Dental reduction and the probable mutation effect

A recent test of the probable mutation effect can be interpreted to suggest the operation of mutations under conditions of reduced selection in the late Pleistocene reduction of the human dentition.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37555/1/1330430218_ftp.pd

Man's ancestors: An introduction to primate and human evolution. By Ian Tattersall. 64 pp., figures, bibliography, index. John Murray Publishers, London. 1970. $4.75 (paper)

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37532/1/1330370318_ftp.pd

THE ACCRETION MODEL OF NEANDERTAL EVOLUTION

The Accretion model of Neandertal evolution specifies that this group of Late Pleistocene hominids evolved in partial or complete genetic isolation from the rest of humanity through the gradual accumulation of distinctive morphological traits in European populations. As they became more common, these traits also became less variable, according to those workers who developed the model. Its supporters propose that genetic drift caused this evolution, resulting from an initial small European population size and either complete isolation or drastic reduction in gene flow between this deme and contemporary human populations elsewhere. Here, we test an evolutionary model of gene flow between regions against fossil data from the European population of the Middle and Late Pleistocene. The results of the analysis clearly show that the European population was not significantly divergent from its contemporaries, even in a subset of traits chosen to show the maximum differences between Europeans and other populations. The pattern of changes, over time within Europe of the traits in this subset, does not support the Accretion model, either because the characters did not change in the manner specified by the model or because the characters did not change at all. From these data, we can conclude that special phenomena such as near-complete isolation of the European population during the Pleistocene are not required to explain the pattern of evolution in this region.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72466/1/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00667.x.pd

Reply to Dr. Foote

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37664/1/1330900313_ftp.pd

The origin of modern humans and the impact of chronometric dating. Edited by M. J. Aitken, C.B. Stringer, and P.A. Mellars. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 1993. ISBN 0-691-032424. vi + 248 pp. $39.50 (cloth)

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37667/1/1330930110_ftp.pd

Book reviews

No abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34279/1/10289_ftp.pd

Palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic archaeology in the people's Republic of China. Edited by Wu Rukang and John W. Olsen. Orlando: Academic Press. 1985. xxvii + 293 pp., figures, tables, index. $54.00 (cloth)

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37634/1/1330710116_ftp.pd

Lower Third Premolar Rotation in the Krapina Dental Sample

This paper presents some new observations on the Krapina Neandertal dental sample. A number of lower third premolars from this site are rotated in comparison to their expected position relative to the other teeth. We developed a method for accurately describing the rotation for teeth, whether they are in mandibles, included in dental sets or isolated. We compare the frequencies of rotated P3s in the Krapina sample with those observed in a modern human population and in the available Neandertal population specimens. It appears that the two latter have comparable frequencies of P3 rotation whereas rotations found in the Krapina sample have a much higher frequency, whether in relation to the total number of teeth or the number of individuals. Bootstrapping in the comparative samples shows that the probabilities of finding the frequencies of rotated P3s observed at Krapina within the modern and Neandertal lineage groups are very low, below the significance threshold. The Krapina sample thus appears to be unique in its proportion of rotated P3s. After rejecting a mechanical hypothesis (i. e. lack of space) for explaining this condition, we propose a genetic origin for this condition. We discuss the implications of related individuals utilizing the cave over a long period of time

Zuttiyeh face: A view from the east

We analyze the phylogenetic position of the frontofacial fragment from Zuttiyeh, Israel. This specimen is dated to the Middle Pleistocene (the latest estimate is between 250 and 350 kyr) and is associated with the Acheulo-Yabrudian, which makes it the oldest cranium from the region. It has been previously regarded as a Neandertal, and early “anatomically modern Homo sapiens ,” and a generalized specimen ancestral to both. These different phylogenetic interpretations of its features have a historic basis but in our view also result from a confusion of grade and intraspecies clade as valid sources of variation. We show here that generally the differences that distinguish Zuttiyeh from Neandertals are similarities it shares with the Zhoukoudian remains. These similarities involve a unique combination of features, and suggest the possibility of an ancestral relationship. It is less likely that Middle Pleistocene remains from Europe or sub-Saharan Africa are uniquely or significantly ancestral to Zuttiyeh. An accurate understanding of the relationship between populations of eastern and western Asia is important for resolving the more general questions surrounding the position of the Upper Pleistocene Levant populations in human evolution, including (1) whether there are significantly different contemporary Mousterian populations in the Upper Pleistocene, (2) whether Neandertals are clearly intrusive in the region, and (3) whether there is an early appearance of (what many workers call) “anatomically modern Homo sapiens .” The hypothesis of a recent unique African ancestry for all modern humans is disproved by our study, which shows Asia as a significant source area for at least some living populations. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37665/1/1330910307_ftp.pd

Anterior dental cutting at Laetolil

No evidence supports the interpretation of malocclusion in the LH-14 right P 3 . The pattern of anterior cutting shown in the younger Laetolil specimens has its analogue in the deciduous dentitions of Pongo.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37605/1/1330550210_ftp.pd