scholarly journals Dental caries in South African fossil hominins

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (3/4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Towle ◽  
Joel D. Irish ◽  
Isabelle De Groote ◽  
Christianne Fernée ◽  
Carolina Loch
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Caries Prevalence ◽  
Posterior Teeth ◽  
Early Homo ◽  
Oral Environment ◽  
Fossil Hominins ◽  
Fossil Hominin ◽  
First Time ◽  
Carious Teeth

Once considered rare in fossil hominins, caries has recently been reported in several hominin species, requiring a new assessment of this condition during human evolution. Caries prevalence and location on the teeth of South African fossil hominins were observed and compared with published data from other hominin samples. Teeth were viewed macroscopically, with lesion position and severity noted and described. For all South African fossil hominin specimens studied to date, a total of 10 carious teeth (14 lesions), including 4 described for the first time here, have been observed. These carious teeth were found in a minimum of seven individuals, including five Paranthropus robustus, one early Homo, and one Homo naledi. All 14 lesions affected posterior teeth. The results suggest cariogenic biofilms and foods may have been present in the oral environment of a wide variety of hominins. Caries prevalence in studied fossil hominins is similar to those in pre-agricultural human groups, in which 1–5% of teeth are typically affected.

scholarly journals Dental caries in human evolution: frequency of carious lesions in South African fossil hominins

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Towle ◽  
Joel D. Irish ◽  
Isabelle De Groote ◽  
Christianne Fernée
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Deciduous Teeth ◽  
Posterior Teeth ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Early Homo ◽  
Carious Lesions ◽  
Fossil Hominins ◽  
Specialized Diet ◽  
Fossil Hominin

AbstractCaries frequencies in South African fossil hominins were observed and compared with other hominin samples. Species studied includeParanthropus robustus,Homo naledi,Australopithecus africanus,early HomoandA. sediba. Teeth were viewed macroscopically with Micro-CT scans used to confirm lesions. Position and severity of each lesion were also noted and described. For all South African fossil hominin specimens studied, 16 have carious lesions, six of which are described for the first time in this study. These are from a minimum of six individuals, and include fourP. robustus,oneH. naledi,and oneearly Homoindividual. No carious lesions were found on deciduous teeth, or any teeth assigned toA. africanus. Most are located interproximal, and only posterior teeth are affected. Caries frequency typically ranges between 1-5% of teeth in non-agricultural human samples, and this pattern seemingly holds true for at least the past two million years in the hominin lineage. Non-agricultural populations significantly above or below this threshold generally have a specialized diet, supporting other dietary evidence thatA. africanuslikely consumed large amounts of tough, non-cariogenic vegetation. Given the common occurrence of caries in the other hominin species, cariogenic bacteria and foods were evidently common in their collective oral environment. Along with recent research highlighting additional examples of caries inH. neanderthalensis, earlyHomoand PleistoceneH. sapiens, caries is clearly an ancient disease that was much more common than once maintained throughout the course of human evolution.

scholarly journals Tertiary dentine frequencies in extant great apes and fossil hominins

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Towle
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Gorilla Gorilla ◽  
Great Ape ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Occlusal Wear ◽  
Fossil Hominins ◽  
Fossil Hominin

Tertiary dentine forms when an odontoblast is directly affected by stimuli, commonly through occlusal wear. In this study the presence of tertiary dentine is recorded in three South African fossil hominin species (Australopithecus africanus, Homo naledi and Paranthropus robustus), and two extant great ape species (Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Pan troglodytes). Frequencies of tertiary dentine were calculated for each species based on macroscopic observations of teeth with dentine exposed through occlusal wear. Overall, the three hominin species have similar tertiary dentine frequencies ranging from 12% to 16.13%. In contrast, over 90% of gorilla teeth with dentine visible show tertiary dentine. Chimpanzees fall between these extremes with 47.21% of teeth affected. Species variances are not related to differences in occlusal wear. Instead, some species appear predisposed to produce tertiary dentine earlier and/or faster than other species. Therefore, tertiary dentine formation has the potential to provide useful information on fossil specimens. For example, the uniformly low rate of tertiary dentine formation in hominins may be due to thick enamel having a similar role in preventing loss of function of teeth, i.e., extending the life of a tooth. In contrast tertiary dentine is clearly an important mechanism for normal dental function in gorillas, and may have evolved to maintain sheering surfaces for masticating tough vegetation.

scholarly journals Tertiary dentine frequencies in extant great apes and fossil hominins

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Towle
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Gorilla Gorilla ◽  
Great Ape ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla ◽  
Australopithecus Africanus ◽  
Occlusal Wear ◽  
Fossil Hominins ◽  
Fossil Hominin

Tertiary dentine forms when an odontoblast is directly affected by stimuli, commonly through occlusal wear. In this study the presence of tertiary dentine is recorded in three South African fossil hominin species (Australopithecus africanus, Homo naledi and Paranthropus robustus), and two extant great ape species (Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Pan troglodytes). Frequencies of tertiary dentine were calculated for each species based on macroscopic observations of teeth with dentine exposed through occlusal wear. Overall, the three hominin species have similar tertiary dentine frequencies ranging from 12% to 16.13%. In contrast, over 90% of gorilla teeth with dentine visible show tertiary dentine. Chimpanzees fall between these extremes with 47.21% of teeth affected. Species variances are not related to differences in occlusal wear. Instead, some species appear predisposed to produce tertiary dentine earlier and/or faster than other species. Therefore, tertiary dentine formation has the potential to provide useful information on fossil specimens. For example, the uniformly low rate of tertiary dentine formation in hominins may be due to thick enamel having a similar role in preventing loss of function of teeth, i.e., extending the life of a tooth. In contrast tertiary dentine is clearly an important mechanism for normal dental function in gorillas, and may have evolved to maintain sheering surfaces for masticating tough vegetation.

Acanthocnemidae (Coleoptera), a family of beetles new to Russia

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya.N. Kovalenko
Keyword(s):  
Time Distribution ◽  
Published Data ◽  
First Time

Acanthocnemus nigricans (Hope, 1843), a single recent representative of the beetle family Acanthocnemidae, is reported from Russia for the first time. Distribution, probable ways of dispersion and the published data on the biology of A. nigricans are discussed.

Readjustment of the Standard ASUDAS to Encompass Dental Morphological Variations in Plio-Pleistocene Hominins

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 32-48
Author(s):  
M. Louail ◽  
S. Prat
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
State University ◽  
Arizona State University ◽  
Dental Anthropology ◽  
Morphological Variations ◽  
Fossil Hominins ◽  
Fossil Hominin

The standard ASUDAS scoring system (Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System) is used to assess dental morphological variations in modern humans. It is also frequently used to study, score, and compare morphological variations in fossil hominin taxa and to examine their phylogenetic relationships. However, using ASUDAS in studies of this type is under debate because it is based on modern Homo sapiens populations and does not appear to cover all variations observed in fossil Plio-Pleistocene homi- nins. Our observations and coding of 178 dentals casts of Plio-Pleistocene specimens based on ASUDAS and from the literature have confirmed the need to adapt the standard system to fossil hominins. In this initial study, we propose that the scoring procedures for some morphological characters need to be readjusted, while others could be standardized following the ASUDAS system.

Implications for the age of South African Devonian rocks in which Tropidoleptus (Brachiopoda) has been found

1983 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Boucot ◽  
C. H. C. Brunton ◽  
J. N. Theron
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
North America ◽  
South African ◽  
Early Carboniferous ◽  
Fossil Plants ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Marine Sedimentation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
First Time

SummaryThe Devonian brachiopod Tropidoleptus is recognized for the first time in South Africa. It is present in the lower part of the Witteberg Group at four widely separated localities. Data regarding the stratigraphical range of the genus elsewhere, combined with information on recently described fossil plants and vertebrates from underlying strata of the upper Bokkeveld Group, suggest that a Frasnian or even Givetian age is reasonable for the lower part of the Witteberg Group. The recognition of Tropidoleptus in a shallow water, near-shore, molluscan association, at the top of the South African marine Devonian sequence, is similar to its occurrence in Bolivia, and suggests a common Malvinokaffric Realm history of shallowing, prior to later Devonian or early Carboniferous non-marine sedimentation. It is noteworthy that Tropidoleptus is now known to occur in ecologically suitable environments around the Atlantic, but is absent from these same environments in Asia and Australia. Tropidoleptus is an excellent example of dispersal in geological time — first appearing in northern Europe and Nova Scotia, then elsewhere in eastern North America and North Africa, followed by South America and South Africa, while continuing in North America.

scholarly journals Population irruption of the clam Meretrix morphina in Lake St Lucia, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 113 (7/8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson A. F. Miranda ◽  
Nasreen Peer ◽  
Renzo Perissinotto ◽  
Nicola K. Carrasco ◽  
Salome Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Freshwater Input ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Ocean Region ◽  
West Indian Ocean ◽  
First Time ◽  
Eastern Seaboard

The thick-shelled clam Meretrix morphina, previously referred to as Meretrix meretrix, now occurs in the west Indian Ocean region, along the eastern seaboard of Africa, from the Red Sea to the Mlalazi Estuary, close to the Tugela River. Its presence in South Africa is only of recent recording. Meretrix morphina was detected for the first time in Lake St Lucia in 2000. The population declined and was not detected from 2005 until 2011, most likely as a result of a severe drought that resulted in widespread desiccation and hypersalinity in the lake. The system then experienced increased freshwater input resulting in lower salinities from 2011 until 2014, during which time M. morphina reappeared and their population gradually increased. In 2015, M. morphina became abundant in St Lucia, attaining unprecedented densities of 447 ind./m2. Biomass, expressed as a fresh weight, varied in the different basins of St Lucia, ranging from 195 g/m2 at Lister’s Point to 1909.8 g/m2 at Catalina Bay. However, in 2016, when drought conditions returned, M. morphina disappeared. This species appears to thrive under brackish salinities and high temperatures. It is able to establish large populations with high biomass and can become dominant. However, M. morphina is sensitive to desiccation and hypersaline conditions. This clam has substantial commercial value and is exploited along the African east coast, particularly in Mozambique. In future, it may feature more prominently in South African estuaries. However, the ecology of M. morphina is still largely unknown.

II.—Sedgwick Museum Notes

1906 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. R. Cowper Reed
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
South African ◽  
North American ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Generic Position ◽  
Small Collection ◽  
First Time

A Small collection of fossils from the Bokkeveld Beds has recently been sent to me for identification by the South African Museum, and some of them have been generously presented to the Sedgwick Museum. Amongst this material it is interesting to find some genera not previously recorded from the Cape and some new species. The majority of the specimens are in the condition of internal casts, and hence present especial difficulties in their determination, so that in a few cases some uncertainty must remain as to the generic position of the fossils. However, I am able to record for the first time from these beds the occurrence of the well-known lamellibranchiate genus Buchiola, and of a shell which may be identified with Nyussa arguta, Hall, of the North American Devonian. The genus Buchiola occurs in argillaceous nodules from the Zwartberg Pass crowded with individuals of the species which I have named B. subpalmata and with a few examples of an undetermined species. No other associated fossils can be recognised in these nodules, but I am informed that an abundant fauna is found in the beds at this locality.

scholarly journals South African Acari. V. Some mites of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena K.P. Smith Meyer ◽  
E.A. Ueckermann
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
National Park ◽  
Check List ◽  
Predaceous Mites ◽  
First Time

A check list of phytophagous and predaceous mites collected from the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is given. Data on the habitat and distribution of the 12 known species are presented. The following 10 species are described for the first time: Typhlodromus eremicus, Bryobia orycustodia, B. birivularis, B. deserticola, Aplonobia plinthi, Neopetrobia burchelliae, N. convolvuli, N. lerichei, Aegyptobia odontipilis and Abrolophus spiculosus.

scholarly journals Measuring Thiols in Single Cultivar South African Red Wines Using 4,4-Dithiodipyridine (DTDP) Derivatization and Ultraperformance Convergence Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Foods ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpho Mafata ◽  
Maria Stander ◽  
Baptiste Thomachot ◽  
Astrid Buica
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Red Wine ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
White Wine ◽  
Wine Aroma ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Varietal Thiols ◽  
Cultivar Differentiation ◽  
First Time ◽  
Ionization Methods

Wine varietal thiols are important contributors to wine aroma. The chemical nature of thiols makes them difficult to measure due to low concentrations, high sensitivity to oxidation, and low ionization. Methods for the measurement of thiols usually consist of multiple steps of sample preparation followed by instrumental measurement. Studies have collected large datasets of thiols in white wine but not in red wine, due to the lack of availability of suitable methods. In this study, for the first time, convergence chromatography was used to measure thiols in red wine at ultratrace levels with improved sensitivity compared to previous methods. Performance parameters (selectivity, linearity, limits of detection, precision, accuracy) were tested to demonstrate the suitability of the method for the proposed application. Red wine thiols were measured in South African Pinotage, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines (n = 16 each). Cultivar differentiation using the thiol profile was demonstrated.

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