학술논문
Neandertal roots: Cranial and chronological evidence from Sima de los Huesos
HUMAN EVOLUTION
HUMAN EVOLUTION
Document Type
Report
Author abstract
Author abstract
Author
Arsuaga, J.L.; Martinez, I.; Arnold, L.J.; Aranburu, A.; Gracia-Tellez, A.; Sharp, W.D.; Quam, R.M.; Falgueres, C.; Pantoja-Perez, A.; Bischoff, J.; Poza-Rey, E.; Pares, J.M.; Carretero, J.M.; Demuro, M.; Lorenzo, C.; Sala, N.; Martinon-Torres, M.; Garcia, N.; de Velasco, A. Alcazar; Cuenca-Bescos, G.; Gomez-Olivencia, A.; Moreno, D.; Pablos, A.; Shen, C.-C.; Rodriguez, L.; Ortega, A.I.; Garcia, R.; Bonmati, A.; de Castro, J.M. Bermudez; Carbonell, E.
Source
Science. June 20, 2014, Vol. 344 Issue 6190, p1358, 6 p.
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
0036-8075
Abstract
Seventeen Middle Pleistocene crania from the Sima de los Huesos site (Atapuerca, Spain) are analyzed, including seven new specimens. This sample makes it possible to thoroughly characterize a Middle Pleistocene hominin paleodeme and to address hypotheses about the origin and evolution of the Neandertals. Using a variety of techniques, the hominin-bearing layer could be reassigned to a period around 430,000 years ago. The sample shows a consistent morphological pattern with derived Neandertal features present in the face and anterior vault, many of which are related to the masticatory apparatus. This suggests that facial modification was the first step in the evolution of the Neandertal lineage, pointing to a mosaic pattern of evolution, with different anatomical and functional modules evolving at different rates. 10.1126/science.1253958