1
|
Nava A, Lugli F, Lemmers S, Cerrito P, Mahoney P, Bondioli L, Müller W. Reading children's teeth to reconstruct life history and the evolution of human cooperation and cognition: The role of dental enamel microstructure and chemistry. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105745. [PMID: 38825260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105745] [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: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Studying infants in the past is crucial for understanding the evolution of human life history and the evolution of cooperation, cognition, and communication. An infant's growth, health, and mortality can provide information about the dynamics and structure of a population, their cultural practices, and the adaptive capacity of a community. Skeletal remains provide one way of accessing this information for humans recovered prior to the historical periods. Teeth in particular, are retrospective archives of information that can be accessed through morphological, micromorphological, and biogeochemical methods. This review discusses how the microanatomy and formation of teeth, and particularly enamel, serve as archives of somatic growth, stress, and the environment. Examining their role in the broader context of human evolution, we discuss dental biogeochemistry and emphasize how the incremental growth of tooth microstructure facilitates the reconstruction of temporal data related to health, diet, mobility, and stress in past societies. The review concludes by considering tooth microstructure as a biomarker and the potential clinical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Nava
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, via Caserta 6, Rome 00161, Italy.
| | - Federico Lugli
- Institut of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Giuseppe Campi, 103, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Simone Lemmers
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., AREA Science Park, s.s. 14 km 163,500, Basovizza, Trieste, Italy; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Cerrito
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Giles Ln, Giles Ln, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua, Piazza Capitaniato, 7, Padua 35139, Italy
| | - Wolfgang Müller
- Institut of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
García-González R, Rodríguez L, Salazar-Fernández A, Arsuaga JL, Carretero JM. Updated study of adult and subadult pectoral girdle bones from Sima de los Huesos site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain). Anatomical and age estimation keys. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:2491-2518. [PMID: 36656646 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25158] [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: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Here we present an updated inventory and study of pectoral girdle remains recovered from the Sima de los Huesos (SH) site. Here, we describe the key morphological traits of adults and, for the first time, subadult specimens. Because morphological traits can change with age, we also discuss some shortcomings related to age estimation in postcranial fossil specimens. Adult clavicles from the SH are long with a low robusticity index and marked curvatures in the superior view. Among these traits, only extreme clavicular length seems to characterize subadult individuals. Neandertals share all these traits. In the case of the scapula, the SH specimens share a relatively long and narrow glenoid fossa with Neandertals. This trait is also present in subadult individuals. Additionally, most specimens from SH, adults, and subadults showed a dorsal axillary sulcus on the scapular lateral border, a trait also present in most adult and subadult Neandertals. These traits in adult and subadult specimens supports substantial genetic control for many of them in both human species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca García-González
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i-CIBA, Burgos, Spain
| | - Laura Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i-CIBA, Burgos, Spain
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | | | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José-Miguel Carretero
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i-CIBA, Burgos, Spain
- Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Unidad Asociada de I+D+i al CSIC Vidrio y Materiales del Patrimonio Cultural (VIMPAC), Burgos, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Conde-Valverde M, Quirós-Sánchez A, Diez-Valero J, Mata-Castro N, García-Fernández A, Quam R, Carretero JM, García-González R, Rodríguez L, Sánchez-Andrés Á, Arsuaga JL, Martínez I, Villaverde V. The child who lived: Down syndrome among Neanderthals? SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn9310. [PMID: 38924400 PMCID: PMC11204207 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn9310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Caregiving for disabled individuals among Neanderthals has been known for a long time, and there is a debate about the implications of this behavior. Some authors believe that caregiving took place between individuals able to reciprocate the favor, while others argue that caregiving was produced by a feeling of compassion related to other highly adaptive prosocial behaviors. The study of children with severe pathologies is particularly interesting, as children have a very limited possibility to reciprocate the assistance. We present the case of a Neanderthal child who suffered from a congenital pathology of the inner ear, probably debilitating, and associated with Down syndrome. This child would have required care for at least 6 years, likely necessitating other group members to assist the mother in childcare.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Conde-Valverde
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Amara Quirós-Sánchez
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Julia Diez-Valero
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Nieves Mata-Castro
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, Móstoles, Spain
- Hospital Universitario HM Montepríncipe, Boadilla del Monte, Spain
- Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfredo García-Fernández
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, Móstoles, Spain
- Hospital Universitario HM Montepríncipe, Boadilla del Monte, Spain
- Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rolf Quam
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY, USA
- Centro de Investigación UCM-ISCIII sobre la Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - José Miguel Carretero
- Centro de Investigación UCM-ISCIII sobre la Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Universidad de Burgos, Burgos, Spain
- Unidad Asociada de I+D+i al CSIC Vidrio y Materiales del Patrimonio Cultural (VIMPAC), Universidad de Burgos, Burgos, Spain
| | | | - Laura Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Universidad de Burgos, Burgos, Spain
- Área de Antropología Física. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad de León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Campus De Vegazana, León, Spain
| | - Ángeles Sánchez-Andrés
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro de Investigación UCM-ISCIII sobre la Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ignacio Martínez
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Valentín Villaverde
- Universitat de València, Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga (PREMEDOC), Av. Blasco Ibañez 28, 46010 València, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Mahoney P, McFarlane G, Taurozzi AJ, Madupe PP, O'Hara MC, Molopyane K, Cappellini E, Hawks J, Skinner MM, Berger L. Human-like enamel growth in Homo naledi. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24893. [PMID: 38180115 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A modern pattern (rate and duration) of dental development occurs relatively recently during human evolution. Given the temporal overlap of Homo naledi with the first appearance of fossil Homo sapiens in Africa, this small-bodied and small-brained hominin presents an opportunity to elucidate the evolution of enamel growth in the hominin clade. Here we conduct the first histological study of two permanent mandibular canines and one permanent maxillary first molar, representing three individuals attributed to H. naledi. We reconstruct the rate and duration of enamel growth and compare these findings to those reported for other fossil hominins and recent humans. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thin sections of each tooth were produced using standard histological methods. Daily and longer period incremental markings were measured to reconstruct enamel secretion and extension rates, Retzius periodicity, canine crown and molar cusp formation time. RESULTS Daily enamel secretion rates overlapped with those from recent hominins. Canine crown formation time is similar to that observed in recent Europeans but is longer than canine formation times reported for most other hominins including Australopithecus and H. neanderthalensis. The extended period of canine formation appears to be due to a relatively tall enamel crown and a sustained slow rate of enamel extension in the cervical portion of the crown. A Retzius periodicity of 11 days for the canines, and nine days for the molar, in H. naledi parallel results found in recent humans. An 11-day periodicity has not been reported for Late Pleistocene Homo (H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis) and is rarely found in Australopithecus and Paranthropus species. DISCUSSION Enamel growth of H. naledi is most similar to recent humans though comparative data are limited for most fossil hominin species. The high Retzius periodicity values do not follow expectations for a small-brained hominin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mahoney
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Gina McFarlane
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Alberto J Taurozzi
- Section for GeoGenetics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Palesa P Madupe
- Section for GeoGenetics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Mackie C O'Hara
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Keneiloe Molopyane
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- The National Geographic Society, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Enrico Cappellini
- Section for GeoGenetics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - John Hawks
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Lee Berger
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- The National Geographic Society, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- The Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Richards GD, Jabbour RS, Guipert G, Defleur A. Neanderthal child's maxilla from Baume Moula-Guercy (Soyons, Ardèche, France). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:2484-2513. [PMID: 37010952 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25218] [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: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
This article provides an ontogenetically-based comparative description of the Guercy 3 partial child's maxilla with Rdm2 -RM1 and unerupted RI2 -RP4 from Baume Moula-Guercy (MIS 5e) and examines its affinities to European and Middle Eastern Middle-to-Late Pleistocene (≈MIS 14-MIS 1) Homo. Description of the Guercy 3 maxilla and dentition (7.0 year ± 0.9 month) is based on observations of original fossils, casts, CT scans, literature descriptions, and virtual reconstructions. Our ontogenetic sample comprises a Preneanderthal-Neanderthal group and a Homo sapiens group. These groups are subdivided into (1) Preneanderthals (≈MIS 14-9), Early Neanderthals (MIS 7-5e), and Late Neanderthals (MIS 5d-3), and (2) Middle (MIS 5), Upper (MIS 3-2), and Late Upper Paleolithic (≈MIS 1), and recent H. sapiens. Standard techniques were employed for measurements and developmental age determinations.The Guercy 3 maxilla lacks changes found in Late Neanderthals, including the positioning of the root of the zygomatic process, infraorbital and nasal plates, premaxilla, buccal and labial alveolus, maxillary sinus, nasal cavity, and verticality of anterior tooth implantation. The morphology of the Guercy 3 maxilla more closely approximates that of Sima de los Huesos Preneanderthals, while the dentition more closely approximates the Early-Late Neanderthal condition. Maxillary remains of children and juveniles between MIS 14-MIS 5e are rare, and the available sample is fragmentary and distorted. Although fragmentary, the Guercy 3 maxilla is undistorted and provides new insights into the evolution of the midface in Neanderthals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gary D Richards
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, A. A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Rebecca S Jabbour
- Department of Biology, Saint Mary's College of California, Moraga, California, USA
| | - Gaspard Guipert
- Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Fondation Albert Ier Prince de Monaco, 1 rue René Panhard, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Alban Defleur
- CEPAM-UMR 7264 CNRS, Université de Nice, Campus SJA3 24, avenue des Diables Bleus, 06357, Nice Cedex 4, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bolter DR, Cameron N, Hawks J, Churchill SE, Berger L, Bernstein R, Boughner JC, Elton S, Leece AB, Mahoney P, Molopyane K, Monson TA, Pruetz J, Schell L, Stull KE, Wolfe CA. Addressing the growing fossil record of subadult hominins by reaching across disciplines. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:180-184. [PMID: 37555538 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Debra R Bolter
- Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, California, USA
- Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, California, USA
| | - Noel Cameron
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK
| | - John Hawks
- Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Anthropology Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Steven E Churchill
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lee Berger
- Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Explorer in Residence, National Geographic Society, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Robin Bernstein
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Julia C Boughner
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of the Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Sarah Elton
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - A B Leece
- Palaeoscience, Department of Archaeology and History, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Keneiloe Molopyane
- Faculty of Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tesla A Monson
- Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Jill Pruetz
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas, USA
| | - Lawrence Schell
- Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Kyra E Stull
- Department of Anthropology, University of Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
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: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ríos L, Sleeper MM, Danforth MD, Murphy HW, Kutinsky I, Rosas A, Bastir M, Gómez-Cambronero J, Sanjurjo R, Campens L, Rider O, Pastor F. The aorta in humans and African great apes, and cardiac output and metabolic levels in human evolution. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6841. [PMID: 37100851 PMCID: PMC10133235 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33675-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have a larger energy budget than great apes, allowing the combination of the metabolically expensive traits that define our life history. This budget is ultimately related to the cardiac output, the product of the blood pumped from the ventricle and the number of heart beats per minute, a measure of the blood available for the whole organism physiological activity. To show the relationship between cardiac output and energy expenditure in hominid evolution, we study a surrogate measure of cardiac output, the aortic root diameter, in humans and great apes. When compared to gorillas and chimpanzees, humans present an increased body mass adjusted aortic root diameter. We also use data from the literature to show that over the human lifespan, cardiac output and total energy expenditure follow almost identical trajectories, with a marked increase during the period of brain growth, and a plateau during most of the adult life. The limited variation of adjusted cardiac output with sex, age and physical activity supports the compensation model of energy expenditure in humans. Finally, we present a first study of cardiac output in the skeleton through the study of the aortic impression in the vertebral bodies of the spine. It is absent in great apes, and present in humans and Neanderthals, large-brained hominins with an extended life cycle. An increased adjusted cardiac output, underlying higher total energy expenditure, would have been a key process in human evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Ríos
- Unit of Physical Anthropology, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Sciences Society, 20014, Donostia, Basque Country, Spain.
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Meg M Sleeper
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Avenue, PO Box 100126, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0126, USA
| | - Marietta D Danforth
- Great Ape Heart Project, Detroit Zoological Society, 8450 W. 10 Mile Rd., Royal Oak, MI, 48067, USA
| | - Hayley Weston Murphy
- Great Ape Heart Project, Detroit Zoological Society, 8450 W. 10 Mile Rd., Royal Oak, MI, 48067, USA
| | - Ilana Kutinsky
- Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, 586 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Gómez-Cambronero
- Unit of Physical Anthropology, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Sanjurjo
- Unit of Physical Anthropology, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laurence Campens
- Cardiology Department, Ghent University Hospital, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Oliver Rider
- University of Oxford Centre for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Research, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Francisco Pastor
- Department of Anatomy and Radiology, University of Valladolid, 47005, Valladolid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ganapathee DS, Gunz P. Insights into brain evolution through the genotype-phenotype connection. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 275:73-92. [PMID: 36841571 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
It has recently become possible to start exploring how the genotype translates into human brain morphology and behavior by combining detailed genomic and phenotypic data from thousands of present-day people with archaic genomes of extinct humans, and gene expression data. As a starting point into this emerging interdisciplinary domain, we highlight current debates about which aspects of the modern human brain are unique. We review recent developments from (1) comparative primate neuroscience-a fast-growing field offering an invaluable framework for understanding general mechanisms and the evolution of human-specific traits. (2) paleoanthropology-based on evidence from endocranial imprints in fossil skulls, we trace the evolution from the ape-like brain phenotype of early hominins more than 3 million years ago to the unusual globular brain shape of present-day people. (3) Genomics of present-day and extinct humans. The morphological and genetic differences between modern humans and our closest extinct cousins, the Neandertals, offer important clues about the genetic underpinnings of brain morphology and behavior. The functional consequences of these genetic differences can be tested in animal models, and brain organoids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Beaudet A. The Australopithecus assemblage from Sterkfontein Member 4 (South Africa) and the concept of variation in palaeontology. Evol Anthropol 2023. [PMID: 36632711 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Interpreting morphological variation within the early hominin fossil record is particularly challenging. Apart from the fact that there is no absolute threshold for defining species boundaries in palaeontology, the degree of variation related to sexual dimorphism, temporal depth, geographic variation or ontogeny is difficult to appreciate in a fossil taxon mainly represented by fragmentary specimens, and such variation could easily be conflated with taxonomic diversity. One of the most emblematic examples in paleoanthropology is the Australopithecus assemblage from the Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa. Whereas some studies support the presence of multiple Australopithecus species at Sterkfontein, others explore alternative hypotheses to explain the morphological variation within the hominin assemblage. In this review, I briefly summarize the ongoing debates surrounding the interpretation of morphological variation at Sterkfontein Member 4 before exploring two promising avenues that would deserve specific attention in the future, that is, temporal depth and nonhuman primate diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Beaudet
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Pop CM, Wilson L, Browne CL. Evaluating landscape knowledge and lithic resource selection at the French Middle Paleolithic site of the Bau de l'Aubesier. J Hum Evol 2022; 166:103152. [PMID: 35338861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103152] [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: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We report on the application of a novel approach to exploring the degree of landscape knowledge, wayfinding abilities, and the nature of decision-making processes reflected in the utilization of stone resources in the French Middle Paleolithic. Specifically, we use data from the site of the Bau de l'Aubesier to explore the reasons why a majority of the 350 raw material sources cataloged in the surrounding region appear not to have been utilized, including several located near the site and yielding high-quality lithic materials. To this end, we focus on the spatial relationships between sources as an explanatory variable, operationalized in terms of minimum travel times. Using geographic information system software and a generalized linear model of resource selection derived from the Bau assemblages, we compute source utilization probabilities from the perspective of hominins located off-site. We do so under three optimization scenarios, factoring in the intrinsic characteristics (e.g., quality) and time required to reach each source on the way to the Bau. More generally, we find that in slightly more than 50% of cases, seemingly viable sources may have been ignored simply because the minimum cost path leading back to the Bau passes through or requires only minimal deviations to reach, higher quality options. More generally, we found that throughout the entire region, a cost/benefit analysis of competing sources favors those from source areas known to have been utilized. Virtually all the available information on lithic procurement at the Bau is consistent with a model of landscape utilization premised on detailed knowledge of a very large area, an ability to accurately estimate travel times between locations, and a pragmatic strategy of stone resource exploitation based on minimizing costs (travel and search times) and maximizing utility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cornel Marian Pop
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Columbia College, 438 Terminal Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., V6A 0C1, Canada.
| | - Lucy Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, N.B., E2L 4L5, Canada
| | - Constance L Browne
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, N.B., E2L 4L5, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Barash A, Belmaker M, Bastir M, Soudack M, O'Brien HD, Woodward H, Prendergast A, Barzilai O, Been E. The earliest Pleistocene record of a large-bodied hominin from the Levant supports two out-of-Africa dispersal events. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1721. [PMID: 35110601 PMCID: PMC8810791 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05712-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The paucity of early Pleistocene hominin fossils in Eurasia hinders an in-depth discussion on their paleobiology and paleoecology. Here we report on the earliest large-bodied hominin remains from the Levantine corridor: a juvenile vertebra (UB 10749) from the early Pleistocene site of 'Ubeidiya, Israel, discovered during a reanalysis of the faunal remains. UB 10749 is a complete lower lumbar vertebral body, with morphological characteristics consistent with Homo sp. Our analysis indicates that UB-10749 was a 6- to 12-year-old child at death, displaying delayed ossification pattern compared with modern humans. Its predicted adult size is comparable to other early Pleistocene large-bodied hominins from Africa. Paleobiological differences between UB 10749 and other early Eurasian hominins supports at least two distinct out-of-Africa dispersal events. This observation corresponds with variants of lithic traditions (Oldowan; Acheulian) as well as various ecological niches across early Pleistocene sites in Eurasia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alon Barash
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, POB 1589, 1311502, Safed, Israel.
| | - Miriam Belmaker
- The Department of Anthropology, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, JG Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Michalle Soudack
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Pediatric Imaging, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Haley D O'Brien
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Science, Tulsa, USA
| | - Holly Woodward
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Science, Tulsa, USA
| | - Amy Prendergast
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Omry Barzilai
- Archaeological Research Department, Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, 91004, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ella Been
- Department of Sports Therapy, Faculty of Health Professions, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel.,Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
O'Hara MC, Guatelli-Steinberg D. Reconstructing tooth crown heights and enamel caps: A comparative test of three existing methods with recommendations for their use. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:123-143. [PMID: 33843152 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24637] [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: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Studies of enamel growth and thickness, whether in paleoanthropology, bioarchaeology, or primatology, require measurements of crown height (CH), cuspal enamel thickness (CET), average (AET), and/or regional enamel thickness (RegAET) on complete, unworn crowns. Yet because fully unworn crowns are uncommon, three methods to bolster sample sizes by reconstructing slightly worn teeth have been developed: Profile, Polynomial, and Pen Tool. Although these methods have been tested for accuracy, no study has yet directly compared the three methods to assess their performance across CH, CET, AET, and RegAET measurements. Moreover, it is currently unclear how accurate the methods are when reconstructing crowns with varying degrees of wear. The present study addresses this gap in our understanding of how these methods perform on four key dental measurements, evaluates the degree of wear for which accurate crown reconstructions can be completed, and offers recommendations for applying these methods. Here, the methods are compared on Paranthropus robustus mandibular molars, a sample chosen because it exhibits variable morphology, presenting a challenge for reconstruction methods. For minimally worn teeth, Profile, Polynomial, and Pen Tool methods can be employed (in that order) for all measurements except CET, which cannot be reliably measured on reconstructions. For teeth with wear that obliterates the nadir of the occlusal basin or dentin horns, CH and AET can be measured using Profile and Polynomial reconstructions; however, no other measurements or methods were reliable. Recommendations provided here will make it possible to increase sample sizes and replicability, enhancing studies of enamel thickness and growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mackie C O'Hara
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Wolfe CA, Herrmann NP. Interpreting error in the estimation of skeletal growth profiles from past populations: An example demonstrating skeletal growth in historic African American communities. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:83-99. [PMID: 36787783 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study of growth in the past is a critical component of bioarcheological analyses. However, our understanding of growth in the past is subject to a number of methodological challenges. This study aims to model the skeletal growth of past populations by considering the challenges associated with the data collection process and the challenges associated with the age estimation procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS We use skeletal remains from two historic African American cemeteries in the American South to model femoral diaphyseal length-for-age. We estimate the age of each individual using dental development techniques and present growth curves as both a product of the maximum likelihood (MLE) age estimate and the estimated posterior age distribution. Growth was compared against a reference sample from the University of Colorado Child Research Council Study. RESULTS The results of our analyses showed that femoral diaphyseal length in two historic African American communities is small-for-estimated age as compared to a modern reference sample. However, the magnitude and characterization of this difference is variable when taking into account the broader posterior age distribution. DISCUSSION Both samples may be small-for-age due to physiological stress associated with racism, inequality, and the compounding effects of early urbanization. However, the interpretation of growth in the past is muddled when considering the relationship between the study sample and the reference sample, when accounting for uncertainty in the age estimation procedure, and the error-inducing steps taken during the data collection process. Future interpretation of skeletal growth in the past must include a full account of the possible sources of error in order to present an accurate representation of growth.
Collapse
|
15
|
Nava A, Mahoney P, Bondioli L, Coppa A, Cristiani E, Fattore L, McFarlane G, Dreossi D, Mancini L. Virtual histology of archaeological human deciduous prenatal enamel through synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography images. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2022; 29:247-253. [PMID: 34985442 PMCID: PMC8733994 DOI: 10.1107/s160057752101208x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Virtual histology is increasingly utilized to reconstruct the cell mechanisms underlying dental morphology for fragile fossils when physical thin sections are not permitted. Yet, the comparability of data derived from virtual and physical thin sections is rarely tested. Here, the results from archaeological human deciduous incisor physical sections are compared with virtual ones obtained by phase-contrast synchrotron radiation computed microtomography (SRµCT) of intact specimens using a multi-scale approach. Moreover, virtual prenatal daily enamel secretion rates are compared with those calculated from physical thin sections of the same tooth class from the same archaeological skeletal series. Results showed overall good visibility of the enamel microstructures in the virtual sections which are comparable to that of physical ones. The highest spatial resolution SRµCT setting (effective pixel size = 0.9 µm) produced daily secretion rates that matched those calculated from physical sections. Rates obtained using the lowest spatial resolution setup (effective pixel size = 2.0 µm) were higher than those obtained from physical sections. The results demonstrate that virtual histology can be applied to the investigated samples to obtain reliable and quantitative measurements of prenatal daily enamel secretion rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Nava
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Giles Lane, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom
- Department of Maxillo-Facial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Caserta 6, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Giles Lane, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, Ravenna 48121, Italy
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Emanuela Cristiani
- Department of Maxillo-Facial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Caserta 6, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Luciano Fattore
- Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, via Eudossiana 18, Rome 00184, Italy
| | - Gina McFarlane
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Giles Lane, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom
| | - Diego Dreossi
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA, SS 14 Area Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste 34149 Italy
| | - Lucia Mancini
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA, SS 14 Area Science Park, Basovizza, Trieste 34149 Italy
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Durand S, Dufour J, Rosas A, Becce F, Orr C. Three-Dimensional Comparative Study of Human Bipartite Scaphoids and the Os Centrale of the Wrist in Neandertals and Non-Human Anthropoid Primates. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:2295. [PMID: 34943532 PMCID: PMC8700597 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11122295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, bipartite scaphoid still does not differentiate clearly from traumatic non-union of the scaphoid. To aid diagnosis, we sought to analyze the main geometrical similarities among bipartite scaphoids from primate species with fused and unfused scaphoid centrales. Four human embryos, four cases of adult humans with bipartite scaphoid, twelve adult specimens of other extant anthropoid primates, and two Neandertal scaphoid specimens were included in this study. Three-dimensional polygon models of the scaphoid and os centrale were generated from CT scan, micro-CT scan, or histological sections. A 3D comparative study of the morphological and morphometrical parameters was performed using the MSC Patran software. The os centrale was smaller than the scaphoid in all specimens and its shape was elongated in the anteroposterior scaphoid direction. The position of the os centrale centroid compared to the scaphoid using direction vectors had a strong orientation along the proximodistal axis in all species. The main morphological feature of bipartite scaphoid was the continuity of the scaphoid from its proximal pole to its tubercule along the anteroposterior axis. In all specimens, if the os centrale was removed, the scaphoid still appeared normal and whole. The bipartite scaphoid in adult humans shares geometrical analogies with monkeys and orangutans, human embryos, and Neandertals. Morphological and morphometrical features identified in this study are useful to differentiate bipartite scaphoid from scaphoid pseudarthrosis. All other criteria suggested in the past lead to misdiagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastien Durand
- Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland;
| | - Justine Dufour
- Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland;
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, CSIC, Calle Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Fabio Becce
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland;
| | - Caley Orr
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA;
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Mahoney P, McFarlane G, Smith BH, Miszkiewicz JJ, Cerrito P, Liversidge H, Mancini L, Dreossi D, Veneziano A, Bernardini F, Cristiani E, Behie A, Coppa A, Bondioli L, Frayer DW, Radovčić D, Nava A. Growth of Neanderthal infants from Krapina (120-130 ka), Croatia. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212079. [PMID: 34814754 PMCID: PMC8611323 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern humans have a slow and extended period of childhood growth, but to what extent this ontogenetic pathway was present in Neanderthals is debated. Dental development, linked to the duration of somatic growth across modern primates, is the main source for information about growth and development in a variety of fossil primates, including humans. Studies of Neanderthal permanent teeth report a pace of development either similar to recent humans or relatively accelerated. Neanderthal milk teeth, which form and emerge before permanent teeth, provide an opportunity to determine which pattern was present at birth. Here we present a comparative study of the prenatal and early postnatal growth of five milk teeth from three Neanderthals (120 000-130 000 years ago) using virtual histology. Results reveal regions of their milk teeth formed quickly before birth and over a relatively short period of time after birth. Tooth emergence commenced towards the earliest end of the eruption schedules displayed by extant human children. Advanced dental development is consistent with expectations for Neanderthal infant feeding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mahoney
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Gina McFarlane
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - B. Holly Smith
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Museum of Anthropological Archaeology. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Justyna J. Miszkiewicz
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia
| | - Paola Cerrito
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA
| | - Helen Liversidge
- Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, Turner Street, London
| | - Lucia Mancini
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
| | - Diego Dreossi
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
| | - Alessio Veneziano
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza, Trieste, 34149, Italy
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Federico Bernardini
- Department of Humanistic Studies, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italy
- Multidisciplinary Laboratory, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | - Emanuela Cristiani
- Diet and ANcient TEchnology Laboratory, Department of Maxillo-Facial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | - Alison Behie
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Alfredo Coppa
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, 00185, Italy
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Servizio di Bioarcheologia, Museo delle Civiltà, Rome, 00144, Italy
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università di Padova, Padua, 35139, Italy
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università di Bologna, Ravenna, 48100, Italy
| | - David W. Frayer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas, 622 Fraser Hall, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Davorka Radovčić
- Department of Geology and Paleontology, Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Alessia Nava
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Diet and ANcient TEchnology Laboratory, Department of Maxillo-Facial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Glowacka H, Schwartz GT. A biomechanical perspective on molar emergence and primate life history. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj0335. [PMID: 34613774 PMCID: PMC8494445 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The strong relationship between M1 emergence age and life history across primates provides a means of reconstructing fossil life history. The underlying process that leads to varying molar emergence schedules, however, remains elusive. Using three-dimensional data to quantify masticatory form in ontogenetic samples representing 21 primate species, we test the hypothesis that the location and timing of molar emergence are constrained to avoid potentially dangerous distractive forces at the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) throughout growth. We show that (i) molars emerge in a predictable position to safeguard the TMJ, (ii) the rate and duration of jaw growth determine the timing of molar emergence, and (iii) the rate and cessation age of jaw growth is related to life history. Thus, orofacial development is constrained by biomechanics throughout ontogeny. This integrative perspective on primate skull growth is consistent with a long sought-after causal explanation underlying the correlation between molar emergence and life history.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Halszka Glowacka
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
- Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Gary T. Schwartz
- Institute of Human Origins and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Richards GD, Guipert G, Jabbour RS, Defleur AR. Neanderthal cranial remains from Baume Moula-Guercy (Soyons, Ardèche, France). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175:201-226. [PMID: 33644865 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We provide the first comparative description of the Guercy 1 cranium and isolated cranial fragments from Baume Moula-Guercy and examine their affinities to European Preneanderthals, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Moula-Guercy hominins derive from deposits chronostratigraphically and biostratigraphically dated to the Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e). For comparisons we compiled a sample of European and Southwest Asian subadult-adult Middle-to-Late Pleistocene hominins (≈MIS 14-MIS 2; N = 184). This sample represents a Preneanderthal-Neanderthal group and a H. sapiens group, both of which were further divided into three time-successive subgroups defined by associated marine isotope stages (MIS). Metric and morphological observations were made on the original fossils and a virtual reconstruction of Guercy 1. Developmental age and sex and the minimum-maximum number of individuals were assessed. RESULTS Guercy 1 represents the remains of a late stage adolescent (≈15-16.0 years) female. Morphological and metric data combine to associate the total morphological pattern expressed in Guercy 1 with our MIS 7-MIS 5e ("Early Neanderthal") subgroup. Some features, especially those related to the frontal, suggest linkage to a paleodeme comprising the Moula-Guercy, Artenac, La Chaise Abri Suard and, possibly, the Biache-Saint-Vaast samples. DISCUSSION Remains of MIS 7-MIS 5e Neanderthals are rare and fragmentary, especially those dated to the Last Interglacial. The Baume Moula-Guercy sample provides new insights into the total morphological pattern expressed in MIS 5e Neanderthals. Further, our results support earlier suggestions that MIS 7-MIS 5e European hominins represent a morphotype that is distinct from both earlier and later members of the Preneanderthal-Neanderthal group.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gary D Richards
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, A. A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Gaspard Guipert
- Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Fondation Albert Ier Prince de Monaco, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca S Jabbour
- Department of Biology, Saint Mary's College of California, Moraga, California, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
A comprehensive survey of Retzius periodicities in fossil hominins and great apes. J Hum Evol 2020; 149:102896. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
21
|
French JC, Chamberlain AT. Demographic uniformitarianism: the theoretical basis of prehistoric demographic research and its cross-disciplinary challenges. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190720. [PMID: 33250031 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0720] [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: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A principle of demographic uniformitarianism underpins all research into prehistoric demography (palaeodemography). This principle-which argues for continuity in the evolved mechanisms underlying modern human demographic processes and their response to environmental stimuli between past and present-provides the cross-disciplinary basis for palaeodemographic reconstruction and analysis. Prompted by the recent growth and interest in the field of prehistoric demography, this paper reviews the principle of demographic uniformitarianism, evaluates how it relates to two key debates in palaeodemographic research and seeks to delimit its range of applicability to past human and hominin populations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C French
- Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, 12-14 Abercromby Square, L69 7WZ, UK
| | - Andrew T Chamberlain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
The early onset of weaning in modern humans has been linked to the high nutritional demand of brain development that is intimately connected with infant physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals, ontogenetic patterns in early life are still debated, with some studies suggesting an accelerated development and others indicating only subtle differences vs. modern humans. Here we report the onset of weaning and rates of enamel growth using an unprecedented sample set of three late (∼70 to 50 ka) Neanderthals and one Upper Paleolithic modern human from northeastern Italy via spatially resolved chemical/isotopic analyses and histomorphometry of deciduous teeth. Our results reveal that the modern human nursing strategy, with onset of weaning at 5 to 6 mo, was present among these Neanderthals. This evidence, combined with dental development akin to modern humans, highlights their similar metabolic constraints during early life and excludes late weaning as a factor contributing to Neanderthals' demise.
Collapse
|
23
|
Page AE, French JC. Reconstructing prehistoric demography: What role for extant hunter-gatherers? Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:332-345. [PMID: 33103830 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Demography is central to biological, behavioral, and cultural evolution. Knowledge of the demography of prehistoric populations of both Homo sapiens and earlier members of the genus Homo is, therefore, key to the study of human evolution. Unfortunately, demographic processes (fertility, mortality, migration) leave little mark on the archeological and paleoanthropological records. One common solution to this issue is the application of demographic data from extant hunter-gatherers to prehistory. With the aim of strengthening this line of enquiry, here we outline some pitfalls and their interpretative implications. In doing so, we provide recommendations about the application of hunter-gatherer data to the study of demographic trends throughout human evolution. We use published demographic data from extant hunter-gatherers to show that it is the diversity seen among extant hunter-gatherers-both intra- and inter-population variability-that is most relevant and useful for understanding past hunter-gatherer demography.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail E Page
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jennifer C French
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Romandini M, Oxilia G, Bortolini E, Peyrégne S, Delpiano D, Nava A, Panetta D, Di Domenico G, Martini P, Arrighi S, Badino F, Figus C, Lugli F, Marciani G, Silvestrini S, Menghi Sartorio JC, Terlato G, Hublin JJ, Meyer M, Bondioli L, Higham T, Slon V, Peresani M, Benazzi S. A late Neanderthal tooth from northeastern Italy. J Hum Evol 2020; 147:102867. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
|
25
|
García-Martínez D, Bastir M, Gómez-Olivencia A, Maureille B, Golovanova L, Doronichev V, Akazawa T, Kondo O, Ishida H, Gascho D, Zollikofer CPE, de León MP, Heuzé Y. Early development of the Neanderthal ribcage reveals a different body shape at birth compared to modern humans. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/41/eabb4377. [PMID: 33028520 PMCID: PMC7541074 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb4377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Ontogenetic studies provide clues for understanding important paleobiological aspects of extinct species. When compared to that of modern humans, the adult Neanderthal thorax was shorter, deeper, and wider. This is related to the wide Neanderthal body and is consistent with their hypothetical large requirements for energy and oxygen. Whether these differences were already established at birth or appeared later during development is unknown. To delve into this question, we use virtual reconstruction tools and geometric morphometrics to recover the 3D morphology of the ribcages of four Neanderthal individuals from birth to around 3 years old: Mezmaiskaya 1, Le Moustier 2, Dederiyeh 1, and Roc de Marsal. Our results indicate that the comparatively deep and short ribcage of the Neanderthals was already present at birth, as were other skeletal species-specific traits. This morphology possibly represents the plesiomorphic condition shared with Homo erectus, and it is likely linked to large energetic requirements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel García-Martínez
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR5199, Pessac, France.
- Paleobiology Department, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Pso. Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleobiology Department, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Asier Gómez-Olivencia
- Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain
- Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/ Avda. Monforte de Lemos 5 (Pabellón 14), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Bruno Maureille
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR5199, Pessac, France
| | | | | | | | - Osamu Kondo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hajime Ishida
- Department of Human Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan
| | - Dominic Gascho
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Yann Heuzé
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR5199, Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Bolter DR, Cameron N. Utilizing auxology to understand ontogeny of extinct hominins: A case study on Homo naledi. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:368-380. [PMID: 32537780 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The methods used to study human growth and development (auxology) have not previously been applied within the setting of hominin maturation (ontogeny). Ontogeny is defined here as the pattern of biological change into an adult form, both at the individual and species level. The hominin fossil record has a lack of recovered immature materials, due to such factors as taphonomic processes that destroy pre-adults; the fragility of immature compared to adult bone; and the lower mortality rates of juveniles compared to adults. The recent discovery of pre-adult hominin skeletal material from a single, homogeneous Homo naledi species from the Rising Star cave system in South Africa provides the opportunity for a broader application of auxology methods and thus the need to understand their use in a modern context. Human auxology studies benefit from a robust database, across multiple populations, and with longitudinal studies in order to assess the patterns and variations in typical growth, development and life history stages. Here, we review the approach, vocabulary, and methods of these human studies, investigate commonalities in data with the fossil record, and then advance the reconstruction of ontogeny for the extinct hominin species H. naledi. To this end, we apply an auxology model into the paleontological context to broadly predict H. naledi birthweight of the offspring at 2.06 kg with a range (±1 SD) of 1.89 to 2.24 kg, with a length at birth 45.5 cm. We estimate a H. naledi juvenile partial skeleton DH7 to be a height of 111-125 cm at death.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debra R Bolter
- Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, California, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Noel Cameron
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Sanchis-Gimeno JA, Palancar CA, García-Martínez D, Radovčić D, Bastir M. Response to Letter to the Editor by Dr Rios and Dr Cardoso. J Anat 2020; 237:1189-1191. [PMID: 32794174 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Alberto Sanchis-Gimeno
- Giaval Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos A Palancar
- Department of Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Geology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel García-Martínez
- Department of Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.,Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
| | - Davorka Radovčić
- Department of Geology and Paleontology, Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Markus Bastir
- Department of Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Xing S, Tafforeau P, O'Hara MC, Modesto-Mata M, Martín-Francés L, Martinón-Torres M, Schepartz LA, Bermúdez de Castro JM, Guatelli-Steinberg D. A broader perspective on estimating dental age for the Xujiayao juvenile, a late Middle Pleistocene archaic hominin from East Asia. J Hum Evol 2020; 148:102850. [PMID: 32718693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, 100044, China; Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, 09002, Burgos, Spain.
| | - Paul Tafforeau
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CS-40220, 38043, Grenoble Cedex 09, France
| | - Mackie C O'Hara
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura, Casa de La Cultura Rodríguez Moñino, Av. Cervantes S/n, 10003, Cáceres, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, 09002, Burgos, Spain; UMR5189 PACEA Université de Bordeaux CNRS MCC, France
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Lynne A Schepartz
- HVIRU, School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre La Evolución Humana, Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca S/n, 09002, Burgos, Spain; Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; Department of Anthropology/Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA; School of Anthropology and Conservation, The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Late subadult ontogeny and adult aging of the human thorax reveals divergent growth trajectories between sexes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10737. [PMID: 32612141 PMCID: PMC7329879 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67664-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is an important feature of adult thorax morphology, but when and how sex-related differences in the ribcage arise during ontogeny is poorly known. Previous research proposed that sex-related size differences in the nasal region arise during puberty. Therefore, we explore whether ribcage sexual dimorphism also arises at that time and whether this sexual dimorphism is maintained until old age. We measured 526 (semi)landmarks on 80 CT-based human ribcage reconstructions, on individuals ranging from 7 to 65 year-old. The 3D coordinates were submitted to the Procrustes superimposition and analyzed. Our results show that the trajectories of thorax size and shape between sexes diverge at around 12 years of age, and continue slightly diverging until old age. The differential ontogenetic trends cause adult male ribcages to become deeper, shorter, and wider than female. Our results are consistent with the evidence from the cranial respiratory system, with the development of sexual dimorphism probably related to changes in body composition during puberty combined with changes in the reproductive system.
Collapse
|
30
|
Nowell A, French JC. Adolescence and innovation in the European Upper Palaeolithic. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2020; 2:e36. [PMID: 37588373 PMCID: PMC10427464 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood and adolescence are two stages of development that are unique to the human life course. While childhood in the Pleistocene has received considerable attention in recent years, adolescence during the same period remains an understudied area of research. Yet it is during adolescence that key social, physical and cognitive milestones are reached. Thus, through studying adolescents, there is enormous potential for improving our understanding of Upper Palaeolithic lifeways more broadly. The reason for the dearth of these types of studies may be the perceived methodological difficulty of identifying adolescents in the archaeological record. In many ways, it is easier to distinguish children (sensu lato) from adults based on size, developmental age and associated artefacts. Adolescents, however, are often seen as more ambiguous, more liminal. Working within an evolutionary framework and using a definition of adolescence rooted in biology, we draw on psychology, ethnography and palaeodemography to develop a model of what it might have meant to be a 'teenager' in the European Upper Palaeolithic. Citing the biological, social and cognitive changes that occur during this life stage, we propose an important role of teenagers in the origins and spread of new ideas and innovations throughout the Late Pleistocene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- April Nowell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, CanadaV8W 2Y2
| | - Jennifer C. French
- University College London, Institute of Archaeology, 31–34 Gordon Square, LondonWC1H 0PY, UK
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Bolter DR, Elliott MC, Hawks J, Berger LR. Immature remains and the first partial skeleton of a juvenile Homo naledi, a late Middle Pleistocene hominin from South Africa. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230440. [PMID: 32236122 PMCID: PMC7112188 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immature remains are critical for understanding maturational processes in hominin species as well as for interpreting changes in ontogenetic development in hominin evolution. The study of these subjects is hindered by the fact that associated juvenile remains are extremely rare in the hominin fossil record. Here we describe an assemblage of immature remains of Homo naledi recovered from the 2013–2014 excavation season. From this assemblage, we attribute 16 postcranial elements and a partial mandible with some dentition to a single juvenile Homo naledi individual. The find includes postcranial elements never before discovered as immature elements in the sub-equatorial early hominin fossil record, and contributes new data to the field of hominin ontogeny.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debra R. Bolter
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Marina C. Elliott
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - John Hawks
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Lee R. Berger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Modesto-Mata M, Dean MC, Lacruz RS, Bromage TG, García-Campos C, Martínez de Pinillos M, Martín-Francés L, Martinón-Torres M, Carbonell E, Arsuaga JL, Bermúdez de Castro JM. Short and long period growth markers of enamel formation distinguish European Pleistocene hominins. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4665. [PMID: 32170098 PMCID: PMC7069994 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing dental development in fossil hominins is important for distinguishing between them and for establishing where and when the slow overall growth and development of modern humans appeared. Dental development of australopiths and early Homo was faster than modern humans. The Atapuerca fossils (Spain) fill a barely known gap in human evolution, spanning ~1.2 to ~0.4 million years (Ma), during which H. sapiens and Neandertal dental growth characteristics may have developed. We report here perikymata counts, perikymata distributions and periodicities of all teeth belonging to the TE9 level of Sima del Elefante, level TD6.2 of Gran Dolina (H. antecessor) and Sima de los Huesos. We found some components of dental growth in the Atapuerca fossils resembled more recent H. sapiens. Mosaic evolution of perikymata counts and distribution generate three distinct clusters: H. antecessor, Sima de los Huesos and H. sapiens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Modesto-Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain. .,Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, UK. .,Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura, Casa de Cultura Rodríguez Moñino, Cáceres, Spain.
| | - M Christopher Dean
- Centre for Human Evolution Research (CHER), Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rodrigo S Lacruz
- Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, USA
| | - Timothy G Bromage
- Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, USA
| | - Cecilia García-Campos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.,Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Marina Martínez de Pinillos
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.,University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACE, UMR 5199 F_33615, Pessac, Cedex, France
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.,Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Eudald Carbonell
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades, Edifici W3, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.,Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Juan Luis Arsuaga
- Centro mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento humanos, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain.,Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, WC1H 0BW, UK
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Belcastro MG, Mariotti V, Pietrobelli A, Sorrentino R, García-Tabernero A, Estalrrich A, Rosas A. The study of the lower limb entheses in the Neanderthal sample from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain): How much musculoskeletal variability did Neanderthals accumulate? J Hum Evol 2020; 141:102746. [PMID: 32163763 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Entheses have rarely been systematically studied in the field of human evolution. However, the investigation of their morphological variability (e.g., robusticity) could provide new insight into their evolutionary significance in the European Neanderthal populations. The aim of this work is to study the entheses and joint features of the lower limbs of El Sidrón Neanderthals (Spain; 49 ka), using standardized scoring methods developed on modern samples. Paleobiology, growth, and development of both juveniles and adults from El Sidrón are studied and compared with those of Krapina Neanderthals (Croatia, 130 ka) and extant humans. The morphological patterns of the gluteus maximus and vastus intermedius entheses in El Sidrón, Krapina, and modern humans differ from one another. Both Neanderthal groups show a definite enthesis design for the gluteus maximus, with little intrapopulation variability with respect to modern humans, who are characterized by a wider range of morphological variability. The gluteus maximus enthesis in the El Sidrón sample shows the osseous features of fibrous entheses, as in modern humans, whereas the Krapina sample shows the aspects of fibrocartilaginous ones. The morphology and anatomical pattern of this enthesis has already been established during growth in all three human groups. One of two and three of five adult femurs from El Sidrón and from Krapina, respectively, show the imprint of the vastus intermedius, which is absent among juveniles from those Neanderthal samples and in modern samples. The scant intrapopulation and the high interpopulation variability in the two Neanderthal samples is likely due to a long-term history of small, isolated populations with high levels of inbreeding, who also lived in different ecological conditions. The comparison of different anatomical entheseal patterns (fibrous vs. fibrocartilaginous) in the Neanderthals and modern humans provides additional elements in the discussion of their functional and genetic origin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giovanna Belcastro
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Valentina Mariotti
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pietrobelli
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rita Sorrentino
- Dept. of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Dept. of Cultural Heritage (campus Ravenna), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Rosas A, Losada Agustina B, García-Martínez D, Torres-Tamayo N, García-Tabernero A, Pastor JF, Rasilla MDL, Bastir M. Analyses of the neandertal patellae from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) with implications for the evolution of body form in Homo. J Hum Evol 2020; 141:102738. [PMID: 32146203 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of the body form in Homo and its potential morphological connection to the arrangement of different skeletal systems is of major interest in human evolution. Patella morphology as part of the knee is potentially influenced by body form. Here, we describe for the first time the patellae remains recovered at El Sidrón Neandertal site and analyze them in a comparative evolutionary framework. We aim to clarify whether morphometric features frequently observed in Neandertal and modern human patellae are retained from a primitive anatomical arrangement or whether they represent derived features (apomorphies). For this purpose, we combine analyses of discrete features, classic anthropological measurements, and 3D geometric morphometrics based on generalized Procrustes analysis, mean size and shape comparisons, and principal components analysis. We found a size increment of the patella in hominin evolution, with large species showing a larger patella. Modern humans and Neandertals exhibit overall larger patellae, with maximum values observed in the latter, likely as a consequence of their broader body shape. Also, some Neandertals display a thicker patella, which has been linked to larger quadriceps muscles. However, Neandertals retain a primitive morphology in their patellar articular surfaces, with similar-sized lateral and medial articular facets, leading to a more symmetrical internal face. This feature is inherited from a primitive Homo ancestor and suggests a different configuration of the knee in Neandertals. Conversely, Homo sapiens exhibits an autoapomorphic patellar anatomy with expanded lateral articular facets. We propose that these distinct configurations of the patella within Homo may be a consequence of different body forms rather than specific functional adaptations of the knee. Thus, the slender body form of modern humans may entail a medial reorientation of the tibial tuberosity (patellar ligament), allowing lateral surface expansion. These anatomical evolutionary variations may involve subtle secondary differences in bipedalism within Homo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Rosas
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Beatriz Losada Agustina
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel García-Martínez
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain; Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, CENIEH, Avenida de La Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002, Burgos, Spain
| | - Nicole Torres-Tamayo
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Francisco Pastor
- Museo Anatómico, Departamento de Anatomía Humana, Universidad de Valladolid, C. Ramón y Cajal 7, 47005, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Teniente Alfonso Martínez S/n, 33011, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Markus Bastir
- Group of Paleoanthropology MNCN-CSIC, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Garralda MD, Maureille B, Le Cabec A, Oxilia G, Benazzi S, Skinner MM, Hublin JJ, Vandermeersch B. The Neanderthal teeth from Marillac (Charente, Southwestern France): Morphology, comparisons and paleobiology. J Hum Evol 2019; 138:102683. [PMID: 31765984 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Few European sites have yielded human dental remains safely dated to the end of MIS 4/beginning of MIS 3. One of those sites is Marillac (Southwestern France), a collapsed karstic cave where archeological excavations (1967-1980) conducted by B. Vandermeersch unearthed numerous faunal and human remains, as well as a few Mousterian Quina tools. The Marillac sinkhole was occasionally used by humans to process the carcasses of different prey, but there is no evidence for a residential use of the site, nor have any hearths been found. Rare carnivore bones were also discovered, demonstrating that the sinkhole was seasonally used, not only by Neanderthals, but also by predators across several millennia. The lithostratigraphic units containing the human remains were dated to ∼60 kyr. The fossils consisted of numerous fragments of skulls and jaws, isolated teeth and several post-cranial bones, many of them with traces of perimortem manipulations. For those already published, their morphological characteristics and chronostratigraphic context allowed their attribution to Neanderthals. This paper analyzes sixteen unpublished human teeth (fourteen permanent and two deciduous) by investigating the external morphology and metrical variation with respect to other Neanderthal remains and a sample from modern populations. We also investigate their enamel thickness distribution in 2D and 3D, the enamel-dentine junction morphology (using geometric morphometrics) of one molar and two premolars, the roots and the possible expression of taurodontism, as well as pathologies and developmental defects. The anterior tooth use and paramasticatory activities are also discussed. Morphological and structural alterations were found on several teeth, and interpreted in light of human behavior (tooth-pick) and carnivores' actions (partial digestion). The data are interpreted in the context of the available information for the Eurasian Neanderthals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Dolores Garralda
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Bruno Maureille
- UMR5199 PACEA: de la préhistoire à l'actuel: culture, environnement et anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux, bât. B8. Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire - CS 50023, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Adeline Le Cabec
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany
| | - Gregorio Oxilia
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany; Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D, 04103, Germany
| | - Bernard Vandermeersch
- UMR5199 PACEA: de la préhistoire à l'actuel: culture, environnement et anthropologie, Université de Bordeaux, bât. B8. Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire - CS 50023, 33615 Pessac, France
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Williams AC, Hill LJ. Nicotinamide as Independent Variable for Intelligence, Fertility, and Health: Origin of Human Creative Explosions? Int J Tryptophan Res 2019; 12:1178646919855944. [PMID: 31258332 PMCID: PMC6585247 DOI: 10.1177/1178646919855944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Meat and nicotinamide acquisition was a defining force during the 2-million-year evolution of the big brains necessary for, anatomically modern, Homo sapiens to survive. Our next move was down the food chain during the Mesolithic 'broad spectrum', then horticultural, followed by the Neolithic agricultural revolutions and progressively lower average 'doses' of nicotinamide. We speculate that a fertility crisis and population bottleneck around 40 000 years ago, at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, was overcome by Homo (but not the Neanderthals) by concerted dietary change plus profertility genes and intense sexual selection culminating in behaviourally modern Homo sapiens. Increased reliance on the 'de novo' synthesis of nicotinamide from tryptophan conditioned the immune system to welcome symbionts, such as TB (that excrete nicotinamide), and to increase tolerance of the foetus and thereby fertility. The trade-offs during the warmer Holocene were physical and mental stunting and more infectious diseases and population booms and busts. Higher nicotinamide exposure could be responsible for recent demographic and epidemiological transitions to lower fertility and higher longevity, but with more degenerative and auto-immune disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian C Williams
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lisa J Hill
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Kuhlwilm M, Boeckx C. A catalog of single nucleotide changes distinguishing modern humans from archaic hominins. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8463. [PMID: 31186485 PMCID: PMC6560109 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44877-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the past decade, studying ancient genomes has provided unique insights into human prehistory, and differences between modern humans and other branches like Neanderthals can enrich our understanding of the molecular basis of unique modern human traits. Modern human variation and the interactions between different hominin lineages are now well studied, making it reasonable to go beyond fixed genetic changes and explore changes that are observed at high frequency in present-day humans. Here, we identify 571 genes with non-synonymous changes at high frequency. We suggest that molecular mechanisms in cell division and networks affecting cellular features of neurons were prominently modified by these changes. Complex phenotypes in brain growth trajectory and cognitive traits are likely influenced by these networks and other non-coding changes presented here. We propose that at least some of these changes contributed to uniquely human traits, and should be prioritized for experimental validation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cedric Boeckx
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain.
- University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- UB Institute of Complex Systems, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Ríos L, Kivell TL, Lalueza-Fox C, Estalrrich A, García-Tabernero A, Huguet R, Quintino Y, de la Rasilla M, Rosas A. Skeletal Anomalies in The Neandertal Family of El Sidrón (Spain) Support A Role of Inbreeding in Neandertal Extinction. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1697. [PMID: 30737446 PMCID: PMC6368597 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38571-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neandertals disappeared from the fossil record around 40,000 bp, after a demographic history of small and isolated groups with high but variable levels of inbreeding, and episodes of interbreeding with other Paleolithic hominins. It is reasonable to expect that high levels of endogamy could be expressed in the skeleton of at least some Neandertal groups. Genetic studies indicate that the 13 individuals from the site of El Sidrón, Spain, dated around 49,000 bp, constituted a closely related kin group, making these Neandertals an appropriate case study for the observation of skeletal signs of inbreeding. We present the complete study of the 1674 identified skeletal specimens from El Sidrón. Altogether, 17 congenital anomalies were observed (narrowing of the internal nasal fossa, retained deciduous canine, clefts of the first cervical vertebra, unilateral hypoplasia of the second cervical vertebra, clefting of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, diminutive thoracic or lumbar rib, os centrale carpi and bipartite scaphoid, tripartite patella, left foot anomaly and cuboid-navicular coalition), with at least four individuals presenting congenital conditions (clefts of the first cervical vertebra). At 49,000 years ago, the Neandertals from El Sidrón, with genetic and skeletal evidence of inbreeding, could be representative of the beginning of the demographic collapse of this hominin phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Ríos
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Zientzia Elkartea, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014, Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - T L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - C Lalueza-Fox
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Carrer Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Estalrrich
- Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria IIIPC (Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Gobierno de Cantabria), Avda. de los Castros 52, 39005, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - A García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Huguet
- IPHES, Institut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avda. Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.,Unidad asociada al CSIC, Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Calle José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Y Quintino
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Dpto. de Ciencias Históricas y Geografía, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain
| | - M de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Teniente Alfonso Martínez s/n, 33011, Oviedo, Spain
| | - A Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Xing S, Tafforeau P, O’Hara M, Modesto-Mata M, Martín-Francés L, Martinón-Torres M, Zhang L, Schepartz LA, de Castro JMB, Guatelli-Steinberg D. First systematic assessment of dental growth and development in an archaic hominin (genus, Homo) from East Asia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaau0930. [PMID: 30746445 PMCID: PMC6357757 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau0930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Several human dental traits typical of modern humans appear to be associated with the prolonged period of development that is a key human attribute. Understanding when, and in which early hominins, these dental traits first appeared is thus of strong interest. Using x-ray multiresolution synchrotron phase-contrast microtomography, we quantify dental growth and development in an archaic Homo juvenile from the Xujiayao site in northern China dating to 161,000-224,000 years or 104,000-125,000 years before present. Despite the archaic morphology of Xujiayao hominins, most aspects of dental development of this juvenile fall within modern human ranges (e.g., prolonged crown formation time and delayed first molar eruption). For its estimated age-at-death (6.5 years), its state of dental development is comparable to that of equivalently aged modern children. These findings suggest that several facets of modern human dental growth and development evolved in East Asia before the appearance of fully modern human morphology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Song Xing
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Paul Tafforeau
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CS-40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 09, France
| | - Mackie O’Hara
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Mario Modesto-Mata
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
- Equipo Primeros Pobladores de Extremadura, Casa de la Cultura Rodríguez Moñino, Av. Cervantes s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Laura Martín-Francés
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
- UMR 5189 PACEA Université de Bordeaux, CNRS MCC, Bordeaux, France
| | - María Martinón-Torres
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Limin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Lynne A. Schepartz
- HVIRU, School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - José María Bermúdez de Castro
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
- Anthropology Department, University College London, 14 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW, UK
| | - Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Anthropology/Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR, UK
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Mandibular ramus shape variation and ontogeny in Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. J Hum Evol 2018; 121:55-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
|
41
|
Kubicka AM, Nowaczewska W, Balzeau A, Piontek J. Bilateral asymmetry of the humerus in Neandertals, Australian aborigines and medieval humans. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:46-60. [PMID: 29786835 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Bilateral asymmetry of diaphyseal shape and size may be a reflection of relative activity levels and patterns of habitual biomechanical stress in the upper arms of Neandertals and Homo sapiens. The main purpose of our study was to assess the level of directional asymmetry of humeral cross sections in Neandertals, recent Australian aborigines, and medieval farmers. MATERIALS AND METHODS Indices of directional and absolute asymmetry (%DA and %AA) of humeral cross-sectional properties in Neandertals and recent Homo sapiens were calculated. Evenly distributed semilandmarks around the external and internal borders of cortical bone were digitized in the course of computed tomography for analysis of shape differences between sides of the body. RESULTS The medieval farmers were characterized by significant %DA and %AA for polar second moment of area (J), ratio of maximum to minimum second moments of area, and ratio of antero-posterior to medio-lateral bending strength. In Australian aborigines, only J in males shows significant %DA and %AA, while Neandertals exhibit no significant asymmetry of any cross-sectional properties. Differences in cross-sectional shape between sides of the body were established in all three analyzed groups. DISCUSSION High levels of directional asymmetry of cross-sectional shape and properties in medieval farmers may be caused by the performance of more physically demanding tasks using one side of the body from an early age in that population. Various patterns of asymmetry in Neandertals and modern humans may be caused by different habitual behaviors during growth, eco-geographic patterns in body proportions, genetic factors, and differences in ontogeny.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Kubicka
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań 60-625, Poland
| | | | - Antoine Balzeau
- Equipe de Paleontologie Humaine, UMR 7194 du CNRS, Departement de Prehistoire, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.,Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren B-3080, Belgium
| | - Janusz Piontek
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań 61-614, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
García-Tabernero A, Peña-Melián A, Rosas A. Primary visual cortex in neandertals as revealed from the occipital remains from the El Sidrón site, with emphasis on the new SD-2300 specimen. J Anat 2018; 233:33-45. [PMID: 29624658 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The comparative analysis of the endocranial surface of the El Sidrón new occipital fragment SD-2300 shows meaningful differences in the configuration of the occipital pole region between neandertals and anatomically modern humans (AMH). The particular asymmetries found in neandertals in the venous sinus drainage and the petalial patterns are recognizable in this new specimen as well. In addition, the supra- and infracalcarine fossae of the occipital pole region appear to deviate obliquely from the mid-line when compared with sapiens. Due to the excellent preservation conditions of SD-2300, the main sulci and gyri of the occipital pole area have been identified, this degree of detail being uncommon in a fossil specimen; in general, the gyrification pattern is similar to AMH, but with some notable differences. Particularly interesting is the description of the lunate and the calcarine sulci. The lunate sulcus is located close to the occipital pole, in a similar posterior position to in other Homo species. Regarding the calcarine sulcus, there are significant differences in the primary visual cortex, with the V1 area, or Brodmann area 17, being larger in Homo neanderthalensis than in Homo sapiens. This may lead to greater visual acuity in neandertals than in sapiens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Angel Peña-Melián
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Rosas A, Ríos L, Estalrrich A, Liversidge H, García-Tabernero A, Huguet R, Cardoso H, Bastir M, Lalueza-Fox C, de la Rasilla M, Dean C. Response to Comment on "The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidrón (Spain)". Science 2018; 359:359/6380/eaar3820. [PMID: 29590013 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The comment by DeSilva challenges our suggestion that brain growth of the El Sidrón J1 Neandertal was still incomplete at 7.7 years of age. Evidence suggests that endocranial volume is likely to represent less than 90% adult size at El Sidrón as well as Neandertal male plus Krapina samples, in line with further evidence from endocranial surface histology and dural sinus groove size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Luis Ríos
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Society of Sciences, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Helen Liversidge
- Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AD, UK
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Huguet
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES)-Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Campus Sescelades (Edifici W3), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Hugo Cardoso
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Markus Bastir
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Christopher Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
DeSilva JM. Comment on “The growth pattern of Neandertals, reconstructed from a juvenile skeleton from El Sidrón (Spain)”. Science 2018; 359:359/6380/eaar3611. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
|
45
|
Kivell TL, Rosas A, Estalrrich A, Huguet R, García-Tabernero A, Ríos L, de la Rasilla M. New Neandertal wrist bones from El Sidrón, Spain (1994-2009). J Hum Evol 2017; 114:45-75. [PMID: 29447761 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Twenty-nine carpal bones of Homo neanderthalensis have been recovered from the site of El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) during excavations between 1994 and 2009, alongside ∼2500 other Neandertal skeletal elements dated to ∼49,000 years ago. All bones of the wrist are represented, including adult scaphoids (n = 6), lunates (n = 2), triquetra (n = 4), pisiforms (n = 2), trapezia (n = 2), trapezoids (n = 5), capitates (n = 5), and hamates (n = 2), as well as one fragmentary and possibly juvenile scaphoid. Several of these carpals appear to belong to the complete right wrist of a single individual. Here we provide qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptions of these carpals, within a comparative context of other European and Near Eastern Neandertals, early and recent Homo sapiens, and other fossil hominins, including Homo antecessor, Homo naledi, and australopiths. Overall, the El Sidrón carpals show characteristics that typically distinguish Neandertals from H. sapiens, such as a relatively flat first metacarpal facet on the trapezium and a more laterally oriented second metacarpal facet on the capitate. However, there are some distinctive features of the El Sidrón carpals compared with most other Neandertals. For example, the tubercle of the trapezium is small with limited projection, while the scaphoid tubercle and hamate hamulus are among the largest seen in other Neandertals. Furthermore, three of the six adult scaphoids show a distinctive os-centrale portion, while another is a bipartite scaphoid with a truncated tubercle. The high frequency of rare carpal morphologies supports other evidence of a close genetic relationship among the Neandertals found at El Sidrón.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Lab, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Rosa Huguet
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social-Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Ríos
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|