Journal of Human Evolution最新文献

{"title":"Paleoecological context of Homo aff. erectus (ATE7-1) at Sima del Elefante (late Early Pleistocene, Atapuerca, Spain) inferred from the herpetofaunal assemblage","authors":"Christian Sánchez-Bandera ,&nbsp;Ana Fagoaga ,&nbsp;Hugues-Alexandre Blain ,&nbsp;Juan Manuel López-García ,&nbsp;Carmen Núñez-Lahuerta ,&nbsp;Àngel Blanco-Lapaz ,&nbsp;Julia Galán ,&nbsp;Raquel Moya-Costa ,&nbsp;Gloria Cuenca-Bescós ,&nbsp;Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez ,&nbsp;Rosa Huguet","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103772","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103772","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Sima del Elefante cave is one of the archaeopaleontological sites located in the karstic complex of Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain), which is a remarkable locality for documenting an extensive sequence of human evidence. Within the stratigraphic sequence of the Sima del Elefante site, Level TE7 has yielded one of the oldest human remains recovered to date in western Europe. A hominin mid-face has recently been discovered (specimen ATE7-1), attributed to <em>Homo</em> aff. <em>erectus</em>. In this study, the fossil amphibian and reptile remains directly associated with this hominin are analyzed, described, and used to perform quantitative paleoecological reconstructions. The resulting herpetofaunal assemblage comprises a total of eight species: five anurans (<em>Alytes</em> gr. <em>Alytes obstetricans</em>/<em>Alytes almogavarii</em>, <em>Pelodytes punctatus</em>, <em>Bufo</em> gr. <em>Bufo bufo</em>, <em>Epidalea calamita</em>, and <em>Rana temporaria</em>), two lizards (small-sized Lacertidae indet. and <em>Anguis fragilis</em>), and two snakes (<em>Coronella</em> cf. <em>Coronella austriaca</em> and <em>Vipera</em> sp.). The paleoecological reconstruction was performed using the Mutual Ecogeographic Range method in conjunction with the Uncertain Distribution Area-Occupied Distribution Area technique to obtain temperature and precipitation estimates, and habitat weighting was used to infer the surrounding environment. The climate of TE7 was reconstructed as cool and humid, with an overall pattern concordant with a present-day continental Mediterranean climate, exhibiting similar temperatures and higher precipitation than today for the Sierra de Atapuerca location. The associated landscape evidenced a more humid environment, primarily made up of woodlands and open humid habitats with aquatic and periaquatic areas. The results obtained provide novel insights into the ecological tolerances of early hominins and thus contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding their subsistence capabilities and behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 103772"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145472406","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":"2025-11-01","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":"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":"2025-11-01","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":"New Late Middle Pleistocene human remains at the Payre site (Marine Isotopic Stage 7, Ardèche, Southeast France)","authors":"Constance Cavillac ,&nbsp;Amélie Vialet ,&nbsp;Louise Magne ,&nbsp;Dominique Grimaud-Hervé ,&nbsp;Patricia Valensi ,&nbsp;Anne-Marie Moigne ,&nbsp;Benoit Bertrand ,&nbsp;Marie-Hélène Moncel","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103761","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 103761"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145304378","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":"Ex Oriente Lux? A quantitative comparison between northern Ahmarian and Protoaurignacian","authors":"Armando Falcucci ,&nbsp;Steven L. Kuhn","doi":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103744","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103744","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The appearance of the Protoaurignacian in Europe around 42,000 years ago is widely believed to result from a major dispersal of anatomically modern <em>Homo sapiens</em> out of the Levant, a view primarily supported by perceived similarities between Mediterranean Protoaurignacian and Levantine Ahmarian stone tools. However, no quantitative technological comparison has yet thoroughly tested this connection. Here, we present the first systematic evaluation of lithic technology from Protoaurignacian assemblages in Italy and from the northern Ahmarian and post-Ahmarian layers at the reference sequence of Ksar Akil (Lebanon). Using attribute analysis and multivariate statistics, we assessed technological similarities and differences across different stages of the core reduction sequence. Our results demonstrate very limited affinities and distinct technological trajectories between the two regions. While the northern Ahmarian at Ksar Akil is characterized by bidirectional volumetric core reduction aimed at blade production, the Protoaurignacian exhibits a strong emphasis on bladelet production from unidirectional cores. Although lithic miniaturization trends are observed in both regions, the post-Ahmarian layers at Ksar Akil primarily produced twisted bladelets from burins and carinated cores—a feature uncommon in the Protoaurignacian. These findings challenge the hypothesis of a Levantine origin for the Protoaurignacian and, more broadly, suggest that technological convergence—driven by the growing importance of multicomponent projectile technology and increased mobility—played a central role. Thus, our study underscores the need to reconsider diffusionist explanations and emphasizes the central role of internal cultural innovation among foraging groups settled in different regions of the Old World in shaping the emergence of the Upper Paleolithic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54805,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Evolution","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 103744"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145309905","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":"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":"2025-11-01","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":"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":"2025-10-01","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}

{"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":"2025-10-01","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":"2025-10-01","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":"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":"2025-10-01","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}