A Neanderthal endocast, naturally formed by travertine within the crater of a thermal spring, was found at Gánovce, near Poprad (Slovakia), in 1926, and dated to 105 ka. The endocast is partially covered by fragments of the braincase. The volume of the endocast was estimated to be 1320 cc. The endocast was first studied by the Czech paleoanthropologist Emanuel Vlček, who performed metric and morphological analyses which suggested its Neanderthal origin. Vlček published his works more than fifty years ago, but the fossil is scarcely known to the general paleoanthropological community, probably because of language barriers. Here, we review the historical and anatomical information available on the endocasts, providing additional paleoneurological assessments on its features. The endocast displays typical Neanderthal traits, and its overall appearance is similar to Guattari 1, mostly because of the pronounced frontal width and occipital bulging. The morphology of the Gánovce specimen suggests once more that the Neanderthal endocranial phenotype had already evolved at 100 ka.
- MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie MeSH
- lebka anatomie a histologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mozek anatomie a histologie MeSH
- neandertálci anatomie a histologie klasifikace fyziologie MeSH
- paleontologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
The abundant femoral assemblage of Homo naledi found in the Dinaledi Chamber provides a unique opportunity to test hypotheses regarding the taxonomy, locomotion, and loading patterns of this species. Here we describe neck and shaft cross-sectional structure of all the femoral fossils recovered in the Dinaledi Chamber and compare them to a broad sample of fossil hominins, recent humans, and extant apes. Cross-sectional geometric (CSG) properties from the femoral neck (base of neck and midneck) and diaphysis (subtrochanteric region and midshaft) were obtained through CT scans for H. naledi and through CT scans or from the literature for the comparative sample. The comparison of CSG properties of H. naledi and the comparative samples shows that H. naledi femoral neck is quite derived with low superoinferior cortical thickness ratio and high relative cortical area. The neck appears superoinferiorly elongated because of two bony pilasters on its superior surface. Homo naledi femoral shaft shows a relatively thick cortex compared to the other hominins. The subtrochanteric region of the diaphysis is mediolaterally elongated resembling early hominins while the midshaft is anteroposteriorly elongated, indicating high mobility levels. In term of diaphyseal robusticity, the H. naledi femur is more gracile that other hominins and most apes. Homo naledi shows a unique combination of characteristics in its femur that undoubtedly indicate a species committed to terrestrial bipedalism but with a unique loading pattern of the femur possibly consequence of the unique postcranial anatomy of the species.
- MeSH
- diafýzy anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- femur anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- kostní denzita MeSH
- krček femuru anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- zkameněliny anatomie a histologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Jihoafrická republika MeSH
In the Iberian Peninsula, Miocene apes (Hominoidea) are generally rare and mostly restricted to the Vallès-Penedès Basin. Here we report a new hominoid maxillary fragment with M2 from this basin. It was surface-collected in March 2017 from the site of Can Pallars i Llobateres (CPL, Sant Quirze del Vallès), where fossil apes had not been previously recorded. The locality of provenance (CPL-M), which has delivered no further fossil remains, is located very close (ca. 50 m) to previously known CPL outcrops, and not very far (ca. 500 m in NW direction) from the classical hominoid-bearing locality of Can Poncic 1. Here we describe the new fossil and, based on the size and proportions of the M2, justify its taxonomic attribution to Hispanopithecus cf. laietanus, a species previously recorded from several Vallesian sites of the Vallès-Penedès Basin. Based on the associated mammalian fauna from CPL, we also provide a biochronological dating and a paleoenvironmental reconstruction for the site. The associated fauna enables an unambiguous correlation to the Cricetulodon hartenbergeri - Progonomys hispanicus interval local subzone, with an estimated age of 9.98-9.73 Ma (late Vallesian, MN10). Therefore, CPL-M is roughly coeval with the Hispanopithecus laietanus-bearing localities of Can Llobateres 1 and Can Feu 1, and minimally older than those of La Tarumba 1 and Can Llobateres 2. In contrast, CPL-M is younger than the early Vallesian (MN9) localities of Can Poncic 1 (the type locality of Hispanopithecus crusafonti) as well as Polinyà 2 (Gabarró) and Estació Depuradora d'Aigües Residuals-Riu Ripoll 13, where Hispanopithecus sp. is recorded. The associated fauna from CPL indicates a densely forested and humid paleoenvironment with nearby freshwater. This supports the view that Hispanopithecus might have been restricted to dense wetland forests soon before its extinction during the late Vallesian, due to progressive climatic deterioration. Coupled with the existence of other fossiliferous outcrops in the area, this find is most promising for the prospect of discovering additional fossil hominoid remains in the future.
- MeSH
- biologická evoluce MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie klasifikace MeSH
- maxila anatomie a histologie MeSH
- životní prostředí MeSH
- zkameněliny anatomie a histologie MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Španělsko MeSH
Long-term trends in robusticity of lower limb bones in the genus Homo through the Pleistocene until the present have been proposed, which have been interpreted as a consequence of decreasing levels of mobility and activity patterns, changes in lifestyle, and environmental factors. There has also long been evidence that skeletal strength increases over an individual's lifespan. This increase is caused by continuous bone remodeling that optimizes the structure of a bone to resist mechanical loadings and creates a balance between endosteal resorption and subperiosteal apposition. However, none of the previous studies of temporal trends in robusticity has considered both processes and analyzed how individual age-related robusticity might influence higher-level temporal trends. This paper therefore explores temporal trends in robusticity of lower limb long bones within the genus Homo and considers how individual ages-at-death can confound published evolutionary trends, given the fact that some aspects of relative bone strength tend to increase over individual lifespans. Cross-sectional diaphyseal properties of the midshaft and proximal femur and midshaft tibia of Pleistocene and early Holocene individuals, together with data on age-at-death are used to analyze changes in relative bone strength relative to individuals' ages and evolutionary time. The results show increasing bone strength in adulthood until the fourth decade and then a slight decrease, an observation that conforms to previously published results on recent human populations. However, no significant impact of age-at-death on the trends along an evolutionary trajectory has been detected. The evolutionary trends in femoral and tibial relative strength can be described as fluctuating, probably as a consequence of changing mobility patterns, environmentally and technologically influenced behaviors, and demographic processes. The differences between evolutionary trends published in several studies are explained primarily as a result of different ways of standardizing cross-sectional parameters for size, and differences in sample composition.
- MeSH
- biologická evoluce MeSH
- biomechanika MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- femur anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- kostní denzita * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- tibie anatomie a histologie fyziologie MeSH
- věkové faktory MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Metody zabývající se rekonstrukcí výživy předků člověka se opírají o fosilní záznam, nabízející ekologické souvislosti. Tento materiál lze srovnávat s recentními organismy a modelovými situacemi. Každá z metod osvětluje část spektra poznání jak vlastností stravy, která se nacházela v konkrétním prostředí a byla určitým způsobem využívána, tak vlastností skeletu, jenž je adaptován na získávání specifické stravy. Mnohá omezení při aplikování metod na velmi staré a fragmentární vzorky znesnadňují interpretaci a vedou k mnohdy obecným závěrům, ale přesto přináší cenná data, která s postupně se zlepšujícími technologickými možnostmi rozkrývají historii našich dávných předků a formování dnešních lidí.
Methods for reconstructing diet of taxonomical tribe hominini are based on the fossil record, which provides ecological context and can be compared with recent organisms and model situations. Each method highlights a bit of knowledge about the properties of the diet, which was located in a specific environment and utilized in a specific way and so about the properties of the bones, which were adapted for obtaining a specific diet. Method limitations for old and fragmentary specimens lead to complicated interpretations and often brings only general conclusions, nevertheless provides valuable information that gradually with advancing technologies reveals the history of our ancestors and the shaping of recent people.
There is still uncertainty about which species made the earliest known stone tools and what are the minimum biological attributes for stone tool manufacture. According to the “Morphocentric View”, the details of hand anatomy will tell us which fossil species made stone tools; according to the “Neurocentric View”, brain size and structure are the determining factors. Here, we espouse the Neurocentric View, and test it using information about the genetics of the hands and feet. We find that over 91% of the genes which affect the toes also affect the fingers, suggesting that evolution of hominid hands is tied to the evolution of our feet which are adapted for bipedalism. This and other evidence leads us to the conclusion that we must be cautious when using details of hand morphology to understand the origin and development of lithic technology
- MeSH
- antropologie metody MeSH
- biologická evoluce MeSH
- chování při používání nástrojů fyziologie MeSH
- genetika MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie fyziologie klasifikace MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- prsty nohy anatomie a histologie fyziologie růst a vývoj MeSH
- prsty ruky anatomie a histologie fyziologie růst a vývoj MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- MeSH
- biologická evoluce MeSH
- čelní kost anatomie a histologie MeSH
- finanční podpora výzkumu jako téma MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- paleontologie metody MeSH
- zkameněliny MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
The replacement theory of modern human origins stipulates that populations outside of Africa were replaced by a new African species of modern humans. Here we test the replacement theory in two peripheral areas far from Africa by examining the ancestry of early modern Australians and Central Europeans. Analysis of pairwise differences was used to determine if dual ancestry in local archaic populations and earlier modern populations from the Levant and/or Africa could be rejected. The data imply that both have a dual ancestry. The diversity of recent humans cannot result exclusively from a single Late Pleistocene dispersal.
- MeSH
- analýza párové shody MeSH
- biologická evoluce * MeSH
- Hominidae * anatomie a histologie MeSH
- lebka anatomie a histologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- paleontologie * MeSH
- zkameněliny * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Afrika MeSH
- Austrálie MeSH
- Česká republika MeSH
- Indonésie MeSH
- Izrael MeSH
- MeSH
- dějiny starověku MeSH
- Hominidae anatomie a histologie MeSH
- lebka anatomie a histologie MeSH
- mandibula anatomie a histologie MeSH
- zkameněliny MeSH
- Check Tag
- dějiny starověku MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Německo MeSH
