An Early Pleistocene human pedal phalanx from Swartkrans, SKX 16699, and the antiquity of the human lateral forefoot

Trinkaus, Erik; Patel, Biren A.

doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2016.07.003

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…ramidus) had evolved (24-26), more so than what was seen in the lateral MTs, which had evolved derived modern human-like shapes relatively early in the fossil record (also see ref. 53). (Scale bar in Ma.)…”

Section: Mt3 Mt4mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution and function of the hominin forefoot

Fernandez

Mongle

Leakey

et al. 2018

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

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The primate foot functions as a grasping organ. As such, its bones, soft tissues, and joints evolved to maximize power and stability in a variety of grasping configurations. Humans are the obvious exception to this primate pattern, with feet that evolved to support the unique biomechanical demands of bipedal locomotion. Of key functional importance to bipedalism is the morphology of the joints at the forefoot, known as the metatarsophalangeal joints (MTPJs), but a comprehensive analysis of hominin MTPJ morphology is currently lacking. Here we present the results of a multivariate shape and Bayesian phylogenetic comparative analyses of metatarsals (MTs) from a broad selection of anthropoid primates (including fossil apes and stem catarrhines) and most of the early hominin pedal fossil record, including the oldest hominin for which good pedal remains exist, Results corroborate the importance of specific bony morphologies such as dorsal MT head expansion and "doming" to the evolution of terrestrial bipedalism in hominins. Further, our evolutionary models reveal that the MT1 of shifts away from the reconstructed optimum of our last common ancestor with apes, but not necessarily in the direction of modern humans. However, the lateral rays of are transformed in a more human-like direction, suggesting that they were the digits first recruited by hominins into the primary role of terrestrial propulsion. This pattern of evolutionary change is seen consistently throughout the evolution of the foot, highlighting the mosaic nature of pedal evolution and the emergence of a derived, modern hallux relatively late in human evolution.

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Section: Mt3 Mt4mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution and function of the hominin forefoot

Fernandez

Mongle

Leakey

et al. 2018

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

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“…While generally human‐like, the talus has a deeply keeled trochlea and an unusually large talar head and the Mt1s possess a mediolaterally narrow head dorsally, and the proximal articular surface is ape‐like . Lateral foot bones (cuboid, Mt5, and proximal phalanx) are human‐like, consistent with a derived lateral foot in australopiths. However, it is difficult to interpret the functional importance of these isolated fossils (or even taxonomically attribute them to Paranthropus ) until a more complete P. robustus foot is discovered.…”

Section: Australopithecus Feetmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Despite the limitations of the fossil record, some patterns are emerging in our attempt to understand the initial pedal adaptations to bipedalism that evolved soon after the hominin‐panin divergence. The very first adaptive modifications for bipedalism appear to happen along the lateral column of the foot . It is likely that these early changes to the hominin foot rendered the lateral column stiffer for bipedal propulsion, while the medial foot retained mobility critical for climbing.…”

Section: The Feet Of the Earliest Homininsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The very first adaptive modifications for bipedalism appear to happen along the lateral column of the foot. 15,16,[70][71][72] It is likely that these early changes to the hominin foot rendered the lateral column stiffer for bipedal propulsion, while the medial foot retained mobility critical for climbing. These generalizations are based on quite limited evidence and are subject to change as new fossils are unearthed.…”

Section: The Foot Of the Human-chimpanzee Last Common Ancestormentioning

confidence: 99%

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The evolution of the human foot

McNutt

Zipfel

DeSilva

2018

Evolutionary Anthropology

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There are 26 bones in each foot (52 in total), meaning that roughly a quarter of the human skeleton consists of foot bones. Yet, early hominin foot fossils are frustratingly rare, making it quite difficult to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the human foot. Despite the continued paucity of hominid or hominin foot fossils from the late Miocene and early Pliocene, the last decade has witnessed the discovery of an extraordinary number of early hominin foot bones, inviting a reassessment of how the human foot evolved, and providing fresh new evidence for locomotor diversity throughout hominin evolution. Here, we provide a review of our current understanding of the evolutionary history of the hominin foot.

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“…The Ohalo II human remains consist of a partial mandible and dentition (Ohalo 1), the Ohalo 2 largely complete skeleton of an adult, and a half dozen isolated postcranial elements. Ohalo 1 has yielded data in the context of comparative analyses (e.g., Lacy, 2014;Vandermeersch, Arensburg, Bar-Yosef, & Belfer-Cohen, 2013), the isolated postcrania are undescribed (but see Trinkaus & Patel, 2016), but the Ohalo 2 skeleton has been more extensively considered. Although data from it have been provided in comparative analyses (e.g., Holliday, 1995;Lacy, 2014;Shackelford, 2005;Sparacello, Villotte, Shackelford, & Trinkaus, 2017;Trinkaus & Ruff, 2012), the direct descriptions of the remains (Hershkovitz et al, 1993;Hershkovitz et al, 1995) only included a description of its postcranial palaeopathology, a cranial morphometric assessment of its affinities, and a limited set of postcranial observations and osteometrics.…”

Section: The Ohalo 2 Human Remainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The palaeopathology of the Ohalo 2 Upper Paleolithic human remains: A reassessment of its appendicular robusticity, humeral asymmetry, shoulder degenerations, and costal lesion

Trinkaus

2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The 23,000 BP Ohalo 2 human remains, from the Upper Paleolithic of south‐west Asia, have been described by Hershkovitz and colleagues as very robust but especially as pathological with respect to its level of humeral asymmetry and its large anteroinferior costal bony growth. Reassessment of its appendicular robusticity, in the context of western Eurasian and North African Upper Paleolithic human remains, indicates that the Ohalo 2 limb remains are unexceptional in terms of muscular enthesis development, diaphyseal cross‐sectional shape, and major long bone diaphyseal hypertrophy. If anything, the muscular insertions and the humeral diaphyseal robusticity are modest for an Upper Paleolithic human. Similarly, the level of humeral asymmetry, as well as humeral versus radial diaphyseal asymmetry, is well within Upper Paleolithic ranges of variation. None of these aspects require palaeopathological explanations. The minor osteoarthritic changes of the right clavicle and scapula are common and of little importance. However, the massive lower thoracic ossification of the caudal sternum, ribs 6 and 7 and the intervening costal cartilages, has implications beyond the differential diagnosis of Hershkovitz and colleagues. It indicates constraints on thoracic expansion and hence on elevated respiration; as such, it would have placed limitations on the activity levels of this Upper Paleolithic forager. Ohalo 2 therefore joins a growing sample of Upper Paleolithic humans with serious developmental or degenerative abnormalities.

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An Early Pleistocene human pedal phalanx from Swartkrans, SKX 16699, and the antiquity of the human lateral forefoot

Cited by 13 publications

References 38 publications

Evolution and function of the hominin forefoot

Evolution and function of the hominin forefoot

The evolution of the human foot

The palaeopathology of the Ohalo 2 Upper Paleolithic human remains: A reassessment of its appendicular robusticity, humeral asymmetry, shoulder degenerations, and costal lesion

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