The fossil teeth of the Peking Man

Song Xing,María Martinón-Torres,José María Bermúdez De Castro

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-20432-y

Abstract

This study provides new original data, including the endostructure of most Zhoukoudian H. erectus teeth preserved to date, since the publication of Black in 1927 and Weidenreich in 1937. The new evidence ratifies the similarities of Zhoukoudian with other East Asian mid-Middle Pleistocene hominins such as Hexian and Yiyuan, and allows defining a dental pattern potentially characteristic of this population commonly referred to as classic H. erectus. Given the possible chronological overlaps of classic H. erectus with other archaic Homo, the characterization of this group becomes a key issue when deciphering the taxonomy and evolutionary scenario of the Middle Pleistocene hominins in East Asia. Internally, the most remarkable feature of Zhoukoudian teeth is the highly crenulated enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) and its imprint on the roof of the pulp cavity. So far, this “dendrite-like” EDJ has been found only in East Asia Middle Pleistocene hominins although a large group of samples were assessed, and it could be useful to dentally define classic H. erectus in China. The crenulated EDJ surface, together with the stout roots and the taurodontism could be a mechanism to withstand high biomechanical demand despite a general dentognathic reduction, particularly of the crowns, in these populations.

Highlights

This study provides new original data, including the endostructure of most Zhoukoudian H. erectus teeth preserved to date, since the publication of Black in 1927 and Weidenreich in 1937
This paper presents the first direct comparisons of original Zhoukoudian sample with a large sample of Early and Middle Pleistocene teeth from Asia (e.g., Xichuan and Hualong Cave) and Europe
The new evidence confirms the similarities of the Zhoukoudian sample with other East Asian Middle Pleistocene hominins such as Hexian[30,46], Yiyuan[44], and Xichuan, and allow us to define a characteristic dental pattern for the populations that inhabited China during the Middle Pleistocene and that are usually classified as classic H. erectus

Summary

Introduction

This study provides new original data, including the endostructure of most Zhoukoudian H. erectus teeth preserved to date, since the publication of Black in 1927 and Weidenreich in 1937. The most remarkable feature of Zhoukoudian teeth is the highly crenulated enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) and its imprint on the roof of the pulp cavity This “dendrite-like” EDJ has been found only in East Asia Middle Pleistocene hominins a large group of samples were assessed, and it could be useful to dentally define classic H. erectus in China. Discoveries like the Xuchang crania in North China[15] or the reassessment of fossils samples such as Xujiayao[16,17,18], Maba[19] or Panxian Dadong[20] reinforce the idea that other hominin lineages different from H. erectus may have lived in continental Asia during the same period. This has prevented the applications of the latest technologies developed in the field of virtual anthropology, such as microtomography (micro-CT)

Methods

Results

Conclusion