Journal of Human Evolution最新文献

{"title":"Context matters: Grăunceanu (Romania) is not an archaeological site","authors":"Lutz Kindler , Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser , Fulco Scherjon , Wil Roebroeks","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103786","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103786","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"211 ","pages":"Article 103786"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145738942","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":"Morphological variation in the manual distal phalanges of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in relation to tool-use behavior","authors":"Riki Tanaka , Tomo Takano , Eishi Hirasaki , Naomichi Ogihara","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103787","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103787","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 103787"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145607106","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":"Elbow anatomy of fossil cercopithecids from Nakali, Kenya: Functional anatomy and taxonomy","authors":"Laurent Pallas ,&nbsp;Dionisios Youlatos ,&nbsp;Yutaka Kunimatsu ,&nbsp;Masato Nakatsukasa","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103785","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103785","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The locomotor behavior and substrate preferences of early colobines are a matter of debate. Some researchers advocate a partly terrestrial origin with the subsequent parallel evolution of arboreality in different clades during the Plio-Pleistocene, while others suggest that arboreality had already evolved earlier in the Miocene. <em>Microcolobus</em>, from the Late Miocene of Nakali (ca. 10 Ma, Kenya), is one of the earliest known and, for the most part, best-documented African Miocene fossil colobines. A large collection of postcranial remains was recovered at Nakali during the fieldwork of the Joint Japan–Kenya Paleontological Expedition, permitting us to test hypotheses regarding the locomotor behavior, substrate preferences, and taxonomy of the Nakali colobines. Here, we present novel interpretations of the functional adaptations of the elbow anatomy of previously published partial skeletons from Nakali (KNM-NA 47916 and KNM-NA 47915) and the description of 12 additional humeral, ulnar, and radial specimens that we attributed to <em>Microcolobus</em>. The elbow specimens from Nakali are morphologically homogenous except one humeral specimen that demonstrates equivocal evidence of functional and taxonomical diversity. Quantitative and qualitative analyses confirm arboreal adaptations of <em>Microcolobus</em>, corroborating hypotheses supporting early adaptations for arboreal locomotor substrate preferences in colobines. The elbow anatomy of <em>Microcolobus</em> can be qualitatively and quantitatively distinguished from that of the Late Miocene colobines <em>Cercopithecoides bruneti</em> and <em>Paracolobus enkorikae</em>. <em>Microcolobus</em> also present several anatomical features seen in the small African colobine <em>Procolobus verus</em>, reflecting a frequently flexed elbow with moderate pronosupination abilities and a stable humeroulnar joint consistent with the use of flexed-elbow climbing and arboreal quadrupedal running.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 103785"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145662878","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":"Contextualizing the Early Upper Paleolithic in the Negev Desert, southern Levant: Chronologies, lithic technologies, and paleoenvironments of the Boker sites","authors":"Omry Barzilai ,&nbsp;Steve Weiner ,&nbsp;Yoav Avni ,&nbsp;Valentina Caracuta ,&nbsp;Lotan Edeltin ,&nbsp;Naomi Porat ,&nbsp;Elisabetta Boaretto","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103783","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103783","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The onset of the Upper Paleolithic period in Eurasia is marked by the systematic production of pointed blades, commonly associated with the Marine Isotope Stage 3 expansion of modern humans. Consequently, many studies have concentrated on the geographical origins and mechanisms of spread of these blade industries across Eurasia, while comparatively less attention has been devoted to regional cultural dynamics and adaptive strategies. This research focuses on the initial stages of the Upper Paleolithic in the Negev Desert, a key region in the Levant that served as a major crossroads between Africa and Eurasia. The study integrates new cultural and environmental data from the Boker sites, originally excavated by Marks and re-excavated in 2015–2016. New radiocarbon (¹⁴C) and optically stimulated luminescence chronologies indicate that the Boker sites were occupied over a prolonged period, from approximately 45,000 to 30,000 calibrated years before present (cal BP). The earliest occupations at Boker are attributed to the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP), with later phases associated with the Early Upper Paleolithic Ahmarian technocomplex. Lithic assemblages from the Boker sites reveal a consistent use of unidirectional blade technology, suggesting that the desert Ahmarian industry evolved locally from the IUP. However, a notable shift is observed in percussion techniques, transitioning from the use of hard hammerstones in the IUP to soft hammerstones in the Early Upper Paleolithic. This technological change is interpreted as a result of cultural diffusion from the Mediterranean woodland Ahmarian, which predates its southern counterpart. Paleoenvironmental evidence from the Boker sites indicates that conditions were more favorable than those of the present-day Negev, as reflected by the presence of vegetation and water sources. These factors likely contributed to the repeated Upper Paleolithic occupations of this relatively small area. Charred archaeobotanical remains reveal a mix of drought-tolerant halophytic species and relics of Mediterranean thermophilous plants, suggesting a cooler and wetter climate. The discovery of dark, organic-rich layers near the Early Ahmarian occupation at Boker A supports the hypothesis that a salt pan existed in proximity to a freshwater source—an environmental setting that would have been attractive to both humans and animals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 103783"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536939","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 close-up at the paleoecology of the most western gelada relatives: Insights from dental microwear texture analysis","authors":"Margot Louail ,&nbsp;Denis Geraads ,&nbsp;Camille Daujeard ,&nbsp;Rosalia Gallotti ,&nbsp;David Lefèvre ,&nbsp;Abderrahim Mohib ,&nbsp;Jean-Paul Raynal ,&nbsp;Gildas Merceron","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103784","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103784","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exploring the paleoecology of extinct species of the genus <em>Theropithecus</em>, which was widespread and diversified in Africa during the Pliocene and the Pleistocene, is crucial to have a full picture of the evolutionary history of this taxon. It also gives insights into the fundamental ecological range of the genus, now restricted to the Ethiopian highlands in a reduced set of habitats. This study aims to investigate the diet of <em>Theropithecus atlanticus</em> (<em>n</em> = 8) from the Plio-Pleistocene site of Ahl al Oughlam (Morocco) through dental microwear texture analysis. We used a recently developed software program, ‘trident,’ that quantifies the heterogeneity of texture parameters through subsampled wear surfaces to improve dietary discriminations. We considered a comparative dataset of extant primates (<em>n</em> = 104) with different diets, including the leaf-eater <em>Colobus guereza</em>, the grass-eater <em>Theropithecus gelada</em>, and the generalists <em>Papio hamadryas</em> and <em>Chlorocebus aethiops</em>. In addition, we compared with specimens of theropiths (<em>n</em> = 80) from the eastern African Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia) that are nearly contemporaneous to <em>T. atlanticus</em>. Our results indicate that <em>T. atlanticus</em> was mostly feeding on grasses, as do its extant relatives. Some similarities with opportunistic species suggest it might have consumed a substantial amount of challenging foods. This dental microwear texture is in line with open, arid, and harsh environments and the presence and abundance of C3 grasses at Ahl al Oughlam detected by enamel stable isotope analysis on various mammals including theropiths. This contrasts with the environment described on nearly contemporaneous specimens from the Lower Omo Valley where grasses were abundant but composed of C4 ones.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 103784"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145574926","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":"Synanthropy of the Isturitz foxes during the Aurignacian is not proven: a reply to Hussain and Baumann (2025)","authors":"Emilie Berlioz ,&nbsp;Monica Fernández-García ,&nbsp;Marie-Cecile Soulier ,&nbsp;Lucia Agudo-Pérez ,&nbsp;Gabriela Amorós ,&nbsp;Christian Normand ,&nbsp;Ana B. Marín-Arroyo","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103782","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 103782"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145694211","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":"Corrigendum to “Enhancing the reconstruction of the Gabasa Neandertal's diet using Ca and Sr stable isotopes” [J. Hum. Evol. 207 (2025) 103747]","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.2025.103788","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103788","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"210 ","pages":"Article 103788"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145709907","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 hominin fossil record of the Omo-Turkana Basin","authors":"François Marchal ,&nbsp;Denné Reed ,&nbsp;Sandrine Prat","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103731","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103731","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Omo-Turkana Basin is one of three major regions for the study of hominin evolution in Africa. It has yielded a rich hominin fossil record of 1231 specimens, around a third of the record for the whole of Africa for the period from the Messinian through the Calabrian. Here, we consider the fossil hominin record of the Omo-Turkana Basin as an object of study in its own right and show the contribution that an analysis of such an exhaustive record can make. The data come from 117 publications allowing the most complete, accurate, and up-to-date synthesis of this record. Our analysis provides a quantitative perspective on the biases affecting this record, such as skeletal element abundance representation, chronostratigraphic distribution, and difficulties in taxonomic assignment. It also provides historical perspective, illustrating the major contribution made by the Omo-Turkana hominin fossil record to our knowledge of human evolution. We provide a synthetic overview of the taxa represented and discuss the chronological distribution of taxonomic groups in the basin including the relative abundance of <em>Paranthropus</em> and <em>Homo</em> (2/3 and 1/3, respectively) during their long period of coexistence. Integrating the data makes it possible to address difficult questions that have been underinvestigated until now. For example, contrary to the prevailing view, the genus <em>Homo</em> is well represented in the Omo-Turkana Basin between 2.7 and 2 Ma. Additionally, we show that the hominin fossil record of the Upper Burgi and KBS Members is atypical, both in terms of skeletal element abundance and taxonomy. Neither paleoenvironments nor taphonomic or collecting biases can fully explain this anomaly.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 103731"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145403055","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":"Revisiting hominin scavenging through the lens of optimal foraging theory","authors":"Ana Mateos ,&nbsp;Marcos Moleón ,&nbsp;Paul Palmqvist ,&nbsp;Jordi Rosell ,&nbsp;Esther Sebastián-González ,&nbsp;Antoni Margalida ,&nbsp;José Antonio Sánchez-Zapata ,&nbsp;Maite Arilla ,&nbsp;Jesús Rodríguez","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103762","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103762","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Scavenging has been a key topic in human evolution for decades, mainly focused on the ‘hunting vs. scavenging’ debate and the role of meat in the diet of early hominins. Scavenging is frequently considered a marginal activity by archaeologists; however, recent theoretical developments and experimental observations in the field of carrion ecology suggest that this is a misconception that should be addressed. Here, we analyze hominin scavenging in the framework of optimal foraging theory and compare the assumptions made in archaeology and paleoanthropology based on current ecological knowledge. We discuss the constraints and opportunities for hominins as facultative scavengers across ecological contexts, both in Africa and beyond. Hominins exhibited several anatomical, physical, and behavioral adaptations that enabled them to detect carcasses from a long distance, reach them relatively quickly, confront other scavengers, if necessary, and process the carcass to obtain food. Carrion should be considered a high-quality resource that is ubiquitous and more predictable than previously assumed. Particularly relevant is the abundant carrion from sources other than predation, especially from megaherbivores. Moreover, hominins likely benefited from carrion partitioning strategies and interspecific facilitation—especially with vultures—which have traditionally been overlooked in archaeological and paleoanthropological research. Thus, we propose that carrion was a valuable resource exploited by all hominin species and populations to varying degrees, especially during periods of food shortage in seasonal environments. We conclude that the ‘hunting vs scavenging’ dichotomy is no longer supported as hominins are omnivorous, exploiting animal food through hunting or scavenging depending on environmental conditions and their technological and cognitive capacities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 103762"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145318892","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":"Human energy expenditure and thermoregulation during persistence hunting in the Namib","authors":"Martin Hora ,&nbsp;Robi Dattatreya ,&nbsp;Michal Struška ,&nbsp;Herman Pontzer ,&nbsp;Vladimír Sládek","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chasing prey to exhaustion on foot—persistence hunting—has been hypothesized to play a key role in the evolution of human endurance, energetics, and thermoregulation. However, direct physiological data from such pursuits are lacking, particularly from open arid environments where persistence hunting may have originated. We report the first physiological measurements from an unacclimatized ultrarunner and hunter, accompanied by three acclimatized hunters, during six persistence pursuits of <em>Oryx gazella</em> in the Namib desert. The pursuits spanned 49.5 km on foot in 7.8 hours over 3 days. Two pursuits were successful: A healthy oryx was caught after 2 hours (31% of time running), and an injured oryx after 1 hour of walking only. Over the 3 days, persistence hunting yielded 1882–3727 kcal per man-hour, surpassing net return rates reported for hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists and net energy equivalent to the daily needs of 50 active individuals. Daily energy expenditure (5024 kcal day⁻¹) and water turnover (11.4 l day⁻¹) were high but within ranges reported for subsistence populations in hot climates. Water loss remained below the critical dehydration threshold. Despite high air (36–41 °C) and ground (43–60 °C) temperatures, the hunter maintained a safe core temperature (≤39 °C), while the oryx reached hyperthermic levels (44 °C). These findings suggest that persistence hunting in arid environments is energetically viable and thermally manageable, even for unacclimatized individuals. The relatively low proportion of running—and its complete absence when pursuing disadvantaged prey—supports the potential feasibility of persistence hunting even among hominins without advanced endurance running adaptations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 103773"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145474953","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}