Friday, December 30, 2016

Paleolithic Papers #12

Genus Homo:

Modern Humans (H. sapiens):

Domesticated dogs from 50,000 years ago are described from Yakutia.

Modern humans have started NOT developing wisdom teeth. John Hawks also discusses this recent evolution.

How modern humans may have moved down the Western Coast of North America during the Pleistocene colonization of this continent.

In the twilight of the Pleistocene, one community in Syria domesticated the first cereals and changed humanity's lifestyle. 

The twilight of the Pleistocene mummy from North America has been given to a tribe after DNA sequencing. 

Similar era burials in South America had mutilation rituals.

What is the ancestral position of the zygoma in modern humans?

During the Pleistocene/Mesolithic, people traded obsidian sometimes over 100 miles.

Neandertals (H. neanderthalensis):

The plant diet of the Neandertals
from Mid Pleistocene Israel is profiled, including tubers, seasonal plants, etc.

Were Neandertals religious?

In the Altai Mounts of Russia, Neandertals inhabited an arid, dry steppe environment.

Denisovans:

There is evidence Native American and Inuit populations picked up cold adaptations from interbreeding with ancient hominin populations, probably the Denisovans.

Sierra Atapuerca Hominin:

The diet of the Sierra Atapuerca hominin (genus Homo) has been identified.

Homo erectus:

Did H. erectus lose its penis bone due to becoming monogamous?

Genus Australopithecus:

The facial buttresses of A. africanus and A. sediba are compared via finite element analysis.

The zygomatic bone of A. bosei is compared to Neandertals.


A. afarenesis:

Lucy was extremely arboreal.

New foot prints at Laetoli hint A. afarensis was very sexually dimorphic.

META:

Why humans, and hominins in general, walk on their heels instead of their toes. 

Monkeys are perfectly capable of making human language sounds, but do not due to neurological reasons.

Human, ape and monkey hands are studied with an eye towards understanding the origin of the human hand.

The heritability of asymmetry in human and chimp brains is studied.

What is the root position of the zygomatic bone in hominins?

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