Study Of Human Evolution Research Articles

Methodology for the study of human evolution

Man has always been interested in knowing what his origins were and how he evolved over time, to satisfy this need he has developed scientific research methodologies. The main objective of this study is to analyze the scientific-methodological tools that have helped to learn about the origin and evolution of the human species; Correspondingly, a review study was developed, based on hermeneutical, heuristic and historical-logical methods. Among the findings, the existence of branches of science such as paleontology, biogeography and anthropology are signified; as well as the historical-logical and heuristic methods for the study of the origin and evolution of man; through them it has been determined that the human species has evolved from other non-human species.

Late Pleistocene to late Holocene palaeoecology and human foraging at Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar Island

BackgroundClimate change played a major role in shaping regional human-environment interactions in Africa during the late Pleistocene-Holocene, but this topic has not been exhaustively studied, particularly in eastern Africa. While there is growing evidence that the coastal and island settings in this region played a critical role in human evolution, combined archaeological and palaeoenvironmental studies have tended to focus on the arid interior and show the dominance of grasslands with patches of closed and open woodlands during the last 20,000 years.MethodsHere, we present stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of zooarchaeological remains (n = 229) recovered from Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar Island, spanning the last glacial period and the Holocene (20,000 to 500 cal. BP).ResultsOur data demonstrate that the vicinity of Kuumbi Cave was consistently covered by mosaic habitats, dominated by forests and small patches of open woodland and grassland. The inhabitants of Kuumbi Cave exploited these diverse tropical habitats even after the regional arrival of agriculture.DiscussionWe suggest that the stable coastal forest mosaic habitats acted as a refugium for foragers during glacial periods and that the Iron Age inhabitants of Kuumbi Cave were not food producers migrating from the interior, but rather Indigenous foragers interacting with food production.

Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to map collagen content in prehistoric bones for radiocarbon dating

Many of the rarest prehistoric bones found by archaeologists are enormously precious and are considered to be part of our cultural and historical patrimony. Radiocarbon dating is a well-established technique that estimates the ages of bones by analysing the collagen still present. However, this method is destructive, and its use must be limited. In this study, we used imaging technology to quantify the presence of collagen in bone samples in a non-destructive way to select the most suitable samples (or sample regions) to be submitted to radiocarbon dating analysis. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) that was connected to a camera with hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was used along with a chemometric model to create chemical images of the distribution of collagen in ancient bones. This model quantifies the collagen at every pixel and thus provides a chemical mapping of collagen content. Our results will offer significant advances for the study of human evolution as we will be able to minimise the destruction of valuable bone material, which is under the protection and enhancement of European cultural heritage and thus allow us to contextualise the valuable object by providing an accurate calendar age.

Multilevel cultural evolution: From new theory to practical applications

Evolutionary science has led to many practical applications of genetic evolution but few practical uses of cultural evolution. This is because the entire study of evolution was gene centric for most of the 20th century, relegating the study and application of human cultural change to other disciplines. The formal study of human cultural evolution began in the 1970s and has matured to the point of deriving practical applications. We provide an overview of these developments and examples for the topic areas of complex systems science and engineering, economics and business, mental health and well-being, and global change efforts.

An HLA map of the world: A comparison of HLA frequencies in 200 worldwide populations reveals diverse patterns for class I and class II.

HLA frequencies show widespread variation across human populations. Demographic factors as well as selection are thought to have shaped HLA variation across continents. In this study, a worldwide comparison of HLA class I and class II diversity was carried out. Multidimensional scaling techniques were applied to 50 HLA-A and HLA-B (class I) as well as 13 HLA-DRB1 (class II) first-field frequencies in 200 populations from all continents. Our results confirm a strong effect of geography on the distribution of HLA class I allele groups, with principal coordinates analysis closely resembling geographical location of populations, especially those of Africa-Eurasia. Conversely, class II frequencies stratify populations along a continuum of differentiation less clearly correlated to actual geographic location. Double clustering analysis revealed finer intra-continental sub-clusters (e.g., Northern and Western Europe vs. South East Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia; South and East Africa vs. West Africa), and HLA allele group patterns characteristic of these clusters. Ancient (Austronesian expansion) and more recent (Romani people in Europe) migrations, as well as extreme differentiation (Taiwan indigenous peoples, Native Americans), and interregional gene flow (Sámi, Egyptians) are also reflected by the results. Barrier analysis comparing DST and geographic location identified genetic discontinuities caused by natural barriers or human behavior explaining inter and intra-continental HLA borders for class I and class II. Overall, a progressive reduction in HLA diversity from African to Oceanian and Native American populations is noted. This analysis of HLA frequencies in a unique set of worldwide populations confirms previous findings on the remarkable similarity of class I frequencies to geography, but also shows a more complex development for class II, with implications for both human evolutionary studies and biomedical research.

The 2022 nobel prize in physiology or medicine awarded for the decoding of the complete ancient human genome

Since the publication of the first ancient DNA sequence in 1984, experimental methods used to recover ancient DNA have advanced greatly, illuminating previously unknown branches of the human family tree and opening up several promising new avenues for future studies of human evolution. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Svante Pääbo, director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, for his work on ancient DNA and human evolution. On his first day back at work, he was thrown in the pond as part of his institute's tradition of celebrating award winners.

Comparative physiological anthropogeny: exploring molecular underpinnings of distinctly human phenotypes.

Anthropogeny is a classic term encompassing transdisciplinary investigations of the origins of the human species. Comparative anthropogeny is a systematic comparison of humans and other living nonhuman hominids (so-called "great apes"), aiming to identify distinctly human features in health and disease, with the overall goal of explaining human origins. We begin with a historical perspective, briefly describing how the field progressed from the earliest evolutionary insights to the current emphasis on in-depth molecular and genomic investigations of "human-specific" biology and an increased appreciation for cultural impacts on human biology. While many such genetic differences between humans and other hominids have been revealed over the last two decades, this information remains insufficient to explain the most distinctive phenotypic traits distinguishing humans from other living hominids. Here we undertake a complementary approach of "comparative physiological anthropogeny," along the lines of the preclinical medical curriculum, i.e., beginning with anatomy and considering each physiological system and in each case considering genetic and molecular components that are relevant. What is ultimately needed is a systematic comparative approach at all levels from molecular to physiological to sociocultural, building networks of related information, drawing inferences, and generating testable hypotheses. The concluding section will touch on distinctive considerations in the study of human evolution, including the importance of gene-culture interactions.

Are there disciplinary boundaries in the comparative study of primate cognition?

A view continues to gain momentum that regards investigation of the cognition of great apes in captive settings as affording us a model for human cognitive evolution. Researchers from disciplines such as comparative psychology, anthropology, and even archaeology, seem eager to put their theories to the test by using great apes as their chosen experimental model. Questions addressed currently by comparative psychologists have long been the object of attention by neurophysiologists, psychobiologists and neuroscientists, who, however, often use rodents and monkeys as the species of choice. Whereas comparative psychology has been influenced greatly by ethology, much neuroscience has developed against a background of physiology and medicine. This separation of the intellectual contexts wherein they have arisen and flourished has impeded the development of fluid interaction between comparative psychologists and researchers in the other disciplines. We feel that it would be beneficial for comparative psychologists and neuroscientists to combine research endeavours far more often, in order to address common questions of interest related to cognition. We regard interdisciplinary cross-pollination to be particularly desirable, even if many comparative psychologists lack deep expertise about the workings of the brain, and even if many neuroscientists lack expert knowledge about the behaviour of different species. Furthermore, we believe that anthropology, archaeology, human evolutionary studies, and related disciplines, may well provide us with significant contextual knowledge about the physical and temporal background to the evolution in humans of specific cognitive skills. To that end, we urge researchers to dismantle methodological, conceptual and historical disciplinary boundaries, in order to strengthen cross-disciplinary cooperation in order to broaden and deepen our insights into the cognition of nonhuman and human primates.

Moral Sensitivity, Moral Transformation, and Evolutionary Scientist David Loye: An Introduction

This article introduces the two major themes of this issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies: moral sensitivity and transformation, and honoring the late evolutionary systems scientist David Loye. The article shows how these two themes are integrally interconnected. Loye introduced the term “moral sensitivity” as well as the distinction between “partnership moral sensitivity” and “dominator moral insensitivity” or “moralism,” showing how the latter has been used to push us back to “strong-man” rule, violence, and injustice. He was the first to reclaim what he called “Darwin’s lost theory” based on Charles Darwin’s long-ignored writings about human evolution, including what Darwin called “the moral sense.” Quoting from some of Loye’s more than 30 published books as well as a sampling of articles, the article highlights his gift of bringing to life the people and times he wrote about, including the men and women he called “the great scientific explorers of the better world.” Colorful examples from his many writings illustrate how Loye advanced the study of human evolution through his offerings on moral sensitivity, clarifying much that is otherwise obscured, and showing his enormous contributions to a better understanding of our past, present, and the possibilities for our future. The article provides new terms and new ideas for building a more equitable, less violent, more sustainable future through the works of a man first known for his prize-winning book on the immorality of racism, whose later works focused on how we can create a future where we not only survive, but thrive.

Looking at ancient objects under a different light: cultural heritage science at Elettra

The range of materials analysed at Elettra, the Italian synchrotron facility, in the area of cultural heritage (CH) is very broad and goes from inorganic materials such as metals, stone, glass, ceramics and pigments, to organic-based materials such as wood, paper, leather, fabrics and biological samples. Several applications are involved, such as restoration and conservation, analysis of alteration products, identification of manufacturing techniques used by ancient communities, as well as the study of human and animal evolution. Synchrotron radiation offers a large portfolio of analytical techniques and several advantages, such as the unique non-destructive capabilities of most analytical approaches and the possibility of using synergic way more X-ray techniques in the same environment. In this paper, we will describe the Elettra source and the beamlines routinely dedicated to CH experiments, as well as the office designed to facilitate users with little or no experience in the use of large research infrastructures.

Animal behavior: Monkeys use tools for diet quality, not quantity

An enduring question in the study of human evolution is why tool use evolved. A new study has found that stone tools improve diet quality in wild capuchin monkeys. Tools may have similarly increased the nutritional security in ancestral hominins.

Haplogroups determination from RNR1 and RNR2 regions of mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has two regions, i.e. coding and control regions which are also known as hypervariation (HV) regions. Analysis of hypervariation regions or the entire human mtDNA genome is an important element that could be used during human evolutionary, forensic or phylogenetic studies. Although most human phylogenetics studies often use HV regions; the lack of information from those regions can complicate the process of haplogroup determination. Therefore, in this study, the human mtDNA coding regions such as MT-RNR1 and MT-RNR2 genes were used as an alternative to determine the haplogroups. A total of four primer pairs were designed based on MT-RNR1 and MT-RNR2 genes using the Primer Designing Tool software. The human mtDNA sequence from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database (accession number NC_012920.1) was used as a reference. These primers were used in the PCR amplification approach using DNA genomic samples isolated from human peripheral blood. Polymorphism analysis of MT-RNR1 and MT-RNR2 regions using the Mitomaster database was performed to determine haplogroups. The results indicated that three haplogroups were identified which are N11a, H2a and H1. In conclusion, the primers designed from mitochondrial RNR1 and RNR2 genes can be used for human haplogroup identification.

Bioengineering the human spinal cord.

Three dimensional, self-assembled organoids that recapitulate key developmental and organizational events during embryogenesis have proven transformative for the study of human central nervous system (CNS) development, evolution, and disease pathology. Brain organoids have predominated the field, but human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived models of the spinal cord are on the rise. This has required piecing together the complex interactions between rostrocaudal patterning, which specifies axial diversity, and dorsoventral patterning, which establishes locomotor and somatosensory phenotypes. Here, we review how recent insights into neurodevelopmental biology have driven advancements in spinal organoid research, generating experimental models that have the potential to deepen our understanding of neural circuit development, central pattern generation (CPG), and neurodegenerative disease along the body axis. In addition, we discuss the application of bioengineering strategies to drive spinal tissue morphogenesis in vitro, current limitations, and future perspectives on these emerging model systems.

Analysis of Common SNPs across Continents Reveals Major Genomic Differences between Human Populations.

Common alleles tend to be more ancient than rare alleles. These common SNPs appeared thousands of years ago and reflect intricate human evolution including various adaptations, admixtures, and migration events. Eighty-four thousand abundant region-specific alleles (ARSAs) that are common in one continent but absent in the rest of the world have been characterized by processing 3100 genomes from 230 populations. Also computed were 17,446 polymorphic sites with regional absence of common alleles (RACAs), which are widespread globally but absent in one region. A majority of these region-specific SNPs were found in Africa. America has the second greatest number of ARSAs (3348) and is even ahead of Europe (1911). Surprisingly, East Asia has the highest number of RACAs (10,524) and the lowest number of ARSAs (362). ARSAs and RACAs have distinct compositions of ancestral versus derived alleles in different geographical regions, reflecting their unique evolution. Genes associated with ARSA and RACA SNPs were identified and their functions were analyzed. The core 100 genes shared by multiple populations and associated with region-specific natural selection were examined. The largest part of them (42%) are related to the nervous system. ARSA and RACA SNPs are important for both association and human evolution studies.

Computational analysis on two putative mitochondrial protein-coding genes from the Emydura subglobosa genome: A functional annotation approach.

Rapid advancements in automated genomic technologies have uncovered many unique findings about the turtle genome and its associated features including olfactory gene expansions and duplications of toll-like receptors. However, despite the advent of large-scale sequencing, assembly, and annotation, about 40-50% of genes in eukaryotic genomes are left without functional annotation, severely limiting our knowledge of the biological information of genes. Additionally, these automated processes are prone to errors since draft genomes consist of several disconnected scaffolds whose order is unknown; erroneous draft assemblies may also be contaminated with foreign sequences and propagate to cause errors in annotation. Many of these automated annotations are thus incomplete and inaccurate, highlighting the need for functional annotation to link gene sequences to biological identity. In this study, we have functionally annotated two genes of the red-bellied short-neck turtle (Emydura subglobosa), a member of the relatively understudied pleurodire lineage of turtles. We improved upon initial ab initio gene predictions through homology-based evidence and generated refined consensus gene models. Through functional, localization, and structural analyses of the predicted proteins, we discovered conserved putative genes encoding mitochondrial proteins that play a role in C21-steroid hormone biosynthetic processes and fatty acid catabolism-both of which are distantly related by the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and share similar metabolic pathways. Overall, these findings further our knowledge about the genetic features underlying turtle physiology, morphology, and longevity, which have important implications for the treatment of human diseases and evolutionary studies.

The Dorothy Garrod Site: a new Middle Stone Age locality in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) is a key site for the study of human evolution as well as the origin of modern humans and the Middle Stone Age (MSA). In this study, we present a new MSA location named Dorothy Garrod Site (DGS), found in the main branch of Olduvai Gorge. The site has only one archaeological level, located stratigraphically in the Upper Ndutu. Although it has not yet been possible to radiometrically date it, it has yielded numerous archaeological remains with a functional association between the faunal remains and the lithic industry. The fauna identified includes Alcelaphini, Hippotragini, and Equidae, some of which present percussion marks and evidence of burning. The lithic industry involved knapping using discoid methods. The retouched blanks are denticulates and retouched flakes with, up to now, a total absence of points. DGS is therefore a new site that will aid our understanding of modern human occupations in northern Tanzania in a period for which there is a dearth of properly contextualised archaeological evidence.

Old Discipline, New Trajectories: Theories, Methods and Practices in Anthropology

Going under the title “Old Discipline, New Trajectories: Theories, Methods and Practices in Anthropology”, the conference seeks to provide a “home” for socio-cultural and linguistic anthropologists as well as archeologists and bio-evolutionary anthropologists who identify themselves and seek to connect with scientifically minded anthropologists. It does not neglect the humanistic aspect of anthropology and embraces it as part of the unity implicit in the study of human lifeways and the cultural stuff that gives meaning, direction and collective identities to us. The conference might be seen as an important foundational step to establishing closer collaboration and integration among different disciplinary and methodological strands within the discipline of anthropology. The conference will broadly focus on theory, methods and practices in anthropology and will address the following questions:
 - Can we still say that anthropology is the most scientific of humanities and most humanistic of social sciences?- What does a scientific approach to the study of culture imply theoretically and methodologically?- Should ethnography still hold a central place in anthropology?- How can the results of the study of human evolution, cultural evolution and language evolution contribute insights into the current human condition?- What are the consequences the current rapid technological change is having on culture?- What can anthropology contribute to the important questions of today’s world such as pandemics, growing economic inequality, fascism, second demographic transition, climate change, etc.?

Editorial: Integrating Paleoclimate, Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, and Paleontology in Human Evolution and Dispersal Studies—from Early Hominins to the Holocene

Editorial: Integrating Paleoclimate, Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, and Paleontology in Human Evolution and Dispersal Studies—from Early Hominins to the Holocene

Exploring the relationship between soft and hard tissues: The example of vertebral arteries and transverse foramina.

Understanding how the brain is provided with glucose and oxygen is of particular interest in human evolutionary studies. In addition to the internal carotid arteries, vertebral arteries contribute significantly to the cerebral and cerebellar blood flow. The size of the transverse foramina has been suggested to represent a reliable proxy for assessing the size of the vertebral arteries in fossil specimens. To test this assumption, here, we statistically explore spatial relationships between the transverse foramina and the vertebral arteries in extant humans. Contrast computed tomography (CT) scans of the cervical regions of 16 living humans were collected. Cross‐sectional areas of the right and left transverse foramina and the corresponding vertebral arteries were measured on each cervical vertebra from C1 to C6 within the same individuals. The cross‐sectional areas of the foramina and corresponding arteries range between 13.40 and 71.25 mm2 and between 4.53 and 29.40 mm2, respectively. The two variables are significantly correlated except in C1. Using regression analyses, we generate equations that can be subsequently used to estimate the size of the vertebral arteries in fossil specimens. By providing additional evidence of intra‐ and inter‐individual size variation of the arteries and corresponding foramina in extant humans, our study introduces an essential database for a better understanding of the evolutionary story of soft tissues in the fossil record.

Isochron 26Al/10Be burial dating of the Xiashagou Fauna in the Nihewan Basin, northern China: Implications for biogeography and early hominin dispersals

The Nihewan Basin in northern China is one of the most dense occurrences of Early Pleistocene vertebrate paleontological and Paleolithic sites outside of Africa and thus plays a key role in the study of biochronostratigraphy and early human evolution in East Asia. The Xiashagou Fauna, as the first systematically studied fauna in the basin, is usually referred to as the Nihewan Fauna (sensu stricto) and is considered the Early Pleistocene type fauna in northern China, serving as a key reference for biostratigraphical correlations. The Xiashagou Fauna was initially correlated with the Olivola Fauna of early Late Villafranchian age in Europe, dated to ∼1.8 Ma. It has been more recently constrained to the Matuyama chron between the Réunion and Olduvai subchrons, with an estimated age range of 2.2–1.7 Ma. However, there is still an absence of absolute dates associated with this important Fauna. Here, the isochron 26Al/10Be burial dating method was used to radio-isotopically verify the biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic age of the Xiashagou Fauna. Two sets of quartzose clasts were collected from the cross-sections near Xiashagou. The isochron burial age of six samples from one of the fossil-bearing layers is 2.05 ± 0.38 (0.39) Ma (bracketed uncertainty includes external systematic errors, ±1σ), in agreement with previous paleomagnetic estimates of 2.2–1.7 Ma. The isochron age of another five samples from a gravel layer about 80 m below the sampled fossil layer and 55 m beneath the deepest buried fossil layer is 2.43 ± 0.16 (0.18) Ma (±1σ), in agreement with previous paleomagnetic estimates of 2.58 Ma. Our results show that the age of the Xiashagou Fauna is consistent with the updated ages (2.21–1.95 Ma) of the Senèze and Olivola Faunas in Europe. The potential existence of an ecological corridor for faunal dispersals across northern Eurasia during this time period should be important to help contextualize the nature of the earliest hominin dispersals into and across Eurasia. As the first radio-isotopic ages for the Nihewan Basin sites, our results provide independent age control to anchor the magnetostratigraphy of the Early-Middle Pleistocene strata in the Nihewan Basin and to calibrate the Early Pleistocene stage of the Chinese Quaternary.