1
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Hurst SD, Holloway RL, Balzeau A, Garvin HM, Vanti WB, Berger LR, Hawks J. The endocast morphology of LES1, Homo naledi. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24983. [PMID: 38864146 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24983] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Homo naledi is near the extreme of small brain size within Homo but is easily recognized as Homo in other aspects of endocast morphology. This study adds new evidence of the endocast morphology of H. naledi by describing the Lesedi Hominin 1 (LES1) endocranium from the Lesedi Chamber and compares it to the previously known H. naledi individual Dinaledi Hominin 3 (DH3) as well as other hominin taxa. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined interlandmark distances with both univariate and multivariate methods in multiple hominin taxa and both species of Pan. For each distance, we compared groups using adjusted Z-scores (Azs). Our multivariate analyses included both principal component analyses (PCA) and linear discriminant analyses (LDA). RESULTS DH3 and LES1 each have absolute third frontal convolution measures that enter the upper half of the variation for Homo sapiens, Homo erectus, and Homo neanderthalensis. Examined relative to the cube root of endocranial volume, H. naledi ranks among the highest values in these samples of Homo. Both absolute and relative values for H. naledi specimens are far above Pan, Australopithecus, and Paranthropus, suggesting an expanded Broca's area. CONCLUSIONS Both qualitative and quantitative analyses show consistency between LES1 and other H. naledi endocasts and confirm the shared morphology of H. naledi with H. sapiens, H. neanderthalensis, and some specimens of H. erectus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn D Hurst
- Department of Biology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, USA
| | | | - Antoine Balzeau
- Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, PaleoFED team, Paris, France
- Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Heather M Garvin
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, USA
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - William B Vanti
- Science and Engineering Library, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Lee R Berger
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- The National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA
- The Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
| | - John Hawks
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
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2
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Powell VCR, Barr WA, Hammond AS, Wood BA. Behavioral and phylogenetic correlates of limb length proportions in extant apes and monkeys: Implications for interpreting hominin fossils. J Hum Evol 2024; 190:103494. [PMID: 38564844 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The body proportions of extant animals help inform inferences about the behaviors of their extinct relatives, but relationships between body proportions, behavior, and phylogeny in extant primates remain unclear. Advances in behavioral data, molecular phylogenies, and multivariate analytical tools make it an opportune time to perform comprehensive comparative analyses of primate traditional limb length proportions (e.g., intermembral, humerofemoral, brachial, and crural indices), body size-adjusted long bone proportions, and principal components. In this study we used a mix of newly-collected and published data to investigate whether and how the limb length proportions of a diverse sample of primates, including monkeys, apes, and modern humans, are influenced by behavior and phylogeny. We reconfirm that the intermembral index, followed by the first principal component of traditional limb length proportions, is the single most effective variable distinguishing hominoids and other anthropoids. Combined limb length proportions and positional behaviors are strongly correlated in extant anthropoid groups, but phylogeny is a better predictor of limb length proportion variation than of behavior. We confirm convergences between members of the Atelidae and extant apes (especially Pan), members of the Hylobatidae and Pongo, and a potential divergence of Presbytis limb proportions from some other cercopithecoids, which correlate with adaptations for forelimb-dominated behaviors in some colobines. Collectively, these results substantiate hypotheses indicating that extinct hominins and other hominoid taxa can be distinguished by analyzing combinations of their limb length proportions at different taxonomic levels. From these results, we hypothesize that fossil skeletons characterized by notably disparate limb length proportions are unlikely to have exhibited similar behavioral patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vance C R Powell
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, 520 W St. N.W., Washington, D.C., 20059, USA; Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 20052, USA.
| | - W Andrew Barr
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 20052, USA
| | - Ashley S Hammond
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, N.Y., 10024, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology at AMNH, New York, N.Y., 10024, USA
| | - Bernard A Wood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 20052, USA
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3
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Davies TW, Gunz P, Spoor F, Alemseged Z, Gidna A, Hublin JJ, Kimbel WH, Kullmer O, Plummer WP, Zanolli C, Skinner MM. Dental morphology in Homo habilis and its implications for the evolution of early Homo. Nat Commun 2024; 15:286. [PMID: 38177110 PMCID: PMC10767101 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44375-9] [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: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The phylogenetic position of Homo habilis is central to debates over the origin and early evolution of the genus Homo. A large portion of the species hypodigm consists of dental remains, but they have only been studied at the often worn enamel surface. We investigate the morphology of the H. habilis enamel-dentine junction (EDJ), which is preserved in cases of moderate tooth wear and known to carry a strong taxonomic signal. Geometric morphometrics is used to characterise dentine crown shape and size across the entire mandibular and maxillary tooth rows, compared with a broad comparative sample (n = 712). We find that EDJ morphology in H. habilis is for the most part remarkably primitive, supporting the hypothesis that the H. habilis hypodigm has more in common with Australopithecus than later Homo. Additionally, the chronologically younger specimen OH 16 displays a suite of derived features; its inclusion in H. habilis leads to excessive levels of variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Davies
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fred Spoor
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Zeresenay Alemseged
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Agness Gidna
- Department of Cultural Heritage, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, P. O. Box 1, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Collège de France, Paris, France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - William H Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ottmar Kullmer
- Palaeobiology and Environment workgroup, Institute of Ecology, Evolution, and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - William P Plummer
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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4
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Aramendi J, Mabulla A, Baquedano E, Domínguez-Rodrigo M. Biomechanical and taxonomic diversity in the Early Pleistocene in East Africa: Structural analysis of a recently discovered femur shaft from Olduvai Gorge (bed I). J Hum Evol 2024; 186:103469. [PMID: 38071888 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Recent Plio-Pleistocene hominin findings have revealed the complexity of human evolutionary history and the difficulties involved in its interpretation. Moreover, the study of hominin long bone remains is particularly problematic, since it commonly depends on the analysis of fragmentary skeletal elements that in many cases are merely represented by small diaphyseal portions and appear in an isolated fashion in the fossil record. Nevertheless, the study of the postcranial skeleton is particularly important to ascertain locomotor patterns. Here we report on the discovery of a robust hominin femoral fragment (OH 84) at the site of Amin Mturi Korongo dated to 1.84 Ma (Olduvai Bed I). External anatomy and internal bone structure of OH 84 were analyzed and compared with previously published data for modern humans and chimpanzees, as well as for Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo specimens ranging from the Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene. Biomechanical analyses based on transverse cross-sections and the comparison of OH 84 with another robust Olduvai specimen (OH 80) suggest that OH 84 might be tentatively allocated to Paranthropus boisei. More importantly, the identification of a unique combination of traits in OH 84 could indicate both terrestrial bipedalism and an arboreal component in the locomotor repertoire of this individual. If interpreted correctly, OH 84 could thus add to the already mounting evidence of substantial locomotor diversity among Early Pleistocene hominins. Likewise, our results also highlight the difficulties in accurately interpreting the link between form and function in the human fossil record based on fragmentary remains, and ultimately in distinguishing between coeval hominin groups due to the heterogeneous pattern of inter- and intraspecific morphological variability detected among fossil femora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Aramendi
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, CB2 1TN, UK.
| | - Audax Mabulla
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar Es Salaam, P.O. Box 35050, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Enrique Baquedano
- Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid, Plaza de Las Bernardas s/n, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA), University of Alcalá and Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid, C/Covarrubias 36, 28010, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
- Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA), University of Alcalá and Archaeological and Paleontological Museum of the Community of Madrid, C/Covarrubias 36, 28010, Madrid, Spain; University of Alcalá, Department of History and Philosophy, Area of Prehistory, C/Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Rice University, Department of Anthropology, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX, 77005 1827, USA
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5
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Zhao S, Chi L, Chen H. CEGA: a method for inferring natural selection by comparative population genomic analysis across species. Genome Biol 2023; 24:219. [PMID: 37789379 PMCID: PMC10548728 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03068-8] [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: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We developed maximum likelihood method for detecting positive selection or balancing selection using multilocus or genomic polymorphism and divergence data from two species. The method is especially useful for investigating natural selection in noncoding regions. Simulations demonstrate that the method outperforms existing methods in detecting both positive and balancing selection. We apply the method to population genomic data from human and chimpanzee. The list of genes identified under selection in the noncoding regions is prominently enriched in pathways related to the brain and nervous system. Therefore, our method will serve as a useful tool for comparative population genomic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilei Zhao
- CAS Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, 100101, China
- School of Future Technology, College of Life Sciences and Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lianjiang Chi
- CAS Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hua Chen
- CAS Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, 100101, China.
- School of Future Technology, College of Life Sciences and Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
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6
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Beaudet A, de Jager E. Broca's area, variation and taxic diversity in early Homo from Koobi Fora (Kenya). eLife 2023; 12:RP89054. [PMID: 37721480 PMCID: PMC10506792 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89054] [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] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Because brain tissues rarely fossilize, pinpointing when and how modern human cerebral traits emerged in the hominin lineage is particularly challenging. The fragmentary nature of the fossil material, coupled with the difficulty of characterizing such a complex organ, has been the source of long-standing debates. Prominent among them are the uncertainties around the derived or primitive state of the brain organization in the earliest representatives of the genus Homo, more particularly in key regions such as the Broca's area. By revisiting a particularly well-preserved fossil endocast from the Turkana basin (Kenya), here we confirm that early Homo in Africa had a primitive organization of the Broca's area ca. 1.9 million years ago. Additionally, our description of KNM-ER 3732 adds further information about the variation pattern of the inferior frontal gyrus in fossil hominins, with implications for early Homo taxic diversity (i.e. one or two Homo species at Koobi Fora) and the nature of the mechanisms involved in the emergence of derived cerebral traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Beaudet
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Évolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR 7262 CNRS & University of PoitiersPoitiersFrance
- Department of Archaeology, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Edwin de Jager
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Évolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR 7262 CNRS & University of PoitiersPoitiersFrance
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7
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Ruff CB, Wood BA. The estimation and evolution of hominin body mass. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:223-237. [PMID: 37335778 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Body mass is a critical variable in many hominin evolutionary studies, with implications for reconstructing relative brain size, diet, locomotion, subsistence strategy, and social organization. We review methods that have been proposed for estimating body mass from true and trace fossils, consider their applicability in different contexts, and the appropriateness of different modern reference samples. Recently developed techniques based on a wider range of modern populations hold promise for providing more accurate estimates in earlier hominins, although uncertainties remain, particularly in non-Homo taxa. When these methods are applied to almost 300 Late Miocene through Late Pleistocene specimens, the resulting body mass estimates fall within a 25-60 kg range for early non-Homo taxa, increase in early Homo to about 50-90 kg, then remain constant until the Terminal Pleistocene, when they decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Ruff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Bernard A Wood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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8
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Antón SC, Middleton ER. Making meaning from fragmentary fossils: Early Homo in the Early to early Middle Pleistocene. J Hum Evol 2023; 179:103307. [PMID: 37030994 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 04/10/2023]
Abstract
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Human Evolution, we re-evaluate the fossil record for early Homo (principally Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and Homo rudolfensis) from early diversification and dispersal in the Early Pleistocene to the ultimate demise of H. erectus in the early Middle Pleistocene. The mid-1990s marked an important historical turning point in our understanding of early Homo with the redating of key H. erectus localities, the discovery of small H. erectus in Asia, and the recovery of an even earlier presence of early Homo in Africa. As such, we compare our understanding of early Homo before and after this time and discuss how the order of fossil discovery and a focus on anchor specimens has shaped, and in many ways biased, our interpretations of early Homo species and the fossils allocated to them. Fragmentary specimens may counter conventional wisdom but are often overlooked in broad narratives. We recognize at least three different cranial and two or three pelvic morphotypes of early Homo. Just one postcranial morph aligns with any certainty to a cranial species, highlighting the importance of explicitly identifying how we link specimens together and to species; we offer two ways of visualizing these connections. Chronologically and morphologically H. erectus is a member of early Homo, not a temporally more recent species necessarily evolved from either H. habilis or H. rudolfensis. Nonetheless, an ancestral-descendant notion of their evolution influences expectations around the anatomy of missing elements, especially the foot. Weak support for long-held notions of postcranial modernity in H. erectus raises the possibility of alternative drivers of dispersal. New observations suggest that the dearth of faces in later H. erectus may mask taxonomic diversity in Asia and suggest various later mid-Pleistocene populations could derive from either Asia or Africa. Future advances will rest on the development of nuanced ways to affiliate fossils, greater transparency of implicit assumptions, and attention to detailed life history information for comparative collections; all critical pursuits for future research given the great potential they have to enrich our evolutionary reconstructions for the next fifty years and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan C Antón
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, NY, NY 10003, USA.
| | - Emily R Middleton
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
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9
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Pestana C, de Sousa AA, Todorov OS, Beaudet A, Benoit J. Evolutionary history of hominin brain size and phylogenetic comparative methods. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 275:217-232. [PMID: 36841569 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
An absolutely and relatively large brain has traditionally been viewed as a distinctive characteristic of the Homo genus, with anatomically modern humans presented at the apex of a long line of progressive increases in encephalization. Many studies continue to focus attention on increasing brain size in the Homo genus, while excluding measures of absolute and relative brain size of more geologically recent, smaller brained, hominins such as Homo floresiensis, and Homo naledi and smaller brained Homo erectus specimens. This review discusses the benefits of using phylogenetic comparative methods to trace the diverse changes in hominin brain evolution and the drawbacks of not doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pestana
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Orlin S Todorov
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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10
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Bruner E, Holloway R, Baab KL, Rogers MJ, Semaw S. The endocast from Dana Aoule North (DAN5/P1): A 1.5 million year-old human braincase from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 181:206-215. [PMID: 36810873 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The nearly complete cranium DAN5/P1 was found at Gona (Afar, Ethiopia), dated to 1.5-1.6 Ma, and assigned to the species Homo erectus. Its size is, nonetheless, particularly small for the known range of variation of this taxon, and the cranial capacity has been estimated as 598 cc. In this study, we analyzed a reconstruction of its endocranial cast, to investigate its paleoneurological features. The main anatomical traits of the endocast were described, and its morphology was compared with other fossil and modern human samples. The endocast shows most of the traits associated with less encephalized human taxa, like narrow frontal lobes and a simple meningeal vascular network with posterior parietal branches. The parietal region is relatively tall and rounded, although not especially large. Based on our set of measures, the general endocranial proportions are within the range of fossils included in the species Homo habilis or in the genus Australopithecus. Similarities with the genus Homo include a more posterior position of the frontal lobe relative to the cranial bones, and the general endocranial length and width when size is taken into account. This new specimen extends the known brain size variability of Homo ergaster/erectus, while suggesting that differences in gross brain proportions among early human species, or even between early humans and australopiths, were absent or subtle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Bruner
- Programa de Paleobiología, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
| | - Ralph Holloway
- Department of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Karen L Baab
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, USA
| | - Michael J Rogers
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sileshi Semaw
- Programa de Arqueología, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain.,Stone Age Institute, Gosport, Indiana, USA
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11
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Reed DN, Raney E, Johnson J, Jackson H, Virabalin N, Mbonu N. Hominin nomenclature and the importance of information systems for managing complexity in paleoanthropology. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103308. [PMID: 36649665 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Denné N Reed
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2100 Speedway, Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Emily Raney
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2100 Speedway, Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Jyhreh Johnson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2100 Speedway, Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Harper Jackson
- University of Texas at Austin, 2100 Speedway, Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Nida Virabalin
- University of Texas at Austin, 2100 Speedway, Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Nina Mbonu
- University of Texas at Austin, 2100 Speedway, Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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12
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Bruner E, Beaudet A. The brain of Homo habilis: Three decades of paleoneurology. J Hum Evol 2023; 174:103281. [PMID: 36455402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In 1987, Phillip Tobias published a comprehensive anatomical analysis of the endocasts attributed to Homo habilis, discussing issues dealing with brain size, sulcal patterns, and vascular traces. He suggested that the neuroanatomy of this species evidenced a clear change toward many cerebral traits associated with our genus, mostly when concerning the morphology of the frontal and parietal cortex. After more than 30 years, the fossil record associated with this taxon has not grown that much, but we have much more information on cranial and brain biology, and we are using a larger array of digital methods to investigate the paleoneurological variation observed in the human genus. Brain volume, the size of the frontal lobe, or the gross hemispheric asymmetries are still relevant issues, but they are considered to be less central than before. More attention is instead being paid to the cortical organization, the relationships with the cranial architecture, and the influence of molecular or ecological factors. Although the field of paleoneurology can currently count on a larger range of tools and principles, there is still a general lack of anatomical information on many endocranial traits. This aspect is probably crucial for the agenda of paleoneurology. More importantly, the whole science is undergoing a delicate change, because of the growing influence of the social environment. In this sense, the disciplines working with fossils (and, in particular, with brain evolution) should take particular care to maintain a healthy professional situation, avoiding an excess of speculation and overstatement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Bruner
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- University of Cambridge, Henry Wellcome Building, Fitzwilliam St, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050, South Africa; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Carrer de l'Escola Industrial, 23, 08201 Sabadell, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Hatala KG, Gatesy SM, Falkingham PL. Arched footprints preserve the motions of fossil hominin feet. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:32-41. [PMID: 36604550 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01929-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The longitudinal arch of the human foot is viewed as a pivotal adaptation for bipedal walking and running. Fossil footprints from Laetoli, Tanzania, and Ileret, Kenya, are believed to provide direct evidence of longitudinally arched feet in hominins from the Pliocene and Pleistocene, respectively. We studied the dynamics of track formation using biplanar X-ray, three-dimensional animation and discrete element particle simulation. Here, we demonstrate that longitudinally arched footprints are false indicators of foot anatomy; instead they are generated through a specific pattern of foot kinematics that is characteristic of human walking. Analyses of fossil hominin tracks from Laetoli show only partial evidence of this walking style, with a similar heel strike but a different pattern of propulsion. The earliest known evidence for fully modern human-like bipedal kinematics comes from the early Pleistocene Ileret tracks, which were presumably made by members of the genus Homo. This result signals important differences in the foot kinematics recorded at Laetoli and Ileret and underscores an emerging picture of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin G Hatala
- Department of Biology, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Stephen M Gatesy
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Peter L Falkingham
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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Chen J, Ying L, Zeng L, Li C, Jia Y, Yang H, Yang G. The novel compound heterozygous rare variants may impact positively selected regions of TUBGCP6, a microcephaly associated gene. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1059477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionThe microcephaly is a rare and severe disease probably under purifying selection due to the reduction of human brain-size. In contrast, the brain-size enlargement is most probably driven by positive selection, in light of this critical phenotypical innovation during primates and human evolution. Thus, microcephaly-related genes were extensively studied for signals of positive selection. However, whether the pathogenic variants of microcephaly-related genes could affect the regions of positive selection is still unclear.MethodsHere, we conducted whole genome sequencing (WGS) and positive selection analysis.ResultsWe identified novel compound heterozygous variants, p.Y613* and p.E1368K in TUBGCP6, related to microcephaly in a Chinese family. The genotyping and the sanger sequencing revealed the maternal and the paternal origin for the first and second variant, respectively. The p.Y613* occurred before the second and third domain of TUBGCP6 protein, while p.E1368K located within the linker region of the second and third domain. Interestingly, using multiple positive selection analyses, we revealed the potential impacts of these variants on the regions of positive selection of TUBGCP6. The truncating variant p.Y613* could lead to the deletions of two positively selected domains DUF5401 and Spc97_Spc98, while p.E1368K could impose a rare mutation burden on the linker region between these two domains.DiscussionOur investigation expands the list of candidate pathogenic variants of TUBGCP6 that may cause microcephaly. Moreover, the study provides insights into the potential pathogenic effects of variants that truncate or distribute within the positively selected regions.
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15
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Grine FE, Mongle CS, Fleagle JG, Hammond AS. The taxonomic attribution of African hominin postcrania from the Miocene through the Pleistocene: Associations and assumptions. J Hum Evol 2022; 173:103255. [PMID: 36375243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Postcranial bones may provide valuable information about fossil taxa relating to their locomotor habits, manipulative abilities and body sizes. Distinctive features of the postcranial skeleton are sometimes noted in species diagnoses. Although numerous isolated postcranial fossils have become accepted by many workers as belonging to a particular species, it is worthwhile revisiting the evidence for each attribution before including them in comparative samples in relation to the descriptions of new fossils, functional analyses in relation to particular taxa, or in evolutionary contexts. Although some workers eschew the taxonomic attribution of postcranial fossils as being less important (or interesting) than interpreting their functional morphology, it is impossible to consider the evolution of functional anatomy in a taxonomic and phylogenetic vacuum. There are 21 widely recognized hominin taxa that have been described from sites in Africa dated from the Late Miocene to the Middle Pleistocene; postcranial elements have been attributed to 17 of these. The bones that have been thus assigned range from many parts of a skeleton to isolated elements. However, the extent to which postcranial material can be reliably attributed to a specific taxon varies considerably from site to site and species to species, and is often the subject of considerable debate. Here, we review the postcranial remains attributed to African hominin taxa from the Late Miocene to the Middle and Late Pleistocene and place these assignations into categories of reliability. The catalog of attributions presented here may serve as a guide for making taxonomic decisions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick E Grine
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA; Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA.
| | - Carrie S Mongle
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - John G Fleagle
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - Ashley S Hammond
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10024, USA
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16
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The relative limb size of Homonaledi. J Hum Evol 2022; 170:103235. [PMID: 35994845 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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17
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One Genus or Two? Evaluating Whether Gracile and Robust Capuchin Monkeys are Validly Classified as Separate Genera Based on Craniofacial Shape. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00300-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAssessments of whether closely related species should be classified into more than one genus have been a longstanding source of controversy in primatology. For example, researchers hold differing opinions about whether cebine species should be classified into one or two genera. In this study, we investigated whether craniofacial shape is a reliable taxonomic indicator among cebines and statistically evaluated whether the magnitude of craniofacial shape differences observed among gracile and robust capuchin species is consistent with a two-genus taxonomic framework. We quantify craniofacial shape using 3D landmark data taken from 72 surface models, representing five cebine species (Cebus albifrons, C. capucinus, C. olivaceus, C. (Sapajus) libidinosus, and C. (S.) macrocephalus). We find that although statistically significant shape differences exist between gracile and robust capuchins in all four craniofacial regions investigated (face and palate, basicranium, calvarium, and frontal region of the calvarium), the magnitude of shape differences between species pairs does not support gracile and robust species being classified into separate genera. The shape of the frontal region of the calvarium and the face and palate show the highest magnitude of shape differences between the gracile and robust capuchin groups, and both regions are good taxonomic predictors, showing correct classification rates of 97% and 96%, respectively. At the species-level, face and palate shape is the only craniofacial measure that consistently shows high classification rates among species (84-97% for combined-sex analyses). Our findings suggest that robust capuchin species that are often assigned to Sapajus may be more appropriately considered as Cebus under a single-genus framework for cebines based on craniofacial shape evidence.
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Abstract
The origins of Homo, as well as the diversity and biogeographic distribution of early Homo species, remain critical outstanding issues in paleoanthropology. Debates about the recognition of early Homo, first appearance dates, and taxonomic diversity within Homo are particularly important for determining the role that southern African taxa may have played in the origins of the genus. The correct identification of Homo remains also has implications for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships between species of Australopithecus and Paranthropus, and the links between early Homo species and Homo erectus. We use microcomputed tomography and landmark-free deformation-based three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to extract taxonomically informative data from the internal structure of postcanine teeth attributed to Early Pleistocene Homo in the southern African hominin-bearing sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Drimolen, and Kromdraai B. Our results indicate that, from our sample of 23 specimens, only 4 are unambiguously attributed to Homo, 3 of them coming from Swartkrans member 1 (SK 27, SK 847, and SKX 21204) and 1 from Sterkfontein (Sts 9). Three other specimens from Sterkfontein (StW 80 and 81, SE 1508, and StW 669) approximate the Homo condition in terms of overall enamel-dentine junction shape, but retain Australopithecus-like dental traits, and their generic status remains unclear. The other specimens, including SK 15, present a dominant australopith dental signature. In light of these results, previous dietary and ecological interpretations can be reevaluated, showing that the geochemical signal of one tooth from Kromdraai (KB 5223) and two from Swartkrans (SK 96 and SKX 268) is consistent with that of australopiths.
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van Holstein LA, Foley RA. A process-based approach to hominin taxonomy provides new perspectives on hominin speciation. Evol Anthropol 2022; 31:166-174. [PMID: 35758550 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
A longstanding debate in hominin taxonomy is that between "lumpers" and "splitters." We argue that both approaches assume an unrealistically static model of speciation. Speciation is an extended process, of which fossils provide a record. Fossils should be interpreted in a more dynamic framework than is the norm. We introduce the process-based approach (PBA), in which we suggest that "splitters" recognize and name units at an earlier stage of speciation than "lumpers" do. The "determinants" of speciation can control the rate at which population isolates form, or the rate at which these complete the speciation process, or both. Embedded in the PBA, differences between existing lumped and split taxonomies are a heuristic tool to study these processes. We apply the PBA to show that not all hominin populations reached later stages of the speciation process and that populations have a disproportionate likelihood of doing so from ∼3.1 to ∼1.5 Ma. We outline and discuss resulting new research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A van Holstein
- Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert A Foley
- Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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20
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Moreno E, Blasco JM, Letesson JJ, Gorvel JP, Moriyón I. Pathogenicity and Its Implications in Taxonomy: The Brucella and Ochrobactrum Case. Pathogens 2022; 11:377. [PMID: 35335701 PMCID: PMC8954888 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular pathogens of the genus Brucella are phylogenetically close to Ochrobactrum, a diverse group of free-living bacteria with a few species occasionally infecting medically compromised patients. A group of taxonomists recently included all Ochrobactrum organisms in the genus Brucella based on global genome analyses and alleged equivalences with genera such as Mycobacterium. Here, we demonstrate that such equivalencies are incorrect because they overlook the complexities of pathogenicity. By summarizing Brucella and Ochrobactrum divergences in lifestyle, structure, physiology, population, closed versus open pangenomes, genomic traits, and pathogenicity, we show that when they are adequately understood, they are highly relevant in taxonomy and not unidimensional quantitative characters. Thus, the Ochrobactrum and Brucella differences are not limited to their assignments to different "risk-groups", a biologically (and hence, taxonomically) oversimplified description that, moreover, does not support ignoring the nomen periculosum rule, as proposed. Since the epidemiology, prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment are thoroughly unrelated, merging free-living Ochrobactrum organisms with highly pathogenic Brucella organisms brings evident risks for veterinarians, medical doctors, and public health authorities who confront brucellosis, a significant zoonosis worldwide. Therefore, from taxonomical and practical standpoints, the Brucella and Ochrobactrum genera must be maintained apart. Consequently, we urge researchers, culture collections, and databases to keep their canonical nomenclature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgardo Moreno
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 40101, Costa Rica
| | - José María Blasco
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain;
| | - Jean Jacques Letesson
- Unité de Recherche en Biologie des Microorganismes, Faculty of Science, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium;
| | - Jean Pierre Gorvel
- Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Ignacio Moriyón
- Instituto de Salud Tropical y Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain;
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Barr WA, Pobiner B, Rowan J, Du A, Faith JT. No sustained increase in zooarchaeological evidence for carnivory after the appearance of Homo erectus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2115540119. [PMID: 35074877 PMCID: PMC8812535 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115540119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The appearance of Homo erectus shortly after 2.0 Ma is widely considered a turning point in human dietary evolution, with increased consumption of animal tissues driving the evolution of larger brain and body size and a reorganization of the gut. An increase in the size and number of zooarchaeological assemblages after the appearance of H. erectus is often offered as a central piece of archaeological evidence for increased carnivory in this species, but this characterization has yet to be subject to detailed scrutiny. Any widespread dietary shift leading to the acquisition of key traits in H. erectus should be persistent in the zooarchaeological record through time and can only be convincingly demonstrated by a broad-scale analysis that transcends individual sites or localities. Here, we present a quantitative synthesis of the zooarchaeological record of eastern Africa from 2.6 to 1.2 Ma. We show that several proxies for the prevalence of hominin carnivory are all strongly related to how well the fossil record has been sampled, which constrains the zooarchaeological visibility of hominin carnivory. When correcting for sampling effort, there is no sustained increase in the amount of evidence for hominin carnivory between 2.6 and 1.2 Ma. Our observations undercut evolutionary narratives linking anatomical and behavioral traits to increased meat consumption in H. erectus, suggesting that other factors are likely responsible for the appearance of its human-like traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Andrew Barr
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052;
| | - Briana Pobiner
- Human Origins Program, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560
| | - John Rowan
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222
| | - Andrew Du
- Department of Anthropology and Geography, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
- Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Modesto‐Mata M, García‐Campos C, Sarmiento S, Martín‐Francés L, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martinón‐Torres M. Testing the inhibitory cascade model in a recent human sample. J Anat 2021; 239:1170-1181. [PMID: 34227109 PMCID: PMC8546523 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The Inhibitory Cascade Model was proposed by Kavanagh and colleagues (Nature, 449, 427-433 [2007]) after their experimental studies on the dental development of murine rodent species. These authors described an activator-inhibitor mechanism that has been employed to predict evolutionary size patterns of mammalian teeth, including hominins. In the present study, we measured the crown area of the three lower permanent molars (M1, M2, and M3) of a large recent modern human sample of male and female individuals from a collection preserved at the Institute of Anthropology of the University of Coimbra (Portugal). The main aim of the present study is to test if the size molar patterns observed in this human sample fits the Inhibitory Cascade Model. For this purpose, we first measured the crown area in those individuals preserving the complete molar series. Measurements were taken in photographs, using a planimeter and following well-tested techniques used in previous works. We then plot the M3 /M1 and M2 /M1 size ratios. Our results show that the premise of the Inhibitory Cascade Model, according to which the average of the crown area of M2 is approximately one-third of the sum of the crown area of the three molars, is fulfilled. However, our results also show that the individual values of a significant number of males and females are out of the 95% confidence interval predicted by the Inhibitory Cascade Model in rodents. As a result, the present analyses suggest that neither the sample of males, nor that of females, nor the pooled sample fits the Inhibitory Cascade Model. It is important to notice that, although this model has been successfully tested in a large number of current human populations, to the best of our knowledge this is the first study in which individual data have been obtained in a recent human population rather than using the average of the sample. Our results evince that, at the individual level, some factors not yet known could interfere with this model masking the modulation of the size on the molar series in modern humans. We suggest that the considerable delay in the onset of M3 formation in modern humans could be related to a weakening of the possible activation/inhibition process for this tooth. Finally, and in support of our conclusions, we have checked that the absolute and relative size of M1 and M2 is not related to the M3 agenesis in our sample. In line with other studies in primates, our results do not support the Inhibitory Cascade Model in a recent human sample. Further research is needed to better understand the genetic basis of this mechanism and its relationship to the phenotype. In this way, we may be able to find out which evolutionary changes may be responsible for the deviations observed in many species, including Homo sapiens.
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Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution)BurgosSpain
- Anthropology DepartmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Mario Modesto‐Mata
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de ExtremaduraCasa de la Cultura Rodríguez MoñinoCáceresSpain
| | - Cecilia García‐Campos
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution)BurgosSpain
- Fundación AtapuercaIbeas de JuarrosBurgosSpain
| | | | - Laura Martín‐Francés
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution)BurgosSpain
- Anthropology DepartmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Fundación AtapuercaIbeas de JuarrosBurgosSpain
| | | | - María Martinón‐Torres
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human Evolution)BurgosSpain
- Anthropology DepartmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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DeSilva JM, Traniello JFA, Claxton AG, Fannin LD. When and Why Did Human Brains Decrease in Size? A New Change-Point Analysis and Insights From Brain Evolution in Ants. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.742639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human brain size nearly quadrupled in the six million years since Homo last shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees, but human brains are thought to have decreased in volume since the end of the last Ice Age. The timing and reason for this decrease is enigmatic. Here we use change-point analysis to estimate the timing of changes in the rate of hominin brain evolution. We find that hominin brains experienced positive rate changes at 2.1 and 1.5 million years ago, coincident with the early evolution of Homo and technological innovations evident in the archeological record. But we also find that human brain size reduction was surprisingly recent, occurring in the last 3,000 years. Our dating does not support hypotheses concerning brain size reduction as a by-product of body size reduction, a result of a shift to an agricultural diet, or a consequence of self-domestication. We suggest our analysis supports the hypothesis that the recent decrease in brain size may instead result from the externalization of knowledge and advantages of group-level decision-making due in part to the advent of social systems of distributed cognition and the storage and sharing of information. Humans live in social groups in which multiple brains contribute to the emergence of collective intelligence. Although difficult to study in the deep history of Homo, the impacts of group size, social organization, collective intelligence and other potential selective forces on brain evolution can be elucidated using ants as models. The remarkable ecological diversity of ants and their species richness encompasses forms convergent in aspects of human sociality, including large group size, agrarian life histories, division of labor, and collective cognition. Ants provide a wide range of social systems to generate and test hypotheses concerning brain size enlargement or reduction and aid in interpreting patterns of brain evolution identified in humans. Although humans and ants represent very different routes in social and cognitive evolution, the insights ants offer can broadly inform us of the selective forces that influence brain size.
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Abstract
Human physiology is likely to have been selected for endurance physical activity. However, modern humans have become largely sedentary, with physical activity becoming a leisure-time pursuit for most. Whereas inactivity is a strong risk factor for disease, regular physical activity reduces the risk of chronic disease and mortality. Although substantial epidemiological evidence supports the beneficial effects of exercise, comparatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms through which these effects operate. Genetic and genomic analyses have identified genetic variation associated with human performance and, together with recent proteomic, metabolomic and multi-omic analyses, are beginning to elucidate the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical activity on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Seung Kim
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Matthew T Wheeler
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.,Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Euan A Ashley
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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25
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Irish JD, Grabowski M. Relative tooth size, Bayesian inference, and Homo naledi. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:262-282. [PMID: 34190335 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Size-corrected tooth crown measurements were used to estimate phenetic affinities among Homo naledi (~335-236 ka) and 11 other Plio-Pleistocene and recent species. To assess further their efficacy, and identify dental evolutionary trends, the data were then quantitatively coded for phylogenetic analyses. Results from both methods contribute additional characterization of H. naledi relative to other hominins. MATERIALS AND METHODS After division by their geometric mean, scaled mesiodistal and buccolingual dimensions were used in tooth size apportionment analysis to compare H. naledi with Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Paranthropus robustus, P. boisei, H. habilis, H. ergaster, H. erectus, H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis, H. sapiens, and Pan troglodytes. These data produce equivalently scaled samples unaffected by interspecific size differences. The data were then gap-weighted for Bayesian inference. RESULTS Congruence in interspecific relationships is evident between methods, and with many inferred from earlier systematic studies. However, the present results place H. naledi as a sister taxon to H. habilis, based on a symplesiomorphic pattern of relative tooth size. In the preferred Bayesian phylogram, H. naledi is nested within a clade comprising all Homo species, but it shares some characteristics with australopiths and, particularly, early Homo. DISCUSSION Phylogenetic analyses of relative tooth size yield information about evolutionary dental trends not previously reported in H. naledi and the other hominins. Moreover, with an appropriate model these data recovered plausible evolutionary relationships. Together, the findings support recent study suggesting H. naledi originated long before the geological date of the Dinaledi Chamber, from which the specimens under study were recovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Irish
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,The Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mark Grabowski
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Caparros M, Prat S. A Phylogenetic Networks perspective on reticulate human evolution. iScience 2021; 24:102359. [PMID: 33898948 PMCID: PMC8054162 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a methodological phylogenetic reconstruction approach combining Maximum Parsimony and Phylogenetic Networks methods for the study of human evolution applied to phenotypic craniodental characters of 22 hominin species. The approach consists in selecting and validating a tree-like most parsimonious scenario out of several parsimony runs based on various numerical constraints. An intermediate step from tree to network methods is implemented by running an analysis with a reduced apomorphous character dataset that generates multiple parsimonious trees. These most parsimonious trees are then used as input for a Phylogenetic Networks analysis that results in consensus and reticulate networks. We show here that the phylogenetic tree-like definition of the genus Homo is a relative concept linked to craniodental characters that come in support of hypothetical Last Common Ancestors of the most parsimonious scenario and infer that the Homo reticulate network concords with recent findings in paleogenomic research regarding its mode of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Caparros
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Prat
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
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Trujillo CA, Rice ES, Schaefer NK, Chaim IA, Wheeler EC, Madrigal AA, Buchanan J, Preissl S, Wang A, Negraes PD, Szeto RA, Herai RH, Huseynov A, Ferraz MSA, Borges FS, Kihara AH, Byrne A, Marin M, Vollmers C, Brooks AN, Lautz JD, Semendeferi K, Shapiro B, Yeo GW, Smith SEP, Green RE, Muotri AR. Reintroduction of the archaic variant of NOVA1 in cortical organoids alters neurodevelopment. Science 2021; 371:371/6530/eaax2537. [PMID: 33574182 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax2537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionarily conserved splicing regulator neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1 (NOVA1) plays a key role in neural development and function. NOVA1 also includes a protein-coding difference between the modern human genome and Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes. To investigate the functional importance of an amino acid change in humans, we reintroduced the archaic allele into human induced pluripotent cells using genome editing and then followed their neural development through cortical organoids. This modification promoted slower development and higher surface complexity in cortical organoids with the archaic version of NOVA1 Moreover, levels of synaptic markers and synaptic protein coassociations correlated with altered electrophysiological properties in organoids expressing the archaic variant. Our results suggest that the human-specific substitution in NOVA1, which is exclusive to modern humans since divergence from Neanderthals, may have had functional consequences for our species' evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cleber A Trujillo
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Edward S Rice
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Nathan K Schaefer
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Isaac A Chaim
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Emily C Wheeler
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Assael A Madrigal
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Justin Buchanan
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sebastian Preissl
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Allen Wang
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Priscilla D Negraes
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ryan A Szeto
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Roberto H Herai
- Experimental Multiuser Laboratory (LEM), Graduate Program in Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR 80215-901, Brazil
| | - Alik Huseynov
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW3 6LY, UK
| | - Mariana S A Ferraz
- Laboratório de Neurogenética, Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP 09606-070, Brazil
| | - Fernando S Borges
- Laboratório de Neurogenética, Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP 09606-070, Brazil
| | - Alexandre H Kihara
- Laboratório de Neurogenética, Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP 09606-070, Brazil
| | - Ashley Byrne
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Maximillian Marin
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Christopher Vollmers
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Angela N Brooks
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jonathan D Lautz
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Katerina Semendeferi
- Department of Anthropology, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Gene W Yeo
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Stephen E P Smith
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Richard E Green
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Alysson R Muotri
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Villamil CI. The role of developmental rate, body size, and positional behavior in the evolution of covariation and evolvability in the cranium of strepsirrhines and catarrhines. J Hum Evol 2021; 151:102941. [PMID: 33482561 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies on hominin craniofacial evolution have focused on phenotypic integration or covariation among traits. Covariation is thought to significantly affect evolutionary trajectories, shaping the ways in which hominins and other primates could have evolved. However, the ways in which covariation itself evolves are not well understood. This study aims to investigate the role of phylogeny, development, body size, and positional behavior in shaping the strength of covariation in strepsirrhine and catarrhine primate crania (n = 1009, representing 11 genera). These factors may have been catalysts for change in the magnitude of covariation, and they have changed significantly during primate evolution and particularly hominin evolution. Modern humans in particular have slow developmental trajectories, large bodies, and a unique form of locomotion in the form of orthograde bipedalism. Variance of eigenvalues, mean integration, mean evolvability, and mean conditional evolvability was estimated and their relationship to the various factors described earlier was assessed using phylogenetic and nonphylogenetic analyses. Results indicate that some phylogenetic signal is present, but it is not equivalent across integration statistics or cranial regions. In particular, these results suggest that closely related species are more similar than more distantly related species in evolvability of the cranial base and integration of the face. Two divergent patterns were also identified, in which covariation and evolvability of the cranial base are linked to developmental rate, but those of the face are linked to body size. Neither locomotion nor posture appears related to covariation or evolvability of the primate cranium. These results suggest that overall low covariation observed in the hominin cranium may be a result of separate trends in different cranial regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina I Villamil
- School of Chiropractic, Universidad Central Del Caribe, PO Box 60327, Bayamón, PR, 00960-6032, USA; Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10024, USA.
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29
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Bermúdez de Castro JM, Modesto‐Mata M, Martín‐Francés L, García‐Campos C, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martinón‐Torres M. Testing the inhibitory cascade model in the Middle Pleistocene Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) hominin sample. J Anat 2021; 238:173-184. [PMID: 32839991 PMCID: PMC7755082 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The Middle Pleistocene Sima de los Huesos (SH) site has yielded more than 7.500 human fossil remains belonging to a minimum of 29 individuals. Most of these individuals preserve either the complete mandibular molar series or at least the first (M1 ) and second (M2 ) molars. The inhibitory cascade mathematical model was proposed by Kavanagh et al. (Nature, 449, 427-433 [2007]) after their experimental studies on the dental development of murine rodent species. The activator-inhibitor mechanism of this model has shown its ability for predicting evolutionary size patterns of mammalian teeth, including hominins. The main aim of this study is to test whether the size molar patterns observed in the SH hominins fit the inhibitory cascade model. With this purpose, we have measured the crown area of all SH molars in photographs, using a planimeter and following techniques used and well contrasted in previous works. Following one of the premises of the inhibitory cascade model, we expect that the central tooth (M2 in our case) of a triplet would have the average size of the two outer teeth. The absolute difference between the observed and the expected values for the M2 s ranges from 0.23 to 8.46 mm2 in the SH sample. In terms of percentage, the difference ranges between 0.25% and 10.34%, although in most cases, it is below 5%. The plot of the estimated M3 /M1 and M2 /M1 size ratios obtained in the SH hominins occupies a small area of the theoretical developmental morphospace obtained for rodent species. In addition, the majority of the values are placed near the theoretical line which defines the relationship predicted by the inhibitory cascade model in these mammals. The values of the slope and intercept of the reduced major regression obtained for the SH individuals do not differ significantly from those obtained for rodent species, thus confirming that the size of the molars of the SH hominins fits the inhibitory cascade model. We discuss these results in terms of dental development. Despite the promising results in the SH sample, we draw the attention to the fact that most Early Pleistocene Homo specimens exhibit a pattern (M1 < M2 > M3 ), which is outside the expected theoretical morphospace predicted by the inhibitory cascade model. The shift from the M1 < M2 < M3 size relationship observed in early hominins (including H. habilis) to the M1 > M2 > M3 size relationship, which is predominant in modern humans, includes sequences that depart from predictions of the inhibitory cascade model. Additional studies are required to understand these deviations.
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Affiliation(s)
- José María Bermúdez de Castro
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human EvolutionBurgosSpain,Anthropology DepartmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Mario Modesto‐Mata
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de ExtremaduraCasa de la Cultura Rodríguez MoñinoCáceresSpain,Fundación AtapuercaBurgosSpain
| | - Laura Martín‐Francés
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human EvolutionBurgosSpain,Anthropology DepartmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Fundación AtapuercaBurgosSpain
| | - Cecilia García‐Campos
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human EvolutionBurgosSpain,Fundación AtapuercaBurgosSpain
| | | | - María Martinón‐Torres
- CENIEH (National Research Center on Human EvolutionBurgosSpain,Anthropology DepartmentUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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Abstract
In this paper, we turn to languaging, defined here as activity in which wordings play a part. On such a view, while activity is paramount, people also orient to acts of vocalization as wordings. These physical wordings can be used as tools that shape attending, with recourse to neither mental representations nor symbols that store and transmit information. The view is consistent with macroevolutionary continuity and will be used to challenge appeal to a major evolutionary transition to 'language'. On the languaging view, like many modern social primates, hominins have long undertaken encultured activities. Infants, human and nonhuman, act epistemically and, by so doing, align skills with objects to practice. They develop a 'stance' to pragmatic, goal-directed action. In human ontogenesis, we argue, both epistemic action and the stance-taking are extended by vocalizing. Caregiver-infant coordination enables vocalizing to be integrated with acting, attending, perceiving and managing one's attention. Infants also self-entrain vocalizing through 'babble'. Once the developmental threads unite, social reaching (Bates, 1976) favors a special stance to articulatory gestures (one that allows wordings to be made and heard). Just as in orienting to cultural tools, a child grasps a community's ways-with-wordings. The latter often express abstract relations which we can illustrate with modern non-literate use of reciprocal expressions. In Australian and Pacific languages, reciprocals sustain coordinating that, for speakers, is neither symbolic nor arbitrary. Further, cross-linguistic comparison shows the same 'patchy distribution' of reciprocals that characterizes primate tool use. Of course, we do not deny that, in many language games, people can undertake activity that makes symbolic use of wordings. In modern literate societies, abilities based on social reaching are further extended into skills that use notational practices (e.g. letters, numbers, graphics). This opens up whole new fields or domains of languaging. Yet, ostensive use of symbols is plainly a cultural invention - not a direct legacy of hominin evolution.
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31
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Liu Y, Konopka G. An integrative understanding of comparative cognition: lessons from human brain evolution. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:991-1006. [PMID: 32681799 PMCID: PMC7608741 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of animal cognition requires the integration of studies on behavior, electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, development, and genomics. Although studies of comparative cognition are receiving increasing attention from organismal biologists, most current studies focus on the comparison of behaviors and anatomical structures to understand their adaptative values. However, to understand the most potentially complex cognitive program of the human brain a greater synthesis of a multitude of disciplines is needed. In this review, we start with extensive neuroanatomic comparisons between humans and other primates. One likely specialization of the human brain is the expansion of neocortex, especially in regions for high-order cognition (e.g., prefrontal cortex). We then discuss how such an expansion can be linked to heterochrony of the brain developmental program, resulting in a greater number of neurons and enhanced computational capacity. Furthermore, alteration of gene expression in the human brain has been associated with positive selection in DNA sequences of gene regulatory regions. These results not only imply that genes associated with brain development are a major factor in the evolution of cognition, but also that high-quality whole-genome sequencing and gene manipulation techniques are needed for an integrative and functional understanding of comparative cognition in non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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32
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Ksepka SP, Whelan N, Whipps CM, Bullard SA. A New Species of ThelohanellusKudo, 1933 (Myxozoa: Bivalvulida) Infecting Skeletal Muscle of Blacktail Shiner, Cyprinella venusta Girard, 1856 (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in the Chattahoochee River Basin, Georgia. J Parasitol 2020; 106:350-359. [PMID: 32227224 DOI: 10.1645/19-162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Thelohanellus magnacysta n. sp. (Bivalvulida: Myxobolidae) infects the skeletal muscle of blacktail shiner, Cyprinella venusta Girard, 1856 (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in Bull Creek, Chattahoochee River Basin, eastern Georgia. Although numerous members of ThelohanellusKudo, 1933 have overlapping myxospore dimensions with the new species, it differs from all nominal congeners by polar filament coil number and polar capsule width as well as by lacking a mucous envelope, iodinophilic vacuole, and sutural markings. With the use of novel primers for Myxozoa, a phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) suggests that the new species shares a recent common ancestor with a clade of cyprinid-infecting species of Myxobolus Bütschli, 1882 (Bivalvulida: Myxobolidae) and Thelohanellus. Consistent with other published research concerning the systematics of Thelohanellus, this result suggested that Thelohanellus and Myxobolus are polyphyletic and need revision. Histological sections of infected blacktail shiners confirmed that myxospores were only found within a plasmodium and only infected skeletal muscle and that plasmodia were encapsulated by a granuloma comprising varying degrees of acute granulomatous inflammation. The new species is the fourth of Thelohanellus reported from North America and the first reported from Cyprinella, as well as the first myxozoan described from the blacktail shiner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven P Ksepka
- Aquatic Parasitology Laboratory, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn, Alabama 36849
| | - Nathan Whelan
- Warm Springs Fish Technology Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Auburn, Alabama 36849.,School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn, Alabama 36849
| | - Christopher M Whipps
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York (SUNY-ESF), 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York 13210
| | - Stephen A Bullard
- Aquatic Parasitology Laboratory, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn, Alabama 36849
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A genotype:phenotype approach to testing taxonomic hypotheses in hominids. Naturwissenschaften 2020; 107:40. [PMID: 32870408 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-020-01696-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Paleontology has long relied on assumptions about the genetic and developmental influences on skeletal variation. The last few decades of developmental genetics have elucidated the genetic pathways involved in making teeth and patterning the dentition. Quantitative genetic analyses have refined this genotype:phenotype map even more, especially for primates. We now have the ability to define dental traits with a fair degree of fidelity to the underlying genetic architecture; for example, the molar module component (MMC) and the premolar-molar module (PMM) that have been defined through quantitative genetic analyses. We leverage an extensive dataset of extant and extinct hominoid dental variation to explore how these two genetically patterned phenotypes have evolved through time. We assess MMC and PMM to test the hypothesis that these two traits reveal a more biologically informed taxonomy at the genus and species levels than do more traditional measurements. Our results indicate that MMC values for hominids fall into two categories and that Homo is derived compared with earlier taxa. We find a more variable, species-level pattern for PMM. These results, in combination with previous research, demonstrate that MMC reflects the phenotypic output of a more evolutionarily stable, or phylogenetically congruent, genetic mechanism, and PMM is a reflection of a more evolutionarily labile mechanism. These results suggest that the human lineage since the split with chimpanzees may not represent as much genus-level variation as has been inferred from traits whose etiologies are not understood.
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Kinoshita Y, Goto R, Nakano Y, Hirasaki E. A comparison of axial trunk rotation during bipedal walking between humans and Japanese macaques. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:66-75. [PMID: 32860450 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Human walking involves out-of-phase axial rotations of the thorax and pelvis. It has long been believed that this rotational capability is a distinctive feature of the genus Homo. However, Thompson et al. (2015) showed that chimpanzees also counter-rotate their thorax relative to the pelvis during bipedal walking, which raised questions regarding the origins and development of this characteristic. In this study, we measured the axial rotation of the trunk during bipedal walking in humans and macaques to investigate if intra-trunk axial rotations are observed in non-hominoid primate species. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected three-dimensional trunk kinematic data during bipedal walking in six humans and five Japanese macaques. The human subjects walked on a treadmill, and the animal subjects walked on a 5-m runway. During walking, the positions of cluster markers, which defined trunk segments, were recorded by multiple video cameras. Segmental xyz coordinates were digitized, and transverse rotations were calculated using motion analysis software. RESULTS Although trunk rotations in the global coordinate system were greater in macaques than in humans, the intra-trunk rotation and range of motion showed a similar pattern in the two species. CONCLUSIONS Thoracic rotation relative to the pelvis during bipedal walking is not unique to the hominid lineage but rather a characteristic generated by the mechanical requirements of bipedal walking. The fact that the range of motion of counter rotation is similar in these species infers that an optimal range of rotation exists for bipedal walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Kinoshita
- Section of Evolutionary Morphology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Goto
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Nakano
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Eishi Hirasaki
- Section of Evolutionary Morphology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
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35
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Louail M. Feeding strategies and associated cognitive capacities among Plio-Pleistocene hominins: toward new perspectives using the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. REVUE DE PRIMATOLOGIE 2020. [DOI: 10.4000/primatologie.7157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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36
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Peeters S, Zwart H. Neanderthals as familiar strangers and the human spark: How the 'golden years' of Neanderthal research reopen the question of human uniqueness. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 42:33. [PMID: 32696095 PMCID: PMC7374475 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-020-00327-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During the past decades, our image of Homo neanderthalensis has changed dramatically. Initially, Neanderthals were seen as primitive brutes. Increasingly, however, Neanderthals are regarded as basically human. New discoveries and technologies have led to an avalanche of data, and as a result of that it becomes increasingly difficult to pinpoint what the difference between modern humans and Neanderthals really is. And yet, the persistent quest for a minimal difference which separates them from us is still noticeable in Neanderthal research. Neanderthal discourse is a vantage point from which the logic of 'us' versus 'other' is critically reconsidered. Studying contemporary academic literature and science autobiographies from an oblique perspective, focusing not on Neanderthals as objects, but on the dynamics of interaction between Neanderthal researchers and their finds, basic convictions at work in this type of research are retrieved. What is at issue is not the actual distinction between modern humans and Neanderthals (which is continuously being redefined), but rather the dualistic construction of human and nonhuman. Neanderthal understanding is affected by the desire to safeguard human uniqueness. The overall trend is to identify the human mark or spark, which defines us as favoured 'winners'. The paradoxes emerging in contemporary Neanderthal discourse are symptomatic of the fact that a dualistic style of thinking is no longer tenable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Peeters
- Institute for Science in Society (ISiS), Radboud University Nijmegen, Huygens building - Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Bayle building - Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Hub Zwart
- Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Bayle building - Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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37
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Abstract
Here we present evidence of hominin locomotor behavior from the trabecular bone of the femur. We show evidence for habitual use of highly flexed hip postures, which could potentially indicate regular climbing in a South African hominin from Sterkfontein, which is either Paranthropus robustus or Homo. Second, we present evidence that Australopithecus africanus likely did not climb at the frequencies seen in extant nonhuman apes, and exhibits a modern, human-like pattern of loading at the hip joint. These results challenge the prevailing view of a single transition to bipedalism within the hominin clade by providing evidence of climbing in a more recent, non-Australopithecus South African hominin, and add to the increasing evidence for locomotor diversity in the hominin clade. Bipedalism is a defining trait of the hominin lineage, associated with a transition from a more arboreal to a more terrestrial environment. While there is debate about when modern human-like bipedalism first appeared in hominins, all known South African hominins show morphological adaptations to bipedalism, suggesting that this was their predominant mode of locomotion. Here we present evidence that hominins preserved in the Sterkfontein Caves practiced two different locomotor repertoires. The trabecular structure of a proximal femur (StW 522) attributed to Australopithecus africanus exhibits a modern human-like bipedal locomotor pattern, while that of a geologically younger specimen (StW 311) attributed to either Homo sp. or Paranthropus robustus exhibits a pattern more similar to nonhuman apes, potentially suggesting regular bouts of both climbing and terrestrial bipedalism. Our results demonstrate distinct morphological differences, linked to behavioral differences between Australopithecus and later hominins in South Africa and contribute to the increasing evidence of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.
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38
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Royer-Carenzi M, Didier G. Testing for correlation between traits under directional evolution. J Theor Biol 2019; 482:109982. [PMID: 31446022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2019.08.013] [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: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Being confounding factors, directional trends are likely to make two quantitative traits appear as spuriously correlated. By determining the probability distributions of independent contrasts when traits evolve following Brownian motions with linear trends, we show that the standard independent contrasts can not be used to test for correlation in this situation. We propose a multiple regression approach which corrects the bias caused by directional evolution. We show that our approach is equivalent to performing a Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares (PGLS) analysis with tip times as covariables by providing a new and more general proof of the equivalence between PGLS and independent contrasts methods. Our approach is assessed and compared with three previous correlation tests on data simulated in various situations and overall outperforms all the other methods. The approach is next illustrated on a real dataset to test for correlation between hominin cranial capacity and body mass.
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39
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Tett A, Huang KD, Asnicar F, Fehlner-Peach H, Pasolli E, Karcher N, Armanini F, Manghi P, Bonham K, Zolfo M, De Filippis F, Magnabosco C, Bonneau R, Lusingu J, Amuasi J, Reinhard K, Rattei T, Boulund F, Engstrand L, Zink A, Collado MC, Littman DR, Eibach D, Ercolini D, Rota-Stabelli O, Huttenhower C, Maixner F, Segata N. The Prevotella copri Complex Comprises Four Distinct Clades Underrepresented in Westernized Populations. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 26:666-679.e7. [PMID: 31607556 PMCID: PMC6854460 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Prevotella copri is a common human gut microbe that has been both positively and negatively associated with host health. In a cross-continent meta-analysis exploiting >6,500 metagenomes, we obtained >1,000 genomes and explored the genetic and population structure of P. copri. P. copri encompasses four distinct clades (>10% inter-clade genetic divergence) that we propose constitute the P. copri complex, and all clades were confirmed by isolate sequencing. These clades are nearly ubiquitous and co-present in non-Westernized populations. Genomic analysis showed substantial functional diversity in the complex with notable differences in carbohydrate metabolism, suggesting that multi-generational dietary modifications may be driving reduced prevalence in Westernized populations. Analysis of ancient metagenomes highlighted patterns of P. copri presence consistent with modern non-Westernized populations and a clade delineation time pre-dating human migratory waves out of Africa. These findings reveal that P. copri exhibits a high diversity that is underrepresented in Western-lifestyle populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Tett
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy.
| | - Kun D Huang
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy; Department of Sustainable Agro-Ecosystems and Bioresources, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 1 38010 S, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | | | - Hannah Fehlner-Peach
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | | | | | | | - Paolo Manghi
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Kevin Bonham
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA; Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, Italy
| | - Moreno Zolfo
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Francesca De Filippis
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, Italy; Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Cara Magnabosco
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - Richard Bonneau
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY 10010, USA; Departments of Biology and Computer Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - John Lusingu
- National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Centre, Tanzania
| | - John Amuasi
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
| | - Karl Reinhard
- Hardin Hall, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0987, USA
| | - Thomas Rattei
- CUBE - Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Fredrik Boulund
- Centre for Translational Microbiome Research, Department of Microbiology Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Engstrand
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Maria Carmen Collado
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Dan R Littman
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Daniel Eibach
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danilo Ercolini
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, Italy; Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Omar Rota-Stabelli
- Department of Sustainable Agro-Ecosystems and Bioresources, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 1 38010 S, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Curtis Huttenhower
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA; Biostatistics Department, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Nicola Segata
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy.
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Uno Y, Kawakami S, Ochiai K, Omi T. Molecular characterization of cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase ( CMAH) associated with the erythrocyte antigens in dogs. Canine Genet Epidemiol 2019; 6:9. [PMID: 31728195 PMCID: PMC6842231 DOI: 10.1186/s40575-019-0076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) is synthesized from its precursor N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) by cytidine-5′-monophospho-N acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH), which is encoded by the CMAH gene. Most mammals have both Neu5Gc and Neu5Ac, but humans and ferrets have only Neu5Ac because of loss-of-function mutations. Dogs and cats are polymorphic for Neu5Gc and Neu5Ac expression like cats, in which the CMAH gene is responsible for the AB Blood group system. Although the CMAH gene has been characterized in many species, not much is known about it in dogs. In this study, we cloned the dog CMAH cDNA, and performed mRNA expression analysis of this gene in several organs. We also identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CMAH gene. Results We cloned the 1737-bp open reading frame of the dog CMAH gene. This gene consists of at least 14 coding exons and codes for a polypeptide of 578 amino acids and is located on chromosome 35. The amino acid identities of dog CMAH with the corresponding sequences from cat, pig, chimpanzee, mouse, and rat were high (89 to 93%). RT-PCR analysis showed that the dog CMAH cDNA was expressed in various tissues. We identified four exonic SNPs (three synonymous and one non-synonymous), 11 intronic SNPs, and an indel in 11 dog breeds by analyzing the nucleotide sequences of the 14 exons, including the coding region of CMAH. In the genotype of the non-synonymous SNP, c.554 A > G (p.Lys185Arg), in a total of 285 dogs of seven different breeds, the allele G was widely distributed, and the allele A was the most frequent in the Shiba dogs. The dogs expressing Neu5Ac did not carry the loss-of-function deletion of CMAH found in humans and ferrets, and it remains unclear whether the point mutations influence the expression of Neu5Ac. Conclusions We characterized the canine CMAH gene at the molecular level for the first time. The results obtained in this study provide essential information that will help in understanding the molecular roles of the CMAH gene in canine erythrocyte antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumiko Uno
- Department of Basic Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, 180-8602 Japan
| | - Shota Kawakami
- Department of Basic Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, 180-8602 Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Ochiai
- Department of Basic Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, 180-8602 Japan
| | - Toshinori Omi
- Department of Basic Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo, 180-8602 Japan
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Fellow travellers in cognitive evolution: Co-evolution of working memory and mental time travel? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 105:94-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Barrón-Ortiz CI, Avilla LS, Jass CN, Bravo-Cuevas VM, Machado H, Mothé D. What Is Equus? Reconciling Taxonomy and Phylogenetic Analyses. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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MacLatchy L, Rossie J, Houssaye A, Olejniczak AJ, Smith TM. New hominoid fossils from Moroto II, Uganda and their bearing on the taxonomic and adaptive status of Morotopithecus bishopi. J Hum Evol 2019; 132:227-246. [PMID: 31203849 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The early Miocene site of Moroto II, Uganda has yielded some of the oldest known hominoid fossils. A new partial mandible (UMP MORII 03'551) is notable for its long tooth row and large, narrow M2 with well-developed cristids - a morphological combination previously unknown for large bodied catarrhines of the Early Miocene and suggesting folivory. The tooth proportions are compatible with belonging to the same taxon as the maxilla UMP 62-11, the holotype of Morotopithecus bishopi; likewise, the long tooth row and vertical planum of UMP MORII 03'551 suggest that it may represent the same taxon as mandible(s) UMP 66-01 and UMP 62-10. Canine size strongly suggests UMP MORII 03'551 is a female. Comparisons of the tooth crown morphology and tooth row proportions, relative enamel thickness, enamel-dentine junction morphology, long-period line periodicity, and dental wear patterns support significant morphological, developmental, and inferred dietary differentiation, and therefore generic-level distinctiveness, among Afropithecus, Morotopithecus and the Proconsul clade. An isolated M1 (UMP MORII 03'559) is morphologically dissimilar, and much smaller than the actual or inferred size of molars in UMP MORII 03'551, UMP 66-01 and UMP 62-10, supporting the presence of two hominoid taxa at Moroto II, M. bishopi and a smaller bodied proconsulid. Given the high level of body mass dimorphism inferred for Morotopithecus and other early Miocene catarrhines, the known postcrania from Moroto II could be attributable to either taxon. However, UMP MORII 03'551 and the femora UMP MORII 94'80 derive from the same stratigraphic interval, while the isolated M1 was deposited later, increasing the likelihood that the mandible and femora are from the same individual. These new fossils expand our understanding of the taxonomic and adaptive diversity of early Miocene catarrhines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura MacLatchy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA.
| | - James Rossie
- Department of Anthropology, S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Adaptations du Vivant, 57 Rue Cuvier CP-55, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Tanya M Smith
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Nilsson MI, Tarnopolsky MA. Mitochondria and Aging-The Role of Exercise as a Countermeasure. BIOLOGY 2019; 8:biology8020040. [PMID: 31083586 PMCID: PMC6627948 DOI: 10.3390/biology8020040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria orchestrate the life and death of most eukaryotic cells by virtue of their ability to supply adenosine triphosphate from aerobic respiration for growth, development, and maintenance of the ‘physiologic reserve’. Although their double-membrane structure and primary role as ‘powerhouses of the cell’ have essentially remained the same for ~2 billion years, they have evolved to regulate other cell functions that contribute to the aging process, such as reactive oxygen species generation, inflammation, senescence, and apoptosis. Biological aging is characterized by buildup of intracellular debris (e.g., oxidative damage, protein aggregates, and lipofuscin), which fuels a ‘vicious cycle’ of cell/DNA danger response activation (CDR and DDR, respectively), chronic inflammation (‘inflammaging’), and progressive cell deterioration. Therapeutic options that coordinately mitigate age-related declines in mitochondria and organelles involved in quality control, repair, and recycling are therefore highly desirable. Rejuvenation by exercise is a non-pharmacological approach that targets all the major hallmarks of aging and extends both health- and lifespan in modern humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mats I Nilsson
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
- Exerkine Corporation, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada.
| | - Mark A Tarnopolsky
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
- Exerkine Corporation, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada.
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Du A, Alemseged Z. Temporal evidence shows Australopithecus sediba is unlikely to be the ancestor of Homo. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaav9038. [PMID: 31086821 PMCID: PMC6506247 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav9038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the emergence of the genus Homo is a pressing problem in the study of human origins. Australopithecus sediba has recently been proposed as the ancestral species of Homo, although it postdates earliest Homo by 800,000 years. Here, we use probability models to demonstrate that observing an ancestor's fossil horizon that is at least 800,000 years younger than the descendant's fossil horizon is unlikely (about 0.09% on average). We corroborate these results by searching the literature and finding that within pairs of purported hominin ancestor-descendant species, in only one case did the first-discovered fossil in the ancestor postdate that from the descendant, and the age difference between these fossils was much less than the difference observed between A. sediba and earliest Homo. Together, these results suggest it is highly unlikely that A. sediba is ancestral to Homo, and the most viable candidate ancestral species remains Australopithecus afarensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Du
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Zeresenay Alemseged
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Lesciotto KM, Richtsmeier JT. Craniofacial skeletal response to encephalization: How do we know what we think we know? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 168 Suppl 67:27-46. [PMID: 30680710 PMCID: PMC6424107 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Dramatic changes in cranial capacity have characterized human evolution. Important evolutionary hypotheses, such as the spatial packing hypothesis, assert that increases in relative brain size (encephalization) have caused alterations to the modern human skull, resulting in a suite of traits unique among extant primates, including a domed cranial vault, highly flexed cranial base, and retracted facial skeleton. Most prior studies have used fossil or comparative primate data to establish correlations between brain size and cranial form, but the mechanistic basis for how changes in brain size impact the overall shape of the skull resulting in these cranial traits remains obscure and has only rarely been investigated critically. We argue that understanding how changes in human skull morphology could have resulted from increased encephalization requires the direct testing of hypotheses relating to interaction of embryonic development of the bones of the skull and the brain. Fossil and comparative primate data have thoroughly described the patterns of association between brain size and skull morphology. Here we suggest complementing such existing datasets with experiments focused on mechanisms responsible for producing the observed patterns to more thoroughly understand the role of encephalization in shaping the modern human skull.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M Lesciotto
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Joan T Richtsmeier
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
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Hominin diversity and high environmental variability in the Okote Member, Koobi Fora Formation, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2019; 126:91-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Cabestrero-Rincón MA, Balzeau A, Lorenzo C. Differential evolution of cerebral and cerebellar fossae in recent Homo: A new methodological approach. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2018; 69:289-303. [PMID: 30463675 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The endocranium shows the influence of the shape and development of brain tissues and overall brain modifications. During the late Upper Pleistocene and Holocene smaller brains appeared and the higher position of endinion relative to inion might indicate changes in cerebellar and occipital lobes. In previous studies, the depths of the cerebral and cerebellar fossae were not specifically considered; new tools for quantitatively measuring these irregular, problematic curved areas need to be developed. This paper's main objective is to investigate to what degree changes in the fossae's depths of extant humans have occurred with respect to fossil anatomically modern humans (AMH) and older Homo species. The proportions of the occipital and nuchal planes are compared measuring the inner and outer surfaces of the bone. Additionally, this paper proposes a quantitative geometric methodology based on endocranial landmarks that create a plane with which to measure the position of the deepest part of the fossa: it represents a curvature maxima - concavity - associated with local structures. The four points thus obtained could be framed in Bookstein's Type II landmarks but without biomechanical implication. Through univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses (principal components analysis) of raw and size-corrected data we study the differential evolution in recent Homo species, which presents a more vertical occipital area than ancient fossils. Our results corroborate this derived trait; additionally, we have observed a tendency towards a relative decrease in the depth of the cerebral fossae and maintenance of the cerebellar fossae.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Cabestrero-Rincón
- Castell de Bellver-Museu d'Història de la Ciutat, c/Camilo José Cela, s/n. 07014 Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain; Àrea de Prehistòria, Fac. Lletres, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Catalunya, 35 43002 Tarragona, Spain.
| | - A Balzeau
- Département Hommes et environnement, UMR 7194 du CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, 17, place du Trocadéro, F-75016 Paris, France
| | - C Lorenzo
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Fac. Lletres, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Catalunya, 35 43002 Tarragona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Carrer Marcel·lí Domingo s/n - Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain
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Roach NT, Du A, Hatala KG, Ostrofsky KR, Reeves JS, Braun DR, Harris JW, Behrensmeyer AK, Richmond BG. Pleistocene animal communities of a 1.5 million-year-old lake margin grassland and their relationship to Homo erectus paleoecology. J Hum Evol 2018; 122:70-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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50
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Vitale JA, Lombardi G, Weydahl A, Banfi G. Biological rhythms, chronodisruption and chrono-enhancement: The role of physical activity as synchronizer in correcting steroids circadian rhythm in metabolic dysfunctions and cancer. Chronobiol Int 2018; 35:1185-1197. [DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2018.1475395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Antonino Vitale
- Laboratory of Biological Structure Biomechanics, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milano, Italia
| | - Giovanni Lombardi
- Laboratory of Experimental Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milano, Italia
| | - Andi Weydahl
- UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Alta, Norway
| | - Giuseppe Banfi
- Laboratory of Experimental Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milano, Italia
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italia
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