A Hominid from the Lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: Possible Ancestor to Neandertals and Modern Humans

Castro, José Marı́a Bermúdez de; Arsuaga, Juan Luís; Carbonell, Eudald; Rosas, Antonio; Martínez, Inmaculada Penadés; Mosquera, Marina

doi:10.1126/science.276.5317.1392

Cited by 535 publications

(247 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…6). This conformation of traits, in association with an exocentric position for the occlusal polygon, is first seen in one of the specimens assigned to H. antecessor, perhaps the last common ancestor of H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis (Bermúdez de Castro et al, 1997). None of these traits are derived, since we see them in earlier specimens (see asymmetry and transverse ridge in Sangiran 6) (Fig.…”

Section: P4 Internal Morphology: Cusp Configuration and The Occlusal mentioning

confidence: 57%

Hominin lower second premolar morphology: evolutionary inferences through geometric morphometric analysis

Martinón‐Torres

Bastir

Castro

et al. 2006

Journal of Human Evolution

149

110

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Mandibular premolars are increasingly used in taxon-specific diagnostic analyses of hominins. Among the principal difficulties in these evaluations is the absence of discrete, discernible, and comparable anatomical structures for rigorous quantitative assessment. Previous research has addressed either internal crown surface features (such as cusps and fossae) or the morphology of the crown outline. In the present paper, we integrate both types of information in the examination of morphological variation of lower P4s (n ¼ 96) among various fossil hominin species with an emphasis on genus Homo. We use a set of 34 2D landmarks combining coordinate data from four classical dental landmarks on the occlusal surface and 30 sliding semilandmarks of the crown outline. Our results indicate that external shape variation is closely related to the configuration of the occlusal morphological features and influenced by dental size. The external and internal shapes of P4 are polymorphic but still useful in depicting a primitive-derived gradient. The primitive pattern seems to have been an asymmetrical contour with a mesially displaced metaconid, development of a bulging talonid, and a broad occlusal polygon. The trend toward dental reduction during the Pleistocene produced different morphological variants with a reduced occlusal polygon and decreased lingual occlusal surface in later Homo species. Homo heidelbergensis/neanderthalensis have fixed plesiomorphic traits in high percentages, whereas in modern humans a symmetrical outline with a centered metaconid and talonid reduction evolved.

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Section: P4 Internal Morphology: Cusp Configuration and The Occlusal mentioning

confidence: 57%

Hominin lower second premolar morphology: evolutionary inferences through geometric morphometric analysis

Martinón‐Torres

Bastir

Castro

et al. 2006

Journal of Human Evolution

149

110

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“…One view holds that the first humans to reach Europe should be referred to as Homo antecessor. Initially, it was thought that this (new) species could be the common ancestor to Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (23). However, the hemimandible from TD6 has been described as similar to jaws of Chinese Homo erectus, and its morphology is said to cast doubt on any phyletic link with Homo heidelbergensis or the Neanderthals (24).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiometric dating of the type-site for Homo heidelbergensis at Mauer, Germany

Wagner

Krbetschek

Degering³

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

167

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The Mauer mandible, holotype of Homo heidelbergensis, was found in 1907 in fluvial sands deposited by the Neckar River 10 km southeast of Heidelberg, Germany. The fossil is an important key to understanding early human occupation of Europe north of the Alps. Given the associated mammal fauna and the geological context, the find layer has been placed in the early Middle Pleistocene, but confirmatory chronometric evidence has hitherto been missing. Here we show that two independent techniques, the combined electron spin resonance/U-series method used with mammal teeth and infrared radiofluorescence applied to sand grains, date the type-site of Homo heidelbergensis at Mauer to 609 ± 40 ka. This result demonstrates that the mandible is the oldest hominin fossil reported to date from central and northern Europe and raises questions concerning the phyletic relationship of Homo heidelbergensis to more ancient populations documented from southern Europe and in Africa. We address the paleoanthropological significance of the Mauer jaw in light of this dating evidence.geochronology | paleoanthropology | physical dating | Quaternary

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“…Because the SH hominids are not on the direct evolutionary line that gave rise to our own species, but form part of the Neandertal evolutionary lineage (19)(20)(21), it is conceivable that this condition was already present in the last common ancestor of modern humans and Neandertals. Analysis of Neandertal mtDNA suggests that this last common ancestor probably lived at least 500 thousand years ago (40)(41)(42), and it has been argued to be represented among the 800,000-year-old fossils from the TD6 level at the site of Gran Dolina (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) attributed to the species Homo antecessor (43,44).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditory capacities in Middle Pleistocene humans from the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain

Martı́nez

Rosa

Arsuaga

et al. 2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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143

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Human hearing differs from that of chimpanzees and most other anthropoids in maintaining a relatively high sensitivity from 2 kHz up to 4 kHz, a region that contains relevant acoustic information in spoken language. Knowledge of the auditory capacities in human fossil ancestors could greatly enhance the understanding of when this human pattern emerged during the course of our evolutionary history. Here we use a comprehensive physical model to analyze the influence of skeletal structures on the acoustic filtering of the outer and middle ears in five fossil human specimens from the Middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos in the Sierra de Atapuerca of Spain. Our results show that the skeletal anatomy in these hominids is compatible with a human-like pattern of sound power transmission through the outer and middle ear at frequencies up to 5 kHz, suggesting that they already had auditory capacities similar to those of living humans in this frequency range.K nowledge about the sensory capabilities of past life forms could greatly enhance our understanding of the adaptations and lifeways in extinct organisms. Audition is the most readily accessible in fossils because it is based primarily in physical properties that can be approached through their skeletal structures (1). Recently, the possibility to analyze auditory capacities in fossil species has been highlighted as one of the major challenges in modern vertebrate paleontology, particularly since the advent of computed tomography (CT)-based analyses (2).The recent publication of a detailed comparison of the human and chimpanzee genomes has highlighted several genes involved with hearing that appear to have undergone adaptive evolutionary changes in the human lineage (3). The authors have suggested that these changes could be related with the acquisition of hearing acuity necessary for understanding spoken language, and they emphasize the importance of further research into hearing differences between humans and chimpanzees (3). At least one of the human genes mentioned as having undergone adaptive evolutionary change (EYA1) is related to the development of the outer and middle ear (4, 5). These results are compatible with the known differences in the anatomical structures of the outer and middle ear in chimpanzees and ourselves (6, 7).As might be expected from these genetic and anatomical data, the empirical studies of chimpanzee hearing capabilities also show clear differences with human hearing. Chimpanzee audiograms (8, 9) show a W-shaped pattern characterized by two peaks of high sensitivity at Ϸ1 kHz and 8 kHz, respectively, and a relative loss of sensitivity in the midrange frequencies (between 2 and 4 kHz). Of course, this relative loss does not mean that chimpanzees cannot hear in the midrange frequencies, but rather that they are adapted to hear best at Ϸ1 kHz and 8 kHz. It is interesting to note that the species-specific pant-hoots regularly emitted by wild chimpanzees to communicate with conspecifics over long distances concentrate the acoustic ...

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A Hominid from the Lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: Possible Ancestor to Neandertals and Modern Humans

Cited by 535 publications

References 8 publications

Hominin lower second premolar morphology: evolutionary inferences through geometric morphometric analysis

Hominin lower second premolar morphology: evolutionary inferences through geometric morphometric analysis

Radiometric dating of the type-site for Homo heidelbergensis at Mauer, Germany

Auditory capacities in Middle Pleistocene humans from the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain

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