Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0008
M. Tocheri, J. Kibii
A capitate and scaphoid are the only carpal bones known from Sterkfontein, and are described here. These bones lack the derived features that characterize the wrist of modern humans and Neandertals solely on the geological and paleontological context of where these specimens were recovered. These elements are attributed to Australopithecus africanus because of where they were recovered, but recent discoveries of A. sediba and Homo naledi from the same geographical region underscore the complexity and diversity of hominin evolution in southern Africa throughout the Pleistocene and suggest extreme caution is needed in attributing isolated hominin elements to particular taxa. Functional interpretations based on single fossil carpals also must be treated cautiously until more reasonably complete fossil hominin hand skeletons are recovered. That said, however, the comparative morphology of these bones suggests that they belonged to hominins in which hand functional morphology was likely broadly similar to that of other early hominins, such as australopiths and Homo floresiensis.
{"title":"Carpals","authors":"M. Tocheri, J. Kibii","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0008","url":null,"abstract":"A capitate and scaphoid are the only carpal bones known from Sterkfontein, and are described here. These bones lack the derived features that characterize the wrist of modern humans and Neandertals solely on the geological and paleontological context of where these specimens were recovered. These elements are attributed to Australopithecus africanus because of where they were recovered, but recent discoveries of A. sediba and Homo naledi from the same geographical region underscore the complexity and diversity of hominin evolution in southern Africa throughout the Pleistocene and suggest extreme caution is needed in attributing isolated hominin elements to particular taxa. Functional interpretations based on single fossil carpals also must be treated cautiously until more reasonably complete fossil hominin hand skeletons are recovered. That said, however, the comparative morphology of these bones suggests that they belonged to hominins in which hand functional morphology was likely broadly similar to that of other early hominins, such as australopiths and Homo floresiensis.","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124643718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0013
K. Carlson, B. Zipfel, W. Jungers
This chapter presents description and analysis of the Sterkfontein tibiae and fibulae, which have not previously been subjected to a careful systematic study. Among these elements, there is a clear range of variation expressed in several functionally relevant features. The distal tibia, StW 358, uniquely exhibits an absence of metaphyseal expansion beyond the talar facet, which appears unique among hominins. If the fibular shaft, StW 356, is associated with StW 358, it could offer additional functional insights into the locomotor repertoire of this individual that might help contextualize this apparently unique trait. Two sets of paired proximal and distal tibiae, StW 514/515 and StW 389/567, suggest possible functional differences in knee and ankle joint configurations, albeit the first is smaller in size than the second. Additional morphological and functional evaluation of variation expressed in many of the features exhibited by these Sterkfontein fossils, along with systematic comparisons to new discoveries from the site, will undoubtedly further elucidate the potential existence of distinct “morphs” in the Sterkfontein hominin fossil assemblage.
{"title":"Tibia and fibula","authors":"K. Carlson, B. Zipfel, W. Jungers","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0013","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter presents description and analysis of the Sterkfontein tibiae and fibulae, which have not previously been subjected to a careful systematic study. Among these elements, there is a clear range of variation expressed in several functionally relevant features. The distal tibia, StW 358, uniquely exhibits an absence of metaphyseal expansion beyond the talar facet, which appears unique among hominins. If the fibular shaft, StW 356, is associated with StW 358, it could offer additional functional insights into the locomotor repertoire of this individual that might help contextualize this apparently unique trait. Two sets of paired proximal and distal tibiae, StW 514/515 and StW 389/567, suggest possible functional differences in knee and ankle joint configurations, albeit the first is smaller in size than the second. Additional morphological and functional evaluation of variation expressed in many of the features exhibited by these Sterkfontein fossils, along with systematic comparisons to new discoveries from the site, will undoubtedly further elucidate the potential existence of distinct “morphs” in the Sterkfontein hominin fossil assemblage.","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129186550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1007/0-387-21854-8_21
J. DeSilva, Mark Grabowski
{"title":"Femur","authors":"J. DeSilva, Mark Grabowski","doi":"10.1007/0-387-21854-8_21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21854-8_21","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115962497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0014
T. Jashashvili, M. Tocheri, K. Carlson, R. Clarke
This chapter describes 12 tarsal bones from Sterkfontein, and compares them to those of extant hominoids and other fossil hominins, adding new analyses for some of the bones which have been studied previously. In general, the Sterkfontein calcanei and tali more closely resemble those attributed to Australopithecus sediba from nearby Malapa than to Australopithecus afarensis tarsals from Hadar, Ethiopia. Overall, the bones are similar to those of humans, but African ape-like characters indicating selection on adaptive use of arboreal substrates are persistent throughout the Sterkfontein tarsals, although more prevalent on some bones than on others. Planes of the navicular and first metatarsal facets on the medial cuneiform are relatively parallel, suggesting the hallux was not notably divergent from the metatarsus. However, the anteroposteriorly short intermediate and lateral cuneiforms suggest that the anterior tarsal row had not yet elongated as in modern humans, adversely affecting the foot’s ability to serve as a rigid lever. A large groove for the flexor hallucis longus muscle and large navicular tubercle may be related to strong grasping and climbing. Overall, the Sterkfontein tarsal elements show mixture of modern human-like and African ape-like features.
{"title":"Tarsals","authors":"T. Jashashvili, M. Tocheri, K. Carlson, R. Clarke","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0014","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter describes 12 tarsal bones from Sterkfontein, and compares them to those of extant hominoids and other fossil hominins, adding new analyses for some of the bones which have been studied previously. In general, the Sterkfontein calcanei and tali more closely resemble those attributed to Australopithecus sediba from nearby Malapa than to Australopithecus afarensis tarsals from Hadar, Ethiopia. Overall, the bones are similar to those of humans, but African ape-like characters indicating selection on adaptive use of arboreal substrates are persistent throughout the Sterkfontein tarsals, although more prevalent on some bones than on others. Planes of the navicular and first metatarsal facets on the medial cuneiform are relatively parallel, suggesting the hallux was not notably divergent from the metatarsus. However, the anteroposteriorly short intermediate and lateral cuneiforms suggest that the anterior tarsal row had not yet elongated as in modern humans, adversely affecting the foot’s ability to serve as a rigid lever. A large groove for the flexor hallucis longus muscle and large navicular tubercle may be related to strong grasping and climbing. Overall, the Sterkfontein tarsal elements show mixture of modern human-like and African ape-like features.","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130416679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0018
C. Ward, B. Zipfel
This chapter summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. To our knowledge, this volume represents the first source presenting all these fossils together in one collection. The chapters in this book provide photographs, measurements, and basic descriptions of each postcranial fossil. They present comparative observations and analyses and statistical analysis of taxonomically and functionally relevant aspects of morphology, and in some cases they provide reconstructions of the bones. Each of the chapters in this volume addresses key questions surrounding the Sterkfontein hominins. The Sterkfontein specimens share with other hominins features of the vertebral column, thorax, hip, knee, ankle, and foot indicating fully upright, human-like posture. Among many anatomical regions, though, the A. africanus fossils appear distinct from those attributed to A. afarensis, yet the variation between these samples often does not exceed that observed within single species of extant hominoids. Still, there may be evidence of more climbing behavior but also improved manual manipulatory behaviors, and perhaps a slightly different gait than typical of other hominins. Each chapter in this volume comes to a similar conclusion, that although variation in size or morphology may exceed that found in other australopith species, or even among mixed samples of other fossil hominins, the hypothesis that only one species is represented by the Sterkfontein Member 4 hominins cannot be falsified. The australopith species that “started it all” back in 1925 still has more to teach us, and we all look forward to learning what the future holds for Australopithecus africanus.
{"title":"Summary and synthesis","authors":"C. Ward, B. Zipfel","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0018","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. To our knowledge, this volume represents the first source presenting all these fossils together in one collection. The chapters in this book provide photographs, measurements, and basic descriptions of each postcranial fossil. They present comparative observations and analyses and statistical analysis of taxonomically and functionally relevant aspects of morphology, and in some cases they provide reconstructions of the bones. Each of the chapters in this volume addresses key questions surrounding the Sterkfontein hominins. The Sterkfontein specimens share with other hominins features of the vertebral column, thorax, hip, knee, ankle, and foot indicating fully upright, human-like posture. Among many anatomical regions, though, the A. africanus fossils appear distinct from those attributed to A. afarensis, yet the variation between these samples often does not exceed that observed within single species of extant hominoids. Still, there may be evidence of more climbing behavior but also improved manual manipulatory behaviors, and perhaps a slightly different gait than typical of other hominins. Each chapter in this volume comes to a similar conclusion, that although variation in size or morphology may exceed that found in other australopith species, or even among mixed samples of other fossil hominins, the hypothesis that only one species is represented by the Sterkfontein Member 4 hominins cannot be falsified. The australopith species that “started it all” back in 1925 still has more to teach us, and we all look forward to learning what the future holds for Australopithecus africanus.","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127342835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0006
Michael R. Lague, C. Menter
Anatomical descriptions are presented for six distal humeri from Sterkfontein. These fossil specimens, and one humerus from Makapansgat, are compared to those of extant hominids and a variety of fossil hominins using geometric morphometric data from a transverse section through the distal diaphysis. Principal components analysis is used to summarize morphometric affinities among specimens. Procrustes distances are used to measure shape dissimilarity between pairs, and total sample variation is quantified as the sum of squared distances (SSD) of pairwise Procrustes. Bootstrap resampling of SSD is used to evaluate the possibility of taxonomic heterogeneity in the Sterkfontein assemblage. Humeral variation at Sterkfontein/Makapansgat reflects three distinct groups, one of which resembles Homo erectus (Stw 150, 182), one of which resembles Australopithecus sediba (Stw 339, MLD 14), and one of which resembles non-sediba australopiths (Stw 38, Stw 124, Stw 431c). Based on variation within extant species, we cannot reject the null hypothesis that the Sterkfontein specimens are conspecific. On the other hand, Sterkfontein SSD is significantly high with reference to a mixed-species sample of australopiths from across Africa. On balance, we suggest that only those specimens in the last group (non-sediba autralopiths) should be attributed to A. africanus.
{"title":"Distal humerus","authors":"Michael R. Lague, C. Menter","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0006","url":null,"abstract":"Anatomical descriptions are presented for six distal humeri from Sterkfontein. These fossil specimens, and one humerus from Makapansgat, are compared to those of extant hominids and a variety of fossil hominins using geometric morphometric data from a transverse section through the distal diaphysis. Principal components analysis is used to summarize morphometric affinities among specimens. Procrustes distances are used to measure shape dissimilarity between pairs, and total sample variation is quantified as the sum of squared distances (SSD) of pairwise Procrustes. Bootstrap resampling of SSD is used to evaluate the possibility of taxonomic heterogeneity in the Sterkfontein assemblage. Humeral variation at Sterkfontein/Makapansgat reflects three distinct groups, one of which resembles Homo erectus (Stw 150, 182), one of which resembles Australopithecus sediba (Stw 339, MLD 14), and one of which resembles non-sediba australopiths (Stw 38, Stw 124, Stw 431c). Based on variation within extant species, we cannot reject the null hypothesis that the Sterkfontein specimens are conspecific. On the other hand, Sterkfontein SSD is significantly high with reference to a mixed-species sample of australopiths from across Africa. On balance, we suggest that only those specimens in the last group (non-sediba autralopiths) should be attributed to A. africanus.","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124922465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-02DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0011
M. Haeusler, C. Ruff
The hominin pelvis is a remarkable structure that plays a central role in many critical biological processes, most notably bipedal locomotion and parturition. Here we describe each pelvic element from Sterkfontein and reconstruct the pelvis of the partial skeletons of Sts 14 and StW 431. Based on preserved contours, if human sexing methods can be accurately applied to australopiths, it is likely that Sts 14 represents a female individual, with the larger size, narrower greater sciatic notch of Sts 65 and StW 431 and other morphologies suggesting that these individuals were male. Some degenerative defects of the StW 431 acetabulum also suggest this may have been an older adult. This chapter also presents complete pelvic reconstructions of all of these fragmentary hipbone fossils.
{"title":"Pelvis","authors":"M. Haeusler, C. Ruff","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0011","url":null,"abstract":"The hominin pelvis is a remarkable structure that plays a central role in many critical biological processes, most notably bipedal locomotion and parturition. Here we describe each pelvic element from Sterkfontein and reconstruct the pelvis of the partial skeletons of Sts 14 and StW 431. Based on preserved contours, if human sexing methods can be accurately applied to australopiths, it is likely that Sts 14 represents a female individual, with the larger size, narrower greater sciatic notch of Sts 65 and StW 431 and other morphologies suggesting that these individuals were male. Some degenerative defects of the StW 431 acetabulum also suggest this may have been an older adult. This chapter also presents complete pelvic reconstructions of all of these fragmentary hipbone fossils.","PeriodicalId":262465,"journal":{"name":"Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116043783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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