scholarly journals The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1698) ◽  
pp. 20150237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Species Recognition ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
The Impact

If we restrict the use of Homo sapiens in the fossil record to specimens which share a significant number of derived features in the skeleton with extant H. sapiens , the origin of our species would be placed in the African late middle Pleistocene, based on fossils such as Omo Kibish 1, Herto 1 and 2, and the Levantine material from Skhul and Qafzeh. However, genetic data suggest that we and our sister species Homo neanderthalensis shared a last common ancestor in the middle Pleistocene approximately 400–700 ka, which is at least 200 000 years earlier than the species origin indicated from the fossils already mentioned. Thus, it is likely that the African fossil record will document early members of the sapiens lineage showing only some of the derived features of late members of the lineage. On that basis, I argue that human fossils such as those from Jebel Irhoud, Florisbad, Eliye Springs and Omo Kibish 2 do represent early members of the species, but variation across the African later middle Pleistocene/early Middle Stone Age fossils shows that there was not a simple linear progression towards later sapiens morphology, and there was chronological overlap between different ‘archaic’ and ‘modern’ morphs. Even in the late Pleistocene within and outside Africa, we find H. sapiens specimens which are clearly outside the range of Holocene members of the species, showing the complexity of recent human evolution. The impact on species recognition of late Pleistocene gene flow between the lineages of modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans is also discussed, and finally, I reconsider the nature of the middle Pleistocene ancestor of these lineages, based on recent morphological and genetic data. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Major transitions in human evolution’.

scholarly journals Middle Pleistocene fire use: The first signal of widespread cultural diffusion in human evolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (31) ◽  
pp. e2101108118
Author(s):  
Katharine MacDonald ◽  
Fulco Scherjon ◽  
Eva van Veen ◽  
Krist Vaesen ◽  
Wil Roebroeks
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Similar Time ◽  
Cultural Behavior ◽  
Fire Use ◽  
Cultural Diffusion

Control of fire is one of the most important technological innovations within the evolution of humankind. The archaeological signal of fire use becomes very visible from around 400,000 y ago onward. Interestingly, this occurs at a geologically similar time over major parts of the Old World, in Africa, as well as in western Eurasia, and in different subpopulations of the wider hominin metapopulation. We interpret this spatiotemporal pattern as the result of cultural diffusion, and as representing the earliest clear-cut case of widespread cultural change resulting from diffusion in human evolution. This fire-use pattern is followed slightly later by a similar spatiotemporal distribution of Levallois technology, at the beginning of the African Middle Stone Age and the western Eurasian Middle Paleolithic. These archaeological data, as well as studies of ancient genomes, lead us to hypothesize that at the latest by 400,000 y ago, hominin subpopulations encountered one another often enough and were sufficiently tolerant toward one another to transmit ideas and techniques over large regions within relatively short time periods. Furthermore, it is likely that the large-scale social networks necessary to transmit complicated skills were also in place. Most importantly, this suggests a form of cultural behavior significantly more similar to that of extant Homo sapiens than to our great ape relatives.

Hominin transition to Upper Pliocene

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Ayala ◽  
Camilo J. Cela-Conde
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Australopithecus Afarensis ◽  
Phylogenetic Significance ◽  
Homo Neanderthalensis ◽  
Surprising Discovery

This chapter analyzes the transition of the hominins from the Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene. Two alternative models are explored, the “Multiregional Hypothesis” (MH) and the “Replacement Hypothesis,” and how each model evaluates the existing relationships between the taxa Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Next is the investigation of the transitional (or “archaic,” if this grade is taken into account) exemplars found in Europe, Africa, and Asia and their evolutionary significance. In particular, the comparison between H. erectus and H. sapiens in China and Java is investigated, as the main foundation of the MH. The chapter ends with the surprising discovery of Homo floresiensis and its description and interpretations concerning its taxonomic and phylogenetic significance. The correlation between brain development and technological progress is at odds with the attribution of perforators, microblades, and fishing hooks to a hominin with a small cranial volume, similar to that of Australopithecus afarensis.

scholarly journals Deciphering African late middle Pleistocene hominin diversity and the origin of our species

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélien Mounier ◽  
Marta Mirazón Lahr
Keyword(s):  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
North African ◽  
East African ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Source Populations ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

Abstract The origin of Homo sapiens remains a matter of debate. The extent and geographic patterning of morphological diversity among Late Middle Pleistocene (LMP) African hominins is largely unknown, thus precluding the definition of boundaries of variability in early H. sapiens and the interpretation of individual fossils. Here we use a phylogenetic modelling method to predict possible morphologies of a last common ancestor of all modern humans, which we compare to LMP African fossils (KNM-ES 11693, Florisbad, Irhoud 1, Omo II, and LH18). Our results support a complex process for the evolution of H. sapiens, with the recognition of different, geographically localised, populations and lineages in Africa – not all of which contributed to our species’ origin. Based on the available fossils, H. sapiens appears to have originated from the coalescence of South and, possibly, East-African source populations, while North-African fossils may represent a population which introgressed into Neandertals during the LMP.

scholarly journals A Brief Overview of the Last 10 Years of Major Late Pleistocene Discoveries in the Old World: Homo floresiensis, Neanderthal, and Denisovan

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Fernanda Neubauer
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Separate Species ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Old World ◽  
Human Dna

In the last ten years, new fossil, archaeological, and genetic data have significantly altered our understanding of the peopling of the Old World in the Late Pleistocene. Scholars have long been challenged to define humanity’s place in evolution and to trace our phylogeny. Differences in the skeletal morphology of hominin fossils have often led to the naming of distinct new species, but recent genetic findings have challenged the traditional perspective by demonstrating that modern human DNA contains genes inherited from Neanderthals and Denisovans, thus questioning their status as separate species. The recent discovery of Homo floresiensis from Flores Island has also raised interesting queries about how much genetic and morphological diversity was present during the Late Pleistocene. This paper discusses the nature and implications of the evidence with respect to Homo floresiensis, Neanderthals, and Denisovans and briefly reviews major Late Pleistocene discoveries from the last ten years of research in the Old World and their significance to the study of human evolution.

scholarly journals Selection for Decreased BRCA2 Functional Activity in Homo sapiens After Divergence from the Chimpanzee-Human Last Common Ancestor

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlong Huang ◽  
Yi Zhong ◽  
Alvin P. Makohon-Moore ◽  
Travis White ◽  
Maria Jasin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Functional Activity ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Cancer Genes ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Bioinformatics Analyses

AbstractHumans have an increased incidence of epithelial neoplasia compared to non-human primates. We performed a comparative analysis of 21 non-human primate genomes and 54 ancient human genomes to identify variations in known cancer genes that may explain this difference. We identified 299 human-specific fixed non-silent single nucleotide polymorphisms. Bioinformatics analyses for functional consequences identified a number of variants predicted to have altered protein function, one of which was located at the most evolutionarily conserved domain of human BRCA2. This variant, in which a polar threonine residue replaces a hydrophobic methionine residue to codon 2662 within the DSS1 binding domain, decreases the interactions of BRCA2 with other proteins, specifically the binding of BRCA2 and RAD51, as well as the repairing ability of cells for DNA double-strand breaks. We conclude that a 20% reduction in BRCA2 DNA repair ability was positively selected for in the course of human evolution.One Sentence SummaryReduction of BRCA2 functional activity has been selected for during human evolution since the chimpanzee-human last common ancestor.

Cultural Transmission from the Last Common Ancestor to the Levallois Reducers

2019 ◽  
pp. 251-277
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Lycett
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
False Positive ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
False Negatives

Given the gap between ape and human cultural capacities, the question of what we can infer about evolving cultural capacities during the course of human evolution presents itself. Tom Wynn has stressed the importance of a comparative (cross-species) approach and the idea of inferring only the minimal capacities required to explain archaeological phenomena in cognitive terms. In this chapter, these principles are applied to infer what can reasonably be determined about cultural transmission capacities in extinct hominins from the last common ancestor to the producers of Levallois. Although much remains to be learned, and a provisional model must caution against false negatives and false positive attributions, the approach yields reasonable inferences regarding our evolving cultural capacities over the long stretch of time from the end of the Miocene through to the later Middle Pleistocene. This situation also leads to a position where possible avenues of future enquiry might usefully be identified.

scholarly journals Late Pleistocene age and archaeological context for the hominin calvaria from GvJm-22 (Lukenya Hill, Kenya)

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 2682-2687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian A. Tryon ◽  
Isabelle Crevecoeur ◽  
J. Tyler Faith ◽  
Ravid Ekshtain ◽  
Joelle Nivens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Middle And Late Pleistocene ◽  
Age Range

Kenya National Museums Lukenya Hill Hominid 1 (KNM-LH 1) is a Homo sapiens partial calvaria from site GvJm-22 at Lukenya Hill, Kenya, associated with Later Stone Age (LSA) archaeological deposits. KNM-LH 1 is securely dated to the Late Pleistocene, and samples a time and region important for understanding the origins of modern human diversity. A revised chronology based on 26 accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates on ostrich eggshells indicates an age range of 23,576–22,887 y B.P. for KNM-LH 1, confirming prior attribution to the Last Glacial Maximum. Additional dates extend the maximum age for archaeological deposits at GvJm-22 to >46,000 y B.P. (>46 kya). These dates are consistent with new analyses identifying both Middle Stone Age and LSA lithic technologies at the site, making GvJm-22 a rare eastern African record of major human behavioral shifts during the Late Pleistocene. Comparative morphometric analyses of the KNM-LH 1 cranium document the temporal and spatial complexity of early modern human morphological variability. Features of cranial shape distinguish KNM-LH 1 and other Middle and Late Pleistocene African fossils from crania of recent Africans and samples from Holocene LSA and European Upper Paleolithic sites.

scholarly journals UMA BREVE VISÃO GERAL DOS ÚLTIMOS 10 ANOS DAS PRINCIPAIS DESCOBERTAS DO PLEISTOCENO SUPERIOR NO VELHO MUNDO: HOMO FLORESIENSIS, NEANDERTAL, DENISOVAN

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (32) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Fernanda Neubauer
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Separate Species ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Old World ◽  
Human Dna

Nos últimos dez anos, novos dados fósseis, arqueológicos e genéticos alteraram significativamente nossa compreensão sobre o povoamento do Velho Mundo no Pleistoceno Superior. Os pesquisadores há muito têm sido desafiados a definir o lugar da humanidade na evolução e a rastrear nossa filogenia. Diferenças na morfologia esquelética de fósseis de hominídeos muitas vezes levaram à nomeação de novas espécies distintas, mas descobertas genéticas recentes desafiaram a perspectiva tradicional, demonstrando que o DNA humano moderno contém genes herdados dos Neandertais e Denisovans, questionando assim seu status como uma espécie separada. A recente descoberta do Homo floresiensis da Ilha de Flores também levantou questões interessantes sobre a quantidade de diversidade genética e morfológica que estava presente durante o Pleistoceno Superior. Este artigo discute a natureza e as implicações da evidência em relação ao Homo floresiensis, Neandertais e Denisovans, e analisa brevemente as principais descobertas do Pleistoceno Superior nos últimos dez anos de pesquisa no Velho Mundo e sua importância para o estudo da evolução humana.Abstract: In the last ten years, new fossil, archaeological, and genetic data have significantly altered our understanding of the peopling of the Old World in the Late Pleistocene. Scholars have long been challenged to define humanity’s place in evolution and to trace our phylogeny. Differences in the skeletal morphology of hominin fossils have often led to the naming of distinct new species, but recent genetic findings have challenged the traditional perspective by demonstrating that modern human DNA contains genes inherited from Neandertals and Denisovans, thus questioning their status as separate species. The recent discovery of Homo floresiensis from Flores Island has also raised interesting queries about how much genetic and morphological diversity was present during the Late Pleistocene. This article discusses the nature and implications of the evidence with respect to Homo floresiensis. Neandertals and Denisovans, and briefly reviews major Late Pleistocene discoveries from the last ten years of research in the Old World and their significance to the study of human evolution.

The case for Neanderthal survival: fact, fiction or faction?

Antiquity ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (216) ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Shackley
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Open Mind ◽  
Family Trees ◽  
Complex Subject

It is a truism to state that human evolution is a frighteningly complex subject. It is all too easy to yield to the temptation to construct ever more elaborate 'family trees' even though the fossil record is fragmentary and chronologically inexact. The supposed fate of Neanderthal man (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and the origin of modern man (Homo sapim sapim) have recently received a good deal of attention—most of which serves to emphasize the gaps in our knowledge without coming much nearer to a solution. This review presents some of the conflicting arguments which have been put forward, stressing a need to keep an open mind about the possibility of Neanderthal survival.

scholarly journals The Stone Age Archaeology of West Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Scerri
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
West African ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Population Movements ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Ecological Zones

In the early 21st century, understanding West Africa’s Stone Age past has increasingly transcended its colonial legacy to become central to research on human origins. Part of this process has included shedding the methodologies and nomenclatures of narrative approaches to focus on more quantified, scientific descriptions of artifact variability and context. Together with a growing number of chronometric age estimates and environmental information, understanding the West African Stone Age is contributing evolutionary and demographic insights relevant to the entire continent. Undated Acheulean artifacts are abundant across the region, attesting to the presence of archaic Homo. The emerging chronometric record of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) indicates that core and flake technologies have been present in West Africa since at least the Middle Pleistocene (~780–126 thousand years ago or ka) and that they persisted until the Terminal Pleistocene/Holocene boundary (~12ka)—the youngest examples of such technology anywhere in Africa. Although the presence of MSA populations in forests remains an open question, technological differences may correlate with various ecological zones. Later Stone Age (LSA) populations evidence significant technological diversification, including both microlithic and macrolithic traditions. The limited biological evidence also demonstrates that at least some of these populations manifested a unique mixture of modern and archaic morphological features, drawing West Africa into debates about possible admixture events between late-surviving archaic populations and Homo sapiens. As in other regions of Africa, it is possible that population movements throughout the Stone Age were influenced by ecological bridges and barriers. West Africa evidences a number of refugia and ecological bottlenecks that may have played such a role in human prehistory in the region. By the end of the Stone Age, West African groups became increasingly sedentary, engaging in the construction of durable monuments and intensifying wild food exploitation.

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