Fossil apes and human evolution

Almécija, Sergio; Hammond, Ashley S.; Thompson, Nathan E.; Pugh, Kelsey D; Moyà‐Solà, Salvador; Alba, David M.

doi:10.1126/science.abb4363

Cited by 98 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 163 publications

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“…Humans are apes. Extant non-human apes are large-bodied primates inhabiting African and southeast Asian tropical forests that are characterized by their lack of an external tail, high joint mobility, an orthograde (upright) body plan, and, in great apes, larger brains and slower life history profiles than other non-human primates (Almécija et al, 2021). Apes diverged from old world monkeys in the Oligocene (34-23 mya) and then diversified into more than 50 genera spread across much of Africa and Eurasia in the Miocene (23-5.3 mya).…”

Section: Hominin Terrestriality and Increased Predation Pressurementioning

confidence: 99%

The biological roots of music and dance: Extending the credible signaling hypothesis to predator deterrence

Hagen¹

2022

Preprint

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After their divergence from chimpanzees, hominins evolved an increasingly committed terrestrial lifestyle that exposed them to increased predation pressure from Africa’s formidable predator guild. In the Pleistocene, Homo transitioned to a more carnivorous lifestyle that would have further increased predation pressure. An effective defense against predators would have required a high degree of cooperation by the smaller and slower hominins. It is in the interest of predator and potential prey to avoid encounters that will be costly for both. A wide variety of species, including carnivores and apes and other primates, have therefore evolved visual and auditory signals that deter predators by credibly signaling detection and/or the ability to effectively defend themselves. In some cooperative species, these predator deterrent signals involve highly synchronized visual and auditory displays among group members. Hagen & Bryant (2003) proposed that synchronized visual and auditory displays credibly signal coalition quality. Here, this hypothesis is extended to include credible signals to predators that they have been detected and would be met with a highly coordinated defensive response, thereby deterring an attack. Within-group signaling functions are also proposed. The evolved cognitive abilities underlying these behaviors were foundations for the evolution of fully human music and dance.

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Section: Hominin Terrestriality and Increased Predation Pressurementioning

confidence: 99%

The biological roots of music and dance: Extending the credible signaling hypothesis to predator deterrence

Hagen¹

2022

Preprint

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“…African great apes, the closest living human relatives, subsist mostly on plants, primarily fruits and leaves, with chimps eating more fruit and gorillas more leaves (Berthaume & Schroer, 2017;Pontzer & Wood, 2021). They are also largely terrestrial (Almécija et al, 2021), which could have increased their exposure to macroparasites and other pathogens compared to arboreal ancestors (Grueter et al, 2013;but see Nunn, 2002;Nunn et al, 2003). The last common ancestor (LCA) of humans and chimpanzees was therefore possibly a largely terrestrial frugivore.…”

Section: The Human Transition To a Meat-based Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…African apes might or might not be good analogs for the LCA, however, because extant apes could have adapted to new ecological niches over the last 6-9 mya. Fossil apes and their ecological niches provide alternative hypotheses for the ecological context and morphological and dietary traits of the LCA (Almécija et al, 2021;Young et al, 2015).…”

Section: The Human Transition To a Meat-based Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating, increased pathogen pressure, and the constitutive and inducible use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Hagen¹,

Blackwell²,

Lightner³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The human lineage entered a more carnivorous niche 2.6 mya. A range of evidence indicates this increased zoonotic pathogen pressure. This evidence includes increased zoonotic infections modern hunter-gatherers and bushmeat hunters relative to others living in the same environments, exceptionally low stomach pH compared to other primates, human-specific downregulation in ANTXR2 that would have protected against increased exposure to zoonotic anthrax, exceptional human immune responses to LPS compared to other primates, and other divergent immune genes. These all point to change, and likely intensification, in the disease environment of Homo compared to earlier hominins and other apes. At the same time, the brain, an organ in which inflammatory immune responses are highly constrained, begins to increase, eventually tripling in size. We propose that the combination of increased zoonotic pathogen pressure and the challenges of defending a large brain and body from pathogens across what would eventually become the longest lifespan of any mammal, selected for intensification of the self-medication strategies already in place in apes and other primates, resulting in a variety of plant-based pathogen defenses. In support, there is evidence of medicinal plant use by hominins in the middle Paleolithic, and all cultures today have sophisticated, plant-based medical systems, incorporate plant components high in secondary compounds (spices) into food, and regularly consume psychoactive substances that are harmful to helminths and other pathogens in the CNS and other tissues. The computational challenges of discovering effective plant-based treatments, and the economic challenges of benefiting from costly-to- acquire medical knowledge that would be more often useful to others than oneself, were selection pressures for increased cognitive abilities and unique exchange relationships in Homo. In the story of human evolution, which has long featured hunters, shamans and healers had an equal role to play.

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“…In this relatively short time span, the human brain evolved to give rise to one of the most complex biological systems existing today. And while it should be noted that the human brain did not evolve in isolation-other traits, such as habitual bipedalism, manual dexterity, and complex social networks were important contributors to the evolution of the human species (Almécija et al, 2021)-it is ultimately the evolution of the human brain that lies at the heart of our cognitive abilities. How did the human brain evolve to give rise to our remarkable cognition?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Mechanisms Underlying the Evolution of Connectivity in the Human Cortex

Schmidt

Polleux

2022

Front. Neural Circuits

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One of the most salient features defining modern humans is our remarkable cognitive capacity, which is unrivaled by any other species. Although we still lack a complete understanding of how the human brain gives rise to these unique abilities, the past several decades have witnessed significant progress in uncovering some of the genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms shaping the development and function of the human brain. These features include an expansion of brain size and in particular cortical expansion, distinct physiological properties of human neurons, and modified synaptic development. Together they specify the human brain as a large primate brain with a unique underlying neuronal circuit architecture. Here, we review some of the known human-specific features of neuronal connectivity, and we outline how novel insights into the human genome led to the identification of human-specific genetic modifiers that played a role in the evolution of human brain development and function. Novel experimental paradigms are starting to provide a framework for understanding how the emergence of these human-specific genomic innovations shaped the structure and function of neuronal circuits in the human brain.

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Fossil apes and human evolution

Cited by 98 publications

References 163 publications

The biological roots of music and dance: Extending the credible signaling hypothesis to predator deterrence

The biological roots of music and dance: Extending the credible signaling hypothesis to predator deterrence

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating, increased pathogen pressure, and the constitutive and inducible use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Genetic Mechanisms Underlying the Evolution of Connectivity in the Human Cortex

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