Sea otters make a splash

California sea otters have been pounding mussels on shoreline boulders for more than 10 years, and this behaviour leaves long-term traces. Using methods from ecology and archaeology, we showed that it is possible to recognize the damaged rocks and broken mussel shells created by sea otters

Can the Archaeology of Manual Specialization Tell Us Anything About Language Evolution? A Survey of the State of Play

In this review and position paper we explore the neural substrates for manual specialization and their possible connection with language and speech. We focus on two contrasting hypotheses of the origins of language and manual specialization: the language-first scenario and the tool-use-first scenario. Each one makes specific predictions about hand-use in non-human primates, as well as about the necessity of an association between speech adaptations and population-level right-handedness in the archaeological and fossil records. The concept of handedness is reformulated for archaeologists in terms of manual role specialization, using Guiard's model asymmetric bimanual coordination. This focuses our attention on skilled bimanual tasks in which both upper limbs play complementary roles. We review work eliciting non-human primate hand preferences in co-ordinated bimanual tasks, and relevant archaeological data for estimating the presence or absence of a population-level bias to the right hand as the manipulator in extinct hominin species and in the early prehistory of our own species

Grottes, abris, et cours d’eau souterrains : Sites d’importance rituelle dans les Highlands de Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée

Aufgrund der besonderen Karstbedingungen in diesem Land, das von riesigen Kalksteinmassiven und starken Regenfällen dominiert wird, ist das Hochland im Inneren von Papua-Neuguinea reich an Höhlen, Felsunterständen und unterirdischen Entwässerungssystemen, die mehrere Wasserlöcher oder Schlucklöcher verbinden. Auf dem Gebiet der Stämme der Mbowamb und Tuman in der Nähe von Mt. Hagen haben viele dieser Stätten eine rituelle und mythologische Bedeutung. Diese Stätten können auch prähistorisches Potential haben, wie viele andere Stätten in Neuguinea. Unsere jüngsten speläologischen Untersuchungen sowie unsere seit den 1970er Jahren gesammelten anthropologischen Daten zu den mündlichen Überlieferungen in Bezug auf diese Orte könnten als Grundlage für zukünftige Forschungen dienen

Modulation of behavioural laterality in wild New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides): Vocalization, age and function (advance online)

The New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides) is known for displaying a unique set of tool-related behaviours, with the bird’s bill acting as an individually consistently lateralized effector. However, we still fail to understand how such laterality develops, is modulated or even if its expression is consistent across other behavioural categories. Creating the first ethogram for this species allowed us to examine laterality and vocalisations in a population of wild, free-flying New Caledonian crows using detailed analyses of close-up video footage. We revealed the existence of an overall strong left-sided bias during object manipulation only and which was driven by the adult crows of our focal population, the stabilization of individual preferences occurring during the birds’ juvenile years. Individually, at least one crow showed consistent side biases to the right and left within different behavioural categories. Our findings highlight previously unknown variability in behavioural laterality in this species, thus advocating for further investigation. Specifically, we argue that a better understanding of the New Caledonian crow's biology and ecology is required if one wishes to pursue the promising comparative road that laterality could be connected to the evolution of tool-making

Phonetische und korpus-linguistische Methoden bei der Analyse vokaler Kommunikation von freilebenden Schimpansen im Tai National Forest

Über die letzten Jahrzehnte haben sich unsere Kenntnisse über die vokalen Kommunikationssysteme bei Menschenaffen enorm erweitert und aber auch das Verständnis zur Evolution des Kommunikationssystems unserer eigenen Spezies stark gewandelt. Allein nur die Studien zur Kommunikation unter Schim- pansen haben gezeigt, dass es eine Reihe von gruppenspezifische und kontexts- pezifischen Lautäußerungen gibt. Es ist klar geworden, dass die Komplexität der Strukturen und ihrer kommunikativen wie sozialen Funktionen lange unterschätzt wurde und selbst auch die akustischen und artikulatorischen Vorgänge noch nicht vollständig verstanden sind. Die dramatische Abnahme der verbliebenen Popula- tionen ist allerdings wenig hilfreich und wirkt sich ebenso auf die Bedingungen für deren Erforschung und die Anforderung (z.B. an Software) an sie aus. Für diesen Beitrag werden anhand einer aktuellen Studie zu akustischen und artikulatorischen Charakteristika von Vokalisierungen bei freilebenden Schimpansen im Taï National Forest (Elfenbeinküste) grundlegende Probleme analysiert wie sie sich aus Sicht der Erforschung des Sprechens beim Menschen ergeben. Das vorgestellte Projekt fokussiert die individuelle und gruppenspezifische Ausprägung kontextsensitiver Laute unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der beobachtbaren oralen Artikulation. Hierbei möchten wir gerade die Desiderata im methodisch-technischen Bereich (Datenerhebung, Transkription und Annotation, akustische und artikulatorische Pa- rametrisierung von Audio und Video, Datenverwaltung) aufzeigen und versuchen Lösungsvorschläge zu unterbreiten, aber auch Hilfe in der Community suche

Chimpanzee vowel-like sounds and voice quality suggest formant space expansion through the hominoid lineage

The origins of human speech are obscure; it is still unclear what aspects are unique to our species or shared with our evolutionary cousins, in part due to a lack of common framework for comparison. We asked what chimpanzee and human vocal production acoustics have in common. We examined visible supra-laryngeal articulators of four major chimpanzee vocalizations (hoos, grunts, barks, screams) and their associated acoustic structures, using techniques from human phonetic and animal communication analysis. Data were collected from wild adult chimpanzees, Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. Both discriminant and principal component classification procedures revealed classification of call types. Discriminating acoustic features include voice quality and formant structure, mirroring phonetic features in human speech. Chimpanzee lip and jaw articulation variables also offered similar discrimination of call types. Formant maps distinguished call types with different vowel-like sounds. Comparing our results with published primate data, humans show less F1–F2 correlation and further expansion of the vowel space, particularly for [i] sounds. Unlike recent studies suggesting monkeys achieve human vowel space, we conclude from our results that supra-laryngeal articulatory capacities show moderate evolutionary change, with vowel space expansion continuing through hominoid evolution. Studies on more primate species will be required to substantiate this.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)’

Safeguarding human–wildlife cooperation

Human–wildlife cooperation occurs when humans and free-living wild animals actively coordinate their behavior to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. These interactions provide important benefits to both the human and wildlife communities involved, have wider impacts on the local ecosystem, and represent a unique intersection of human and animal cultures. The remaining active forms are human–honeyguide and human–dolphin cooperation, but these are at risk of joining several inactive forms (including human–wolf and human–orca cooperation). Human–wildlife cooperation faces a unique set of conservation challenges, as it requires multiple components—a motivated human and wildlife partner, a suitable environment, and compatible interspecies knowledge—which face threats from ecological and cultural changes. To safeguard human–wildlife cooperation, we recommend: (i) establishing ethically sound conservation strategies together with the participating human communities; (ii) conserving opportunities for human and wildlife participation; (iii) protecting suitable environments; (iv) facilitating cultural transmission of traditional knowledge; (v) accessibly archiving Indigenous and scientific knowledge; and (vi) conducting long-term empirical studies to better understand these interactions and identify threats. Tailored safeguarding plans are therefore necessary to protect these diverse and irreplaceable interactions. Broadly, our review highlights that efforts to conserve biological and cultural diversity should carefully consider interactions between human and animal cultures. Please see AfricanHoneyguides.com/abstract-translations for Kiswahili and Portuguese translations of the abstract

Safeguarding human–wildlife cooperation

Human–wildlife cooperation occurs when humans and free-living wild animals actively coordinate their behavior to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. These interactions provide important benefits to both the human and wildlife communities involved, have wider impacts on the local ecosystem, and represent a unique intersection of human and animal cultures. The remaining active forms are human–honeyguide and human–dolphin cooperation, but these are at risk of joining several inactive forms (including human–wolf and human–orca cooperation). Human–wildlife cooperation faces a unique set of conservation challenges, as it requires multiple components—a motivated human and wildlife partner, a suitable environment, and compatible interspecies knowledge—which face threats from ecological and cultural changes. To safeguard human–wildlife cooperation, we recommend: (i) establishing ethically sound conservation strategies together with the participating human communities; (ii) conserving opportunities for human and wildlife participation; (iii) protecting suitable environments; (iv) facilitating cultural transmission of traditional knowledge; (v) accessibly archiving Indigenous and scientific knowledge; and (vi) conducting long-term empirical studies to better understand these interactions and identify threats. Tailored safeguarding plans are therefore necessary to protect these diverse and irreplaceable interactions. Broadly, our review highlights that efforts to conserve biological and cultural diversity should carefully consider interactions between human and animal cultures

Visuospatial Integration: Paleoanthropological and Archaeological Perspectives

The visuospatial system integrates inner and outer functional processes, organizing spatial, temporal, and social interactions between the brain, body, and environment. These processes involve sensorimotor networks like the eye–hand circuit, which is especially important to primates, given their reliance on vision and touch as primary sensory modalities and the use of the hands in social and environmental interactions. At the same time, visuospatial cognition is intimately connected with memory, self-awareness, and simulation capacity. In the present article, we review issues associated with investigating visuospatial integration in extinct human groups through the use of anatomical and behavioral data gleaned from the paleontological and archaeological records. In modern humans, paleoneurological analyses have demonstrated noticeable and unique morphological changes in the parietal cortex, a region crucial to visuospatial management. Archaeological data provides information on hand–tool interaction, the spatial behavior of past populations, and their interaction with the environment. Visuospatial integration may represent a critical bridge between extended cognition, self-awareness, and social perception. As such, visuospatial functions are relevant to the hypothesis that human evolution is characterized by changes in brain–body–environment interactions and relations, which enhance integration between internal and external cognitive components through neural plasticity and the development of a specialized embodiment capacity. We therefore advocate the investigation of visuospatial functions in past populations through the paleoneurological study of anatomical elements and archaeological analysis of visuospatial behaviors

The functional brain networks that underlie Early Stone Age tool manufacture

After 800,000 years of making simple Oldowan tools, early humans began manufacturing Acheulian handaxes around 1.75 million years ago. This advance is hypothesized to reflect an evolutionary change in hominin cognition and language abilities. We used a neuroarchaeology approach to investigate this hypothesis, recording brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy as modern human participants learned to make Oldowan and Acheulian stone tools in either a verbal or nonverbal training context. Here we show that Acheulian tool production requires the integration of visual, auditory and sensorimotor information in the middle and superior temporal cortex, the guidance of visual working memory representations in the ventral precentral gyrus, and higher-order action planning via the supplementary motor area, activating a brain network that is also involved in modern piano playing. The right analogue to Broca’s area—which has linked tool manufacture and language in prior work1,2—was only engaged during verbal training. Acheulian toolmaking, therefore, may have more evolutionary ties to playing Mozart than quoting Shakespeare