scholarly journals Evidence for habitual climbing in a Pleistocene hominin in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (15) ◽  
pp. 8416-8423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leoni Georgiou ◽  
Christopher J. Dunmore ◽  
Ameline Bardo ◽  
Laura T. Buck ◽  
Jean-Jacques Hublin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Locomotor Pattern ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
Morphological Differences

Bipedalism is a defining trait of the hominin lineage, associated with a transition from a more arboreal to a more terrestrial environment. While there is debate about when modern human-like bipedalism first appeared in hominins, all known South African hominins show morphological adaptations to bipedalism, suggesting that this was their predominant mode of locomotion. Here we present evidence that hominins preserved in the Sterkfontein Caves practiced two different locomotor repertoires. The trabecular structure of a proximal femur (StW 522) attributed to Australopithecus africanus exhibits a modern human-like bipedal locomotor pattern, while that of a geologically younger specimen (StW 311) attributed to either Homo sp. or Paranthropus robustus exhibits a pattern more similar to nonhuman apes, potentially suggesting regular bouts of both climbing and terrestrial bipedalism. Our results demonstrate distinct morphological differences, linked to behavioral differences between Australopithecus and later hominins in South Africa and contribute to the increasing evidence of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.

New Isotopic and Sedimentological Measurements of the Thabaseek Deposits (South Africa) and the Dating of the Taung Hominid

1993 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip V. Tobias ◽  
John C. Vogel ◽  
H. Dieter Oschadleus ◽  
Timothy C. Partridge ◽  
Jeffrey K. McKee
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Closed System ◽  
Type Specimen ◽  
Isotopic Age ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Stratigraphic Analysis ◽  
Initial Deposition ◽  
Faunal Studies

AbstractEarlier attempts to date the Taung hominid type specimen of Australopithecus africanus Dart yielded conflicting results. Recent faunal studies pointed to an age of 2.3 myr. Radioisotopic results suggested 1.0 myr. New uranium studies reveal that the Thabaseek (the oldest Taung tufa) was not a closed system and that younger uranium entered the tufa after initial deposition, producing an apparent isotopic age younger than the age of deposition. The Thabaseek isotopic dates provide only a terminus ad quem and this technique is therefore not applicable to the older Taung tufas. Delson's dating (2.3 myr) of cercopithecoids from Hrdlicka's pinnacle ca. 50 m from the hominid site provides the best available approximation to the age of the hominid. In our new Taung excavation, stratigraphic analysis indicates that the hominid may somewhat predate most identified fauna. Sedimentologically the hominid matrix proves to be of fluvial deposition, and hence closely resembles one Hrdlicka deposit, both samples differing appreciably from all other Taung samples which bespeak eolian deposition. Thus, the conditions under which the hominid-bearing stratum was deposited were virtually identical to those pertaining to one of the Hrdlicka deposits. The newest results show that Taung was not the youngest South African australopithecine site and eliminate the discrepancy between the relative ages of the Taung A. africanus africanus and the Sterkfontein A. africanus transvaalensis.

scholarly journals On the relationship between maxillary molar root shape and jaw kinematics in Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 180825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kornelius Kupczik ◽  
Viviana Toro-Ibacache ◽  
Gabriele A. Macho
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Shape Analysis ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
East African ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Maxillary Molar ◽  
Dietary Niche ◽  
The Relationship

Plio-Pleistocene hominins from South Africa remain poorly understood. Here, we focus on how Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus exploited and—in part—partitioned their environment. Specifically, we explore the extent to which first maxillary molar roots (M 1 ) are oriented and thus, by proxy, estimate the direction of loads habitually exerted on the chewing surface. Landmark-based shape analysis of M 1 root reconstructions of 26 South African hominins and three East African Paranthropus boisei suggest that A. africanus may have been able to dissipate the widest range of laterally directed loads. Paranthropus robustus and P. boisei , despite having overlapping morphologies, differ in aspects of root shape/size, dento-cranial morphologies, microwear textures and C4 food consumption. Hence, while Paranthropus monophyly cannot be excluded, equivalence of dietary niche can. The South African hominins occupied distinct ecological niches, whereby P. robustus appears uniquely adapted to dissipate antero-posteriorly directed loads.

scholarly journals Development of Middle Stone Age innovation linked to rapid climate change

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Ziegler ◽  
Margit H. Simon ◽  
Ian R. Hall ◽  
Stephen Barker ◽  
Chris Stringer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract The development of modernity in early human populations has been linked to pulsed phases of technological and behavioural innovation within the Middle Stone Age of South Africa. However, the trigger for these intermittent pulses of technological innovation is an enigma. Here we show that, contrary to some previous studies, the occurrence of innovation was tightly linked to abrupt climate change. Major innovational pulses occurred at times when South African climate changed rapidly towards more humid conditions, while northern sub-Saharan Africa experienced widespread droughts, as the Northern Hemisphere entered phases of extreme cooling. These millennial-scale teleconnections resulted from the bipolar seesaw behaviour of the Atlantic Ocean related to changes in the ocean circulation. These conditions led to humid pulses in South Africa and potentially to the creation of favourable environmental conditions. This strongly implies that innovational pulses of early modern human behaviour were climatically influenced and linked to the adoption of refugia.

scholarly journals Bilateral Asymmetry of the Forearm Bones as Possible Evidence of Antemortem Trauma in the StW 573 Australopithecus Skeleton from Sterkfontein Member 2 (South Africa)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Heile ◽  
Travis Rayne Pickering ◽  
Jason L. Heaton ◽  
R.J. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Plastic Deformation ◽  
South African ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Left Forearm ◽  
African Species ◽  
Bilateral Asymmetry ◽  
Forearm Bones ◽  
Behavioral Impact

The 3.67-million-year-old StW 573 Australopithecus skeleton is important for the light it sheds on the paleobiology of South African species of that genus, including, as discussed here, how the possible pathology of the specimen informs our understanding of Australopithecus behavior. The StW 573 antebrachium exhibits bilateral asymmetry, with significantly more longitudinally curved left forearm bones than right. Arguing from a comparative perspective, we hypothesize that these curvatures resulted from a fall onto a hyperextended, outstretched hand. It is unlikely that the fall was from a significant height and might have occurred when the StW 573 individual was a juvenile. This type of plastic deformation of the forearm bones is well-documented in modern human clinical studies, especially among children between the ages of four and ten years who tumble from bicycles or suffer other common, relatively low-impact accidents. Left untreated, such injuries impinge normal supination and pronation of the hand, a condition that could have had significant behavioral impact on the StW 573 individual.

scholarly journals One hominin taxon or two at Malapa Cave? Implications for the origins of Homo

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (5/6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoel Rak ◽  
Eli Geffen ◽  
William Hylander ◽  
Avishag Ginzburg ◽  
Ella Ginzburg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Before Present ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Genus Homo ◽  
Rule Out

A report on the skeletons of two individuals from the Malapa cave site in South Africa attributes them both to a new hominin species, Australopithecus sediba. However, our analysis of the specimens’ mandibles indicates that Australopithecus sediba is not a ‘Homo-like australopith’, a transitional species between Australopithecus africanus and Homo. According to our results, the specimens represent two separate genera: Australopithecus and Homo. These genera are known to have jointly occupied sites, as seen in several early South African caves, so one cannot rule out the possibility that Malapa also contains remains of the two taxa. Our results lead us to additionally conclude that all the Australopithecus species on which the relevant mandibular anatomy is preserved (not only the ‘robust’ australopiths but also the ‘gracile’ – more generalised – ones) are too specialised to constitute an evolutionary ancestor of Homo sapiens. Furthermore, given that the Malapa site contains representatives of two hominin branches, one of which appears to be Homo, we must seek evidence of our origins much earlier than the date assigned to Malapa, approximately 2 million years before present. Support for this claim can be found in Ethiopian fossils attributed to the genus Homo and dated at 2.4 and 2.8 million years before present.

scholarly journals Breviclypeus, a new South African Trichiina genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae)

2017 ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
Enrico Ricchiardi ◽  
Renzo Perissinotto ◽  
Lynette Clennell
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Type Species ◽  
New Genus ◽  
New South ◽  
Morphological Differences

A new genus, Breviclypeus gen. nov., endemic to South Africa, is erected. The type species is here designated to be Agenius rufipennis Gory & Percheron 1833 (comb. nov.). A second species, Campulipus plagosus (Pèringuey, 1885) is recognized to belong into this new genus (comb. nov.). Consequently, the genus Campulipus Kirby, 1827 is now represented by three species only, Campulipus limbatus (Olivier, 1789), Campulipus clavus (Schaum, 1844) and Campulipus suturalis (Waterhouse, 1885). A fourth taxon, Agenius nobilis J. Thomson, 1878 is here transferred to Campulipus (comb. nov.) and synonymized with C. limbatus (syn. nov.) The two genera not only exhibit key morphological differences, but also occupy different habitats and diverge substantially in their ecology. An updated key of the genera of South African Trichiina is also provided. A separate key is provided for the genus Breviclypeus.

scholarly journals An evaluation of interest deduction limitations to counter base erosion in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter Van der Zwan ◽  
Daniel P. Schutte ◽  
Waldo Krugell
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
The South ◽  
Profit Shifting ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Tax Legislation ◽  
Tax Returns ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Using Data

Background: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) made a number of recommendations in relation to interest deduction limitations as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. In 2016 the South African National Treasury indicated that the interest deduction limitations contained in the Income Tax Act would be reviewed in the light of these recommendations. Aim: This paper aimed to describe funding structures of companies in South Africa liable for tax and how this relates to other characteristics, including ownership, of the companies. Setting: The research was performed using data from tax returns submitted by companies liable for income tax in South Africa. Methods: This paper reports on descriptive analyses of the research conducted. Results: The results showed that the mean interest-to-earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) ratio for certain foreign-owned entities differed significantly from that of domestically owned entities. Conclusion: The results may present evidence of profit-shifting activities. They also highlight trends in interest-to-EBITDA ratios that may be of relevance for future legislative developments. Further related research is required if interest deduction limitations in the South African tax legislation are to be reviewed in light of the OECD proposals.

Multi-locus phylogeny of southern African Acontias aurantiacus (Peters) subspecies (Scincidae: Acontinae) confirms the presence of three genetically, geographically and morphologically discrete taxa

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4442 (3) ◽  
pp. 427 ◽  
Author(s):  
DARREN W. PIETERSEN ◽  
CLARKE H. SCHOLTZ ◽  
ARMANDA D.S. BASTOS
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Genetic Distances ◽  
Cyt B ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
Taxonomic Relationships ◽  
Cryptic Taxa ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

Acontias aurantiacus (Peters) presently consists of five subspecies that are largely restricted to the coastal regions and offshore islands of Mozambique and northern South Africa, with subspecies being defined on the basis of morphological differences and/or parapatric distributions. In this study one nuclear (RAG1) and two mitochondrial (cyt b and 16S) genes of 30 individuals sampled from four Mozambican and five South African localities were used to assess the taxonomic relationships of three mainland A. aurantiacus subspecies. Our analyses suggest that A. aurantiacus is a species complex that is sister to A. bicolor (Hewitt), A. cregoi (Boulenger) and A. rieppeli (Sternfeld). Our molecular results support other lines of evidence (consistent morphological differences and parapatric distributions between the subspecies) in suggesting that each of these subspecies are taxonomically distinct. In light of this, and supported by the genetic distances between these subspecies which exceed those of other recognised Acontias species, we propose elevating A. fitzsimonsi (Broadley) and A. parietalis (Broadley) to specific status. Our results further suggest that the melanistic and typically-coloured forms of each taxon are nested within the same clades, supporting previous contentions that melanistic individuals are not cryptic taxa. 

scholarly journals The Australopithecines – An Extinct Group of Human Ancestors: My Scientific Interest in South Africa

Werkwinkel ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
Katarzyna A. Kaszycka
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Morphological Description ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Australopithecus Robustus ◽  
Extinct Group

Abstract I introduce the subject of my research interest in South Africa - the australopithecines - a group of bipedal, small-brained and large-toothed creatures from the Plio-Pleistocene, from which the human genus arose. I then briefly discuss various topics of my research, concerning: (1) Taxonomic status and morphological description of the extinct human relative from the Kromdraai site (Australopithecus robustus); (2) Graphic reconstruction of the partial skull from Kromdraai - specimen numbered TM 1517; (3) Assessment of size sexual dimorphism of the South African australopithecines (Australopithecus robustus and Australopithecus africanus), which, in terms of facial features, was pronounced - being almost gorilla-sized; (4) Social behavior of a fossil hominid species from around 2 million years ago, which, in terms of the social structure, was most likely a multimale-multifemale one; and (5) An event from the history of paleoanthropology, concerning the content of the 1924/25 photographs of the Taung Child (Australopithecus africanus) - the first australopithecine skull discovered.

Reframing Xenophobia in South Africa as Colour-Blind: The Limits of the Afro Phobia Thesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-444
Author(s):  
Amanuel Isak Tewolde
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Conflict Theory ◽  
Black African ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Online Newspaper ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Realistic Conflict Theory

Many scholars and South African politicians characterize the widespread anti-foreigner sentiment and violence in South Africa as dislike against migrants and refugees of African origin which they named ‘Afro-phobia’. Drawing on online newspaper reports and academic sources, this paper rejects the Afro-phobia thesis and argues that other non-African migrants such as Asians (Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis and Chinese) are also on the receiving end of xenophobia in post-apartheid South Africa. I contend that any ‘outsider’ (White, Asian or Black African) who lives and trades in South African townships and informal settlements is scapegoated and attacked. I term this phenomenon ‘colour-blind xenophobia’. By proposing this analytical framework and integrating two theoretical perspectives — proximity-based ‘Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)’ and Neocosmos’ exclusivist citizenship model — I contend that xenophobia in South Africa targets those who are in close proximity to disadvantaged Black South Africans and who are deemed outsiders (e.g., Asian, African even White residents and traders) and reject arguments that describe xenophobia in South Africa as targeting Black African refugees and migrants.

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