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Bennett EA, Fu Q. Ancient genomes and the evolutionary path of modern humans. Cell 2024; 187:1042-1046. [PMID: 38428387 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.047] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Growing evidence from archaic and early modern human genomes brings new insights to the emergence of modern humans. We recount recent information collected from ancient DNA studies that inform us about the evolutionary pathway to modern humanity. These findings point to both individual- and population-level advantages underlying modern human expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Andrew Bennett
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Qiaomei Fu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Galeta P, Pankowská A. A new method for estimating growth and fertility rates using age-at-death ratios in small skeletal samples: The effect of mortality and stochastic variation. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286580. [PMID: 37267306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The common procedure for reconstructing growth and fertility rates from skeletal samples involves regressing a growth or fertility rate on the age-at-death ratio, an indicator that captures the proportion of children and juveniles in a skeletal sample. Current methods derive formulae for predicting growth and fertility rates in skeletal samples from modern reference populations with many deaths, although recent levels of mortality are not good proxies for prehistoric populations, and stochastic error may considerably affect the age distributions of deaths in small skeletal samples. This study addresses these issues and proposes a novel algorithm allowing a customized prediction formula to be produced for each target skeletal sample, which increases the accuracy of growth and fertility rate estimation. Every prediction equation is derived from a unique reference set of simulated skeletal samples that match the target skeletal sample in size and assumed mortality level of the population that the target skeletal sample represents. The mortality regimes of reference populations are based on model life tables in which life expectancy can be flexibly set between 18 and 80 years. Regression models provide a reliable prediction; the models explain 83-95% of total variance. Due to stochastic variation, the prediction error is large when the estimate is based on a small number of skeletons but decreases substantially with increasing sample size. The applicability of our approach is demonstrated by a comparison with baseline estimates, defined here as predictions based on the widely used Bocquet-Appel (2002, doi: 10.1086/342429) equation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Galeta
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Pankowská
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic
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Taylor BR, Oxenham M, McFadden C. Estimating fertility using adults: A method for under-enumerated pre-adult skeletal samples. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 181:262-270. [PMID: 36974969 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Infant underrepresentation poses a great risk to accurate palaeodemographic findings when analyzing skeletal samples. Empirically derived palaeodemographic methods all require unbiased or minimally biased pre-adult representation for estimating demographic characteristics, including fertility. Currently, there are no reliable methods for estimating palaeodemographic parameters when pre-adults are underrepresented in skeletal samples, consequently such samples are often excluded from palaeodemographic analyses. The aim of this article is to develop a method for estimating total fertility rate (TFR) using reproductive aged adults, specifically for samples with suspected pre-adult under-enumeration. METHODOLOGY United Nations mortality data and TFR from the World Population Prospects was utilized. The correlation between known fertility and the proportion of individuals in key reproductive years (15-49 years) to total adult sample (15+ years) was assessed as an indirect means to estimate fertility. RESULTS It was determined that the proportion of reproductive aged adults is a reasonable proxy for fertility. A significant positive correlation was observed between the TFR and those who died aged 15-49 years of age as a proportion of those who died ≥15 years (D15-49/D15+). SE of the estimate revealed reasonable predictive accuracy. When applied to two modern non-agricultural populations, the method showed some variability in accuracy but good potential for an improved outcome over existing methods when pre-adults are underrepresented. CONCLUSION This research has provided a new method for estimating fertility in archeological skeletal samples with pre-adult under-enumeration. In combination with a contextually focused approach, this provides a significant step toward further use of biased samples in palaeodemography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie R Taylor
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Marc Oxenham
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- Department of Archaeology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Clare McFadden
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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Hagen EH, Blackwell AD, Lightner AD, Sullivan RJ. Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:589-617. [PMID: 36815505 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The human lineage transitioned to a more carnivorous niche 2.6 mya and evolved a large body size and slower life history, which likely increased zoonotic pathogen pressure. Evidence for this increase includes increased zoonotic infections in modern hunter-gatherers and bushmeat hunters, exceptionally low stomach pH compared to other primates, and divergence in immune-related genes. These all point to change, and probably intensification, in the infectious disease environment of Homo compared to earlier hominins and other apes. At the same time, the brain, an organ in which immune responses are constrained, began to triple in size. We propose that the combination of increased zoonotic pathogen pressure and the challenges of defending a large brain and body from pathogens in a long-lived mammal, selected for intensification of the plant-based self-medication strategies already in place in apes and other primates. In support, there is evidence of medicinal plant use by hominins in the middle Paleolithic, and all cultures today have sophisticated, plant-based medical systems, add spices to food, and regularly consume psychoactive plant substances that are harmful to helminths and other pathogens. We propose that the computational challenges of discovering effective plant-based treatments, the consequent ability to consume more energy-rich animal foods, and the reduced reliance on energetically-costly immune responses helped select for increased cognitive abilities and unique exchange relationships in Homo. In the story of human evolution, which has long emphasized hunting skills, medical skills had an equal role to play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward H Hagen
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Aaron D Lightner
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
- Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Roger J Sullivan
- Department of Anthropology, California State University, Sacramento, California, USA
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Boldsen JL, Milner GR, Ousley SD. Paleodemography: From archaeology and skeletal age estimation to life in the past. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 178 Suppl 74:115-150. [PMID: 36787786 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Much of paleodemography, an interdisciplinary field with strong ties to archaeology, among other disciplines, is oriented toward clarifying the life experiences of past people and why they changed over time. We focus on how human skeletons contribute to our understanding of preindustrial demographic regimes, including when changes took place that led to the world as we know it today. Problems with existing paleodemographic practices are highlighted, as are promising directions for future work. The latter requires both better age estimates and innovative methods to handle data appropriately. Age-at-death estimates for adult skeletons are a particular problem, especially for adults over 50 years that undoubtedly are mistakenly underrepresented in published studies of archaeological skeletons. Better age estimates for the entirety of the lifespan are essential to generate realistic distributions of age at death. There are currently encouraging signs that after about a half-century of intensive, and sometimes contentious, research, paleodemography is poised to contribute much to understandings of evolutionary processes, the structure of past populations, and human-disease interaction, among other topics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper L Boldsen
- ADBOU, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, Odense M, Denmark
| | - George R Milner
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephen D Ousley
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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McFadden C, Muir B, Oxenham MF. Determinants of infant mortality and representation in bioarchaeological samples: A review. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clare McFadden
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Brianna Muir
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Marc F. Oxenham
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
- Department of Archaeology, School of Geosciences University of Aberdeen, St Mary's Aberdeen UK
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Shennan S, Sear R. Archaeology, demography and life history theory together can help us explain past and present population patterns. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190711. [PMID: 33250034 PMCID: PMC7741108 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Population matters. Demographic patterns are both a cause and a consequence of human behaviour in other important domains, such as subsistence, cooperation, politics and culture. Demographers interested in contemporary and recent historical populations have rich data at their fingertips; the importance of demography means many interested parties have gathered demographic data, much of which is now readily available for all to explore. Those interested in the demography of the distant past are not so fortunate, given the lack of written records. Nevertheless, the emergence in recent years of a new interest in the demography of ancient populations has seen the development of a range of new methods for piecing together archaeological, skeletal and DNA evidence to reconstruct past population patterns. These efforts have found evidence in support of the view that the relatively low long-term population growth rates of prehistoric human populations, albeit ultimately conditioned by carrying capacities, may have been owing to 'boom-bust' cycles at the regional level; rapid population growth, followed by population decline. In fact, this archaeological research may have come to the same conclusion as some contemporary demographers: that demography can be remarkably hard to predict, at least in the short term. It also fits with evidence from biology that primates, and particularly humans, may be adapted to environmental variability, leading to associated demographic stochasticity. This evidence of the fluctuating nature of human demographic patterns may be of considerable significance in understanding our species' evolution, and of understanding what our species future demographic trajectories might be. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Shennan
- Department of Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Sear
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
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McFadden C. The past, present and future of skeletal analysis in palaeodemography. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190709. [PMID: 33250021 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of past population dynamics is imperative to our understanding of demographic processes in the context of biology, evolution, environment and sociocultural factors. Retrospective consideration of a population's capacity to resist and adapt to change aims to contribute insights into our past, a point of comparison to the present and predictions for the future. If these aims are to be achieved, the accuracy and precision of palaeodemographic methods are of paramount importance. This article considers the emergence of skeletally based palaeodemographic methods, specifically life tables and demographic proxies, and early controversies and issues. It details the process of methodological development and refinement, and success in addressing many of the historical limitations. The contribution and potential of skeletally based methods are discussed and comparisons and contrasts made with alternative palaeodemographic approaches, and avenues for future research are proposed. Ultimately, it is concluded that skeletal analysis provides unique opportunities to investigate population dynamics with spatial specificity, examine individuals and groups within a population, and integrate demographic and pathological information to evaluate population health in the past. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare McFadden
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way Acton, ACT 2601, Canberra, Australia
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French JC, Riris P, Fernandéz-López de Pablo J, Lozano S, Silva F. A manifesto for palaeodemography in the twenty-first century. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190707. [PMID: 33250019 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C French
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Philip Riris
- Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | | | | | - Fabio Silva
- Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
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