300 ka ago, H. sapiens might have been very proficient at using thrown weapons. Humans are so good at throwing because our body stores energy in our shoulders. But based on the results of experiments with athletes, as well as studies of fossil and modern skeletal measures, the capacity for high-speed throwing was already present in H. erectus—placing humanity’s particular talent for pitching all the way back to 2 ma ago.
Tag: anthropology
33 ka Mexico
We present results of recent excavations at Chiquihuite Cave in Mexico—that push back dates for human dispersal to the region possibly as early as 33-31 ka ago.
this is ~15 ka earlier than previously assumed (clovis people and others)
Out of Africa 2.5 ma ago?
The general consensus for decades has been that Homo erectus—an upright, long-legged species—was among the first hominins (or species closely related to modern humans) to leave Africa. Scientists presume members of this species traveled through the natural corridor of the Levant, a region along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean, around 2 ma ago. Scardia’s study suggests a far earlier exit. It proposes that hominins capable of tool creation may have been on the doorstep of Asia some 500 ka earlier.
Discovering Denisovans
I had long suspected that Denisovans represented a substantial portion of the already-known Chinese fossil record; they just hadn’t been identified. The Xiahe jaw, we hoped, could bridge the gap. The Xiahe mandible is complete enough to now revisit the rich Chinese hominin fossil collection and identify other fossils as Denisovan, even without DNA evidence. I have no doubt that in the future the sequencing of ancient proteins will complement these morphological analyses. But the most extraordinary aspect of our findings is the demonstration that such archaic hominins could successfully live in this challenging high-altitude environment, more than 120 ka before modern H. sapiens settled on the Tibetan Plateau. It seems that a gene variant that helps modern populations on the Tibetan Plateau to adapt to high-altitude hypoxia was inherited from these Denisovans.
73 ka drawing
73 ka ago, humans used a chunk of pigment to draw a pattern on a rock in a South African cave. The recently discovered fragment of the rock is now considered to be the oldest known drawing in history.
the oldest art space is crowded. see also 500 ka art, art is 60 ka old, world’s oldest portrait (26 ka), oldest manuport (3 ma), oldest figurative art (44 ka)
Who We Are and How We Got Here
The case of the Ancient North Eurasians showed that while a tree is a good analogy for the relationships among species — because species rarely interbreed and so like real tree limbs are not expected to grow back together after they branch — it is a dangerous analogy for human populations. The genome revolution has taught us that great mixtures of highly divergent populations have occurred repeatedly. Instead of a tree, a better metaphor may be a trellis, branching and remixing far back into the past.
Dogs helped us to exterminate hominin
i’m sure this will be some viral hit, but i think it’s more interesting in the way it shows the deep co-evolution of our 2 species
The symbiotic relationship between dog and man is responsible for the victory of our lineage of hominins in the evolutionary war of all against all
Homo naledi
Homo naledi is a previously-unknown species of extinct hominin discovered within the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. This species is characterized by body mass and stature similar to small-bodied human populations but a small endocranial volume similar to australopiths. Cranial morphology of H. naledi is unique, but most similar to early Homo species including Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Homo rudolfensis. While primitive, the dentition is generally small and simple in occlusal morphology. H. naledi has humanlike manipulatory adaptations of the hand and wrist. It also exhibits a humanlike foot and lower limb. These humanlike aspects are contrasted in the postcrania with a more primitive or australopith-like trunk, shoulder, pelvis and proximal femur. Representing at least 15 individuals with most skeletal elements repeated multiple times, this is the largest assemblage of a single species of hominins yet discovered in Africa.
3.3 ma Stone tools
Our ancestors were making stone tools even earlier than we thought—some 700 ka older, dating to 3.3 ma ago, in northern Kenya. “These aren’t the very first tools that hominins made. They show that the knappers already had an understanding of how stones can be intentionally broken, beyond what the first hominin who accidentally hit 2 stones together and produced a sharp flake would have had. I think there are older, even more primitive artifacts out there.”
Cavemen didn’t live in caves
What tells an archaeologist that Paleolithic people spent less time in caves than we imagined in the past?
1 big clue is seasonal occupation evidence, something archaeologists infer based on things like animal bones. For example, by looking at found animal teeth, we can tell you at what season of the year the animals were killed. Also, certain animals are only available at certain times—fish that spawn at certain seasons of the year, for example. Almost all caves are described by archaeologists as seasonal, namely as autumn or winter occupations. It’s clear that people were in caves for maybe a couple of months a year at the most.
Gregor J. Rothfuss 