Pub Date : 2025-02-17DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103638
B. Gruwier , K. Kovarovic
In this study, we assess the artiodactyl fossil record of the Homo erectus type locality of Trinil (Indonesia) and explore the paleoenvironmental implications for the site and for our understanding of early hominin paleoecology. Combining ecomorphological analyses on postcranial elements of cervids from Trinil (n = 43) with a range of existing paleobiological and paleoecological data on the bovids and cervids, a holistic reconstruction is made of the ecology of the artiodactyl community. The ecomorphological analyses indicate that the cervid Axis lydekkeri was adapted to relatively open environments with wet substrate. In combination with evidence of the other families, these results are compared in a correspondence analysis with the artiodactyl communities of contemporary Asian nature reserves. Trinil was shown to be similar to a number of Mainland Southeast Asian sites and reconstructed as an open woodland habitat with a wet component, possibly in the form of alluvial grasslands. The paleoenvironmental conditions reconstructed for Trinil indicate that Homo erectus was present in relatively open environments but that it still had a significant degree of environmental flexibility and was able to persist in wet and dry environments, with a vegetation structure ranging from grassland to open woodland.
{"title":"Paleoenvironments at the Homo erectus type locality of Trinil (Java, Indonesia): The artiodactyl evidence","authors":"B. Gruwier , K. Kovarovic","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we assess the artiodactyl fossil record of the <em>Homo erectus</em> type locality of Trinil (Indonesia) and explore the paleoenvironmental implications for the site and for our understanding of early hominin paleoecology. Combining ecomorphological analyses on postcranial elements of cervids from Trinil (<em>n</em> = 43) with a range of existing paleobiological and paleoecological data on the bovids and cervids, a holistic reconstruction is made of the ecology of the artiodactyl community. The ecomorphological analyses indicate that the cervid <em>Axis lydekkeri</em> was adapted to relatively open environments with wet substrate. In combination with evidence of the other families, these results are compared in a correspondence analysis with the artiodactyl communities of contemporary Asian nature reserves. Trinil was shown to be similar to a number of Mainland Southeast Asian sites and reconstructed as an open woodland habitat with a wet component, possibly in the form of alluvial grasslands. The paleoenvironmental conditions reconstructed for Trinil indicate that <em>Homo erectus</em> was present in relatively open environments but that it still had a significant degree of environmental flexibility and was able to persist in wet and dry environments, with a vegetation structure ranging from grassland to open woodland.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 103638"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143421877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103624
Christopher M. Smith , Ashley S. Hammond , Alessandro Urciuoli , José Braga , Amélie Beaudet , Marine Cazenave , Jeffrey T. Laitman , Sergio Almécija
The bony labyrinth of the inner ear houses the sensory end-organs responsible for balance (otolithic system in the utricle and saccule, and semicircular canal system) and hearing (cochlea). Study of the bony labyrinth has revealed considerable morphological diversity in the hominin lineage (semicircular canals and cochleae) and aided in reconstructing essential aspects of primate evolution, including positional behavior, audition, and phylogenic affinities. However, evidence of evolutionary change in the hominin otolithic system remains elusive. Such morphological variation in these gravitoinertial sensory end-organs may suggest functional differences as their geometry is linked with positional behavior. We approach the question of evolutionary morphological change in the hominin otolithic system by examining bony vestibule morphology in two South African hominin taxa Paranthropus robustus (n = 9) and Australopithecus africanus (n = 6), compared to extant hominids (Pongo pygmaeus, Gorilla gorilla, Pan troglodytes, and Homo sapiens). We use landmark-based shape analyses of 78 extant hominid inner ears by means of virtual three-dimensional models derived from micro-computed tomography scans. Thirty bony landmarks were chosen to approximate otolithic organ morphology and relative configuration. Results show a distinctive morphology in P. robustus compared to A. africanus and extant hominids. Specifically, P. robustus exhibits anterolateral–posteromedial compression in bony otolithic organ structure, reducing the size of the saccule and vestibular aqueduct. In contrast, A. africanus exhibits a modern-human-like otolithic system. This newfound morphological diversity identifies unique bony features of the P. robustus inner ear which: 1) offers potential evidence for differential positional behavior between P. robustus and A. africanus and 2) presents osteological markers to be used in taxonomic identification of P. robustus remains and in future assessments of Paranthropus classification.
{"title":"Divergent otolithic systems in the inner ear of Paranthropus robustus and Australopithecus africanus","authors":"Christopher M. Smith , Ashley S. Hammond , Alessandro Urciuoli , José Braga , Amélie Beaudet , Marine Cazenave , Jeffrey T. Laitman , Sergio Almécija","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103624","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The bony labyrinth of the inner ear houses the sensory end-organs responsible for balance (otolithic system in the utricle and saccule, and semicircular canal system) and hearing (cochlea). Study of the bony labyrinth has revealed considerable morphological diversity in the hominin lineage (semicircular canals and cochleae) and aided in reconstructing essential aspects of primate evolution, including positional behavior, audition, and phylogenic affinities. However, evidence of evolutionary change in the hominin otolithic system remains elusive. Such morphological variation in these gravitoinertial sensory end-organs may suggest functional differences as their geometry is linked with positional behavior. We approach the question of evolutionary morphological change in the hominin otolithic system by examining bony vestibule morphology in two South African hominin taxa <em>Paranthropus robustus</em> (n = 9) and <em>Australopithecus africanus</em> (n = 6), compared to extant hominids (<em>Pongo pygmaeus</em>, <em>Gorilla gorilla</em>, <em>Pan troglodytes</em>, and <em>Homo sapiens</em>). We use landmark-based shape analyses of 78 extant hominid inner ears by means of virtual three-dimensional models derived from micro-computed tomography scans. Thirty bony landmarks were chosen to approximate otolithic organ morphology and relative configuration. Results show a distinctive morphology in <em>P. robustus</em> compared to <em>A. africanus</em> and extant hominids. Specifically, <em>P. robustus</em> exhibits anterolateral–posteromedial compression in bony otolithic organ structure, reducing the size of the saccule and vestibular aqueduct. In contrast, <em>A. africanus</em> exhibits a modern-human-like otolithic system. This newfound morphological diversity identifies unique bony features of the <em>P</em>. <em>robustus</em> inner ear which: 1) offers potential evidence for differential positional behavior between <em>P. robustus</em> and <em>A. africanus</em> and 2) presents osteological markers to be used in taxonomic identification of <em>P. robustus</em> remains and in future assessments of <em>Paranthropus</em> classification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103624"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142830821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103632
Tanner Z. Kovach , Artur Petrosyan , Keith N. Wilkinson , Yannick Raczynski-Henk , Kathleen Rodrigues , Ellery Frahm , Emily Beverly , Jayson P. Gill , Jennifer E. Sherriff , Boris Gasparyan , Hayk G. Avetisyan , Artak V. Gnuni , Daniel S. Adler
As a potential corridor connecting Southwest Asia with western and northern Europe, the Armenian Highlands and southern Caucasus hold great potential for increasing our understanding of Upper Paleolithic behavioral and cultural variability. However, given the dearth of Upper Paleolithic sites, we lack the data necessary to answer basic questions regarding the timing and nature of the Upper Paleolithic in this region. Solak-1 is an open-air site located along the upper Hrazdan Valley (1635 m above sea level) in central Armenia. The site preserves a rich Upper Paleolithic lithic assemblage produced almost exclusively on obsidian and is just the fourth Upper Paleolithic sequence in Armenia. The goal of this study is to present geoarchaeological, chronometric, and technological analyses of the Solak-1 site to integrate the site into the regional Upper Paleolithic sequence. Solak-1 is composed of six lithostratigraphic units (LUs 1–6) comprising recently reworked (LUs 1–2), pedogenically modified (LUs 3–5), and primary (LU 6) loess. A single-grain postinfrared infrared stimulated luminescence date of 27.73 ± 3.63 ka was obtained from LU 4. This age is comparable to regional Middle Upper Paleolithic sites in Armenia and Georgia. Technotypological analyses indicate a lithic assemblage dominated by the production of bladelets and bladelet tools from formal and informal cores. Geochemical sourcing of the obsidian highlights a predominance of local raw material use, with rare transport of artifacts over 185 linear km. These results add an important new datapoint to the Upper Paleolithic record of the Armenian Highlands, offering additional insights into technotypological patterning within this period.
{"title":"Contextualizing the Upper Paleolithic of the Armenian Highlands: New data from Solak-1, central Armenia","authors":"Tanner Z. Kovach , Artur Petrosyan , Keith N. Wilkinson , Yannick Raczynski-Henk , Kathleen Rodrigues , Ellery Frahm , Emily Beverly , Jayson P. Gill , Jennifer E. Sherriff , Boris Gasparyan , Hayk G. Avetisyan , Artak V. Gnuni , Daniel S. Adler","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a potential corridor connecting Southwest Asia with western and northern Europe, the Armenian Highlands and southern Caucasus hold great potential for increasing our understanding of Upper Paleolithic behavioral and cultural variability. However, given the dearth of Upper Paleolithic sites, we lack the data necessary to answer basic questions regarding the timing and nature of the Upper Paleolithic in this region. Solak-1 is an open-air site located along the upper Hrazdan Valley (1635 m above sea level) in central Armenia. The site preserves a rich Upper Paleolithic lithic assemblage produced almost exclusively on obsidian and is just the fourth Upper Paleolithic sequence in Armenia. The goal of this study is to present geoarchaeological, chronometric, and technological analyses of the Solak-1 site to integrate the site into the regional Upper Paleolithic sequence. Solak-1 is composed of six lithostratigraphic units (LUs 1–6) comprising recently reworked (LUs 1–2), pedogenically modified (LUs 3–5), and primary (LU 6) loess. A single-grain postinfrared infrared stimulated luminescence date of 27.73 ± 3.63 ka was obtained from LU 4. This age is comparable to regional Middle Upper Paleolithic sites in Armenia and Georgia. Technotypological analyses indicate a lithic assemblage dominated by the production of bladelets and bladelet tools from formal and informal cores. Geochemical sourcing of the obsidian highlights a predominance of local raw material use, with rare transport of artifacts over 185 linear km. These results add an important new datapoint to the Upper Paleolithic record of the Armenian Highlands, offering additional insights into technotypological patterning within this period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103632"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103630
Adam D. Gordon
The degree of sexual size dimorphism in fossil hominins is important evidence for the evaluation of evolutionary hypotheses, but it is also difficult/impossible to measure directly. Multiple methods have been developed to estimate dimorphism in univariate and multivariate datasets, including when data are missing. This paper introduces 'dimorph', an R package that implements many of these methods and associated resampling-based significance tests and evaluates their performance in terms of Type I error rates and power. Tests evaluated here are those that appear most commonly in the hominin literature: testing whether a fossil sample is significantly more dimorphic than a comparative sample of known dimorphism. Univariate and multivariate methods are applied to metric data from four extant hominoid species: Gorilla gorilla, Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, and Hylobates lar. Each species is represented by 47 female and 47 male adult individuals, from which 10 linear postcranial measurements are collected. Data are resampled at a broad range of sample sizes (n = 4 to n = 82), sex ratios (proportion of females range from 0 to 1), and in the case of missing-data methods, proportions of missing data (0–0.9). Type I error rates and power are evaluated by the proportion of tests correctly or incorrectly rejecting null hypotheses regarding dimorphism difference within pairs of samples drawn from these four species, in which one sample stands in for a fossil sample. Results indicate low Type I error rates for all methods, whereas power is variable across methods but often low at sample sizes common to fossil analyses. Recommendations are made for the best significance tests. Additionally, previous work using lack of significant difference as evidence for similarity in dimorphism between fossils and extant species should be re-examined to determine whether those studies have enough power to detect known differences among extant taxa.
{"title":"Interpreting statistical significance in hominin dimorphism: Power and Type I error rates for resampling tests of univariate and missing-data multivariate size dimorphism estimation methods in the fossil record","authors":"Adam D. Gordon","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The degree of sexual size dimorphism in fossil hominins is important evidence for the evaluation of evolutionary hypotheses, but it is also difficult/impossible to measure directly. Multiple methods have been developed to estimate dimorphism in univariate and multivariate datasets, including when data are missing. This paper introduces 'dimorph', an R package that implements many of these methods and associated resampling-based significance tests and evaluates their performance in terms of Type I error rates and power. Tests evaluated here are those that appear most commonly in the hominin literature: testing whether a fossil sample is significantly more dimorphic than a comparative sample of known dimorphism. Univariate and multivariate methods are applied to metric data from four extant hominoid species: <em>Gorilla gorilla</em>, <em>Homo sapiens</em>, <em>Pan troglodytes</em>, and <em>Hylobates lar</em>. Each species is represented by 47 female and 47 male adult individuals, from which 10 linear postcranial measurements are collected. Data are resampled at a broad range of sample sizes (<em>n</em> = 4 to <em>n</em> = 82), sex ratios (proportion of females range from 0 to 1), and in the case of missing-data methods, proportions of missing data (0–0.9). Type I error rates and power are evaluated by the proportion of tests correctly or incorrectly rejecting null hypotheses regarding dimorphism difference within pairs of samples drawn from these four species, in which one sample stands in for a fossil sample. Results indicate low Type I error rates for all methods, whereas power is variable across methods but often low at sample sizes common to fossil analyses. Recommendations are made for the best significance tests. Additionally, previous work using lack of significant difference as evidence for similarity in dimorphism between fossils and extant species should be re-examined to determine whether those studies have enough power to detect known differences among extant taxa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103630"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142900115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103625
D.R. Braun , S. Carvalho , R.S. Kaplan , M. Beardmore-Herd , T. Plummer , D. Biro , T. Matsuzawa
The use of broad tool repertoires to increase dietary flexibility through extractive foraging behaviors is shared by humans and their closest living relatives (chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes). However, comparisons between tool use in ancient human ancestors (hominins) and chimpanzees are limited by differences in their toolkits. One feature shared by primate and hominin toolkits is rock selection based on physical properties of the stones and the targets of foraging behaviors. Here, we document the selectivity patterns of stone tools used by wild chimpanzees to crack nuts at Bossou, Guinea, through controlled experiments that introduce rocks unknown to this population. Experiments incorporate specific rock types because previous studies document hominin selection of these lithologies at Kanjera South 2 Ma. We investigate decisions made by chimpanzees when selecting stones that vary in their mechanical properties—features not directly visible to the individual. Results indicate that the selection of anvils and hammers is linked to task-specific mechanical properties. Chimpanzees select harder stones for hammers and softer stones for anvils, indicating an understanding of specific properties for distinct functions. Selectivity of rock types suggests that chimpanzees assess the appropriate materials for functions by discriminating these ‘invisible’ properties. Adults identify mechanical properties through individual learning, and juveniles often reused the tools selected by adults. Selection of specific rock types may be transmitted through the reuse of combinations of rocks. These patterns of stone selection parallel what is documented for Oldowan hominins. The processes identified in this experiment provide insights into the discrete nature of hominin rock selection patterns in Plio-Pleistocene stone artifact production.
人类和他们的近亲（黑猩猩，泛穴居人）共同使用广泛的工具库，通过采掘觅食行为来增加饮食的灵活性。然而，对古代人类祖先（古人类）和黑猩猩使用工具的比较受到工具包差异的限制。灵长类动物和人类工具箱共有的一个特征是，根据石头的物理性质和觅食行为的目标来选择岩石。在这里，我们记录了在几内亚Bossou，野生黑猩猩使用石器来敲开坚果的选择性模式，通过控制实验，引入了未知的岩石。实验纳入了特定的岩石类型，因为以前的研究记录了在Kanjera South 2 Ma这些岩性的人类选择。我们研究了黑猩猩在选择不同机械性能的石头时所做的决定——这些特征对个体来说是不直接可见的。结果表明，砧和锤的选择与特定任务的机械性能有关。黑猩猩选择较硬的石头做锤子，较软的石头做铁砧，这表明它们对不同功能的特定属性有不同的理解。岩石类型的选择性表明黑猩猩通过区分这些“看不见的”属性来评估合适的功能材料。成年人通过个人学习来识别机械特性，青少年经常重复使用成年人选择的工具。特定岩石类型的选择可以通过岩石组合的重复使用来传递。这些选择石头的模式与记载的奥尔多瓦古人类相似。在本实验中确定的过程提供了对上新世-更新世石器制品生产中人类岩石选择模式的离散性质的见解。
{"title":"Stone selection by wild chimpanzees shares patterns with Oldowan hominins","authors":"D.R. Braun , S. Carvalho , R.S. Kaplan , M. Beardmore-Herd , T. Plummer , D. Biro , T. Matsuzawa","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103625","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of broad tool repertoires to increase dietary flexibility through extractive foraging behaviors is shared by humans and their closest living relatives (chimpanzees, <em>Pan troglodytes</em>). However, comparisons between tool use in ancient human ancestors (hominins) and chimpanzees are limited by differences in their toolkits. One feature shared by primate and hominin toolkits is rock selection based on physical properties of the stones and the targets of foraging behaviors. Here, we document the selectivity patterns of stone tools used by wild chimpanzees to crack nuts at Bossou, Guinea, through controlled experiments that introduce rocks unknown to this population. Experiments incorporate specific rock types because previous studies document hominin selection of these lithologies at Kanjera South 2 Ma. We investigate decisions made by chimpanzees when selecting stones that vary in their mechanical properties—features not directly visible to the individual. Results indicate that the selection of anvils and hammers is linked to task-specific mechanical properties. Chimpanzees select harder stones for hammers and softer stones for anvils, indicating an understanding of specific properties for distinct functions. Selectivity of rock types suggests that chimpanzees assess the appropriate materials for functions by discriminating these ‘invisible’ properties. Adults identify mechanical properties through individual learning, and juveniles often reused the tools selected by adults. Selection of specific rock types may be transmitted through the reuse of combinations of rocks. These patterns of stone selection parallel what is documented for Oldowan hominins. The processes identified in this experiment provide insights into the discrete nature of hominin rock selection patterns in Plio-Pleistocene stone artifact production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103625"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142900117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103629
José M. López-Rey , Daniel García-Martínez , Markus Bastir
The study of the ribcage is fundamental to understanding hominin evolution. However, ribs and vertebrae are scarce in the fossil record. Although Neanderthals are one of the most represented and, therefore, one of the most studied fossil Homo species, it is controversial whether there is a standardized Neanderthal ribcage morphotype that could differ from modern humans. Hence, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to reconstruct and compare the Neanderthal ribcage of Shanidar 3 with another Neanderthal specimen, Kebara 2, and with 58 Homo sapiens individuals of worldwide distribution. Shape differences among the Neanderthal and H. sapiens ribcages were analyzed by a hierarchical cluster using the Euclidean distances among the permuted Procrustes distances between groups. Size differences between the Neanderthal and H. sapiens ribcages were examined using a permutation test on centroid size. To examine the potential for allometry, we performed a linear regression of Procrustes coordinates on centroid size of the sample, followed by a principal component analysis in form space. Our results show that Shanidar 3 has the ‘bell-shaped’ thorax typically described for Neanderthals. In fact, the shapes of both Shanidar 3 and Kebara 2 ribcages cluster apart from that of H. sapiens, being closer to cold-adapted individuals. The study of the centroid size supports similarities between Neanderthals and cold-adapted H. sapiens since significant size differences were found only between Neanderthals and temperate/tropical recent humans. The linear regression and principal component analysis showed an allometric relationship between ribcage size and shape, suggesting Neanderthals had larger and stockier ribcages than most H. sapiens, although they fall within the H. sapiens range of variation. Finally, ribcage similarities found between Shanidar 3 and Kebara 2, both inhabiting warm Levantine locations during the Upper Pleistocene, could challenge the conventional idea of a cold-adapted bauplan in Neanderthals.
{"title":"Shanidar 3 ‘rings the bell’: Virtual ribcage reconstruction and its implications for understanding the Neanderthal bauplan","authors":"José M. López-Rey , Daniel García-Martínez , Markus Bastir","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study of the ribcage is fundamental to understanding hominin evolution. However, ribs and vertebrae are scarce in the fossil record. Although Neanderthals are one of the most represented and, therefore, one of the most studied fossil <em>Homo</em> species, it is controversial whether there is a standardized Neanderthal ribcage morphotype that could differ from modern humans. Hence, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to reconstruct and compare the Neanderthal ribcage of Shanidar 3 with another Neanderthal specimen, Kebara 2, and with 58 <em>Homo sapiens</em> individuals of worldwide distribution. Shape differences among the Neanderthal and <em>H. sapiens</em> ribcages were analyzed by a hierarchical cluster using the Euclidean distances among the permuted Procrustes distances between groups. Size differences between the Neanderthal and <em>H. sapiens</em> ribcages were examined using a permutation test on centroid size. To examine the potential for allometry, we performed a linear regression of Procrustes coordinates on centroid size of the sample, followed by a principal component analysis in form space. Our results show that Shanidar 3 has the ‘bell-shaped’ thorax typically described for Neanderthals. In fact, the shapes of both Shanidar 3 and Kebara 2 ribcages cluster apart from that of <em>H. sapiens</em>, being closer to cold-adapted individuals. The study of the centroid size supports similarities between Neanderthals and cold-adapted <em>H. sapiens</em> since significant size differences were found only between Neanderthals and temperate/tropical recent humans. The linear regression and principal component analysis showed an allometric relationship between ribcage size and shape, suggesting Neanderthals had larger and stockier ribcages than most <em>H. sapiens</em>, although they fall within the <em>H. sapiens</em> range of variation. Finally, ribcage similarities found between Shanidar 3 and Kebara 2, both inhabiting warm Levantine locations during the Upper Pleistocene, could challenge the conventional idea of a cold-adapted bauplan in Neanderthals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103629"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142820348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103628
Christopher C. Gilbert , Alejandra Ortiz , Kelsey D. Pugh , Christopher J. Campisano , Biren A. Patel , Ningthoujam Premjit Singh , John G. Fleagle , Rajeev Patnaik
Fossil gibbons are exceedingly rare, with much of the hylobatid fossil record and, consequently, hylobatid evolutionary history remaining unknown. Kapi ramnagarensis was described as a stem hylobatid on the basis of an isolated lower right M3 from ∼13.0–12.5 Ma deposits surrounding Ramnagar (J&K), India. This interpretation was recently challenged, with alternative hypotheses suggesting that it is instead a stem catarrhine or a strangely derived pliopithecoid that has converged on hylobatid morphology. A series of morphological features were said to distinguish Kapi from fossil and extant hylobatids; notably, however, none of these features were examined or compared using quantitative analyses. Here, we further examine the dental morphology of Kapi, providing quantitative analyses to critically evaluate the hypothesis that Kapi represents a stem catarrhine or pliopithecoid rather than a stem hylobatid. Results demonstrate that none of the claimed differences between Kapi and hylobatids hold up under closer scrutiny, and multivariate discriminant analyses taking size and shape into account strongly support Kapi as a hylobatid with high posterior probabilities. Although only represented by a single lower molar, Kapi remains the most compelling candidate for the earliest known hylobatid in the fossil record and thus likely documents the simultaneous arrival of lesser and great apes to Asia during the Middle Miocene.
{"title":"Additional analyses of stem catarrhine and hominoid dental morphology support Kapi ramnagarensis as a stem hylobatid","authors":"Christopher C. Gilbert , Alejandra Ortiz , Kelsey D. Pugh , Christopher J. Campisano , Biren A. Patel , Ningthoujam Premjit Singh , John G. Fleagle , Rajeev Patnaik","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103628","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fossil gibbons are exceedingly rare, with much of the hylobatid fossil record and, consequently, hylobatid evolutionary history remaining unknown. <em>Kapi ramnagarensis</em> was described as a stem hylobatid on the basis of an isolated lower right M<sub>3</sub> from ∼13.0–12.5 Ma deposits surrounding Ramnagar (J&K), India. This interpretation was recently challenged, with alternative hypotheses suggesting that it is instead a stem catarrhine or a strangely derived pliopithecoid that has converged on hylobatid morphology. A series of morphological features were said to distinguish <em>Kapi</em> from fossil and extant hylobatids; notably, however, none of these features were examined or compared using quantitative analyses. Here, we further examine the dental morphology of <em>Kapi</em>, providing quantitative analyses to critically evaluate the hypothesis that <em>Kapi</em> represents a stem catarrhine or pliopithecoid rather than a stem hylobatid. Results demonstrate that none of the claimed differences between <em>Kapi</em> and hylobatids hold up under closer scrutiny, and multivariate discriminant analyses taking size and shape into account strongly support <em>Kapi</em> as a hylobatid with high posterior probabilities. Although only represented by a single lower molar, <em>Kapi</em> remains the most compelling candidate for the earliest known hylobatid in the fossil record and thus likely documents the simultaneous arrival of lesser and great apes to Asia during the Middle Miocene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103628"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143128609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103631
Juliette Henrion , Bruno Maureille , Cédric Beauval , Nicolas Vanderesse , Jean-Jacques Hublin , Maurice Hardy
The Grotte du Bison, in Arcy-sur-Cure (Yonne, France), yielded a large assemblage of 49 Neandertal remains from late Mousterian layers, offering critical insights for the study of Middle to Upper Paleolithic populations of Western Europe. Previous studies described the external morphology of 13 isolated teeth and a partial maxilla. Building on this previous work, the current study provides further descriptions and analyses of the remains, including one postcranial fragment, six cranial fragments, two maxillary fragments, and 40 isolated teeth. The dental remains are examined for a more detailed assessment of the metric and nonmetric variability of their external and internal morphologies. We focus our description on preservation, health status, and age at death, and we assess the minimum number of individuals. The dental variability is also compared to that of Middle and Upper Pleistocene hominins. Our results indicate that the collection represents at least nine to 17 individuals, comprising mostly children and adolescents. Five to seven pairings are identified based on shared dental traits, developmental criteria, such as perikymata and pitted hypoplasia, wear patterns, and taphonomic alterations. This collection exhibits characteristic Neandertal features, including occasionally markedly expressed traits (e.g., I1 and P3 ridging and tubercular expressions), as well as a homogenous expression of accessory structures (particularly for the molars). The highest morphological variability is observed on maxillary premolar roots, which display different stages of root fusion, mesially placed hypercementosis, and pulp cavity extension. This collection also reflects the morphological and behavioral diversity observed in the other Arcy-sur-Cure caves.
在法国约内的阿尔西-库尔河畔的石窟（Grotte du Bison），发现了来自摩斯特时代晚期的49具尼安德特人遗骸，为研究西欧旧石器时代中晚期的人群提供了重要的见解。先前的研究描述了13颗分离牙齿和部分上颌骨的外部形态。在先前工作的基础上，目前的研究提供了对遗骸的进一步描述和分析，包括一个颅后碎片，六个颅骨碎片，两个上颌碎片和40个分离的牙齿。检查牙齿遗骸，以更详细地评估其外部和内部形态的公制和非公制变异性。我们将描述重点放在保存、健康状况和死亡年龄上，并评估个体的最小数量。并与中更新世和上更新世古人类的牙齿变异性进行了比较。我们的研究结果表明，该集合代表了至少9到17个人，其中大多数是儿童和青少年。根据共同的牙齿特征、发育标准（如齿突周围和凹陷性发育不全）、磨损模式和语音学改变来确定5到7对配对。这组标本展示了典型的尼安德特人特征，包括偶尔明显表达的特征（例如，I1和P3隆起和结核表达），以及附属结构的同质表达（特别是臼齿）。上颌前磨牙根的形态差异最大，表现出不同阶段的根融合、近端多牙和牙髓腔延伸。这个集合也反映了在其他阿尔西-苏尔-库尔洞穴中观察到的形态和行为的多样性。
{"title":"The Grotte du Bison Neandertals (Arcy-sur-Cure, France)","authors":"Juliette Henrion , Bruno Maureille , Cédric Beauval , Nicolas Vanderesse , Jean-Jacques Hublin , Maurice Hardy","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Grotte du Bison, in Arcy-sur-Cure (Yonne, France), yielded a large assemblage of 49 Neandertal remains from late Mousterian layers, offering critical insights for the study of Middle to Upper Paleolithic populations of Western Europe. Previous studies described the external morphology of 13 isolated teeth and a partial maxilla. Building on this previous work, the current study provides further descriptions and analyses of the remains, including one postcranial fragment, six cranial fragments, two maxillary fragments, and 40 isolated teeth. The dental remains are examined for a more detailed assessment of the metric and nonmetric variability of their external and internal morphologies. We focus our description on preservation, health status, and age at death, and we assess the minimum number of individuals. The dental variability is also compared to that of Middle and Upper Pleistocene hominins. Our results indicate that the collection represents at least nine to 17 individuals, comprising mostly children and adolescents. Five to seven pairings are identified based on shared dental traits, developmental criteria, such as perikymata and pitted hypoplasia, wear patterns, and taphonomic alterations. This collection exhibits characteristic Neandertal features, including occasionally markedly expressed traits (e.g., I<sup>1</sup> and P<sup>3</sup> ridging and tubercular expressions), as well as a homogenous expression of accessory structures (particularly for the molars). The highest morphological variability is observed on maxillary premolar roots, which display different stages of root fusion, mesially placed hypercementosis, and pulp cavity extension. This collection also reflects the morphological and behavioral diversity observed in the other Arcy-sur-Cure caves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 103631"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142900120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103636
Pierre Linchamps , Emmanuelle Stoetzel , Laurie Amberny , Christine Steininger , Ronald J. Clarke , Matthew V. Caruana , Kathleen Kuman , Travis Rayne Pickering
The oldest deposit at the hominin-bearing cave of Swartkrans, South Africa, is the Lower Bank of Member 1, dated to ca. 2.2 million years ago. Excavations of this unit have produced a diverse and extensive mammalian fossil record, including Paranthropus robustus and early Homo fossils, along with numerous Oldowan stone tools. The present study focuses on the taxonomic analysis of the micromammalian fossil assemblage obtained from recent excavations of the Lower Bank, conducted between 2005 and 2010, as part of the Swartkrans Paleoanthropological Research Project. The taxonomic composition of this assemblage is dominated by Mystromys, a rodent indicative of grassland environments. Taphonomic analysis indicates an accumulation of prey by Tyto alba (Barn owl) or a related species. Environments inferred from this evidence reflect an open landscape primarily covered by grassland vegetation, but they also feature components of wooded areas, rocky outcrops, and the proximity of a river. The Swartkrans fossil assemblage is compared with Cooper's D (dated to ca. 1.4 Ma) and a modern coprocoenosis of Bubo africanus (spotted eagle-owl) collected within the Swartkrans cave for taxonomic, taphonomic, and paleoecological perspectives. Contrasting fossil and modern micromammalian data provide a better understanding of accumulation processes and facilitate a diachronic reconstruction of changes in climate and landscape evolution. Issues regarding paleoenvironmental reconstruction methodologies based on micromammals are also discussed.
{"title":"New modern and Pleistocene fossil micromammal assemblages from Swartkrans, South Africa: Paleobiodiversity, taphonomic, and environmental context","authors":"Pierre Linchamps , Emmanuelle Stoetzel , Laurie Amberny , Christine Steininger , Ronald J. Clarke , Matthew V. Caruana , Kathleen Kuman , Travis Rayne Pickering","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The oldest deposit at the hominin-bearing cave of Swartkrans, South Africa, is the Lower Bank of Member 1, dated to ca. 2.2 million years ago. Excavations of this unit have produced a diverse and extensive mammalian fossil record, including <em>Paranthropus robustus</em> and early <em>Homo</em> fossils, along with numerous Oldowan stone tools. The present study focuses on the taxonomic analysis of the micromammalian fossil assemblage obtained from recent excavations of the Lower Bank, conducted between 2005 and 2010, as part of the Swartkrans Paleoanthropological Research Project. The taxonomic composition of this assemblage is dominated by <em>Mystromys</em>, a rodent indicative of grassland environments. Taphonomic analysis indicates an accumulation of prey by <em>Tyto alba</em> (Barn owl) or a related species. Environments inferred from this evidence reflect an open landscape primarily covered by grassland vegetation, but they also feature components of wooded areas, rocky outcrops, and the proximity of a river. The Swartkrans fossil assemblage is compared with Cooper's D (dated to ca. 1.4 Ma) and a modern coprocoenosis of <em>Bubo africanus</em> (spotted eagle-owl) collected within the Swartkrans cave for taxonomic, taphonomic, and paleoecological perspectives. Contrasting fossil and modern micromammalian data provide a better understanding of accumulation processes and facilitate a diachronic reconstruction of changes in climate and landscape evolution. Issues regarding paleoenvironmental reconstruction methodologies based on micromammals are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 103636"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143030341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103635
Kelsey D. Pugh , Julie A. Strain , Christopher C. Gilbert
Samburupithecus kiptalami is an ape found in Late Miocene deposits (ca. 9.5 Ma) of northern Kenya. Initial assessments of the holotype specimen (KNM-SH 8531), a female-gorilla-sized maxillary fragment preserving the postcanine tooth row, noted similarities to gorillas or to African apes more broadly. More recently, primitive features of the maxilla and dentition have been used to propose a stem hominoid position for Samburupithecus. In particular, Samburupithecus shares some dental features with orepithecids (nyanzapithecines and Oreopithecus). To evaluate these competing hypotheses, and investigate possible affinities to oreopithecids, we reanalyzed the dentition of Samburupithecus quantitatively and assessed qualitative dental and maxillary features shared by oreopithecids and Samburupithecus. Based on the results of our analyses, we suggest that Samburupithecus is a late-occurring African oreopithecid, which we regard as a long-lived family of stem hominoids. The inclusion of Samburupithecus within Oreopithecidae highlights that stem hominoids and oreopithecids, in particular, spanned a large range of body sizes, similar to the range of size variation seen among all extant apes. Finally, the presence of oreopithecids in Africa on either side of a notable gap in the Late Miocene African fossil record of apes (from ∼13 to 10 Ma) demonstrates that the rarity of fossil African apes (i.e., nonhominin hominines) during this period is likely due to sampling biases rather than a recent immigration back into Africa from Eurasia.
{"title":"Reanalysis of Samburupithecus reveals similarities to nyanzapithecines","authors":"Kelsey D. Pugh , Julie A. Strain , Christopher C. Gilbert","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Samburupithecus kiptalami</em> is an ape found in Late Miocene deposits (ca. 9.5 Ma) of northern Kenya. Initial assessments of the holotype specimen (KNM-SH 8531), a female-gorilla-sized maxillary fragment preserving the postcanine tooth row, noted similarities to gorillas or to African apes more broadly. More recently, primitive features of the maxilla and dentition have been used to propose a stem hominoid position for <em>Samburupithecus</em>. In particular, <em>Samburupithecus</em> shares some dental features with orepithecids (nyanzapithecines and <em>Oreopithecus</em>). To evaluate these competing hypotheses, and investigate possible affinities to oreopithecids, we reanalyzed the dentition of <em>Samburupithecus</em> quantitatively and assessed qualitative dental and maxillary features shared by oreopithecids and <em>Samburupithecus</em>. Based on the results of our analyses, we suggest that <em>Samburupithecus</em> is a late-occurring African oreopithecid, which we regard as a long-lived family of stem hominoids. The inclusion of <em>Samburupithecus</em> within Oreopithecidae highlights that stem hominoids and oreopithecids, in particular, spanned a large range of body sizes, similar to the range of size variation seen among all extant apes. Finally, the presence of oreopithecids in Africa on either side of a notable gap in the Late Miocene African fossil record of apes (from ∼13 to 10 Ma) demonstrates that the rarity of fossil African apes (i.e., nonhominin hominines) during this period is likely due to sampling biases rather than a recent immigration back into Africa from Eurasia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"200 ","pages":"Article 103635"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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