Journal of Human Evolution最新文献

{"title":"Chimpanzee hind limb muscle electromyographic activity patterns during locomotion","authors":"Susan G. Larson","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Functional interpretation of fossils documenting our early locomotor evolution relies on biomechanical analyses of modern humans and comparative samples of nonhuman primates. Force plate studies have explored the forces that nonhuman primate limbs exchange with the ground while walking bipedally or quadrupedally, and kinematic studies have detailed limb and joint motion profiles during various forms of locomotion. Much less is known about patterns of hind limb muscle use as revealed through electromyography despite the fact that the interpretation of many features of fossils has been related to aspects of muscle use. To better understand how muscle function may relate to the interpretation of fossil material, the current study focuses on chimpanzees and presents electromyography-based activity profiles for the majority of their hind limb muscles during knuckle-walking, bipedalism, and vertical climbing. Taking advantage of the long history of the Stony Brook Primate Locomotion Lab, this study has compiled electromyographic data from eight chimpanzee subjects to both document hind limb muscle activity patterns and explore variability in those recruitment profiles. The collected data indicate that while there are many commonalities in patterns of muscle use, there is also a fair amount of intersubject variation. Overall, the locomotor adaptive strategy of chimpanzees appears to emphasize versatility and maneuverability rather than energy-efficient locomotion. It is hoped that these data will broaden perspectives on how patterns of muscle use may influence the interpretation of fossils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 103751"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145152038","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}

{"title":"Luminescence and radiocarbon dating the Naisiusiu Beds type section and timing of the Middle Stone Age/Later Stone Age transition at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania","authors":"Ian G. Stanistreet ,&nbsp;Harald Stollhofen ,&nbsp;Rachel K. Smedley ,&nbsp;Kaja Fenn ,&nbsp;Stanley H. Ambrose ,&nbsp;Jackson K. Njau ,&nbsp;Kathy Schick ,&nbsp;Nicholas Toth","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Olduvai Gorge Naisiusiu Beds and Ndutu Beds are significant for understanding the cultural and biological evolution of <em>Homo sapiens</em>. However, the timing and span of deposition of these beds is poorly understood. We present a chronology based on luminescence dates for sedimentary drill core samples and one ostrich eggshell (OES) radiocarbon date from the Naisiusiu type section outcrop. The Naisiusiu Beds type section rests on the Olduvai protogorge floor, on a post-Ndutu incisional surface that eroded through older Olduvai Beds (∼80 m) into the top of the Bed I Basalt. The estimated minimum thickness of the Naisiusiu Beds within the gorge is &gt;13.3 m. Three lithostratigraphic units were identified in the 9.2-m-thick type section: The lower unit comprises alternating fluvial/hyperconcentrated flow sediments and yields an OES date of 49,728 ± 1378 cal year BP; the middle unit is composed of predominantly fluvial sediments containing Later Stone Age (LSA) artifacts and faunal remains, dating between 34.2 ± 2.8 ka and 24.0 ± 2.0 ka; and the upper unit comprises volcaniclastic hyperconcentrated flow deposits with interstratified carbonate-cemented surfaces, dating between 24.0 ± 2.0 ka and 19.6 ± 1.6 ka. Slower accretion rates of the middle unit (7.3 cm/ka) are associated with repeated fluvial cutting and filling. Upper Naisiusiu stacks of hyperconcentrated flows and intervening hiatuses have faster accretion rates (54.9 cm/ka). The OES radiocarbon date of 49,728 ± 1378 cal year BP (modeled age = 49,498 ± 2385 BP) from the top part of the lower unit indicates that the type section extends back to &gt;50 ka. The LSA assemblage is associated with sediments dated to 34.2 ± 2.8 ka using luminescence. A date of 62.7 ± 5.6 ka on the youngest Middle Stone Age occurrence in the underlying Ndutu Beds at Type Locality 26 provides a maximum age for the Middle Stone Age/LSA transition at the Olduvai Gorge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103675"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145088396","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}

{"title":"Anatomical factors restricting hip extension range of motion in Japanese macaques and spider monkeys","authors":"Miki Otsuru ,&nbsp;Akimasa Ito ,&nbsp;Motoharu Oishi ,&nbsp;Tomo Takano ,&nbsp;Hideki Endo ,&nbsp;Eishi Hirasaki ,&nbsp;Naomichi Ogihara","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Japanese macaques (<em>Macaca fuscata</em>) are capable of bipedal locomotion but exhibit fundamental differences from human walking, including a flexed limb posture and a single-peaked ground reaction force profile. One key factor underlying these differences is their limited hip extension, likely constrained by muscle architecture. This study examines the anatomical restrictions on hip extension in Japanese macaques and spider monkeys (<em>Ateles</em> spp.), which achieve greater hip extension during bipedal walking. We measured passive joint moments before and after the sequential dissection of hip flexor muscles in cadaveric specimens using a custom-built measurement device to quantify passive hip joint resistance across different muscle groups. Our results reveal species-specific differences in hip mobility: Japanese macaques exhibit greater passive resistance to hip extension, primarily due to the adductor muscle group and joint capsule, whereas spider monkeys show lower resistance, with the iliopsoas playing a more substantial role in restricting hip extension. The findings emphasize the role of passive elastic muscle constraints in shaping primate bipedalism and offer comparative insights into the evolution of human locomotion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 103749"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145061299","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}

{"title":"Deciphering the correlated evolutionary responses of the hands and feet in modern humans","authors":"Mikel Arlegi ,&nbsp;Adrián Pablos ,&nbsp;Carlos Lorenzo","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The coevolution of the hands and feet in modern humans has been a subject of significant interest due to their unique morphological features that differentiate humans from other primates and their implications in human evolution. This study aims to investigate the degree of correlated responses to selection between hands and feet and to determine whether one of the autopods has exerted a greater influence on this coevolution, focusing on their homologous elements and morphological traits. We analyzed the 38 long bones of the hands and feet from 96 modern human specimens, employing a comprehensive methodological framework that includes morphological analysis, assessments of modularity, integration, and covariation patterns under random selection. Additionally, Bayesian analyses were conducted to test whether foot morphology drives hand morphology or <em>vice versa</em>. Our findings indicate a high degree of morphological integration between the hands and feet, revealing a trend of increasing correlation from the first to the fifth ray. Consistent with previous studies, our Bayesian model provides robust evidence that the feet drive the morphological coevolution of human autopods, likely in response to functional selection pressures associated with bipedalism. However, our results also highlight that the intertwined evolutionary trajectories of the hands and feet are not a simple unidirectional model, underscoring the complexity of morphological integration and the diverse coevolutionary patterns among different rays, reflecting their specialized functions and evolutionary adaptations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103745"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145076157","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}

{"title":"Revealing neuromuscular similarities between baboons and humans: A commentary on Druelle et al. (2024)","authors":"Arthur H. Dewolf ,&nbsp;Francesco Lacquaniti","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103750","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 103750"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050754","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}

{"title":"Enhancing the reconstruction of the Gabasa Neandertal's diet using Ca and Sr stable isotopes","authors":"Pierre-Jean Dodat ,&nbsp;Danaé Guiserix ,&nbsp;Klervia Jaouen ,&nbsp;Lourdes Montes ,&nbsp;Pilar Utrilla ,&nbsp;Vanessa Villalba-Mouco ,&nbsp;Bruno Maureille ,&nbsp;Vincent Balter","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neandertals are known to have occupied Eurasia for over 250,000 years and were well adapted to the environmental conditions of the last ice ages. However, the dietary habits of these ancient humans remain debated, with conflicting evidence suggesting that they may have been primarily carnivorous, omnivorous, or even herbivorous. Traditional isotope analyses have provided some insights into Neandertal diets, but their limitations (preservation and baseline effect) have sparked the need for new approaches. These limitations are well known on the Iberian Peninsula, and while recent results of carbon, oxygen, radiogenic strontium, and zinc isotopes and trace element ratios allow the reconstruction of the Gabasa (Spain) Neandertal diet, some questions still remain unanswered. Our study explores the potential of using calcium and stable strontium isotopes (δ⁴⁴Ca and δ⁸⁸Sr, respectively) to supplement previous analyses performed on the Gabasa Neandertal. Based on the low δ⁴⁴Ca and δ⁸⁸Sr values observed for the Neandertal specimen, our results suggest a hypercarnivorous diet that included low but non-negligible quantities of bone, although it is not possible to rule out the possible impact of milk consumption. Overall, our work argues that Ca, Sr, and Zn stable isotopes can supplement conventional isotope studies and offer a more comprehensive picture of human diets, including that of Neandertals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103747"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046189","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}

{"title":"A normal magnetostratigraphic polarity interval in the Main Ethiopian Rift at 1.6 Ma: Implications for Acheulean and Homo erectus chronology","authors":"Gen Suwa ,&nbsp;Shigehiro Katoh ,&nbsp;Masayuki Hyodo ,&nbsp;Giday WoldeGabriel ,&nbsp;William K. Hart ,&nbsp;Anne Delagnes ,&nbsp;Berhane Asfaw ,&nbsp;Yonas Beyene","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The timing of <em>Homo erectus</em> and Acheulean emergence in the Early Pleistocene is important to the understanding of the evolution of the genus <em>Homo</em> but is currently insufficiently resolved. Relevant chronologies are often based on a combination of radioisotopic dates and other age indicators such as magnetostratigraphy and biochronology. Here, we report a newly recognized normal magnetozone at ∼1.6 Ma in the Konso Formation, southern Main Ethiopian Rift, Ethiopia. This magnetozone occurs at one of the Konso Fm localities, KGA19, that spans the &gt;1.75- to &lt;1.45-Ma time period otherwise ill-represented in the Formation. We describe the lithostratigraphy and tephrostratigraphy of the KGA19 sedimentary sequence and demonstrate that the Konso Fm Kayle Tuff-1 and the KGA19 Bench Tuff are correlative to the Turkana Basin Orange and Morutot tuffs, respectively. Paleomagnetic analyses of the western sector of KGA19 revealed a normal polarity interval at ∼1.6 Ma, with its age based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates and tephrostratigraphic correlations. This suggests that the KGA19 normal magnetozone represents the Gilsá excursion otherwise documented in limited marine cores, Chinese Loess sequences, and few lava flows. A review of these records and sediment accumulation rates of fossil-bearing sequences of eastern Africa suggests that short events such as the Gilsá excursion would be detected if sampling resolution is sufficiently high relative to sedimentation rates. In light of these findings and considerations, evaluation of the Melka Kunture magnetostratigraphy suggests that the age of the Garba IV <em>H. erectus</em> and Acheulean is ∼1.6 Ma, not &gt;1.95 to ∼2 Ma.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103748"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145046190","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}

{"title":"The role of Denisovan paleohabitats in shaping modern human genetic resistance to viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections","authors":"Attila J. Trájer","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103746","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Denisovans contributed notably to the genomes of present-day East and Southeast Asians. However, the relationship between the inhabited paleohabitats and the adaptive genetic traits related to infections in modern humans remains underexplored. This study uses geospatial techniques to analyze climatic factors associated with three Denisovan archaeological sites linked to nine specimens. Additionally, past and present climates and biomes, as well as the geographic distributions of eight infectious agents and disease vector groups, were modeled and compared with the modern genetic heritage of Denisovans. Findings reveal that the identified Denisovans inhabited subarctic and monsoon-influenced temperate climates, occupying boreal and seasonal forest biomes in the three studied archaeological sites. Sites such as Denisova Cave and Baishiya Karst Cave exhibited low climatic suitability for <em>Ascaris lumbricoides</em>, visceral leishmaniasis, and Nipah virus. <em>Plasmodium vivax–</em> and <em>Aedes albopictus–</em>like vectors plausibly were also not present. Conversely, Denisova Cave and Baishiya Karst Cave exhibit high climatic suitability for <em>Ixodes persulcatus</em> and Lyme borreliosis when Denisovans inhabited these sites. The paleoenvironment of the Laotian Cobra Cave site—with the exception of Nipah henipavirus—was suitable for all modeled pathogens and vectors. From the studied vectors and diseases, <em>I. persulcatus</em> and Lyme borreliosis are missing from Melanesia, where the region’s humans have the highest Denisovan legacy. This suggests that Denisovans from humid continental climates, such as those near Cobra Cave, may have contributed alleles providing adaptive advantages against ascariasis and mosquito-borne diseases in environments where modern human populations with high Denisovan genetic legacy reside.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103746"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010478","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}

{"title":"First record of a Late Miocene hominid from North Macedonia","authors":"Predrag Radović ,&nbsp;Matthew M. Skinner ,&nbsp;Sanja Alaburić ,&nbsp;Zoran Marković ,&nbsp;Joshua Lindal ,&nbsp;Mirjana Roksandic ,&nbsp;Serdar Mayda","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103734","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103734","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Known for over a century, the Late Miocene mammalian faunas of Veles, North Macedonia, have long been recognized for their scientific importance. However, hominid remains had not been previously reported from this fossil-rich area. Here, we report the discovery of an isolated upper molar from the vicinity of Veles—most likely from the Belushka locality—which constitutes the first known record of a Late Miocene hominid from the Republic of North Macedonia, and provide a review of the associated mammalian assemblages. The molar—probably an M³—exhibits a relatively large crown, broad and low cusps, inferred thick enamel, low dentine horns, and short, thick roots that are not markedly divergent. These characteristics, along with its inferred middle Turolian (MN12) age and Balkan provenance, suggest that the Veles molar belongs to an indeterminate member of the hominid tribe Graecopithecini. Together with the <em>Graecopithecus freybergi</em> mandible from Pyrgos Vassilissis, Greece, and an isolated graecopithecin upper premolar from Azmaka, Bulgaria, the Veles specimen provides rare additional evidence for the survival of apes well into the Turolian of the Balkan Peninsula. Furthermore, the Veles fossil faunas now document the co-occurrence of apes (Graecopithecini indet.) and monkeys (<em>Mesopithecus</em>), a pattern rarely observed in the Eurasian Miocene fossil record.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103734"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893694","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}

{"title":"Did Intermediate Aurignacian foxes at Isturitz develop human-oriented dietary preferences?: A comment to Berlioz et al. (2025)","authors":"Shumon T. Hussain ,&nbsp;Chris Baumann","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103735","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103735","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 103735"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144864492","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}