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Journal articles on the topic 'Australopithecus robustus'

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Published: 4 June 2021

Last updated: 11 February 2022

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Fredericks, Heidi. "Australopithecus Robustus." Teaching Anthropology: Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges Notes 6, no. 1 (1999): 30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/tea.1999.6.1.30.

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Scott, Jeremiah E., Kevin R. McAbee, Meghan M. Eastman, and Matthew J. Ravosa. "Experimental perspective on fallback foods and dietary adaptations in early hominins." Biology Letters 10, no. 1 (2014): 20130789. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0789.

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The robust jaws and large, thick-enameled molars of the Plio–Pleistocene hominins Australopithecus and Paranthropus have long been interpreted as adaptations for hard-object feeding. Recent studies of dental microwear indicate that only Paranthropus robustus regularly ate hard items, suggesting that the dentognathic anatomy of other australopiths reflects rare, seasonal exploitation of hard fallback foods. Here, we show that hard-object feeding cannot explain the extreme morphology of Paranthropus boisei . Rather, analysis of long-term dietary plasticity in an animal model suggests year-round reliance on tough foods requiring prolonged postcanine processing in P. boisei . Increased consumption of such items may have marked the earlier transition from Ardipithecus to Australopithecus , with routine hard-object feeding in P. robustus representing a novel behaviour.

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Kaszycka, Katarzyna A. "The Australopithecines – An Extinct Group of Human Ancestors: My Scientific Interest in South Africa." Werkwinkel 12, no. 1 (2017): 7–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/werk-2017-0001.

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Abstract I introduce the subject of my research interest in South Africa - the australopithecines - a group of bipedal, small-brained and large-toothed creatures from the Plio-Pleistocene, from which the human genus arose. I then briefly discuss various topics of my research, concerning: (1) Taxonomic status and morphological description of the extinct human relative from the Kromdraai site (Australopithecus robustus); (2) Graphic reconstruction of the partial skull from Kromdraai - specimen numbered TM 1517; (3) Assessment of size sexual dimorphism of the South African australopithecines (Australopithecus robustus and Australopithecus africanus), which, in terms of facial features, was pronounced - being almost gorilla-sized; (4) Social behavior of a fossil hominid species from around 2 million years ago, which, in terms of the social structure, was most likely a multimale-multifemale one; and (5) An event from the history of paleoanthropology, concerning the content of the 1924/25 photographs of the Taung Child (Australopithecus africanus) - the first australopithecine skull discovered.

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Ungar, P. S., and F. E. Grine. "Incisor size and wear in Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus." Journal of Human Evolution 20, no. 4 (1991): 313–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0047-2484(91)90013-l.

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Berthaume, Michael A., and Kornelius Kupczik. "Molar biomechanical function in South African hominins Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus." Interface Focus 11, no. 5 (2021): 20200085. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2020.0085.

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Diet is a driving force in human evolution. Two species of Plio-Pleistocene hominins, Paranthropus robustus and Australopithecus africanus , have derived craniomandibular and dental morphologies which are often interpreted as P. robustus having a more biomechanically challenging diet. While dietary reconstructions based on dental microwear generally support this, they show extensive dietary overlap between species, and craniomandibular and dental biomechanical analyses can yield contradictory results. Using methods from anthropology and engineering (i.e. anthroengineering), we quantified the molar biomechanical performance of these hominins to investigate possible dietary differences between them. Thirty-one lower second molars were 3D printed and used to fracture gelatine blocks, and Bayesian generalized linear models were used to investigate the relationship between species and tooth wear, size and shape, and biomechanical performance. Our results demonstrate that P. robustus required more force and energy to fracture blocks but had a higher force transmission rate. Considering previous dietary reconstructions, we propose three evolutionary scenarios concerning the dietary ecologies of these hominins. These evolutionary scenarios cannot be reached by investigating morphological differences in isolation, but require combining several lines of evidence. This highlights the need for a holistic approach to reconstructing hominin dietary ecology.

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Lee-Thorp, Julia A., Nikolaas J. van der Merwe, and C. K. Brain. "Diet of Australopithecus robustus at Swartkrans from stable carbon isotopic analysis." Journal of Human Evolution 27, no. 4 (1994): 361–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jhev.1994.1050.

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Ryan, Timothy M., Kristian J. Carlson, Adam D. Gordon, Nina Jablonski, Colin N. Shaw, and Jay T. Stock. "Human-like hip joint loading in Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus." Journal of Human Evolution 121 (August 2018): 12–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.03.008.

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Ungar, Peter S., Robert S. Scott, Frederick E. Grine, and Mark F. Teaford. "Molar microwear textures and the diets of Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 365, no. 1556 (2010): 3345–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0033.

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Many researchers have suggested that Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis were among the earliest hominins to have diets that included hard, brittle items. Here we examine dental microwear textures of these hominins for evidence of this. The molars of three Au. anamensis and 19 Au. afarensis specimens examined preserve unobscured antemortem microwear. Microwear textures of these individuals closely resemble those of Paranthropus boisei , having lower complexity values than Australopithecus africanus and especially Paranthropus robustus . The microwear texture complexity values for Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis are similar to those of the grass-eating Theropithecus gelada and folivorous Alouatta palliata and Trachypithecus cristatus . This implies that these Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis individuals did not have diets dominated by hard, brittle foods shortly before their deaths. On the other hand, microwear texture anisotropy values for these taxa are lower on average than those of Theropithecus , Alouatta or Trachypithecus . This suggests that the fossil taxa did not have diets dominated by tough foods either, or if they did that directions of tooth–tooth movement were less constrained than in higher cusped and sharper crested extant primate grass eaters and folivores.

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Olejniczak, A. J., T. M. Smith, M. M. Skinner, et al. "Three-dimensional molar enamel distribution and thickness in Australopithecus and Paranthropus." Biology Letters 4, no. 4 (2008): 406–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0223.

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Thick molar enamel is among the few diagnostic characters of hominins which are measurable in fossil specimens. Despite a long history of study and characterization of Paranthropus molars as relatively ‘hyper-thick’, only a few tooth fragments and controlled planes of section (designed to be proxies of whole-crown thickness) have been measured. Here, we measure molar enamel thickness in Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus using accurate microtomographic methods, recording the whole-crown distribution of enamel. Both taxa have relatively thick enamel, but are thinner than previously characterized based on two-dimensional measurements. Three-dimensional measurements show that P. robustus enamel is not hyper-thick, and A. africanus enamel is relatively thinner than that of recent humans. Interspecific differences in the whole-crown distribution of enamel thickness influence cross-sectional measurements such that enamel thickness is exaggerated in two-dimensional sections of A. africanus and P. robustus molars. As such, two-dimensional enamel thickness measurements in australopiths are not reliable proxies for the three-dimensional data they are meant to represent. The three-dimensional distribution of enamel thickness shows different patterns among species, and is more useful for the interpretation of functional adaptations than single summary measures of enamel thickness.

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Kupczik, Kornelius, Viviana Toro-Ibacache, and Gabriele A. Macho. "On the relationship between maxillary molar root shape and jaw kinematics in Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus." Royal Society Open Science 5, no. 8 (2018): 180825. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180825.

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Plio-Pleistocene hominins from South Africa remain poorly understood. Here, we focus on how Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus exploited and—in part—partitioned their environment. Specifically, we explore the extent to which first maxillary molar roots (M 1 ) are oriented and thus, by proxy, estimate the direction of loads habitually exerted on the chewing surface. Landmark-based shape analysis of M 1 root reconstructions of 26 South African hominins and three East African Paranthropus boisei suggest that A. africanus may have been able to dissipate the widest range of laterally directed loads. Paranthropus robustus and P. boisei , despite having overlapping morphologies, differ in aspects of root shape/size, dento-cranial morphologies, microwear textures and C4 food consumption. Hence, while Paranthropus monophyly cannot be excluded, equivalence of dietary niche can. The South African hominins occupied distinct ecological niches, whereby P. robustus appears uniquely adapted to dissipate antero-posteriorly directed loads.

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Sillen, Andrew. "Strontium-calcium ratios (Sr/Ca) of Australopithecus robustus and associated fauna from Swartkrans." Journal of Human Evolution 23, no. 6 (1992): 495–516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0047-2484(92)90049-f.

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de Ruiter, Darryl J., Matt Sponheimer, and Julia A. Lee-Thorp. "Indications of habitat association of Australopithecus robustus in the Bloubank Valley, South Africa." Journal of Human Evolution 55, no. 6 (2008): 1015–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.06.003.

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Rak, Yoel, William H. Kimbel, Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi, Charles A. Lockwood, and Colin Menter. "The DNH 7 skull of Australopithecus robustus from Drimolen (Main Quarry), South Africa." Journal of Human Evolution 151 (February 2021): 102913. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102913.

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Herries, Andy I. R., Jesse M. Martin, A. B. Leece, et al. "Contemporaneity of Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and early Homo erectus in South Africa." Science 368, no. 6486 (2020): eaaw7293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw7293.

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Understanding the extinction of Australopithecus and origins of Paranthropus and Homo in South Africa has been hampered by the perceived complex geological context of hominin fossils, poor chronological resolution, and a lack of well-preserved early Homo specimens. We describe, date, and contextualize the discovery of two hominin crania from Drimolen Main Quarry in South Africa. At ~2.04 million to 1.95 million years old, DNH 152 represents the earliest definitive occurrence of Paranthropus robustus, and DNH 134 represents the earliest occurrence of a cranium with clear affinities to Homo erectus. These crania also show that Homo, Paranthropus, and Australopithecus were contemporaneous at ~2 million years ago. This high taxonomic diversity is also reflected in non-hominin species and provides evidence of endemic evolution and dispersal during a period of climatic variability.

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Ripamonti, Ugo, Jean-Claude Petit, and J. Francis Thackeray. "A supernumerary tooth in a 1.7 million-year-old Australopithecus robustus from Swartkrans, South Africa." European Journal of Oral Sciences 107, no. 5 (1999): 317–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.0909-8836.1999.eos107501.x.

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Skinner, Matthew M., Philipp Gunz, Bernard A. Wood, and Jean-Jacques Hublin. "Enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) morphology distinguishes the lower molars of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus." Journal of Human Evolution 55, no. 6 (2008): 979–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.08.013.

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de Ruiter, Darryl J., Robyn Pickering, Christine M. Steininger, et al. "New Australopithecus robustus fossils and associated U-Pb dates from Cooper's Cave (Gauteng, South Africa)." Journal of Human Evolution 56, no. 5 (2009): 497–513. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2009.01.009.

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Peterson, Alexandria, Elicia F. Abella, Frederick E. Grine, Mark F. Teaford, and Peter S. Ungar. "Microwear textures of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus molars in relation to paleoenvironment and diet." Journal of Human Evolution 119 (June 2018): 42–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.004.

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Zwemer, Tom. "The eruption pattern of the permanent incisors and first permanent molars in australopithecus (Parathropus) Robustus,." American Journal of Orthodontics 89, no. 5 (1986): 447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0002-9416(86)90082-5.

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Tacail, Théo, Jeremy E. Martin, Florent Arnaud-Godet, et al. "Calcium isotopic patterns in enamel reflect different nursing behaviors among South African early hominins." Science Advances 5, no. 8 (2019): eaax3250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax3250.

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Nursing is pivotal in the social and biological evolution of hominins, but to date, early-life behavior among hominin lineages is a matter of debate. The calcium isotopic compositions (δ44/42Ca) of tooth enamel can provide dietary information on this period. Here, we measure the δ44/42Ca values in spatially located microsized regions in tooth enamel of 37 South African hominins to reconstruct early-life dietary-specific variability in Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, and early Homo. Very low δ44/42Ca values (<−1.4‰), indicative of milk consumption, are measured in early Homo but not in A. africanus and P. robustus. In these latter taxa, transitional or adult nonmilk foods must have been provided in substantial quantities relative to breast milk rapidly after birth. The results suggest that early Homo have continued a predominantly breast milk–based nursing period for longer than A. africanus and P. robustus and have consequently more prolonged interbirth interval.

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Georgiou, Leoni, Christopher J. Dunmore, Ameline Bardo, et al. "Evidence for habitual climbing in a Pleistocene hominin in South Africa." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 15 (2020): 8416–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1914481117.

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Bipedalism is a defining trait of the hominin lineage, associated with a transition from a more arboreal to a more terrestrial environment. While there is debate about when modern human-like bipedalism first appeared in hominins, all known South African hominins show morphological adaptations to bipedalism, suggesting that this was their predominant mode of locomotion. Here we present evidence that hominins preserved in the Sterkfontein Caves practiced two different locomotor repertoires. The trabecular structure of a proximal femur (StW 522) attributed to Australopithecus africanus exhibits a modern human-like bipedal locomotor pattern, while that of a geologically younger specimen (StW 311) attributed to either Homo sp. or Paranthropus robustus exhibits a pattern more similar to nonhuman apes, potentially suggesting regular bouts of both climbing and terrestrial bipedalism. Our results demonstrate distinct morphological differences, linked to behavioral differences between Australopithecus and later hominins in South Africa and contribute to the increasing evidence of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.

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Moore, N. Collin, J. Francis Thackeray, Jean-Jacques Hublin, and Matthew M. Skinner. "Premolar root and canal variation in South African Plio-Pleistocene specimens attributed to Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus." Journal of Human Evolution 93 (April 2016): 46–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.12.002.

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Yeakel, Justin D., Nigel C. Bennett, Paul L. Koch, and Nathaniel J. Dominy. "The isotopic ecology of African mole rats informs hypotheses on the evolution of human diet." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274, no. 1619 (2007): 1723–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0330.

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The diets of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus are hypothesized to have included C 4 plants, such as tropical grasses and sedges, or the tissues of animals which themselves consumed C 4 plants. Yet inferences based on the craniodental morphology of A. africanus and P. robustus indicate a seasonal diet governed by hard, brittle foods. Such mechanical characteristics are incompatible with a diet of grasses or uncooked meat, which are too tough for efficient mastication by flat, low-cusped molars. This discrepancy, termed the C 4 conundrum, has led to the speculation that C 4 plant underground storage organs (USOs) were a source of nutrition for hominin species. We test this hypothesis by examining the isotopic ecology of African mole rats, which consume USOs extensively. We measured δ 18 O and δ 13 C of enamel and bone apatite from fossil and modern species distributed across a range of habitats. We show that δ 18 O values vary little and that δ 13 C values vary along the C 3 to C 4 /CAM-vegetative axis. Relatively high δ 13 C values exist in modern Cryptomys hottentotus natalensis and Cryptomys spp. recovered from hominin-bearing deposits. These values overlap those reported for A. africanus and P. robustus and we conclude that the USO hypothesis for hominin diets retains certain plausibility.

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Sillen, Andrew, Grant Hall, and Richard Armstrong. "Strontium calcium ratios (Sr/Ca) and strontium isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr) of Australopithecus robustus and Homo sp. from Swartkrans." Journal of Human Evolution 28, no. 3 (1995): 277–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jhev.1995.1020.

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Skinner, Matthew M., Bernard A. Wood, and Jean-Jacques Hublin. "Protostylid expression at the enamel-dentine junction and enamel surface of mandibular molars of Paranthropus robustus and Australopithecus africanus." Journal of Human Evolution 56, no. 1 (2009): 76–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2008.08.021.

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Davies, Thomas W., Zeresenay Alemseged, Agness Gidna, et al. "Accessory cusp expression at the enamel-dentine junction of hominin mandibular molars." PeerJ 9 (May 20, 2021): e11415. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11415.

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Studies of hominin dental morphology frequently consider accessory cusps on the lower molars, in particular those on the distal margin of the tooth (C6 or distal accessory cusp) and the lingual margin of the tooth (C7 or lingual accessory cusp). They are often utilized in studies of hominin systematics, where their presence or absence is assessed at the outer enamel surface (OES). However, studies of the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) suggest these traits may be more variable in development, morphology and position than previously thought. Building on these studies, we outline a scoring procedure for the EDJ expression of these accessory cusps that considers the relationship between these accessory cusps and the surrounding primary cusps. We apply this scoring system to a sample of Plio-Pleistocene hominin mandibular molars of Paranthropus robustus, Paranthropus boisei, Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, Homo sp., Homo habilis and Homo erectus from Africa and Asia (n = 132). We find that there are taxon-specific patterns in accessory cusp expression at the EDJ that are consistent with previous findings at the OES. For example, P. robustus M1s and M2s very often have a distal accessory cusp but no lingual accessory cusp, while H. habilis M1s and M2s show the opposite pattern. The EDJ also reveals a number of complicating factors; some apparent accessory cusps at the enamel surface are represented at the EDJ only by shouldering on the ridges associated with the main cusps, while other accessory cusps appear to have little or no EDJ expression at all. We also discuss the presence of double and triple accessory cusps, including the presence of a double lingual accessory cusp on the distal ridge of the metaconid in the type specimen of H. habilis (OH 7–M1) that is not clear at the OES due to occlusal wear. Overall, our observations, as well as our understanding of the developmental underpinnings of cusp patterning, suggest that we should be cautious in our comparisons of accessory cusps for taxonomic interpretations.

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Chirchir, Habiba, Tracy L. Kivell, Christopher B. Ruff, et al. "Recent origin of low trabecular bone density in modern humans." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 2 (2014): 366–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1411696112.

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Humans are unique, compared with our closest living relatives (chimpanzees) and early fossil hominins, in having an enlarged body size and lower limb joint surfaces in combination with a relatively gracile skeleton (i.e., lower bone mass for our body size). Some analyses have observed that in at least a few anatomical regions modern humans today appear to have relatively low trabecular density, but little is known about how that density varies throughout the human skeleton and across species or how and when the present trabecular patterns emerged over the course of human evolution. Here, we test the hypotheses that (i) recent modern humans have low trabecular density throughout the upper and lower limbs compared with other primate taxa and (ii) the reduction in trabecular density first occurred in early Homo erectus, consistent with the shift toward a modern human locomotor anatomy, or more recently in concert with diaphyseal gracilization in Holocene humans. We used peripheral quantitative CT and microtomography to measure trabecular bone of limb epiphyses (long bone articular ends) in modern humans and chimpanzees and in fossil hominins attributed to Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus/early Homo from Swartkrans, Homo neanderthalensis, and early Homo sapiens. Results show that only recent modern humans have low trabecular density throughout the limb joints. Extinct hominins, including pre-Holocene Homo sapiens, retain the high levels seen in nonhuman primates. Thus, the low trabecular density of the recent modern human skeleton evolved late in our evolutionary history, potentially resulting from increased sedentism and reliance on technological and cultural innovations.

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Kaszycka, Katarzyna A. "Australopithecus robustus societies – one-male or multimale?" South African Journal of Science Volume 112, Number 1/2 (2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2016/20150165.

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Abstract Determining the sex of individual specimens is important in estimating the degree of sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism, in turn, provides clues for reconstructing the social organisation and mating systems of extinct species. In an article published in Science, Lockwood et al. (Lockwood CA, Menter CG, Moggi-Cecchi J, Keyser AW. Extended male growth in a fossil hominin species. Science. 2007;318:1443–1446.) suggested an uneven sex ratio (in favour of males) for the known individuals of the South African Pleistocene hominid, Australopithecus robustus, and claimed evidence of an extended period of growth (delayed maturity) for the males of this species. They concluded that this finding, combined with estimates of sexual size dimorphism, suggests a polygynous reproductive strategy, and a social system similar to that of silverback gorillas (i.e. one-male harems). On re-examination of these claims, and based on further analysis, I agree with Lockwood et al. that morphologically A. robustus exhibits an increased (almost gorilla-like) level of facial dimorphism, but propose using an alternate (clustering) technique for grouping the specimens of highly dimorphic species into sexes, and argue that their pronouncements regarding a polygynous social structure of these early hominids are inconclusive. I contend instead that the habitat occupied by this species suggests rather that a one-male harem social structure would have been counterproductive.

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Braga, J., C. Samir, A. Fradi, et al. "Cochlear shape distinguishes southern African early hominin taxa with unique auditory ecologies." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1 (2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96543-w.

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AbstractInsights into potential differences among the bony labyrinths of Plio-Pleistocene hominins may inform their evolutionary histories and sensory ecologies. We use four recently-discovered bony labyrinths from the site of Kromdraai to significantly expand the sample for Paranthropus robustus. Diffeomorphometry, which provides detailed information about cochlear shape, reveals size-independent differences in cochlear shape between P. robustus and Australopithecus africanus that exceed those among modern humans and the African apes. The cochlea of P. robustus is distinctive and relatively invariant, whereas cochlear shape in A. africanus is more variable, resembles that of early Homo, and shows a degree of morphological polymorphism comparable to that evinced by modern species. The curvature of the P. robustus cochlea is uniquely derived and is consistent with enhanced sensitivity to low-frequency sounds. Combined with evidence for selection, our findings suggest that sound perception shaped distinct ecological adaptations among southern African early hominins.

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Prabhat, Anjali M., Catherine K. Miller, Thomas Cody Prang, Jeffrey Spear, Scott A. Williams, and Jeremy M. DeSilva. "Homoplasy in the evolution of modern human-like joint proportions in Australopithecus afarensis." eLife 10 (May 12, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/elife.65897.

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The evolution of bipedalism and reduced reliance on arboreality in hominins resulted in larger lower limb joints relative to the joints of the upper limb. The pattern and timing of this transition, however, remains unresolved. Here, we find the limb joint proportions of Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus, and Homo naledi to resemble those of modern humans, whereas those of A. africanus, Australopithecus sediba, Paranthropus robustus, Paranthropus boisei, Homo habilis, and Homo floresiensis are more ape-like. The homology of limb joint proportions in A. afarensis and modern humans can only be explained by a series of evolutionary reversals irrespective of differing phylogenetic hypotheses. Thus, the independent evolution of modern human-like limb joint proportions in A. afarensis is a more parsimonious explanation. Overall, these results support an emerging perspective in hominin paleobiology that A. afarensis was the most terrestrially adapted australopith despite the importance of arboreality throughout much of early hominin evolution.

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Perrin, Mike R. "A fossilised humerus of a lovebird tells little of the Pleistocene habitat of Australopithecus robustus." South African Journal of Science 107, no. 9/10 (2011). http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajs.v107i9/10.697.

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Mataboge, Bontle, Amélie Beaudet, Jason L. Heaton, Travis R. Pickering, and Dominic Stratford. "Endostructural assessment of a hominin maxillary molar (StW 669) from Milner Hall, Sterkfontein, South Africa." South African Journal of Science 115, no. 9/10 (2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2019/6404.

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The site of the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa, is one of the richest early hominin fossil-bearing sites in Africa. Recent excavations in the Milner Hall locality have contributed to the discovery of new hominin specimens, including StW 669, a right permanent maxillary first molar (M1). StW 669 was excavated from the T1 deposits, which consist of a mixture of sediments from Members 2 and 5 of the Sterkfontein Formation. Accordingly, the deposits have the potential to contain remains of Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo. In this study, we employed micro-focus X-ray tomography in order to assess dental tissue proportions, enamel thickness distribution and enamel-dentine junction morphology as approaches to investigate the taxonomy of StW 669. We compare our results to those generated on the teeth of Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. Our results suggest that StW 669 shares quantitative and qualitative affinities with M1s of Homo in terms of tissue proportions (i.e. two- and three-dimensional average and relative enamel thickness of 1.2–1.3 mm and 18.4, respectively) and enamel thickness distribution (i.e. thickest enamel on the lingual aspect of the protocone). However, data on the enamel-dentine junction morphology of StW 669 are inconclusive as to the tooth’s taxonomic affinities. Pending additional morphometric analyses, our studies of inner morphology of the crown of StW 669 support its attribution to Homo.

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Rak, Yoel, Eli Geffen, William Hylander, Avishag Ginzburg, and Ella Ginzburg. "One hominin taxon or two at Malapa Cave? Implications for the origins of Homo." South African Journal of Science 117, no. 5/6 (2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2021/8747.

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Abstract:

A report on the skeletons of two individuals from the Malapa cave site in South Africa attributes them both to a new hominin species, Australopithecus sediba. However, our analysis of the specimens’ mandibles indicates that Australopithecus sediba is not a ‘Homo-like australopith’, a transitional species between Australopithecus africanus and Homo. According to our results, the specimens represent two separate genera: Australopithecus and Homo. These genera are known to have jointly occupied sites, as seen in several early South African caves, so one cannot rule out the possibility that Malapa also contains remains of the two taxa. Our results lead us to additionally conclude that all the Australopithecus species on which the relevant mandibular anatomy is preserved (not only the ‘robust’ australopiths but also the ‘gracile’ – more generalised – ones) are too specialised to constitute an evolutionary ancestor of Homo sapiens. Furthermore, given that the Malapa site contains representatives of two hominin branches, one of which appears to be Homo, we must seek evidence of our origins much earlier than the date assigned to Malapa, approximately 2 million years before present. Support for this claim can be found in Ethiopian fossils attributed to the genus Homo and dated at 2.4 and 2.8 million years before present.

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