Human Evolution Research Articles

Human Evolution and Paleolithic Culture in Asia - Dispersal, Adaptation and Diversity

Human Evolution and Paleolithic Culture in Asia - Dispersal, Adaptation and Diversity

Siddhar Nilai

Only two things are in action in this Universe. One is energy and the other is matter. Whenever a tiny [only 4.4 %] of the energy manifests, then creation of matter starts. When the matter returns to its original nature, then destruction begins. In 1905, Albert Einstein showed that matter and energy are equivalent. But before Einstein, the great Tamil Siddha MAYAN found that matter is energy and energy is matter. According to accepted physics, energy is the capacity to do work. Also, the conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. But one form of energy can be converted into another form of energy. Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa. Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans Recently, it has been found that Our species, Homo sapiens, has now spread to all parts of the world but it’s generally believed that we originated in Africa by about 200,000 years ago. We interacted with local archaic human populations as we colonized the globe. Those Africans migrated to the then Lemurrian continent also called as Kumari Kandam in Tamil literature and history. Those Tamil people were much advanced in all the types of arts and sciences. It is preached from the mouth of a Spiritual Master to the ear of the disciples that the Kumari Kandam spiritually realized Siddhars formulated the first type of yoga on earth. According to this school of thoughts, yoga is the unification of cosmic energy with bioenergy. In this brief work, the author attempts to unlock some treasures of Kumari Kanda yoga for the benefits of the entire humanity.

MILESTONES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS BASED ON THE THEORY OF SPIRAL DYNAMICS

The article examines the milestones of the development of the business environment through the prism of industrial revolutions and the theory of spiral dynamics of organizational development. The past influences the present. The present shapes the future. The world is a complex, interconnected whole that is difficult to represent and understand, especially regarding complex socio-economic processes and organizational systems, including enterprises. The first radical change began precisely with the agrarian revolution when people domesticated animals as a basis for the transition from gathering to agriculture. After the agrarian revolution, radical industrial changes began in the 18th century. The first industrial revolution (from the 1760s to the 1840s) - the invention of the steam engine and the construction of railways. The second industrial revolution (the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century) - the emergence of mass production thanks to the invention of electricity and the introduction of the conveyor. The third industrial revolution, from the 1960s, - was the emergence of semiconductors and their use in large electronic computing machines, personal computers, and the Internet. The fourth industrial revolution began at the beginning of the 21st century and is characterized by the emergence of "smart enterprises". The content and essential components of these periods imposed and imposed their understanding on the development of organizational models and the way of interaction between stakeholders and the economic entities themselves, which arose at the later stages of development and are developing under the influence of global business trends. Deepening the understanding of the nature of modern approaches in management aimed at the development of organizational systems allows turning to the past and investigating issues of organizational models on the way of the history of human development based on the theory of spiral dynamics (Don et al.), which is based on a dynamic model of human development and evolution of her consciousness, change of fundamental values. So, from the standpoint of the concept of systemic perfection of a business organization, based on the theory of spiral dynamics, its consideration can be started in the system-wide understanding of the system state, which corresponds to a greater extent to the content of perfection - from the orange stage and more/less corresponds to the current trends of the fourth industrial revolution. A significant strategic gap occurs based on the mismatch between the stage of development according to the milestones of industrial revolutions and the organization's current state in relation to the theory of spiral dynamics. For example, a red organization that functions in the fourth industrial revolution era. Management of changes in paradigms of thinking is the art of management.

The Quartzite and Quartz Reference Collection from the CENIEH (Spanish National Research Centre on Human Evolution), Spain: An Online Database for Characterising a Wide Diversity of Lithic Raw Materials

The Quartzite and Quartz Reference Collection from the CENIEH (Spanish National Research Centre on Human Evolution), Spain: An Online Database for Characterising a Wide Diversity of Lithic Raw Materials

Accelerating Human Evolution by Theosophical Initiation, by Yves Mühlematter

Accelerating Human Evolution by Theosophical Initiation, by Yves Mühlematter

Parallelism of the Evolution of Social Insects and Humans: A Hypothesis

Social insects have eradicated the instincts inherited from their solitary ancestors that were harmful to communities. The elimination of these instincts was accomplished by natural selection, the units of which were communities. Man has not yet eradicated the instincts inherited from their solitary animal ancestors that were harmful to communities. But their eradication is underway. And it is also being accomplished by natural selection, the units of which are societies. Completion of evolution in this direction will probably lead to the disappearance of human instincts harmful to society, as they have disappeared in social insects. This will happen after a period of time measured not by historical standards, but by geological.

Disparate and parallel craniofacial climatic adaptations in native populations of Asia, North America, and South America.

Understanding the impact that climate had in shaping cranial variation is critical for inferring the evolutionary mechanisms that played a role in human diversification. Here, we provide a comprehensive study aiming to analyze the association between climate and cranial variation of high latitude populations living in temperate to cold environments of Asia, North America, and South America. For this, we compiled a large morphometric dataset (N = 2633), which was combined with climatic and genomic data. We tested the influence of climate on the facial skeleton, nasal protrusion, and cranial vault and through multiple statistical tests at two geographical scales: intracontinental and intercontinental. We show that populations living in cold areas share a morphological pattern characterized by an increase in nasal height, facial and orbital heights and widths, a decrease in facial protrusion, and larger, longer, and lower cranial vaults. There are also distinctive features; populations from north Asia present the tallest noses, largest faces, and cranial vaults of the whole sample. Nasal breadth dimensions show small values in Asians, large values in South Americans, and non-significant changes in arctic North America. The morphological pattern in populations living at high latitude may be the result of parallel adaptation, as supported by physiological, morphometric, ecological, and genetic explanations, while the differences in magnitude and phenotypic expression could be due to the diverse population histories, severity of climate, and cultural strategies. Overall, our study shows that climate is a relevant factor shaping modern human morphology and it should be considered when studying modern human evolution and diversification.

Spatial bias in the fossil record affects understanding of human evolution.

Spatial bias in the fossil record affects understanding of human evolution.

River profile and relict landscape analysis reveal the Cenozoic geomorphic evolution of the Nihewan Basin in North China

The Nihewan Basin, renowned for the numerous world-class Paleolithic sites and diverse mammalian fauna preserved in its sedimentary sequence, is a key area for studying early human evolution in East Asia. Despite extensive studies on the fluvial-lacustrine basin sediments, the evolution and formation process and mechanism of the Nihewan Basin and Nihewan Paleolake remain unclear. Here we assess the spatial pattern and recent history of rock uplift of the Liuleng Shan, one of the main bedrock mountain ranges encompassing the Nihewan Basin, using river profile and topographic analysis. The transient topography of the Liuleng Shan is characterized by two generations of elevated non-lithological slope-break knickpoints that delimit the uplifted Dianziliang and Tangxian relict landscape surfaces, suggesting two episodes of accelerated rock uplift during the Cenozoic. We link the first phase of rapid rock uplift to the initiation of the central and northeastern portions of the North Liuleng Shan Fault (NLSF) during the opening of the Shanxi Graben System in the Late Miocene, implying the initiation of the Nihewan Basin at this time. We propose that the dextral transtensional southwestern portion of the NLSF formed and propagated northeastward at around 4.2 Ma, and was responsible for the second phase of surface uplift. This phase of deformation also terminated the Tangxian planation process and led to the further subsidence of the Nihewan Basin. Accordingly, drainage rearrangement and fault activity hydrologically closed the Nihewan Basin, resulting in the development of the Nihewan Paleolake. Our findings outline a timeline for the geomorphic evolution of the Nihewan Basin and Nihewan Paleolake, highlighting the dominant role of tectonics in their formation.

Exploring patterns of evolution acceptance, evolution understanding, and religiosity among college biology students in the United States

BackgroundSome of the most consistent factors associated with college students’ evolution acceptance are how much they know about evolution (understanding), and the extent to which they identify as religious (religiosity). However, few studies explore how the relationship between understanding and acceptance can be impacted by student religiosity levels. Further, students show different levels of acceptance of evolution depending on the scale of evolution and context of evolution, but few studies explore how evolution understanding is related to acceptance at different scales and in different contexts. In this study, we analyzed survey responses from 11,409 college biology students sampled from across the United States. Using linear mixed models, we explored the relationship between students’ understanding and acceptance of evolution and how their religiosity impacted that relationship. We also explored how these relationships changed based on scale and context of evolution.ResultsWe found evidence of six different scales or contexts of evolution ranging from acceptance of microevolution to accepting that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor. We found that students were most likely to accept microevolution while they were the least likely to accept the common ancestry of life. Interactions between student religiosity and understanding of evolution were significant predictors of their acceptance of macroevolution, human evolution within the species, human common ancestry with other apes, and the common ancestry of life. Notably, among highly religious students, how much they understood about evolution was not related to how much they accepted the common ancestry of life.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence for six different scales or contexts of evolution for which college students have different levels of acceptance. Students accepted the common ancestry of life the least indicating that this might be important to expand upon in future research. Further, we provide evidence that the relationship between evolution acceptance and understanding depends on scale and context of evolution as well as student religiosity levels. These results indicate that acceptance of evolution among college students is more multifaceted than previously thought and that highly religious students may find it particularly difficult to translate their understanding of evolution to their acceptance.

Sexual dimorphism and allometry in human scapula shape.

Scapula shape is highly variable across humans and appears to be sexually dimorphic-differing significantly between biological males and females. However, previous investigations of sexual dimorphism in scapula shape have not considered the effects of allometry (the relationship between size and shape). Disentangling allometry from sexual dimorphism is necessary because apparent sex-based differences in shape could be due to inherent differences in body size. This study aimed to investigate sexual dimorphism in scapula shape and examine the role of allometry in sex-based variation. We used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics with Procrustes ANOVA to quantify scapula shape variation associated with sex and size in 125 scapulae. Scapula shape significantly differed between males and females, and males tended to have larger scapulae than females for the same body height. We found that males and females exhibited distinct allometric relationships, and sexually dimorphic shape changes did not align with male- or female-specific allometry. A secondary test revealed that sexual dimorphism in scapula shape persisted between males and females of similar body heights. Overall, our findings indicate that there are sex-based differences in scapula shape that cannot be attributed to size-shape relationships. Our results shed light on the potential role of sexual selection in human shoulder evolution, present new hypotheses for biomechanical differences in shoulder function between sexes, and identify relevant traits for improving sex classification accuracy in forensic analyses.

Beyond Large-Shaped Tools: Technological Innovations and Continuities at the Late Early Pleistocene Assemblage of El Barranc de la Boella (Tarragona, Spain)

The emergence of the mode 2 technocomplex, traditionally characterized by the development of large cutting tools (LCTs) or standardized large-shaped tools, has also implied a range of new technological behaviours. These include enhanced raw material management, more sophisticated knapping strategies, and transport patterns, among other innovations. Unit II of the localities of La Mina, El Forn, and Pit 1 in El Barranc de la Boella (Tarragona, Spain) — dating back to between 0.99–0.78 million years ago — contains the oldest mode 2 assemblages in the European subcontinent and represents an exceptional opportunity to examine the technological features associated with the appearance of LCTs in Europe and to provide clues to shed light to different hypotheses about their appearance. The presence of functionally diverse but environmentally similar localities enables a study of behavioural flexibility and technological variation, marking a critical contribution to understanding early human technological evolution. Our research focuses on the technological behaviours of hominins in unit II of Pit 1, La Mina, and El Forn at Barranc de la Boella, examining five keys technological aspects such as (1) raw material management, (2) core reduction sequences, (3) reduction intensity, (4) large flake production, and (5) the spatiotemporal integrity of reduction sequences. We compare these behaviours with those observed in mode 1 (~ 1.8–0.9 Ma) and early Middle Pleistocene (~ 0.78–0.6 Ma) assemblages across western Europe. Our findings reveal significant advancements and anticipatory behaviours at El Barranc de la Boella, such as the use of procedural templates for core reduction strategies and the production of large-shaped tools governed by principles of gestural economy, and also the existence of different reduction sequences in different raw materials according to specific purposes. The technological behaviours observed at El Barranc de la Boella seem to be more indicative of population dispersals rather than local evolutionary developments from mode 1 technologies. The non-linear evolution of core knapping strategies, along with the variability in large-shaped tool types, suggests multiple waves of hominin dispersals into Europe during this crucial period. We propose that El Barranc de la Boella may represent an early dispersal of the Acheulean from Africa around 1.4 million years ago, potentially connected to assemblages such as ‘Ubeidiya. This study underscores the complexity of lithic technology during this period and contributes significantly to our understanding of the complex emergence and adoption of new technological behaviours in European early mode 2 assemblages, extending beyond the mere appearance of LCTs.

Language evolution in primates.

Human speech evolution is not just about having a speech-ready brain and vocal apparatus.

A multi-layered integrative analysis reveals a cholesterol metabolic program in outer radial glia with implications for human brain evolution.

The definition of molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to brain ontogenetic trajectories is essential to investigate the evolution of our species. Yet their functional dissection at an appropriate level of granularity remains challenging. Capitalizing on recent efforts that have extensively profiled neural stem cells from the developing human cortex, we develop an integrative computational framework to perform trajectory inference and gene regulatory network reconstruction, (pseudo)time-informed non-negative matrix factorization for learning the dynamics of gene expression programs, and paleogenomic analysis for a higher-resolution mapping of derived regulatory variants in our species in comparison with our closest relatives. We provide evidence for cell type-specific regulation of gene expression programs during indirect neurogenesis. In particular, our analysis uncovers a key role for a cholesterol program in outer radial glia, regulated by zinc-finger transcription factor KLF6. A cartography of the regulatory landscape impacted by Homo sapiens-derived variants reveals signals of selection clustering around regulatory regions associated with GLI3, a well-known regulator of radial glial cell cycle, and impacting KLF6 regulation. Our study contributes to the evidence of significant changes in metabolic pathways in recent human brain evolution.

The people behind the papers - Juan Moriano and Cedric Boeckx.

It is well known that the human cortex is expanded compared with other mammalian species, but the molecular mechanisms underpinning the evolution of human corticogenesis are not well understood. A new paper in Development takes a novel computational approach to screen for genetic changes that could have played an important role in human brain evolution. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Juan Moriano and corresponding author Cedric Boeckx, a Research Professor at Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA).

Reflections on Digital Addiction and its Governance

The fundamental reason for digital addiction is that humans seek the construction and realization of subject value in the atomized state in the digital virtual space. Digital addiction may have potential harm to human physiological evolution and may also lead to personality split between the virtual world and the real world becoming a common phenomenon.

Recreating evolutions of human walking gesture by spring-mass walking model

The evolution of human walking gestures is the evolution to adapt to new environments. Evolutionary adaptations in humans, including longer, straighter legs and increased average BMI, were examined using a spring-mass walking model to analyze their impact on locomotion efficiency. Spring-mass model considers walking problems in mechenics dimension. The simulation seperates variations that affects human walking to four independent parameters: mass, touch-down degree, leg length and leg stiffness. Simulation results demonstrated that model has lighter mass, which walks in smaller touch-down degrees gaits by lengthened, robust legs improved walking efficiency. By comparing CM displacement, research also addressed discrepancies between flat and normal gaits. Flat walking compensates its forward moving efficiency and distance per step to gain smaller vertical CM amplitude, accompanied by larger vertical CM amplitude and slower walking speed. Stronger legs and a curved, large-step gait reduced knee and waist pressure in individuals with higher BMI. The study highlights the adaptive significance of human physiological evolution in relation to locomotion efficiency. The study will provide insights into bipedal explanation for evolution tendency and existing problems.

(314) A WRAP UP ON THE HISTORY OF MALE CONDOMS

Abstract Introduction While there are numerous options for female contraceptives, male contraception remains relatively limited. Currently, men have access to barrier contraception with condoms, vasectomy and withdrawal methods. Although there are numerous male hormonal contraceptives in development, condoms remain the most accessible and widely used means of birth control and protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Objective To provide a comprehensive overview of the history of male barrier contraception. Methods An extensive literature review was performed to unearth the rich history of male condoms. Results The origins of the condom trace back to 3000 BC when King Minos of Crete employed a goat’s bladder as a protective sheath against his semen, which was believed to contain “scorpions and serpents.” In 1000 BC, ancient Egyptians used linen sheaths secured with ribbons to safeguard their penises from diseases. Interestingly, the early use of condoms was for disease prevention, with contraceptive potential not yet realized. Even the Romans, despite their sophistication, did not recognize condoms as contraceptives but rather tools for public health. The modern history of condoms witnessed a shift towards their contraceptive utility. During the English Civil War, soldiers were provided with animal intestine sheaths to prevent the spread of syphilis, a common cause of mortality. Around the same time, King Charles II, who was troubled with illegitimate offspring, was advised by his doctor, aptly named Colonel Condom, to use animal sheaths for protection. By the 1700s, condom use for contraception was well documented, and England’s fertility rate had significantly reduced due to its widespread adoption. The 1800s brought new developments, including chemical treatments to enhance the comfort of the condom with “skin-like feel.” In the late 1800s, American inventor Charles Goodyear introduced the first rubber condom, revolutionizing the industry with a more malleable, durable, and cost-effective to those made from animal intestines or bladders. The 1900s saw the mass production of condoms and easier access for the general population. Ongoing innovations, such as latex, further improved their durability, flexibility, stretchability, comfort, and pleasure. Conclusions The historical journey of condoms sheds light on the evolution of men's health and reproductive practices. Initially driven by concerns in public health and disease prevention, condoms have played a vital role in influencing societal issues such as gender equitable birth control, religious perspectives on contraceptives, and societal attitudes towards sexuality. Understanding this history is instrumental in shaping the future of male contraception. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Boston Scientific, Halozyme Therapeutics and Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Aridity record of the Arabian Peninsula for the last 200 kyr: Environmental magnetic evidence from the western equatorial Indian ocean

The evolution of aridity and its forcing mechanisms in the Arabian Peninsula are of significance for better understanding the environmental response of the region to global change and the impact of past climate shifts in human evolution. Paleoclimatic reconstructions for the region are predominantly derived from fragmentary terrestrial records. Here, we present a detailed environmental magnetic record for marine sediments from the western equatorial Indian Ocean, which constitute the terminal sink for eolian material originated from the Arabian Peninsula. The dominant magnetic minerals identified in the studied sediments include magnetite, maghemite, and hematite. The hard isothermal remanent magnetization (HIRM), widely used as a proxy for the abundances of the high coercivity mineral hematite, has been used to track variations in the concentration of Arabian dust over the last 200 kyr. Dust concentrations are lowest during interglacial periods of maximum boreal summer isolation, and coincide with intervals during which lake and fluvial systems developed and speleothems formed across most of southern and central Arabia. Our results point to a sharp decrease in the production of dust due to the expansion of vegetation cover up to 30°N during these periods. West African Monsoon appears to be the major source of increased rainfall across Arabia, while the Indian Summer monsoon likely contributed to enhance rainfall in the south and southeastern parts of the peninsula. Variation in the supply of Arabian dust were also driven by changes in high-latitude ice volume and atmospheric CO2, as indicated by highest dust concentration found during glacial periods. We interpret that the expansion of high-latitude ice sheets increased the global meridional temperature gradient, weakened the monsoon system, and resulted in a more southerly, colder and descending subtropical westerly jet, leading to the retreat of vegetation cover and the enhanced production of dust from the Arabian deserts. Our results highlight a link between the production of Arabian dust and orbital-scale climate variability, including both monsoon and northern hemisphere ice sheets dynamics.

Insights into Human Evolution through Paleogenomics

Insights into Human Evolution through Paleogenomics