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Wei X, Cooper DML. The various meanings and uses of bone "remodeling" in biological anthropology: A review. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 182:318-329. [PMID: 37515465 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In modern bone biology, the term "remodeling" generally refers to internal bone turnover that creates secondary osteons. However, it is also widely used by skeletal biologists, including biological anthropologists as a catch-all term to refer to different skeletal changes. In this review, we investigated how "remodeling" is used across topics on skeletal biology in biological anthropology to demonstrate potential problems with such pervasive use of a generalized term. METHODS Using PubMed and Google Scholar, we selected and reviewed 205 articles that use the term remodeling to describe skeletal processes and have anthropological implications. Nine edited volumes were also reviewed as examples of collaborative work by different experts to demonstrate the diverse and extensive use of the term remodeling. RESULTS Four general meanings of bone "remodeling" were identified, namely, internal turnover, functional adaptation, fracture repair, and growth remodeling. Additionally, remodeling is also used to refer to a broad array of pathological skeletal changes. DISCUSSION Although we initially identified four general meanings of bone remodeling, they are not mutually exclusive and often occur in combination. The term "remodeling" has become an extensively used catch-all term to refer to different processes and outcomes of skeletal changes, which inevitably lead to misunderstanding and a loss of information. Such ambiguity and confusion are potentially problematic as the field of biological anthropology becomes increasingly multidisciplinary. Therefore, we advocate for precise, context-specific definitions and explanations of bone remodeling as it continues to be used across disciplines within and beyond biological anthropology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Wei
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - David M L Cooper
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Evidence of habitual behavior from non-alimentary dental wear on deciduous teeth from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic Cantabrian region, Northern Spain. J Hum Evol 2021; 158:103047. [PMID: 34403991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103047] [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: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of 'teeth as tools' (non-masticatory or cultural-related dental wear) has largely been employed as a proxy for studying of past human behavior, mainly in permanent dentition from adult individuals. Here we present the analysis of the non-masticatory dental wear modifications on the deciduous dentition assigned to eight Neanderthal and anatomically modern human subadult individuals from Mousterian to Magdalenian technocultural contexts in the Cantabrian region (Northern Spain). Although preliminary, we tentatively suggest that these eight subadults present activity-related dental wear, including cultural striations, chipped enamel, toothpick grooves, and subvertical grooves. We also found evidence of habitual dental hygienic practices in the form of toothpicking on a deciduous premolar. Orientation of the cultural striations indicates similar handedness development as in modern children. Taken together, these dental wear patterns support the participation of young individuals in group activities, making them potential contributors to group welfare. This study potentially adds new evidence to the importance of the use of the mouth in paramasticatory activities or as a third hand throughout the Pleistocene, which can be confirmed with a more specific reference sample.
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Schuh A, Kupczik K, Gunz P, Hublin J, Freidline SE. Ontogeny of the human maxilla: a study of intra-population variability combining surface bone histology and geometric morphometrics. J Anat 2019; 235:233-245. [PMID: 31070788 PMCID: PMC6637443 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Bone modeling is the process by which bone grows in size and models its shape via the cellular activities of the osteoblasts and osteoclasts that respectively form and remove bone. The patterns of expression of these two activities, visible on bone surfaces, are poorly understood during facial ontogeny in Homo sapiens; this is due mainly to small sample sizes and a lack of quantitative data. Furthermore, how microscopic activities are related to the development of morphological features, like the uniquely human-canine fossa, has been rarely explored. We developed novel techniques for quantifying and visualizing variability in bone modeling patterns and applied these methods to the human maxilla to better understand its development at the micro- and macroscopic levels. We used a cross-sectional ontogenetic series of 47 skulls of known calendar age, ranging from birth to 12 years, from a population of European ancestry. Surface histology was employed to record and quantify formation and resorption on the maxilla, and digital maps representing each individual's bone modeling patterns were created. Semilandmark geometric morphometric (GM) methods and multivariate statistics were used to analyze facial growth. Our results demonstrate that surface histology and GM methods give complementary results, and can be used as an integrative approach in ontogenetic studies. The bone modeling patterns specific to our sample are expressed early in ontogeny, and fairly constant through time. Bone resorption varies in the size of its fields, but not in location. Consequently, absence of bone resorption in extinct species with small sample sizes should be interpreted with caution. At the macroscopic level, maxillary growth is predominant in the top half of the bone where bone formation is mostly present. Our results suggest that maxillary growth in humans is highly constrained from early stages in ontogeny, and morphological changes are likely driven by changes in osteoblastic and osteoclastic rates of expression rather than differences in the bone modeling patterns (i.e. changes in location of formation and resorption). Finally, the results of the micro- and macroscopic analyses suggest that the development of the canine fossa results from a combination of bone resorption and bone growth in the surrounding region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Schuh
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and AnthropologyMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Jean‐Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Sarah E. Freidline
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
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Dental macrowear and cortical bone distribution of the Neanderthal mandible from Regourdou (Dordogne, Southwestern France). J Hum Evol 2019; 132:174-188. [PMID: 31203846 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Tooth wear is an important feature for reconstructing diet, food processing and cultural habits of past human populations. In particular, occlusal wear facets can be extremely useful for detecting information about diet and non-masticatory behaviors. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the diet and cultural behavior of the Neanderthal specimen Regourdou 1 (Dordogne, Southern France) from the analysis of the macrowear pattern, using the occlusal fingerprint analysis method. In addition, we have also examined whether there is any association between the observed dental macrowear and mandibular bone distribution and root dentine thickness. The posterior dentition of Regourdou 1 is characterized by an asymmetric wear pattern, with the right side significantly more worn than the left. In contrast, the left lower P3 shows a more advanced wear than the right premolar, with unusual semicircular enamel wear facets. The results from occlusal fingerprint analysis of this unique pattern suggest tooth-tool uses for daily task activities. Moreover, the left buccal aspect of the mandibular cortical bone is thicker than its right counterpart, and the left P3 has a thicker radicular dentine layer than its antimere. These results show a certain degree of asymmetry in cortical bone topography and dentine tissue that could be associated with the observed dental macrowear pattern. The molar macrowear pattern also suggests that Regourdou 1 had a mixed diet typical of those populations living in temperate deciduous woodlands and Mediterranean habitats, including animal and plant foods. Although this study is limited to one Neanderthal individual, future analyses based on a larger sample may further assist us to better understand the existing relationship between mandibular architecture, occlusal wear and the masticatory apparatus in humans.
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Brachetta‐Aporta N, Gonzalez PN, Bernal V. Variation in facial bone growth remodeling in prehistoric populations from southern South America. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:422-434. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Brachetta‐Aporta
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, División AntropologíaUniversidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET La Plata Argentina
| | - Paula N. Gonzalez
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, División AntropologíaUniversidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET La Plata Argentina
- Unidad Ejecutora de Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos (CONICET‐HEC‐UNAJ) Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Valeria Bernal
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, División AntropologíaUniversidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET La Plata Argentina
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Shah FA, Ruscsák K, Palmquist A. 50 years of scanning electron microscopy of bone-a comprehensive overview of the important discoveries made and insights gained into bone material properties in health, disease, and taphonomy. Bone Res 2019; 7:15. [PMID: 31123620 PMCID: PMC6531483 DOI: 10.1038/s41413-019-0053-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Bone is an architecturally complex system that constantly undergoes structural and functional optimisation through renewal and repair. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is among the most frequently used instruments for examining bone. It offers the key advantage of very high spatial resolution coupled with a large depth of field and wide field of view. Interactions between incident electrons and atoms on the sample surface generate backscattered electrons, secondary electrons, and various other signals including X-rays that relay compositional and topographical information. Through selective removal or preservation of specific tissue components (organic, inorganic, cellular, vascular), their individual contribution(s) to the overall functional competence can be elucidated. With few restrictions on sample geometry and a variety of applicable sample-processing routes, a given sample may be conveniently adapted for multiple analytical methods. While a conventional SEM operates at high vacuum conditions that demand clean, dry, and electrically conductive samples, non-conductive materials (e.g., bone) can be imaged without significant modification from the natural state using an environmental scanning electron microscope. This review highlights important insights gained into bone microstructure and pathophysiology, bone response to implanted biomaterials, elemental analysis, SEM in paleoarchaeology, 3D imaging using focused ion beam techniques, correlative microscopy and in situ experiments. The capacity to image seamlessly across multiple length scales within the meso-micro-nano-continuum, the SEM lends itself to many unique and diverse applications, which attest to the versatility and user-friendly nature of this instrument for studying bone. Significant technological developments are anticipated for analysing bone using the SEM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Furqan A. Shah
- Department of Biomaterials, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Krisztina Ruscsák
- Department of Biomaterials, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anders Palmquist
- Department of Biomaterials, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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7
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Brachetta-Aporta N, Gonzalez PN, Bernal V. A quantitative approach for analysing bone modelling patterns from craniofacial surfaces in hominins. J Anat 2017; 232:3-14. [PMID: 29071711 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone size and shape arise throughout ontogeny as a result of the coordinated activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, responsible for bone deposition and resorption, and growth displacements. The modelling processes leave specific microstructural features on the bone surface, which can be used to infer the mechanisms shaping craniofacial traits in extinct and extant species. However, the analysis of bone surfaces from fossils and archaeological samples faces some difficulties related to the bone loss caused by taphonomic factors, and the lack of formal methods for estimating missing information and comparing the patterns of bone modelling among several specimens and samples. The present study provides a new approach for the quantitative analysis of bone formation and resorption patterns obtained from craniofacial surfaces. First, interpolation techniques were used to estimate missing data on high-resolution replicas of the left maxilla in a sample of sub-adult and adult modern humans and sub-adult fossil hominins. The performance of this approach was assessed by simulating variable amounts of missing data. Then, we applied measures of dispersion and central tendency to represent the variation and average pattern of bone modelling within samples. The spatial interpolation resulted in reliable estimations of the type of cell activity (deposition or resorption) in the missing areas, even when large extensions of the bone surface were lost. The quantification of the histological data allowed us to integrate the information of different specimens and depict the areas with higher and lower variation in the bone modelling pattern of the maxilla among specimens. Overall, the main advantages of the quantitative approach used here for generating bone modelling patterns are the high replicability and the possibility of incorporating variation among specimens into the comparisons among samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Brachetta-Aporta
- División Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Paula N Gonzalez
- CONICET, Unidad Ejecutora-Estudios en Neurociencias y Sistemas Complejos, Florencio Varela, Argentina
| | - Valeria Bernal
- División Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
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8
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Estalrrich A, El Zaatari S, Rosas A. Dietary reconstruction of the El Sidrón Neandertal familial group (Spain) in the context of other Neandertal and modern hunter-gatherer groups. A molar microwear texture analysis. J Hum Evol 2017; 104:13-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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9
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Ontogeny of the maxilla in Neanderthals and their ancestors. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8996. [PMID: 26639346 PMCID: PMC4686851 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neanderthals had large and projecting (prognathic) faces similar to those of their putative ancestors from Sima de los Huesos (SH) and different from the retracted modern human face. When such differences arose during development and the morphogenetic modifications involved are unknown. We show that maxillary growth remodelling (bone formation and resorption) of the Devil's Tower (Gibraltar 2) and La Quina 18 Neanderthals and four SH hominins, all sub-adults, show extensive bone deposition, whereas in modern humans extensive osteoclastic bone resorption is found in the same regions. This morphogenetic difference is evident by ∼5 years of age. Modern human faces are distinct from those of the Neanderthal and SH fossils in part because their postnatal growth processes differ markedly. The growth remodelling identified in these fossil hominins is shared with Australopithecus and early Homo but not with modern humans suggesting that the modern human face is developmentally derived. Unlike modern humans, Neanderthals had large and projecting faces. Here, the authors show that the maxilla of modern humans is distinct from those of the Neanderthal and Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos because their growth processes differ markedly during the postnatal period.
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10
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Kolb C, Scheyer TM, Veitschegger K, Forasiepi AM, Amson E, Van der Geer AAE, Van den Hoek Ostende LW, Hayashi S, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Mammalian bone palaeohistology: a survey and new data with emphasis on island forms. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1358. [PMID: 26528418 PMCID: PMC4627922 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The interest in mammalian palaeohistology has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Starting in 1849 via descriptive approaches, it has been demonstrated that bone tissue and vascularisation types correlate with several biological variables such as ontogenetic stage, growth rate, and ecology. Mammalian bone displays a large variety of bone tissues and vascularisation patterns reaching from lamellar or parallel-fibred to fibrolamellar or woven-fibred bone, depending on taxon and individual age. Here we systematically review the knowledge and methods on cynodont and mammalian bone microstructure as well as palaeohistology and discuss potential future research fields and techniques. We present new data on the bone microstructure of two extant marsupial species and of several extinct continental and island placental mammals. Extant marsupials display mainly parallel-fibred primary bone with radial and oblique but mainly longitudinal vascular canals. Three juvenile specimens of the dwarf island hippopotamid Hippopotamus minor from the Late Pleistocene of Cyprus show reticular to plexiform fibrolamellar bone. The island murid Mikrotia magna from the Late Miocene of Gargano, Italy displays parallel-fibred primary bone with reticular vascularisation and strong remodelling in the middle part of the cortex. Leithia sp., the dormouse from the Pleistocene of Sicily, is characterised by a primary bone cortex consisting of lamellar bone and a high amount of compact coarse cancellous bone. The bone cortex of the fossil continental lagomorph Prolagus oeningensis and three fossil species of insular Prolagus displays mainly parallel-fibred primary bone and reticular, radial as well as longitudinal vascularisation. Typical for large mammals, secondary bone in the giant rhinocerotoid Paraceratherium sp. from the Late Oligocene of Turkey is represented by dense Haversian bone. The skeletochronological features of Sinomegaceros yabei, a large-sized deer from the Pleistocene of Japan closely related to Megaloceros, indicate a high growth rate. These examples and the synthesis of existing data show the potential of bone microstructure to reveal essential information on life history evolution. The bone tissue and the skeletochronological data of the sampled island species suggest the presence of various modes of bone histological modification and mammalian life history evolution on islands to depend on factors of island evolution such as island size, distance from mainland, climate, phylogeny, and time of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kolb
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Torsten M Scheyer
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Kristof Veitschegger
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Analia M Forasiepi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales, Centro Científico y Tecnológico , Mendoza , Argentina
| | - Eli Amson
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Alexandra A E Van der Geer
- Department of Geology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center , Leiden , The Netherlands ; Department of Historical Geology and Palaeontology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Zografou , Greece
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11
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Bone Growth Dynamics of the Facial Skeleton and Mandible in Gorilla gorilla and Pan troglodytes. Evol Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-015-9350-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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12
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Estalrrich A, Rosas A. Division of labor by sex and age in Neandertals: an approach through the study of activity-related dental wear. J Hum Evol 2015; 80:51-63. [PMID: 25681013 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The analysis of activity-related dental wear patterns in prehistoric anatomically modern humans and modern hunter-gatherers has shown sex differences attributable to a gendered division of labor. Neandertals are known to have extensive anterior dental wear related to the use of their front teeth as a tool. In this study we analyze the i) cultural striations (scratches on the labial surface of the anterior teeth with a cut-mark morphology), and ii) dental chipping (ante-mortem microfracture involving enamel or both enamel and dentine) in 19 Neandertal individuals from the l'Hortus (France), Spy (Belgium), and El Sidrón (Spain) sites, and compare the characteristics of those traits with the age and sex estimation for the individuals and among samples. The study reveals that all individuals have cultural striations, but those detected on the adult females are longer than the striations found in adult males. Regarding the distribution of dental chipping, the prevalence of this trait is higher in the maxillary dentition of males whereas females have the majority of dental chipping on their mandibular teeth. The differences detected on the overall activity-related dental wear pattern denote a difference or a division of labor by age and sex in Neandertals while using the mouth as a third hand, i.e., in activities other than the provisioning of food, and provide new evidence for the lifestyle of this Pleistocene fossil human species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Brachetta Aporta N, Martinez-Maza C, Gonzalez PN, Bernal V. Bone Modeling Patterns and Morphometric Craniofacial Variation in Individuals From Two Prehistoric Human Populations From Argentina. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2014; 297:1829-38. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2013] [Revised: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Brachetta Aporta
- División Antropología; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Argentina CONICET
- Consejo Interuniversitario Nacional (CIN); Argentina
| | - Cayetana Martinez-Maza
- Department of Paleobiology; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2; 28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Paula N. Gonzalez
- División Antropología; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Argentina CONICET
- CONICET; Instituto de Genetica Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; UNLP-CCT La Plata 1900 Argentina
| | - Valeria Bernal
- División Antropología; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata; La Plata Argentina CONICET
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14
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Freidline SE, Gunz P, Harvati K, Hublin JJ. Evaluating developmental shape changes in Homo antecessor subadult facial morphology. J Hum Evol 2013; 65:404-23. [PMID: 23998458 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2012] [Revised: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The fossil ATD6-69 from Atapuerca, Spain, dated to ca. 900 ka (thousands of years ago) has been suggested to mark the earliest appearance of modern human facial features. However, this specimen is a subadult and the interpretation of its morphology remains controversial, because it is unclear how developmental shape changes would affect the features that link ATD6-69 to modern humans. Here we analyze ATD6-69 in an evolutionary and developmental context. Our modern human sample comprises cross-sectional growth series from four populations. The fossil sample covers human specimens from the Pleistocene to the Upper Paleolithic, and includes several subadult Early Pleistocene humans and Neanderthals. We digitized landmarks and semilandmarks on surface and CT scans and analyzed the Procrustes shape coordinates using multivariate statistics. Ontogenetic allometric trajectories and developmental simulations were employed in order to identify growth patterns and to visualize potential adult shapes of ATD6-69. We show that facial differences between modern and archaic humans are not exclusively allometric. We find that while postnatal growth further accentuates the differences in facial features between Neanderthals and modern humans, those features that have been suggested to link ATD6-69's morphology to modern humans would not have been significantly altered in the course of subsequent development. In particular, the infraorbital depression on this specimen would have persisted into adulthood. However, many of the facial features that ATD6-69 shares with modern humans can be considered to be part of a generalized pattern of facial architecture. Our results present a complex picture regarding the polarity of facial features and demonstrate that some modern human-like facial morphology is intermittently present in Middle Pleistocene humans. We suggest that some of the facial features that characterize recent modern humans may have developed multiple times in human evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Freidline
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany; City University of New York Graduate School, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, USA; Paleoanthropology, Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoecology, Rümelinstrasse 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
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Martinez-Maza C, Rosas A, Nieto-Díaz M. Postnatal changes in the growth dynamics of the human face revealed from bone modelling patterns. J Anat 2013; 223:228-41. [PMID: 23819603 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human skull morphology results from complex processes that involve the coordinated growth and interaction of its skeletal components to keep a functional and structural balance. Previous histological works have studied the growth of different craniofacial regions and their relationship to functional spaces in humans up to 14 years old. Nevertheless, how the growth dynamics of the facial skeleton and the mandible are related and how this relationship changes through the late ontogeny remain poorly understood. To approach these two questions, we have compared the bone modelling activities of the craniofacial skeleton from a sample of subadult and adult humans. In this study, we have established for the first time the bone modelling pattern of the face and the mandible from adult humans. Our analyses reveal a patchy distribution of the bone modelling fields (overemphasized by the presence of surface islands with no histological information) reflecting the complex growth dynamics associated to the individual morphology. Subadult and adult specimens show important differences in the bone modelling patterns of the anterior region of the facial skeleton and the posterior region of the mandible. These differences indicate developmental changes in the growth directions of the whole craniofacial complex, from a predominantly downward growth in subadults that turns to a forward growth observed in the adult craniofacial skeleton. We hypothesize that these ontogenetic changes would respond to the physiological and physical requirements to enlarge the oral and nasal cavities once maturation of the brain and the closure of the cranial sutures have taken place during craniofacial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cayetana Martinez-Maza
- Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain.
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Gawlikowska-Sroka A, Stocki Ł, Dąbrowski P, Kwiatkowska B, Szczurowski J, Czerwiński F. Topography of the mental foramen in human skulls originating from different time periods. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2013; 64:286-95. [PMID: 23726019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The location of the mental foramen is used in a number of maxillofacial surgical procedures and in anthropological examinations. The position of the mental foramen has been reported to vary in different ethnic groups and in different historical populations. The aim of this work was to analyse the topography of the mental foramen in mandibles from selected historical populations from the Pomeranian region in Poland. The material consisted of three groups: 92 skulls from the beginning of the 20th century from Szczecin (earlier name Stettin), and two Mediaeval groups -31 skulls from Rurka (historic Rörchen), 18th-19th centuries, and 50 skulls from Sypniewo (historic Zyppnow), 11th-13th centuries. Distances of the mental foramen in relation to the midline, and to the second corresponding point were measured. Additionally, non-metric traits of the mental foramen were recorded. No significant differences in average diameters of the mental foramina measured on the right and the left sides were observed between historical populations. On both sides, in all groups, the foramen was mainly located between positions of the lower first and lower second premolars. In all three groups the direction of the opening of the mental foramen was superoposterior. The similar level of epigenetic variation was observed in all groups. The position and the direction of the exit were similar to other previously studied European populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gawlikowska-Sroka
- Department of General and Clinical Anatomy, Pomeranian Medical University, Al. Powstańców Wlk. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
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Handedness in Neandertals from the El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain): evidence from instrumental striations with ontogenetic inferences. PLoS One 2013; 8:e62797. [PMID: 23671635 PMCID: PMC3646041 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The developed cognitive capabilities for Homo sapiens seems to be the result of a specialized and lateralized brain, and as a result of this, humans display the highest degree of manual specialization or handedness among the primates. Studies regarding its emergence and distribution within the genus Homo show that handedness is present very early. The mode in which it was articulated and spread across the different species during the course of human evolution could provide information about our own cognitive capacities. Here we report the manual laterality attributed to eleven 49,000 old Neandertal individuals from El Sidrón cave (Spain), through the study of instrumental or cultural striations on the anterior dentition. Our results show a predominant pattern addressed to right-handers. These results fit within the modern human handedness distribution pattern and provide indirect evidence for behavior and brain lateralization on Neandertals. They support the early establishment of handedness in our genus. Moreover, the individual identified as Juvenile 1 (6–8 years old at death), displays the same striation pattern as the adult Neandertals from the sample, and thereby the ontogenic development of manual laterality in that Neandertal population seems to be similar to that of living modern humans.
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