Endocranial Volume and Brain Growth in Immature Neandertals

Microstructural studies have suggested that an extended period of growth was absent in representatives of Homo erectus, and that Neandertals reached adulthood significantly more rapidly than modern humans. In addition to general rate of growth, a prolonged postnatal period of brain development allows humans to develop complex cognitive and social skills. Conditions in brain growth similar to those observed in extant humans were not established in the first representatives of Homo erectus. To assess the degree of secondary altriciality reached by Neandertals, we examined the most complete skulls available for immature Neandertal specimens. The endocranial volumes were evaluated by using equations based on external cranial measurements. The proportional endocranial volumes (PEV) of these fossils were compared to the PEV of known age modern children from Western Europe and to a developmental series of Pan troglodytes. We present an estimation of the cranial capacity of Krapina 1. Although Neandertal children are close to the modern variation, the position of the youngest specimens in the upper range of variation led us to propose that Neandertals may have displayed a slightly more primitive pattern with respect to the speed of brain growth

Three-dimensional microarchitecture of entheseal changes: preliminary study of human radial tuberosity

Entheseal changes (EC), alterations at insertion sites on the bones, may be related to mechanical stress among other causes, and are thus used for decades to reconstruct the activities of human past populations. They can be characterised by focal changes in robusticity and variable pattern of osteolysis and osteoformation observable on dry bone. This preliminary study aims to analyse the microstructural characteristics of the underlying bone to clarify the nature of the changes in bone microarchitecture reflecting the macroscopic changes identifiable on the surface of the enthesis. We studied the right radii of two Saharian adult individuals, dating from Neolithic (Hassi-el-Abiod, Mali, 7 000 years BP). One has a morphologically normal bicipital tuberosity while the second one shows EC. Micro-computed tomodensitometric acquisitions and 3D reconstructions were performed to characterise cancellous and cortical bone microarchitecture of these two entheses. 3D imaging appears relevant for studying microstructure of EC among past populations. Our methodology reveals at this preliminary step clear differences of canal network organisation of cortical bone between the two studied entheses. This work comes preliminary to a broader study on a historically and archaeologically documented population of Hungarian horse archers of the Honfoglalás or Conquest period (Xth century)

The Role of Education for Intergenerational Income Mobility: A comparison of the United States, Great Britain, and Sweden

Previous studies have found that intergenerational income persistence is relatively high in the United States and Britain, especially as compared to Nordic countries. We compare the association between family income and sons’ earnings in the United States (National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979), Britain (British Cohort Study 1970), and Sweden (Population Register Data, 1965 cohort), and find that both income elasticities and rank-order correlations are highest in the United States, followed by Britain, with Sweden being clearly more equal. We ask whether differences in educational inequality and in return to qualifications can explain these cross-country differences. Surprisingly, we find that this is not the case, even though returns to education are higher in the United States. Instead, the low income mobility in the United States and Britain is almost entirely due to the part of the parent-son association that is not mediated by educational attainment. In the United States and especially Britain, parental income is far more important for earnings at a given level of education than in Sweden, a result that holds also when controlling for cognitive ability. This goes against widespread ideas of the United States as a country where the role of ascription is limited and meritocratic stratification prevails

Imagerie médicale et patrimoine anthropologique : vers un contrôle total de la chaîne des traitements dans l'analyse morphométrique tridimensionnelle

International audienceThe objective of the present paper is to give some data in medical imaging and 3D reconstruction applied in bio-anthropological field. Scanner CT images are a powerful tool to explore internal structures, to reconstruct incomplete bones and to give biomechanical interpretation based on bone morphology. Further, we propose to argument a cultural hypothesis relatively to a deliberate treatment concerning a human boneNous présentons quelques applications de l’imagerie médicale et de la reconstitution 3D dans le domaine de l’anthropologie biologique. L’acquisition et l’exploitation d’images scanner CT permettent d’accéder aux structures internes, de reconstituer des parties manquantes et d’exploiter des caractéristiques bio-mécaniques. Nous proposons également l’argumentation d’une hypothèse culturelle en relation avec un aménagement pratiqué sur un os humain

Not so unusual Neanderthal bone tools: new examples from Abri Lartet, France

peer reviewedNeanderthal bone tools are often seen as negligible, consisting mainly of retouchers made from diaphyseal fragments and recognizable by their impact marks. One category, however, stand out, consisting of elongated pieces with blunt ends, most often on ribs, whose shaping involved scraping and abrasion and which are regarded as anticipating Upper Paleolithic. They are termed lissoir (smoother or burnisher) by typological analogy, although the diversity of their active ends suggests a greater functional diversity than this designation implies. Their apparent standardization results from the use of anatomically suitable blanks that only required the shaping of an active end. Mostly reported in older publications as isolated finds, they are beginning to be found in greater quantities through the careful examination of faunal remains. We describe here a series partly published in the 1970s, completed by new pieces thanks to a recent reassessment of the assemblage, and we consider it in a broader perspective

Neanderthal bone tools from inside, at Jonzac, Quina level, France

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Handicap et compassion au Paléolithique : points de vue paléoanthropologiques

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Une expérience de dépôt de brevet et de mise en place d'une cellule de transfert au sein d'une équipe de recherche en anthropologie

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