and 3D reconstruction, the distribution pattern and draining orifices of the DCs were inspected qualitatively. The size of the DCs was quantified by volume calculation, and the degree of complexity was quantified by fractal analyses. RESULTS High-resolution data show the details of the DC structures not documented in previous studies. H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens specimens share substantial similarities in the DCs. The noticeable differences between the two samples manifest in the connecting points surrounding the frontal sinuses, parietal foramina, and asterional area. DISCUSSION This study provides a better understanding of the anatomy of the DCs in H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. The connection patterns of the DCs have potential utility in distinguishing between the two taxa and in the phylogenetic and taxonomic discussion of the Neandertal-like specimens with controversial taxonomic status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaming Hui
- PaleoFED team, UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
- Ecole Doctorale 227 Sciences de la nature et de l'Homme : évolution et écologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- PaleoFED team, UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
- Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
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12
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Kandel AW, Sommer C, Kanaeva Z, Bolus M, Bruch AA, Groth C, Haidle MN, Hertler C, Heß J, Malina M, Märker M, Hochschild V, Mosbrugger V, Schrenk F, Conard NJ. The ROCEEH Out of Africa Database (ROAD): A large-scale research database serves as an indispensable tool for human evolutionary studies. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289513. [PMID: 37527270 PMCID: PMC10393170 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Large scale databases are critical for helping scientists decipher long-term patterns in human evolution. This paper describes the conception and development of such a research database and illustrates how big data can be harnessed to formulate new ideas about the past. The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans (ROCEEH) is a transdisciplinary research center whose aim is to study the origins of culture and the multifaceted aspects of human expansions across Africa and Eurasia over the last three million years. To support its research, the ROCEEH team developed an online tool named the ROCEEH Out of Africa Database (ROAD) and implemented its web-based applications. ROAD integrates geographical data as well as archaeological, paleoanthropological, paleontological and paleobotanical content within a robust chronological framework. In fact, a unique feature of ROAD is its ability to dynamically link scientific data both spatially and temporally, thereby allowing its reuse in ways that were not originally conceived. The data stem from published sources spanning the last 150 years, including those generated by the research team. Descriptions of these data rely on the development of a standardized vocabulary and profit from online explanations of each table and attribute. By synthesizing legacy data, ROAD facilitates the reuse of heritage data in novel ways. Database queries yield structured information in a variety of interoperable formats. By visualizing data on maps, users can explore this vast dataset and develop their own theories. By downloading data, users can conduct further quantitative analyses, for example with Geographic Information Systems, modeling programs and artificial intelligence. In this paper, we demonstrate the innovative nature of ROAD and show how it helps scientists studying human evolution to access datasets from different fields, thereby connecting the social and natural sciences. Because it permits the reuse of "old" data in new ways, ROAD is now an indispensable tool for researchers of human evolution and paleogeography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Kandel
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Sommer
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Zara Kanaeva
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Bolus
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Geosciences, Working Group Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Angela A Bruch
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Claudia Groth
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Miriam N Haidle
- Department of Geosciences, Working Group Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Christine Hertler
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Julia Heß
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Maria Malina
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Märker
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Working Group on "Soil Erosion and Feedbacks", Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Volker Hochschild
- Institute of Geography, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Volker Mosbrugger
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Friedemann Schrenk
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Nicholas J Conard
- Department of Geosciences, Working Group Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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13
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Marquet JC, Freiesleben TH, Thomsen KJ, Murray AS, Calligaro M, Macaire JJ, Robert E, Lorblanchet M, Aubry T, Bayle G, Bréhéret JG, Camus H, Chareille P, Egels Y, Guillaud É, Guérin G, Gautret P, Liard M, O'Farrell M, Peyrouse JB, Thamó-Bozsó E, Verdin P, Wojtczak D, Oberlin C, Jaubert J. The earliest unambiguous Neanderthal engravings on cave walls: La Roche-Cotard, Loire Valley, France. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286568. [PMID: 37343032 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we report on Neanderthal engravings on a cave wall at La Roche-Cotard (LRC) in central France, made more than 57±3 thousand years ago. Following human occupation, the cave was completely sealed by cold-period sediments, which prevented access until its discovery in the 19th century and first excavation in the early 20th century. The timing of the closure of the cave is based on 50 optically stimulated luminescence ages derived from sediment collected inside and from around the cave. The anthropogenic origin of the spatially-structured, non-figurative marks found within the cave is confirmed using taphonomic, traceological and experimental evidence. Cave closure occurred significantly before the regional arrival of H. sapiens, and all artefacts from within the cave are typical Mousterian lithics; in Western Europe these are uniquely attributed to H. neanderthalensis. We conclude that the LRC engravings are unambiguous examples of Neanderthal abstract design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Claude Marquet
- Unité mixte de recherche 7324, CItés, TERritoires, Environnement et Sociétés, Laboratoire Archéologie et Territoires, Université de Tours, Tours, France
- Equipe d'accueil 6293, GéoHydrosytèmes COntinentaux, Faculté des sciences et techniques, Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | | | | | - Andrew Sean Murray
- Department Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde, Denmark
- Nordic Laboratory for Luminescence Dating, Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Morgane Calligaro
- Unité mixte de recherche Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique, Musée de l'Homme, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Macaire
- Equipe d'accueil 6293, GéoHydrosytèmes COntinentaux, Faculté des sciences et techniques, Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Eric Robert
- Unité mixte de recherche Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique, Musée de l'Homme, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | | | - Thierry Aubry
- Côa Parque, Fundação para a Salvaguarda e Valorização do Vale do Côa, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal
- Centro de Arqueologia Universidade de Lisboa, Facultade de Letras, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Grégory Bayle
- Unité mixte de recherche 7324, CItés, TERritoires, Environnement et Sociétés, Laboratoire Archéologie et Territoires, Université de Tours, Tours, France
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, Pantin, France
| | - Jean-Gabriel Bréhéret
- Equipe d'accueil 6293, GéoHydrosytèmes COntinentaux, Faculté des sciences et techniques, Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Hubert Camus
- PROTEE association, Villeneuve-les Maguelone, France
| | - Pascal Chareille
- Equipe d'accueil 6298, Centre Tourangeau d'Histoire et d'étude des Sources, Faculté des Arts et Sciences Humaines, Tours, France
| | - Yves Egels
- Ecole Nationale des Sciences Géographiques, Institut Géographique National, Marne la Vallée, France
| | - Émilie Guillaud
- Unité mixte de recherche 7209, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Guérin
- Unité mixte de recherche 6118, Géosciences Rennes, Université de Rennes, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Rennes, France
| | - Pascale Gautret
- Unité mixte de recherche 7327, Institut des Sciences de la terre, Université d'Orléans, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, Orléans, France
| | - Morgane Liard
- Laboratoire de Géographie Physique et Environnementale, Université Clermont-Auvergne, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Magen O'Farrell
- Unité mixte de recherche 5199, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux, GPR Hman Past, Pessac, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Peyrouse
- Unité mixte de recherche 7041, équipe Archéologies Environnementales, Archéologie et Sciences de l'Antiquité, Nanterre, France
| | | | - Pascal Verdin
- Unité mixte de recherche 7264, Gestion des REssources Naturelles, Environnements et Sociétés, Cultures et Environnements: Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen-Age, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Nice, France
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives, Nîmes, France
| | - Dorota Wojtczak
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science, University of Basel, Basel, Suisse
| | - Christine Oberlin
- Centre de Datation par le RadioCarbone, Unité mixte de recherche 5138 Archéologie et Archéométrie, Villeurbanne, France Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jacques Jaubert
- Unité mixte de recherche 5199, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux, GPR Hman Past, Pessac, France
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14
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Ågren R, Patil S, Zhou X, Sahlholm K, Pääbo S, Zeberg H. Major Genetic Risk Factors for Dupuytren's Disease Are Inherited From Neandertals. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad130. [PMID: 37315093 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Dupuytren's disease is characterized by fingers becoming permanently bent in a flexed position. Whereas people of African ancestry are rarely afflicted by Dupuytren's disease, up to ∼30% of men over 60 years suffer from this condition in northern Europe. Here, we meta-analyze 3 biobanks comprising 7,871 cases and 645,880 controls and find 61 genome-wide significant variants associated with Dupuytren's disease. We show that 3 of the 61 loci harbor alleles of Neandertal origin, including the second and third most strongly associated ones (P = 6.4 × 10-132 and P = 9.2 × 10-69, respectively). For the most strongly associated Neandertal variant, we identify EPDR1 as the causal gene. Dupuytren's disease is an example of how admixture with Neandertals has shaped regional differences in disease prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Ågren
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Snehal Patil
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kristoffer Sahlholm
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Human Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Hugo Zeberg
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Human Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan
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15
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Demidenko YE, Škrdla P. Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician Industry and South Moravian Sites: a Homo sapiens Late Initial Upper Paleolithic with Bohunician Industrial Generic Roots in Europe. JOURNAL OF PALEOLITHIC ARCHAEOLOGY 2023; 6:17. [PMID: 37250589 PMCID: PMC10202755 DOI: 10.1007/s41982-023-00142-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
This article re-examines the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) industry, a well-known Early Upper Paleolithic complex in northern Europe. It is widely thought that the LRJ was produced by late Neanderthals and that its industrial roots are in late Middle Paleolithic industries with bifacial leaf points in north-western Europe. On the basis of evidence from four recently excavated open-air sites in southern Moravia (Czech Republic) (Líšeň/Podolí I, Želešice III/Želešice-Hoynerhügel, Líšeň I/Líšeň-Čtvrtě, and Tvarožná X/Tvarožná, "Za školou"), combined with findings from two cave sites in Bohemia (Nad Kačákem Cave) and southern Moravia (Pekárna Cave) and critical re-examination of the LRJ sites and materials from other areas, we propose that the LRJ should actually be considered a late Initial Upper Paleolithic industry. Its initial dates are just before Heinrich Event 4 (HE-4) and the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption, c. 42-40 ka cal BP. We further propose that LRJ assemblages were produced by Homo sapiens, and that its roots are in the Bohunician industry. The LRJ originated as a result of a gradual technological transition, centering on the development of Levallois points into Jerzmanowice-type blade-points. It is also suggested that the LRJ industry first appeared in Moravia, in central Europe, and spread along with its makers (Homo sapiens) across the northern latitudes of central and western Europe. Accordingly, the IUP "Bohunician package" did not disappear in Europe but gave rise to another IUP industry successfully adapted for the then steppe-tundra belts in northern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri E. Demidenko
- Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education, Kossuth Square 6, Berehove, 902 00 Ukraine
| | - Petr Škrdla
- Archeologický Ústav AV ČR, Brno V.V.I., Čechyňská 363/19, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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16
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Townsend C, Ferraro JV, Habecker H, Flinn MV. Human cooperation and evolutionary transitions in individuality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210414. [PMID: 36688393 PMCID: PMC9869453 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A major evolutionary transition in individuality involves the formation of a cooperative group and the transformation of that group into an evolutionary entity. Human cooperation shares principles with those of multicellular organisms that have undergone transitions in individuality: division of labour, communication, and fitness interdependence. After the split from the last common ancestor of hominoids, early hominins adapted to an increasingly terrestrial niche for several million years. We posit that new challenges in this niche set in motion a positive feedback loop in selection pressure for cooperation that ratcheted coevolutionary changes in sociality, communication, brains, cognition, kin relations and technology, eventually resulting in egalitarian societies with suppressed competition and rapid cumulative culture. The increasing pace of information innovation and transmission became a key aspect of the evolutionary niche that enabled humans to become formidable cooperators with explosive population growth, the ability to cooperate and compete in groups of millions, and emergent social norms, e.g. private property. Despite considerable fitness interdependence, the rise of private property, in concert with population explosion and socioeconomic inequality, subverts potential transition of human groups into evolutionary entities due to resurgence of latent competition and conflict. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathryn Townsend
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Joseph V. Ferraro
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Heather Habecker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Mark V. Flinn
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
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17
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Talamo S, Kromer B, Richards MP, Wacker L. Back to the future: The advantage of studying key events in human evolution using a new high resolution radiocarbon method. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280598. [PMID: 36791053 PMCID: PMC9931112 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiocarbon dating is the most widely applied dating method in archaeology, especially in human evolution studies, where it is used to determine the chronology of key events, such as the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans in Europe. However, the method does not always provide precise and accurate enough ages to understand the important processes of human evolution. Here we review the newest method developments in radiocarbon dating ('Radiocarbon 3.0'), which can lead us to much better chronologies and understanding of the major events in recent human evolution. As an example, we apply these new methods to discuss the dating of the important Palaeolithic site of Bacho Kiro (Bulgaria).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahra Talamo
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Bernd Kromer
- Institute for Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Wacker
- Laboratory for Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Djakovic I, Key A, Soressi M. Optimal linear estimation models predict 1400-2900 years of overlap between Homo sapiens and Neandertals prior to their disappearance from France and northern Spain. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15000. [PMID: 36229473 PMCID: PMC9561710 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19162-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent fossil discoveries suggest that Neandertals and Homo sapiens may have co-existed in Europe for as long as 5 to 6000 years. Yet, evidence for their contemporaneity at any regional scale remains highly elusive. In France and northern Spain, a region which features some of the latest directly-dated Neandertals in Europe, Protoaurignacian assemblages attributed to Homo sapiens appear to ‘replace’ Neandertal-associated Châtelperronian assemblages. Using the earliest and latest known occurrences as starting points, Bayesian modelling has provided indication that these occupations may in fact have been partly contemporaneous. The reality, however, is that we are unlikely to ever identify the ‘first’ or ‘last’ appearance of a species or cultural tradition in the archaeological and fossil record. Here, we use optimal linear estimation modelling to estimate the first appearance date of Homo sapiens and the extinction date of Neandertals in France and northern Spain by statistically inferring these ‘missing’ portions of the Protoaurignacian and Châtelperronian archaeological records. Additionally, we estimate the extinction date of Neandertals in this region using a dataset of directly-dated Neandertal fossil remains. Our total dataset consists of sixty-six modernly produced radiocarbon determinations which we recalibrated using the newest calibration curve (IntCal20) to produce updated age ranges. The results suggest that the onset of the Homo sapiens occupation of this region likely preceded the extinction of Neandertals and the Châtelperronian by up to 1400–2900 years. This reaffirms the Bayesian-derived duration of co-existence between these groups during the initial Upper Palaeolithic of this region using a novel independent method, and indicates that our understanding of the timing of these occupations may not be suffering from substantial gaps in the record. Whether or not this co-existence featured some form of direct interaction, however, remains to be resolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Djakovic
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Alastair Key
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - Marie Soressi
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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19
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Harvati K, Ackermann RR. Merging morphological and genetic evidence to assess hybridization in Western Eurasian late Pleistocene hominins. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1573-1585. [PMID: 36064759 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01875-z] [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: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Previous scientific consensus saw human evolution as defined by adaptive differences (behavioural and/or biological) and the emergence of Homo sapiens as the ultimate replacement of non-modern groups by a modern, adaptively more competitive group. However, recent research has shown that the process underlying our origins was considerably more complex. While archaeological and fossil evidence suggests that behavioural complexity may not be confined to the modern human lineage, recent palaeogenomic work shows that gene flow between distinct lineages (for example, Neanderthals, Denisovans, early H. sapiens) occurred repeatedly in the late Pleistocene, probably contributing elements to our genetic make-up that might have been crucial to our success as a diverse, adaptable species. Following these advances, the prevailing human origins model has shifted from one of near-complete replacement to a more nuanced view of partial replacement with considerable reticulation. Here we provide a brief introduction to the current genetic evidence for hybridization among hominins, its prevalence in, and effects on, comparative mammal groups, and especially how it manifests in the skull. We then explore the degree to which cranial variation seen in the fossil record of late Pleistocene hominins from Western Eurasia corresponds with our current genetic and comparative data. We are especially interested in understanding the degree to which skeletal data can reflect admixture. Our findings indicate some correspondence between these different lines of evidence, flag individual fossils as possibly admixed, and suggest that different cranial regions may preserve hybridization signals differentially. We urge further studies of the phenotype to expand our ability to detect the ways in which migration, interaction and genetic exchange have shaped the human past, beyond what is currently visible with the lens of ancient DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Harvati
- Paleoanthropology section, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- DFG Centre for Advanced Studies 'Words, Bones, Genes, Tools', Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - R R Ackermann
- Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
- DFG Centre for Advanced Studies 'Words, Bones, Genes, Tools', Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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20
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Zada S, Sajjad W, Rafiq M, Ali S, Hu Z, Wang H, Cai R. Cave Microbes as a Potential Source of Drugs Development in the Modern Era. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:676-687. [PMID: 34693460 PMCID: PMC8542507 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01889-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The world is constantly facing threats, including the emergence of new pathogens and antibiotic resistance among extant pathogens, which is a matter of concern. Therefore, the need for natural and effective sources of drugs is inevitable. The ancient and pristine ecosystems of caves contain a unique microbial world and could provide a possible source of antimicrobial metabolites. The association between humans and caves is as old as human history itself. Historically, cave environments have been used to treat patients with respiratory tract infections, which is referred to as speleotherapy. Today, the pristine environment of caves that comprise a poorly explored microbial world is a potential source of antimicrobial and anticancer drugs. Oligotrophic conditions in caves enhance the competition among microbial communities, and unique antimicrobial agents may be used in this competition. This review suggests that the world needs a novel and effective source of drug discovery. Therefore, being the emerging spot of modern human civilization, caves could play a crucial role in the current medical crisis, and cave microorganisms may have the potential to produce novel antimicrobial and anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahib Zada
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Wasim Sajjad
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, QUETTA, Pakistan
| | - Sardar Ali
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Zhong Hu
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Runlin Cai
- Biology Department, College of Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
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21
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Integrative geochronology calibrates the Middle and Late Stone Ages of Ethiopia's Afar Rift. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2116329118. [PMID: 34873047 PMCID: PMC8685921 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116329118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the evolution, dispersals, behaviors, and ecologies of early African Homo sapiens requires accurate geochronological placement of fossils and artifacts. We introduce open-air occurrences of such remains in sediments of the Middle Awash study area in Ethiopia. We describe the stratigraphic and depositional contexts of our discoveries and demonstrate the effectiveness of recently developed uranium-series dating of ostrich eggshell at validating and bridging across more traditional radioisotopic methods (14C and 40Ar/39Ar). Homo sapiens fossils and associated Middle Stone Age artifacts are placed at >158 and ∼96 ka. Later Stone Age occurrences are dated to ∼21 to 24 ka and ∼31 to 32 ka, firmly dating the upper portion of one of the longest records of human evolution. The Halibee member of the Upper Dawaitoli Formation of Ethiopia’s Middle Awash study area features a wealth of Middle and Later Stone Age (MSA and LSA) paleoanthropological resources in a succession of Pleistocene sediments. We introduce these artifacts and fossils, and determine their chronostratigraphic placement via a combination of established radioisotopic methods and a recently developed dating method applied to ostrich eggshell (OES). We apply the recently developed 230Th/U burial dating of OES to bridge the temporal gap between radiocarbon (14C) and 40Ar/39Ar ages for the MSA and provide 14C ages to constrain the younger LSA archaeology and fauna to ∼24 to 21.4 ka. Paired 14C and 230Th/U burial ages of OES agree at ∼31 ka for an older LSA locality, validating the newer method, and in turn supporting its application to stratigraphically underlying MSA occurrences previously constrained only by a maximum 40Ar/39Ar age. Associated fauna, flora, and Homo sapiens fossils are thereby now fixed between 106 ± 20 ka and 96.4 ± 1.6 ka (all errors 2σ). Additional 40Ar/39 results on an underlying tuff refine its age to 158.1 ± 11.0 ka, providing a more precise minimum age for MSA lithic artifacts, fauna, and H. sapiens fossils recovered ∼9 m below it. These results demonstrate how chronological control can be obtained in tectonically active and stratigraphically complex settings to precisely calibrate crucial evidence of technological, environmental, and evolutionary changes during the African Middle and Late Pleistocene.
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22
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White S, Pope M, Hillson S, Soligo C. Geometric morphometric variability in the supraorbital and orbital region of Middle Pleistocene hominins: Implications for the taxonomy and evolution of later Homo. J Hum Evol 2021; 162:103095. [PMID: 34847365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103095] [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: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study assessed variation in the supraorbital and orbital region of the Middle Pleistocene hominins (MPHs), sometimes called Homo heidelbergensis s.l., to test whether it matched the expectations of intraspecific variation. The morphological distinctiveness and relative variation of this region, which is relatively well represented in the hominin fossil record, was analyzed quantitatively in a comparative taxonomic framework. Coordinates of 230 3D landmarks (20) and sliding semilandmarks (210) were collected from 704 specimens from species of Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, Gorilla, Pan, Papio, and Macaca. Results showed that the MPHs had expected levels of morphological distinctiveness and intragroup and intergroup variation in supraorbital and orbital morphology, relative to commonly recognized non-hominin catarrhine species. However, the Procrustes distances between this group and H. sapiens were significantly higher than expected for two closely related catarrhine species. Furthermore, this study showed that variation within the MPH could be similarly well contained within existing hypodigms of H. sapiens, H. neanderthalensis, and H. erectus s.l. Although quantitative assessment of supraorbital and orbital morphology did not allow differentiation between taxonomic hypotheses in later Homo, it could be used to test individual taxonomic affiliation and identify potentially anomalous individuals. This study confirmed a complicated pattern of supraorbital and orbital morphology in the MPH fossil record and raises further questions over our understanding of the speciation of H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis and taxonomic diversity in later Homo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanna White
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK.
| | - Matt Pope
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK
| | - Simon Hillson
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK
| | - Christophe Soligo
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
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23
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Cooper A, Turney CSM, Palmer J, Hogg A, McGlone M, Wilmshurst J, Lorrey AM, Heaton TJ, Russell JM, McCracken K, Anet JG, Rozanov E, Friedel M, Suter I, Peter T, Muscheler R, Adolphi F, Dosseto A, Faith JT, Fenwick P, Fogwill CJ, Hughen K, Lipson M, Liu J, Nowaczyk N, Rainsley E, Bronk Ramsey C, Sebastianelli P, Souilmi Y, Stevenson J, Thomas Z, Tobler R, Zech R. Response to Comment on "A global environmental crisis 42,000 years ago". Science 2021; 374:eabi9756. [PMID: 34793203 DOI: 10.1126/science.abi9756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Cooper
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia, and BlueSky Genetics, P.O. Box 287, Adelaide, SA 5137, Australia
| | - Chris S M Turney
- Chronos 14Carbon-Cycle Facility and Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Jonathan Palmer
- Chronos Carbon-Cycle Facility and Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Alan Hogg
- Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Matt McGlone
- Ecosystems and Conservation, Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Janet Wilmshurst
- Ecosystems and Conservation, Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln, New Zealand.,School of Environment, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Andrew M Lorrey
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Timothy J Heaton
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
| | - James M Russell
- Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | | | - Julien G Anet
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Centre for Aviation, Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Eugene Rozanov
- Institute for Atmospheric and Climatic Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos and World Radiation Center, Davos, Switzerland.,Department of Physics of Earth, Faculty of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Marina Friedel
- Institute for Atmospheric and Climatic Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ivo Suter
- Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Peter
- Institute for Atmospheric and Climatic Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Raimund Muscheler
- Department of Geology, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Florian Adolphi
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Anthony Dosseto
- Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah and Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | - Pavla Fenwick
- Gondwana Tree-Ring Laboratory, P.O. Box 14, Little River, Canterbury 7546, New Zealand
| | - Christopher J Fogwill
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Konrad Hughen
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Matthew Lipson
- Centre for Excellence in Climate System Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Jiabo Liu
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Norbert Nowaczyk
- Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section 4.3, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Eleanor Rainsley
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Christopher Bronk Ramsey
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK
| | - Paolo Sebastianelli
- Faculty of Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics (FAMAF), National University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina, and School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Yassine Souilmi
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Janelle Stevenson
- Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture History and Language, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Zoe Thomas
- Chronos Carbon-Cycle Facility and Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Raymond Tobler
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Roland Zech
- Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
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24
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Zilhão J, Angelucci DE, Arnold LJ, d’Errico F, Dayet L, Demuro M, Deschamps M, Fewlass H, Gomes L, Linscott B, Matias H, Pike AWG, Steier P, Talamo S, Wild EM. Revisiting the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic archaeology of Gruta do Caldeirão (Tomar, Portugal). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259089. [PMID: 34705887 PMCID: PMC8550450 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Gruta do Caldeirão features a c. 6 m-thick archaeological stratification capped by Holocene layers ABC-D and Ea, which overlie layer Eb, a deposit of Magdalenian age that underwent significant disturbance, intrusion, and component mixing caused by funerary use of the cave during the Early Neolithic. Here, we provide an updated overview of the stratigraphy and archaeological content of the underlying Pleistocene succession, whose chronology we refine using radiocarbon and single-grain optically stimulated luminescence dating. We find a high degree of stratigraphic integrity. Dating anomalies exist in association with the succession’s two major discontinuities: between layer Eb and Upper Solutrean layer Fa, and between Early Upper Palaeolithic layer K and Middle Palaeolithic layer L. Mostly, the anomalies consist of older-than-expected radiocarbon ages and can be explained by bioturbation and palimpsest-forming sedimentation hiatuses. Combined with palaeoenvironmental inferences derived from magnetic susceptibility analyses, the dating shows that sedimentation rates varied in tandem with the oscillations in global climate revealed by the Greenland oxygen isotope record. A steep increase in sedimentation rate is observed through the Last Glacial Maximum, resulting in a c. 1.5 m-thick accumulation containing conspicuous remains of occupation by people of the Solutrean technocomplex, whose traditional subdivision is corroborated: the index fossils appear in the expected stratigraphic order; the diagnostics of the Protosolutrean and the Lower Solutrean predate 24,000 years ago; and the constraints on the Upper Solutrean place it after Greenland Interstadial 2.2. (23,220–23,340 years ago). Human usage of the site during the Early Upper and the Middle Palaeolithic is episodic and low-intensity: stone tools are few, and the faunal remains relate to carnivore activity. The Middle Palaeolithic is found to persist beyond 39,000 years ago, at least three millennia longer than in the Franco-Cantabrian region. This conclusion is upheld by Bayesian modelling and stands even if the radiocarbon ages for the Middle Palaeolithic levels are removed from consideration (on account of observed inversions and the method’s potential for underestimation when used close to its limit of applicability). A number of localities in Spain and Portugal reveal a similar persistence pattern. The key evidence comes from high-resolution fluviatile contexts spared by the site formation issues that our study of Caldeirão brings to light—palimpsest formation, post-depositional disturbance, and erosion. These processes. are ubiquitous in the cave and rock-shelter sites of Iberia, reflecting the impact on karst archives of the variation in climate and environments that occurred through the Upper Pleistocene, and especially at two key points in time: between 37,000 and 42,000 years ago, and after the Last Glacial Maximum. Such empirical difficulties go a long way towards explaining the controversies surrounding the associated cultural transitions: from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic, and from the Solutrean to the Magdalenian. Alongside potential dating error caused by incomplete decontamination, proper consideration of sample association issues is required if we are ever to fully understand what happened with the human settlement of Iberia during these critical intervals, and especially so with regards to the fate of Iberia’s last Neandertal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Zilhão
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament d’Història i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- UNIARQ–Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - Diego E. Angelucci
- UNIARQ–Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia, Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Lee J. Arnold
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment Institute, Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Laure Dayet
- UMR 5608 TRACES, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Martina Demuro
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment Institute, Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Marianne Deschamps
- UNIARQ–Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- UMR 5608 TRACES, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Luís Gomes
- UNIARQ–Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Beth Linscott
- Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Henrique Matias
- UNIARQ–Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Alistair W. G. Pike
- Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Steier
- Isotope Physics, Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Eva M. Wild
- Isotope Physics, Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
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25
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The stratigraphic context of Spy Cave and the timing of Neanderthal disappearance in Northwest Europe. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2106335118. [PMID: 34155119 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106335118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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26
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Reply to Van Peer: Direct radiocarbon dating and ancient genomic analysis reveal the true age of the Neanderthals at Spy Cave. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2107116118. [PMID: 34155120 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107116118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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