Hominins

Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia

1.75-1.8mya 4 fossil hominins: mandible, crania, and postcrania. Named Homo georgicus, but might be erectus ergaster. Oldowan tools. Environment is mosaic steppe and gallery forest. Full frontal, wide mid-face, post orbital constriction, slight prognathism, robust jaw, large teeth. Compared to others: occipital protuberance similar to erectus, but face is habilis with a nonprojecting nose and subnasal prognatism. Postcranial anatomy is a mix. Primitive traits: small body size, low encephalization quotient, absence of humeral torsion, 600-780cc. Derived characteristics: modern human proportions, lower limb morphology for long travel. Possible failed colonization. Hominins left Africa earlier than expected with dmanisi as an ancestral sp.

Paranthropus robustus

1.8-1mya in South Africa contemporaneous with sediba- similar canine pillar (south african trait). Different from Boisei: smaller sagittal crest, less post orbital constriction, less prognathic face, smaller molars, small zygomatic, strong canine pillars, less dish shaped face, smaller anterior teeth. Synapomorphies with Boisei: enlarged crania capactiy, taller less prognathic face, anterior sagittal crest, smaller incisors and canine, ultra thick enamel, vertically tall mandibular symphysis, flexed cranial base. BOISEI AND ROBUSTUS SHARE MORE THAN EITHER DO WITH AETHIOPICUS.

Australopithecus sediba

1.95-1.78mya "fountain" by Lee Berger in South Africa. Small brain size, canine fossa, small body size, long arms/ short legs, upward orientation of the glenoid fossa, hand flexors= arboreal locomotion, triangular ribcage, small heel (non modern gait). Mixed Locomotion. Tooth cusps closely spaced. Different from africanus: expansion of parietal walls, pelvic morphology, unflared zygomatics, different supraorbital torus, naso-alveolar region infraorbital region, vertical mandibular symphysis, reduced banines and molar size. Similar to Homo erectus: longer thumb and shorter fingers for precision grip and flat finger tips (expanded apical tufts), canines and molar sizes, shape of iliac spine; enlarged iliofemoral ligament attachement; tall and thin pubic symphysis, short ischium, slightly longer and more flexible lower back, curved sacrum. Body size similar to early australopiths: 420cc subadult cranium, but less prognathic, reduced size of molars.

Homo rudolfensis

1.9mya named after Lake Rudolf/ Turkana in N. Kenya. The type specimen KNM-ER 1470 was discovered by Richard Leakey. Larger face and skull than habilis, 750cc brain, large teeth, no post cranial evidence, modern femurs, about 1.5m tall/ 52kg, large head, short neck. Different from habilis: less everted margins and no nasal slit, anteriorly inclined malar surface, shallow mandibular fossa, lower teeth with broad postcanine crowns, large palate.

Lomekwian Tools

149 artifacts- core and refitting surface flakes, dispersed percussion marks on cortex, uniface cores, flakes, anvils. Species: K. platyops and afarensis. Pounds to make fracure and make food.

Eugène Dubois

1858-1940 Dutch anatomist inspired by Ernst Haeckel (a German biologist), who thought the earliest human ancestors would be found in Asia, to travel to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1887 with the Dutch army to search for human ancestors. He discovered the very first Homo erectus ever found in 1891 at Trinil, Java, and named it Pithecanthropus erectus (upright ape man). It has also been nicknamed Java Man.

Lucy (A. afarensis)

1974 by Dr. Johanson in Hadar, Ethiopia, 3.18mya. Dentition: thick tooth enamel; large central incisors(chimplike); post canine megadontia; small non-honing canines with slight diastema; increased secondary cups of P3; articular eminence; less prognathic. Postcranial features: femur with small head, long neck, thick cortical areas, wide pelvis w/ flaring iliac blades(more than homo), and broad sacrum. Lucy's Locomotion: fully bipedal- adducted large big toe; short legs, wide pelvis, large feet; large humulus very strong grip; use only arms to climb; living in woodland/ savannahs; more effiencitent with bipedalism than arboreality; sleep in trees for protection.

Paranthropus boisei

2.5-1.4mya 1959 by Leakys in Olduvai Gorge. Wide facemore vertical than aethiopicus, smooth curved arch to zygomatics but still dish shaped, reduction of anterior teeth, larger cranial capacity (500-550cc), extreme post orbital constriction, mid-braincase sagittal crest, flexed cranial base, huge post canine megadontia (the biggest), huge temporalis fossa and wide cheeks

Australopithecus garhi- Robust

2.5mya "surprise" associated cranium and maxillary fragment with teeth, other craniodental fragments, and lots of postcranial fragments found at Bouri (Middle Awash), Ethiopia. Primitive skull morphology, 450cc brain, slight postorbital constriction, long/low cranium, small sagittal crest, prognathic face, small anterior teeth but huge upper canines.Huge molars, but lacking other robust features. Longer legs, but apelike arms.

Paranthropus aethiopicus- robust

2.5mya KNM WT-17000 "Black Skull" 1988 Walker and Leaky in Ethiopia and Kenya. at West Turkana, Kenya. If splitting these hominins into the genus Paranthropus, aethiopicus is seen as the common ancestor for boisei and robustus. If labelling these hominins as "robust Australopiths", they are seen as descended from Australopithecus afarensis and the ancestor for Au./P. boisei only. Apomorphies: dished midface, forward shift of zygomatics, sharply receeding forehead, big chewing muscles, postcanine megadontia, molarization of premolars, small anterior teeth. NOT Boisei because: alveolar prognathism, small brain case (400cc), emphasis on posterior temporalis muscle, apelike fusion of sagittal and nuchal crest, less flexed cranial base, larger front teethand smaller back teeth.

Australopithecus prometheus

3.5-4.5mya "Little Foot" Found by Ron Clarke in 1997. Completely encased in calcified sediment. Compared to africanus: large molars and premolars, large canines and incisors, projecting zygomatics, different shaped nasal aperature, wide interorbital origin, longer face, small sagittal crest in males.

Kenyanthropus platyops

3.5mya "flat faced man of Kenya" Found partial skull and teeth in 2001- flat face with small teeth. Tim White said it was afarensis due to the distortion, but Leaky separates it due to its moderate subnasal prognathism, deep zygomatics, lack of post canine megadontia, and reduced postorbital constriction.

Australopithecus bahrelghazali

3.5mya- Chad, N.Central Africa. Found by Brun et al. 1995. Thick vertical symphysis, incisiform canines, bicuspid premolars w/ 3 roots

Australopithecus anamensis

4.2-3.9mya from Kanapoi, Kenya, which consists of a tibia, two mandibles, and two maxillae. Primitive jaw with parallel teeth rows, thick, and with chimplike mandibular symphysis, thick teeth, large anterior teeth and large premolars. TIbia is the oldest evidence of Bipedalism; tibial plateau exapanded with medial condyle. Lived in wooded environments (carnivore markings on bone).

facial dishing

A feature of the "robust" Australopithecines/Paranthropus in which the zygomatic (cheek) bones are moved forward, making the cheeks extend farther forward than the nose and giving the face a concave or dish-like shape.

stone tool

A tool, such as a flake or handaxe, made out of a stone possessing the following characteristics: it is hard, it fractures easily, and it has a smooth, homogenous molecular makeup. Stones with a high silica content fit these characteristics, and many high-quality stone tools are made out of stones such as flint, chert, obsidian, quartzite, and basalt, although any stone that can be made to fracture to form sharp edges can be used.

Australopithecus afarensis

Afar region: Hadar and Middle Awash ( 3.6-2.6 lake and flood plain); laetoli (3.7-3.2 Savannah woodland), Omo (3.3-1.4 early forest). Lucy, Dikika Lucy's child; footprints at Laetoli show heel-strike toe off, possible dimorphism.

Sangiran, Java, Indonesia

Bones with cut marks but no stone tools 1.6-1mya eating shellfish

Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia

Cave on the island of Flores, Indonesia where the fossil of Homo floresiensis, dated 100-60 Ka, was discovered in 2004

Acheulean Tools

Concept shift: biface appears 1.6-1.5mya at African sites. Handaxes are important along with oldowan tools. Shift to large game- handaxe used as discus- showing intelligence and tool use. thousands found at Olorgesailie, Kenya 900-600kya.

Australopithecine Behavior

Crappy food but they ate a lot of it. Africa became dryer during lower pleistocene. mostly bipedal. large dimorphism (gorillas).

Transitional Homo

Dentition: reduced- lack masticatory specialization Brain: increase (austral remained constant) Body: similar size and proportions to austral but with slower growth rates Behavior: increased complexity with tools and increased reliance on meat Climate: cooling and drying with fluctuations- encouraged adaptability size shape and complexity says alot abt a tool or who made it

Oldowan Tool

Direct percussion, 2.6mya ethiopia, core and flake tools, mostly unifacial. Intentionally modified and shaped stone for purpose. Types: choppers, discoids, scrapers, spheroids, anvils. lasts only for 1my.

Richard Leakey

Discovered KNM-ER 1470, the type specimen for Homo rudolfensis on the eastern shore of Lake Turkana in the early 1970s. A member of the Leakey family, famous for their work on palaeoanthropology in Africa. Son of Louis and Mary Leakey.

Louis Leakey

Discovered OH7, a nearly 2 MYO juvenile partial skull at Olduvai Gorge in the 1960s. This became a type specimen for Homo habilis. A member of the Leakey family, famous for their work on palaeoanthropology in Africa. Husband of Mary Leakey and father of Richard Leakey.

Mary Leakey

Discovered OH7, a nearly 2 MYO juvenile partial skull at Olduvai Gorge in the 1960s. This became a type specimen for Homo habilis. Also discovered the first fossilized Proconsul skull. A member of the Leakey family, famous for their work on palaeoanthropology in Africa. Wife of Louis Leakey and mother of Richard Leakey.

Robert Broom

Discovered the first robust Australopithecus/Paranthropus species at Kromdraai in 1938 and named it Paranthropus robustus. Also discovered an adult Australopithecus africanus skull at Sterkfontein in 1947, validating Raymond Dart's assertion that the Taung Child (and therefore Au. africanus) was a bipedal hominin species.

Zhoukoudian, China- Dragon Bone Hill

Excavations of caves found 40 individual skullcaps, teeth, and postcrania. Findings were copied and detailed byb Weidenreich, but everything was lost during WW2. FArontal keel, angular torus, nuchal torus, supraorbital sulcus, postorbital constriction. "Peking man" 680-780kya lost when Japan invaded China. Showed proof of fire with burned bone and quartzite tools.

Fire

Homo erectus used fire for warmth, scaring predators, cooking food, social opportunities, communal attention. Cooking makes food more nutritious, detoxifies, increases digestability, easier to eat meat-- Explains increase in brain size, smaller teeth/jaws, and decrease in sexual dimorphism that occuered 1,8mya. Cooking fires began 250-500,000ya

Homo floresiensis

In the cave of Liang Bua, on the island of Flores, Indonesia, 6 individuals. Main hominin LB1 dates to 18kya, possible arm bone 74kya, stone tools ranging from 94-13kya. 417cc, small body size (3ft), expanded frontal and temporal regions, low humeral torsion, short clavicle, modern scapula, long arms, small powerful brain. Forster's rule: animals get bigger or smaller depending on resources and lack of adaptive pressure from competition. A very late surviving primitive hominin-18kya into modern human time.

Homo erectus

Increase brain to 900cc, reduce postcanine dentition and chewing robusticity, vertical shortening of face, external nose, pronounced supraorbital torus with prominent supraoral sulcus, reduced forearm length and lengthening of the legs (modern body proportions). Narrower biiliac breadth with expanded upper ribcage. External Nose: separate septum with conchae to cool and moisturize air Teeth: Rami tall and thin mandible, parabolic arcade with large anterior teeth, small posterior teeth. Postcrania: thicker cortical bone, narrow pelvic inlet, longer lower limbs, taller form, flaring nostrils. Running:running may have been needed for selection. Birth: Gona female from 1.8 has wider pelvis than nariokotome. Birthed larger brained babies with faster maturity. Baby Development: altricial Bio Adapts: Hair loss (thermoregulation) skin color (vitamin d and folic acid) Throwing: fully lateral glenoid orientation, low wide shoulder and long leds.

Tim White

Lead the team which discovered and named Ardipithecus ramidus in the Northeastern part of Ethiopia near the Red Sea in 1994. Professor of palaeoanthropology and has co-authored several books on human skeletal anatomy.

Don Johanson

Leader of the team that discovered Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) at Hadar in the Awash Valley, Ethiopia in 1974.

bipedalism

Literally, walking on two feet; The suite of changes to the skeleton to allow the body to balance between two legs when standing and on one leg while walking. This includes changes to the vertebral column, the pelvis, the femurs, the tibiae, and the feet.

frontal keel

Longitudinal ridge or thickening of bone along the midline of the frontal bone

sagittal keel

Longitudinal ridge or thickening of bone on the sagittal suture not associated with any muscle attachment.

Movius Line

No handaxes north- east asian rocks didnt break well. There is evidence of bifaces at asian sites- tools could have been made with something else- bamboo

Australopith phylogeny

None of the robusts gave rise to homo- monophyletic. Problem: connection between africanus and robustus and boisei and robustus. Africanus gives rise to robustis and boisei and Afarensis gives rise to aethiopicus.,... Parallel evolution with goal of acessing food.

Homo habilis

One of two proposed earliest members of the genus Homo. The type specimen OH 7 was named by Leakey in the 1964 at Olduvai Gorge. Has a larger brain than any known Australopithecine, reduced post orbital constriction, larger anterior teeth smaller posterior teeth, long molars, and hands made for tool use. The scientific name means "skilled human or handyman" and refers to its use and manufacture of stone tools. Because of the wide range in cranial capacities of Homo habilis, some scientists argue that Homo habilis is actually two species, Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis. If dividing early Homo into two species, OH 7 is the type species for Homo habilis, which then possesses medium-sized brains and derived facial morphology.

Locomotion based on:

Pisiform: carpal bone near ulna (elongated in afarensis for flexible wrists) Metacarpals: mobile joints, long curved phalanges Apical tufts: narrow and pointed like chimps Scapula: intermediate- glenoid is upward for more flexible shoulders. Scapular spine is more horizontal than apes, supraspinous fossa is smaller than apes.

Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Place where P. boisei and H. habilis fossils have been discovered. Mary and Louis Leakey discovered the first Homo habilis skull here in the 1960s. The Oldowan tool industry is named for the discovery of this tool type at this site.

Koobi Fora, Kenya

Place where P. boisei, Au. afarensis, H. habilis, and H. erectus fossils have been discovered. Richard Leakey's team found the Homo habilis KNM-ER 1470 skull here in the 1970s, and several other finds of H. habilis have been made here since.

Middle Awash / Aramis, Ethiopia

Place where fossils of Au. afarensis, A. kadabba, A. ramidus, and Au. garhi have been discovered. Tim White's team found the first fossil of Ardipithecus ramidus here in 1994.

Nariokotome, Kenya

Place where the Nariokotome Boy (also known as the Turkana Boy), the remains of 85% of a Homo erectus skeleton, dated to 1.65Ma, was discovered in 1985 by Alan Walker and Richard Leakey.

Taung, South Africa

Place where the Taung Child, the first example of Australopithecus africanus, was discovered in 1924.

Trinil, Java

Place where the first Homo erectus remains ever found were discovered in 1891 by Eugène Dubois.Eating shellfish

Lee Berger

Professor at the University of Witswatersrand, South Africa. Announced the discovery of Australopithecus sediba in 2010. Lead the Rising Star Expedition which announced the discovery of Homo naledi in 2015.

Raymond Dart

Professor of Anatomy in Johannesburg, South Africa. Named the Australopithecus (southern ape) genus when he published on the first specimen discovered, the Taung Child (an Australopithecus africanus), in 1924. His discovery was discounted as a new variety of fossil ape at first due to the furore surrounding the Piltdown Man hoax and Dart's reputation as a grandstander.

Gran Dolina, Spain

Site in the Sierra de Atapuerca mountains of Spain dating to 780 Ka with some of the oldest European hominin fossils. They are possibly Homo erectus, though they exhibit a mix of characteristics, some of which link to Neanerthals and others to modern humans. It has been argued that the remains in this site are of a new species, Homo antecessor.

Australopithecus africanus

South Africa- oldest at 4mya, early 2.1mya Compared to afarensis: larger post-canine megadontia, thicker enamel, lower P3 is bicuspid, non-projecting canine with diastema, less prognathis palate, emphasized anterior temporalis muscle, anterior pillar runs along side of nose, deep ramus of the mandible. "Taung child" skull and 340cc endocast discovered in Taung, South Africa by Raymond Dart and has small canines for young human like dentition !Proved teeth evolved first, then brain. Damaged eye sockets-death bybird.

mandibular ramus

The broad, quadrilateral part of the mandible which projects upward from the posterior end of the mandibular body behind the lower teeth

hominin canine complex

The shortening of the canine, disappearance of the diastema, and appearance of a second cusp on P3 as hominins evolve. The loss of the CP3 honing complex.

post-canine megadontia

The tooth complex seen in Paranthropus/the robust Australopithecines. Enlarged premolars and molars, presumably used to eat tough objects such as uncracked nuts and fibrous vegetation.

supraorbital torus

Thickened ridge of bone above the eye orbits of the skull; a brow ridge.

Homo erectus adaptive niche

diets contained higher quality foods, home range 10x larger than those of other apes, energy budgets of males and females changed- grandmother hypothesis, change in life history patterns and cognitive challenges.

Homo Phylogeny

erectus independetly left africa

Distinct Homo habilis traits

shorter than africanus, weigh less, long arms/shortfemurs, chimpanzee dimorphism, gracilized face/ alveolar prognathism, reduced mandibular robusticity, posterior molar reduction, frontal doming, greater brain size, expansion of langugae centers, shortened cranial base

Experimental Microwear Analysis by Nick Toth

small flakes: slice through hide/ deflesh large flakes/chopper: chop residual dried meat from scavanged carcas heavy core: breaking bone to get to marrow or brain unmodified stone hammer and anvil: crack nuts SHows they were hunting and or scavenging. carnivores get the meatest parts and hominins are opportunisitc scavengers.

Ergaster vs erectus

thinner supraorbital torus on ergaster, less angled occipital, keeling on frontal bone of erectus, ergaster is more gracile