Increased habitat fragmentation during the late Miocene in Africa might explain the evolution of African ape knuckle walking and hominin bipedalism from an orthograde arboreal ancestor. Bipedalism might have allowed humans to escape the great ape “specialization trap“—an adaptive feedback loop between diet, specialized arboreal locomotion, cognition, and life history. However, understanding the different selection pressures that underlie knuckle walking and bipedalism is hindered by locomotor uncertainties about the Pan-Homo LCA and its Miocene forebears. In turn, the functional interpretation of Miocene ape mosaic morphologies is challenging because it depends on the relevance of primitive features. Furthermore, adaptive complexes can be co-opted to perform new functions during evolution. For instance, features that are functionally related to quadrupedalism or orthogrady can be misinterpreted as bipedal adaptations. Miocene apes show that the orthograde body plan, which predates below-branch suspension, is likely an adaptation for vertical climbing that was subsequently co-opted for other orthograde behaviors, including habitual bipedalism.
OUTLOOK
Future research efforts on hominin origins should focus on (i) fieldwork in unexplored areas where Miocene apes have yet to be found, (ii) methodological advances in morphology-based phylogenetics and paleoproteomics to retrieve molecular data beyond ancient DNA limits, and (iii) modeling driven by experimental data that integrates morphological and biomechanical information, to test locomotor inferences for extinct taxa. It is also imperative to stop assigning a starring role to each new fossil discovery to fit evolutionary scenarios that are not based on testable hypotheses.
Early hominins likely originated in Africa from a Miocene LCA that does not match any living ape (e.g., it might not have been adapted specifically for suspension or knuckle walking). Despite phylogenetic uncertainties, fossil apes remain essential to reconstruct the “starting point” from which humans and chimpanzees evolved.
OUTLOOK
Future research efforts on hominin origins should focus on (i) fieldwork in unexplored areas where Miocene apes have yet to be found, (ii) methodological advances in morphology-based phylogenetics and paleoproteomics to retrieve molecular data beyond ancient DNA limits, and (iii) modeling driven by experimental data that integrates morphological and biomechanical information, to test locomotor inferences for extinct taxa. It is also imperative to stop assigning a starring role to each new fossil discovery to fit evolutionary scenarios that are not based on testable hypotheses.
Early hominins likely originated in Africa from a Miocene LCA that does not match any living ape (e.g., it might not have been adapted specifically for suspension or knuckle walking). Despite phylogenetic uncertainties, fossil apes remain essential to reconstruct the “starting point” from which humans and chimpanzees evolved.
анозогнозия и коморбидные расстройства
Increased habitat fragmentation during the late Miocene in Africa might explain the evolution of African ape knuckle walking and hominin bipedalism from an orthograde arboreal ancestor. Bipedalism might have allowed humans to escape the great ape “specialization…
phys.org
Review: Most human origins stories are not compatible with known fossils
In the 150 years since Charles Darwin speculated that humans originated in Africa, the number of species in the human family tree has exploded, but so has the level of dispute concerning early human evolution. ...
Genome of Peştera Muierii skull shows high diversity and low mutational load in pre-glacial Europe
> Although most of the reduced diversity between modern-day African and non-African populations has been attributed to bottleneck(s) associated with the out-of-African migration, the genetic diversity across time in Europe (Figure 4) illustrates the impact and importance of subsequent climatic and demographic events. First, we can conclude that it is not the migration out of Africa that solely caused the reduction in diversity; rather, it appears that the low diversity was caused by the low population density outside Africa for an extended period of time coupled with population turnovers, as seen in Europe. Second, after the LGM, Europe was likely recolonized by relatively small hunter-gatherer groups from one or very few glacial refugia, and only later large-scale migrations associated with farming practices led to an increase of genetic diversity approaching the levels before the LGM.
обзор на n+1
> Although most of the reduced diversity between modern-day African and non-African populations has been attributed to bottleneck(s) associated with the out-of-African migration, the genetic diversity across time in Europe (Figure 4) illustrates the impact and importance of subsequent climatic and demographic events. First, we can conclude that it is not the migration out of Africa that solely caused the reduction in diversity; rather, it appears that the low diversity was caused by the low population density outside Africa for an extended period of time coupled with population turnovers, as seen in Europe. Second, after the LGM, Europe was likely recolonized by relatively small hunter-gatherer groups from one or very few glacial refugia, and only later large-scale migrations associated with farming practices led to an increase of genetic diversity approaching the levels before the LGM.
обзор на n+1
Communal drinking rituals and social formations in the Yellow River valley of Neolithic China
Highlights
Origins and functions of Neolithic amphorae in China.
Symbolic meaning of decorations on amphorae.
Social change and drinking rituals.
Communal drinking and dancing in feasting activities.
Feasting activities and social response to environmental pressure.
Abstract
China’s long history of alcoholic beverage production can be traced to the beginning of the Neolithic period when feasting with such drinks became essential in ritual and political contexts, thus setting the pattern throughout Chinese history. Recent studies employing multi-disciplinary approaches have generated new data on the early development of alcoholic fermentation in prehistory. This paper synthesizes the current understanding about alcoholic beverage production and consumption in the Yellow River region of north China during the Neolithic period, with a focus on the Yangshao culture (ca. 7000–4700 cal. BP). Discussion topics include the development of beer brewing methods, changing forms of fermentation vessels, symbolic meanings of surface decoration on brewing vessels, settlement layouts and public buildings in relation to feasting activities, alcoholic beverages as a luxury food item associated with emergent elite powers, and the underlying dynamics related to the unprecedented regional expansion of Yangshao communities in association with drinking rituals. The intensified ritual activities involving communal drinking may have been intended to build and expand social networks, sustain intra- and inter-group solidarity and support, as well as to help elites gain and maintain power during a period of climatic fluctuation with diminishing precipitation in north China.
обзор на n+1
Highlights
Origins and functions of Neolithic amphorae in China.
Symbolic meaning of decorations on amphorae.
Social change and drinking rituals.
Communal drinking and dancing in feasting activities.
Feasting activities and social response to environmental pressure.
Abstract
China’s long history of alcoholic beverage production can be traced to the beginning of the Neolithic period when feasting with such drinks became essential in ritual and political contexts, thus setting the pattern throughout Chinese history. Recent studies employing multi-disciplinary approaches have generated new data on the early development of alcoholic fermentation in prehistory. This paper synthesizes the current understanding about alcoholic beverage production and consumption in the Yellow River region of north China during the Neolithic period, with a focus on the Yangshao culture (ca. 7000–4700 cal. BP). Discussion topics include the development of beer brewing methods, changing forms of fermentation vessels, symbolic meanings of surface decoration on brewing vessels, settlement layouts and public buildings in relation to feasting activities, alcoholic beverages as a luxury food item associated with emergent elite powers, and the underlying dynamics related to the unprecedented regional expansion of Yangshao communities in association with drinking rituals. The intensified ritual activities involving communal drinking may have been intended to build and expand social networks, sustain intra- and inter-group solidarity and support, as well as to help elites gain and maintain power during a period of climatic fluctuation with diminishing precipitation in north China.
обзор на n+1
New insights on interpersonal violence in the Late Pleistocene based on the Nile valley cemetery of Jebel Sahaba
Abstract
The remains of 61 individuals buried in the cemetery of Jebel Sahaba (site 117) offer unique and substantial evidence to the emergence of violence in the Nile Valley at the end of the Late Pleistocene. Excavated and assessed in the 1960s, some of the original findings and interpretations are disputed. A full reanalysis of the timing, nature and extent of the violence was conducted through the microscopic characterization of the nature of each osseous lesion, and the reassessment of the archaeological data. Over 100 previously undocumented healed and unhealed lesions were identified on both new and/or previously identified victims, including several embedded lithic artefacts. Most trauma appears to be the result of projectile weapons and new analyses confirm for the first time the repetitive nature of the interpersonal acts of violence. Indeed, a quarter of the skeletons with lesions exhibit both healed and unhealed trauma. We dismiss the hypothesis that Jebel Sahaba reflects a single warfare event, with the new data supporting sporadic and recurrent episodes of inter-personal violence, probably triggered by major climatic and environmental changes. At least 13.4 ka old, Jebel Sahaba is one of the earliest sites displaying interpersonal violence in the world.
обзоры:
phys.org
n+1 (с интересными ссылками)
Abstract
The remains of 61 individuals buried in the cemetery of Jebel Sahaba (site 117) offer unique and substantial evidence to the emergence of violence in the Nile Valley at the end of the Late Pleistocene. Excavated and assessed in the 1960s, some of the original findings and interpretations are disputed. A full reanalysis of the timing, nature and extent of the violence was conducted through the microscopic characterization of the nature of each osseous lesion, and the reassessment of the archaeological data. Over 100 previously undocumented healed and unhealed lesions were identified on both new and/or previously identified victims, including several embedded lithic artefacts. Most trauma appears to be the result of projectile weapons and new analyses confirm for the first time the repetitive nature of the interpersonal acts of violence. Indeed, a quarter of the skeletons with lesions exhibit both healed and unhealed trauma. We dismiss the hypothesis that Jebel Sahaba reflects a single warfare event, with the new data supporting sporadic and recurrent episodes of inter-personal violence, probably triggered by major climatic and environmental changes. At least 13.4 ka old, Jebel Sahaba is one of the earliest sites displaying interpersonal violence in the world.
обзоры:
phys.org
n+1 (с интересными ссылками)
Nature
New insights on interpersonal violence in the Late Pleistocene based on the Nile valley cemetery of Jebel Sahaba
Scientific Reports - New insights on interpersonal violence in the Late Pleistocene based on the Nile valley cemetery of Jebel Sahaba
Paleo-ENSO influence on African environments and early modern humans
Significance
Our results identify the prime driver of climate variation in Africa’s low latitudes over the past 620 ky—the key time frame for the evolution of our species. Warming and cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean paced by insolation changes modulated the tropical Walker circulation, driving opposing wet–dry states in eastern and western Africa. We show that the effects of glacial/interglacial cycles were not the predominant source of environmental change in most of the continent. Africa’s environmental patchwork driven by low-latitude climate processes should therefore be a critical component in conceptual models of human evolution and early demography over the past 620 ky.
Abstract
In this study, we synthesize terrestrial and marine proxy records, spanning the past 620 ky, to decipher pan-African climate variability and its drivers and potential linkages to hominin evolution. We find a tight correlation between moisture availability across Africa to El Niño Southern Ocean oscillation (ENSO) variability, a manifestation of the Walker Circulation, that was most likely driven by changes in Earth’s eccentricity. Our results demonstrate that low-latitude insolation was a prominent driver of pan-African climate change during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. We argue that these low-latitude climate processes governed the dispersion and evolution of vegetation as well as mammals in eastern and western Africa by increasing resource-rich and stable ecotonal settings thought to have been important to early modern humans.
phys.org
Significance
Our results identify the prime driver of climate variation in Africa’s low latitudes over the past 620 ky—the key time frame for the evolution of our species. Warming and cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean paced by insolation changes modulated the tropical Walker circulation, driving opposing wet–dry states in eastern and western Africa. We show that the effects of glacial/interglacial cycles were not the predominant source of environmental change in most of the continent. Africa’s environmental patchwork driven by low-latitude climate processes should therefore be a critical component in conceptual models of human evolution and early demography over the past 620 ky.
Abstract
In this study, we synthesize terrestrial and marine proxy records, spanning the past 620 ky, to decipher pan-African climate variability and its drivers and potential linkages to hominin evolution. We find a tight correlation between moisture availability across Africa to El Niño Southern Ocean oscillation (ENSO) variability, a manifestation of the Walker Circulation, that was most likely driven by changes in Earth’s eccentricity. Our results demonstrate that low-latitude insolation was a prominent driver of pan-African climate change during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. We argue that these low-latitude climate processes governed the dispersion and evolution of vegetation as well as mammals in eastern and western Africa by increasing resource-rich and stable ecotonal settings thought to have been important to early modern humans.
phys.org
анозогнозия и коморбидные расстройства
Paleo-ENSO influence on African environments and early modern humans Significance Our results identify the prime driver of climate variation in Africa’s low latitudes over the past 620 ky—the key time frame for the evolution of our species. Warming and cooling…
Pan-African climate variability during the last ∼620 ky. (A) Orbital eccentricity (Left) and precession (Right) (59). (B) Average PC1 loadings derived from the pwPCA. (C) PC1 derived from the pwPCA. n = number of datasets used in each iteration. (D) Comparison between PC1 and the SST gradient (ΔSST; red line) between eastern Pacific Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 806 (32) and western Pacific Ocean ODP Site 846 (33). Designation of El Niño– and La Niña–like conditions follows ref. 30. Breakpoints and their error bounds of PC1 (black boxes), ENSO (red boxes), and Earth´s eccentricity (gray boxes) are marked.
No evidence that the shift to farming made males and females more physically similar
> Scientists have proposed that males and females started to become more similar in size and shape after the origin of farming due to natural selection. However, a new evolutionary and genomic analysis by George Perry of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, finds no evidence that this occurred.
> In the new study, the researchers tested this hypothesis by seeing if genetic variations linked to certain physical traits to a greater degree in either males or females have become more or less common during the last 3,000 years.
> However, only variations associated with one of the traits had become significantly more common—those associated with higher body fat in females.
> Overall, the findings contradict the longstanding idea that sex differences have become less pronounced due to natural selection since humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture...
> Scientists have proposed that males and females started to become more similar in size and shape after the origin of farming due to natural selection. However, a new evolutionary and genomic analysis by George Perry of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, finds no evidence that this occurred.
> In the new study, the researchers tested this hypothesis by seeing if genetic variations linked to certain physical traits to a greater degree in either males or females have become more or less common during the last 3,000 years.
> However, only variations associated with one of the traits had become significantly more common—those associated with higher body fat in females.
> Overall, the findings contradict the longstanding idea that sex differences have become less pronounced due to natural selection since humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture...
phys.org
No evidence that the shift to farming made males and females more physically similar
Scientists have proposed that males and females started to become more similar in size and shape after the origin of farming due to natural selection. However, a new evolutionary and genomic analysis ...
Arctic rotifer lives after 24,000 years in a frozen state (phys.org)
Древние жители Монголии отправились в загробный мир на колеснице в сопровождении оленя
> Известно, что колесницы стали использоваться китайцами в эпоху Инь, приблизительно в XIV–XII веках до нашей эры, и им не предшествовали какие-либо местные формы колесного транспорта. Поэтому ученые предполагают, что иньцы узнали о колесницах от своих соседей, до которых они дошли через евразийские степи с Ближнего Востока.
какие учёные предполагают, что колесницы дошли до Китая с ближнего востока?
изображение колесницы в китайском привело к 車:
It is derived from a pictogram of a carriage seen from above. In the oracle bone script, there were large wheels on both sides and a sun shade on the top. Later, when Chinese characters were written vertically, the wheels on both sides were simply drawn in strokes and the loading area was marked with a 田 (OC *l'iːŋ). Therefore, it is important to understand that the current character, 車 (OC *kʰlja, *kla) is a vertical depiction of a carriage.
Etymology
Perhaps a loan from an Indo-European language because horse and chariot were introduced into China around 1200 BC from the West; compare Tocharian A kukäl, Tocharian B kokale (“wagon; cart”) (Mair, 1990; Bauer, 1994). An older variant survives in Mandarin 軲轆／轱辘 (gūlu, “wheel”) (Bauer, 1994). Alternatively, the word is a derivation by k-prefix from 舁 (OC *la, “to lift”) (Baxter and Sagart, 1998); compare the semantic parallel in Tibetan ཐེག་པ (theg pa, “vehicle; carriage”) (<to support; to carry; to lift).
и никакого ближнего востока
> Известно, что колесницы стали использоваться китайцами в эпоху Инь, приблизительно в XIV–XII веках до нашей эры, и им не предшествовали какие-либо местные формы колесного транспорта. Поэтому ученые предполагают, что иньцы узнали о колесницах от своих соседей, до которых они дошли через евразийские степи с Ближнего Востока.
какие учёные предполагают, что колесницы дошли до Китая с ближнего востока?
изображение колесницы в китайском привело к 車:
It is derived from a pictogram of a carriage seen from above. In the oracle bone script, there were large wheels on both sides and a sun shade on the top. Later, when Chinese characters were written vertically, the wheels on both sides were simply drawn in strokes and the loading area was marked with a 田 (OC *l'iːŋ). Therefore, it is important to understand that the current character, 車 (OC *kʰlja, *kla) is a vertical depiction of a carriage.
Etymology
Perhaps a loan from an Indo-European language because horse and chariot were introduced into China around 1200 BC from the West; compare Tocharian A kukäl, Tocharian B kokale (“wagon; cart”) (Mair, 1990; Bauer, 1994). An older variant survives in Mandarin 軲轆／轱辘 (gūlu, “wheel”) (Bauer, 1994). Alternatively, the word is a derivation by k-prefix from 舁 (OC *la, “to lift”) (Baxter and Sagart, 1998); compare the semantic parallel in Tibetan ཐེག་པ (theg pa, “vehicle; carriage”) (<to support; to carry; to lift).
и никакого ближнего востока
nplus1.ru
Древние жители Монголии отправились в загробный мир на колеснице в сопровождении оленя
Археологи из России и Монако проанализировали изображения колесниц и животных эпохи бронзы, обнаруженные на скалах и оленных камнях в Центральной Монголии. Ученые пришли к выводу, что у представителей местных культур, помимо транспортной и военной функции…
анозогнозия и коморбидные расстройства
Древние жители Монголии отправились в загробный мир на колеснице в сопровождении оленя > Известно, что колесницы стали использоваться китайцами в эпоху Инь, приблизительно в XIV–XII веках до нашей эры, и им не предшествовали какие-либо местные формы колесного…
Character: 車
Modern (Beijing) reading: chē
Preclassic Old Chinese: k(l)a
Comments: In MC also read ćha, FQ 尺遮 (whence Mand. chē, Viet. xa), but this reading is rather recent (judging from rhymes, not earlier than Eastern Han) and must stem from some Old Chinese dialect. Viet. has also a colloquial loan from the same source: xe id. If the reconstruction is indeed *kla, one can think of an early borrowing from IE.
starling.rinet.ru
Modern (Beijing) reading: chē
Preclassic Old Chinese: k(l)a
Comments: In MC also read ćha, FQ 尺遮 (whence Mand. chē, Viet. xa), but this reading is rather recent (judging from rhymes, not earlier than Eastern Han) and must stem from some Old Chinese dialect. Viet. has also a colloquial loan from the same source: xe id. If the reconstruction is indeed *kla, one can think of an early borrowing from IE.
starling.rinet.ru