Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xue-feng Sun, Shao-qing Wen, Cheng-qiu Lu, Bo-yan Zhou, Darren Curnoe, Hua-yu Lu, Hong-chun Li, Wei Wang, Hai Cheng, Shuang-wen Yi, Xin Jia, Pan-xin Du, Xing-hua Xu, Yi-ming Lu, Ying Lu, Hong-xiang Zheng, Hong Zhang, Chang Sun, Lan-hai Wei, Fei Han, Juan Huang, R. Lawrence Edwards, Li Jin, Hui Li
Summary: Research suggests the presence of earlier dispersals of anatomically modern humans (AMHs) in southern China, possibly dating back to more than 120,000 years ago. The study highlights the complex depositional history in subtropical caves, involving erosion, redeposition, and intrusion, as recent as the late Holocene. These findings indicate that the first appearance of AMHs in southern China should align with molecular data estimates of around 50 to 45 thousand years ago.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Cristina Real, Valentin Villaverde
Summary: This article presents the results of archaeozoological and taphonomic analysis of macromammal assemblage from Cova de les Cendres, a site in the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis provides insights into the subsistence activities and mobility patterns of the early anatomically modern humans during the Evolved Aurignacian period.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Yue Zhang, Luc Doyon, Xing Gao, Fuyou Chen, Huimin Wang, Shuangquan Zhang
Summary: Research conducted over the past three decades has greatly expanded our understanding of how prehistoric humans exploited birds. The study of avian remains at Shuidonggou Locality 12 in Northern China provides valuable insights into the diverse ways birds were utilized, including for food, tool manufacturing, and ornamentation. The research also reveals distinctive human activities and methods employed in catching and processing bird remains.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Raymond Tobler, Yassine Souilmi, Christian D. Huber, Nigel Bean, Chris S. M. Turney, Shane T. Grey, Alan Cooper
Summary: Analysis of ancient Eurasian genomic datasets reveals signatures of strong selection during the dispersal of anatomically modern humans out of Africa. These adaptive signals, related to genes involved in fat storage, neural development, skin physiology, and cilia function, persisted for a prolonged period of time in the Arabian Peninsula. The findings provide insights into human evolutionary adaptation and its impact on modern diseases.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Joan Daura, Montserrat Sanz, Martina Demuro, Lee J. Arnold, Ana Maria Costa, Joao Moreno, Maria da Conceicao Freitas, Vera Lopes, Natalia Eguez, Dirk L. Hoffmann, Alexa Benson, Dan Cabanes, Joan Garcia-Targa, Josep Maria Fullola
Summary: The study provides a comprehensive chronological framework for the Cova del Gegant site using multiple radiometric dating techniques, sedimentological and micromorphological analyses, and Bayesian modeling. The results divide the sequence into three sections covering the Middle Palaeolithic, Chatelperronian/Aurignacian, and Late Aurignacian/Gravettian periods. The chronological framework aligns with that reported for other Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in northeastern Iberian Peninsula, indicating successive human occupation coinciding with global cooling and lowering sea levels.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Gerald Kuchling, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr
Summary: A novel reproductive strategy, where female turtles retain their last clutch of eggs inside their bodies during unusually hot summers, has been discovered in South Africa. This strategy helps protect the developing embryos from excessive heat exposure and may enhance the species' resilience to global warming.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Dylan Gaffney, Glenn R. Summerhayes, Sindy Luu, James Menzies, Kristina Douglass, Megan Spitzer, Susan Bulmer
Summary: Moving into montane rainforests was a unique behavioral innovation developed by Pleistocene Homo sapiens as they expanded out of Africa and through Southeast Asia and Sahul for the first time. Zooarchaeological evidence from Yuku and Kiowa in the New Guinea Highlands sheds light on past hunting practices, processes of cave deposition, and local paleoenvironment, revealing variability in hunting practices during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The integration of zooarchaeological data from the wider Highlands zone contributes to a model of generalist-specialist hunting dynamics and enhances understanding of tropical foraging during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jeff Morgan Stibel
Summary: This study analyzes changes in human brain size and encephalization levels across evolutionary timespans, finding a decrease in encephalization levels in modern humans compared to earlier Homo sapiens. The decline in encephalization levels is suggested to be driven by recent increases in obesity, and selective pressures on human cognitive abilities may be an evolutionary consequence of the more than 5% loss in brain mass over the past 50,000 years.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana B. Marin-Arroyo, Gabriele Terlato, Marco Vidal-Cordasco, Marco Peresani
Summary: This article presents the subsistence strategies adopted by early modern humans in expanding throughout Eurasia, with a focus on the Protoaurignacian groups in Fumane Cave in northern Italy. The study reveals that these groups occupied the cave during the period of and Coping with significant climate changes. They mainly relied on hunting ibex and chamois in nearby areas in a cold environment with open landscapes and patchy woodlands. The findings highlight the adaptability and resilience of early modern humans in different environments affected by climate fluctuations.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Mariana Samor Lopes, Sandrine Grouard, Maria Dulce Gaspar, Elisamara Sabadini-Santos, Salvador Bailon, Orangel Aguilera
Summary: The study of the Galeao shell mound in the Middle Holocene in Guanabara Bay reveals the paleodiversity of the region and the fishing and hunting practices of the Amerindians. It shows a diverse range of local wildlife species and specific targets during the Middle Holocene, while also highlighting the threats of coastal degradation and overfishing to the biodiversity in the area.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
C. M. Stimpson, S. O'Donnell, N. T. M. Huong, R. Holmes, B. Utting, T. Kahlert, R. J. Rabett
Summary: Archaeological and palaeontological studies have shown that the historical distributions of many mammal species do not accurately represent their longer-term geographical ranges in the Quaternary. The discovery of prehistoric water deer in Vietnam's Trang An World Heritage Site provides evidence of a wider Quaternary distribution for these Vulnerable cervids. Palaeoenvironmental proxies suggest that the water deer in Trang An inhabited cooler conditions than present-day.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Thais R. Pansani, Briana Pobiner, Pierre Gueriau, Mathieu Thoury, Paul Tafforeau, Emmanuel Baranger, Agueda V. Vialou, Denis Vialou, Cormac McSparron, Mariela C. de Castro, Mario A. T. Dantas, Loic Bertrand, Mirian L. A. F. Pacheco
Summary: Using various methods including optical microscopy, non-destructive scanning electron microscopy, UV/visible photoluminescence, and synchrotron-based microtomography, researchers have found that three giant sloth osteoderms discovered at the Santa Elina site in Central Brazil were intentionally modified by humans. This study provides further evidence for the coexistence of humans and megafauna during the last glacial maximum and demonstrates human manufacturing of personal artifacts on ground sloth bones in Central Brazil.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Geography, Physical
Jian-Ping Yue, Shi-Xia Yang, You-Qian Li, Michael Storozum, Ya-Mei Hou, Yang Chang, Michael D. Petraglia
Summary: The geographic and ecological background of microblade technologies in Asia has attracted significant research interest. Microblade sites in Northeast China show technological similarities but regional differences due to raw material variations. Technological changes over time correspond to climatic shifts, with microblade technology having its origins in southern Siberia before diffusing widely into China.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yue Zhang, Luc Doyon, Fei Peng, Huimin Wang, Jialong Guo, Xing Gao, Shuangquan Zhang
Summary: Personal ornaments, such as animal tooth pendants, are important archaeological remains for studying prehistoric symbolic systems. A multidisciplinary analysis of a perforated red deer tooth from an archaeological site in Northwestern China provides insights into its manufacture, use, and adhesive used. These findings shed new light on the complexity of symbolic systems among ancient populations in Northern China.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Natalia Lucia Fernandez
Summary: This article investigates the hunting strategies of hunter-gatherer groups in Perito Moreno National Park, Argentina. The study found that guanaco was the dominant prey, with complementary exploitation of huemul. The hunting strategies varied between the two species, with guanaco mainly targeted in family groups and prime-aged adults, while huemul showed no predation selection based on age or sex.
LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY
(2023)
Article
Archaeology
Magnus M. Haaland, Andre M. Strauss, Elizabeth C. Velliky, Susan M. Mentzer, Christopher E. Miller, Karen L. van Niekerk, Christopher S. Henshilwood
Summary: This study successfully reconstructed and characterized a complete Middle Stone Age ochre piece using high-resolution microcomputed tomography scanning and a range of microanalytical techniques. Through a morphometric analysis of the score marks on the ochre's surface, the types of modifications and the nature of the actions that created them were assessed. The study suggests that a block sample-based comprehensive assessment of archaeological artifacts allows for a better understanding of their depositional, microcontextual, external morphology, microtopography, internal texture, and geochemical properties.
GEOARCHAEOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Alexandra Coutinho, Helena Malmstrom, Hanna Edlund, Christopher S. Henshilwood, Karen L. van Niekerk, Marlize Lombard, Carina M. Schlebusch, Mattias Jakobsson
Summary: Previous studies show that indigenous people of the southern Cape of South Africa were greatly influenced by the arrival of European colonists around 400 years ago, mixing with Europeans and Asians. By investigating the genetic make-up of an individual who lived at the Vaalkrans Shelter around 200 years ago, it was found that he had about 80% ancestry from local southern San hunter-gatherers and 20% from a mixed East African-Eurasian source.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Jennifer M. Miller, Hannah M. Keller, Claire Heckel, Potiphar M. Kaliba, Jessica C. Thompson
Summary: This study investigates the manufacture, operational chains, and material properties of shell disc beads in the hunter-gatherer societies of Africa, combining experimental and archaeological data. Analysis of three Later Stone Age assemblages in northern Malawi reveals differences in production techniques between land snail shell beads and ostrich eggshell beads, as well as inconsistent application of red color during manufacturing. Additionally, the earliest evidence for land snail shell bead manufacture predates the Iron Age, with two directly dated preforms from around 9500 cal BP.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica C. Thompson, David K. Wright, Sarah J. Ivory, Jeong-Heon Choi, Sheila Nightingale, Alex Mackay, Flora Schilt, Erik Otarola-Castillo, Julio Mercader, Steven L. Forman, Timothy Pietsch, Andrew S. Cohen, J. Ramon Arrowsmith, Menno Welling, Jacob Davis, Benjamin Schiery, Potiphar Kaliba, Oris Malijani, Margaret W. Blome, Corey A. O'Driscoll, Susan M. Mentzer, Christopher Miller, Seoyoung Heo, Jungyu Choi, Joseph Tembo, Fredrick Mapemba, Davie Simengwa, Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu
Summary: Archaeological and environmental data from northern Malawi reveal that early Homo sapiens started significant ecosystem modifications during the Late Pleistocene, with the use of fire and climate changes leading to an ecological transition to an early anthropogenic landscape.
Article
Anthropology
Turid Hillestad Nel, Christopher Stuart Henshilwood
Summary: This paper presents a case study of micromammal sequences from Marine Isotope Stage 5 at Blombos Cave in South Africa, shedding light on taxonomic distributions, local paleo environments, and site formation processes. The research indicates spotted eagle owls as the main predator species responsible for preserving micromammals, with contributions from barn owls. Analysis of micromammal bones reveals post-depositional processes likely influenced by microbial actions from human or animal activities. The study also records species in the archaeological assemblage that do not exist in the Blombos area today, suggesting stable climatic and environmental conditions.
AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diyendo Massilani, Mike W. Morley, Susan M. Mentzer, Vera Aldeias, Benjamin Vernot, Christopher Miller, Mareike Stahlschmidt, Maxim B. Kozlikin, Michael Shunkov, Anatoly P. Derevianko, Nicholas J. Conard, Sarah Wurz, Christopher S. Henshilwood, Javi Vasquez, Elena Essel, Sarah Nagel, Julia Richter, Birgit Nickel, Richard G. Roberts, Svante Paeaebo, Viviane Slon, Paul Goldberg, Matthias Meyer
Summary: DNA preserved in ancient sediments can provide valuable genetic information about past hominin and environmental diversity. This study demonstrates that resin-impregnated archaeological sediment blocks can effectively preserve DNA from hominins and other mammals. Microsampling analysis of sediment blocks from Denisova Cave reveals significant variation in the taxonomic composition of mammalian DNA at a millimeter-scale, with DNA concentrated in small particles such as bone and feces fragments. The study also successfully extracts Neanderthal DNA from a sediment block, closely related to a previously recovered Neanderthal toe bone.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mark Lipson, Elizabeth A. Sawchuk, Jessica C. Thompson, Jonas Oppenheimer, Christian A. Tryon, Kathryn L. Ranhorn, Kathryn M. de Luna, Kendra A. Sirak, Inigo Olalde, Stanley H. Ambrose, John W. Arthur, Kathryn J. W. Arthur, George Ayodo, Alex Bertacchi, Jessica Cerezo-Roman, Brendan J. Culleton, Matthew C. Curtis, Jacob Davis, Agness O. Gidna, Annalys Hanson, Potiphar Kaliba, Maggie Katongo, Amandus Kwekason, Myra F. Laird, Jason Lewis, Audax Z. P. Mabulla, Fredrick Mapemba, Alan Morris, George Mudenda, Raphael Mwafulirwa, Daudi Mwangomba, Emmanuel Ndiema, Christine Ogola, Flora Schilt, Pamela R. Willoughby, David K. Wright, Andrew Zipkin, Ron Pinhasi, Douglas J. Kennett, Fredrick Kyalo Manthi, Nadin Rohland, Nick Patterson, David Reich, Mary E. Prendergast
Summary: Genetic and archaeological evidence suggest major demographic changes in sub-Saharan Africa during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene. This study presents ancient DNA data from eastern and south-central Africa, revealing a geographically structured mixture of three highly divergent source populations.
Article
Archaeology
Shaw Badenhorst, Joel Ezeimo, Luyanda T. Lebatla, Karen L. van Niekerk, Christopher S. Henshilwood
Summary: Large mammal remains from Middle Stone Age sites in southern Africa show variability in prey selection. Smaller game, due to their abundance and fast reproduction, were often preferred over larger prey species. The Game Index is used to measure the ratio between smaller and larger prey, and it indicates that at certain MSA faunal assemblages, hominins focused on acquiring small prey. This could be due to the availability of resources in coastal dunes close to habitation caves.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Flora Schilt, Christopher E. Miller, David K. Wright, Susan M. Mentzer, Julio Mercader, Patrick Moss, Jeong-Heon Choi, Gunnar Siljedal, Siobhan Clarke, Aloyce Mwambwiga, Kelly Thomas, Alvise Barbieri, Potiphar Kaliba, Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu, Jessica C. Thompson
Summary: Mwanganda's Village (MGD) and Bruce (BRU) are two open-air site complexes in northern Malawi with deposits dating back to 15-58 thousand years ago. By studying ecological data such as pollen, phytoliths, and pedogenic carbonates, the researchers were able to reconstruct the environmental context of the sites during their use. They found that Middle Stone Age (MSA) hunter-gatherers chose more open environments for their activities between 51 and 15 thousand years ago.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Laure Dussubieux, Menno Welling, Potiphar Kaliba, Jessica C. Thompson
Summary: In most African contexts, the analysis of glass beads provides evidence of inter-community exchanges and helps to understand the social relationships between ancient societies. This study focuses on the Kasitu Valley in northern Malawi, where glass beads excavated from various sites were analyzed. The results show that most of the beads were of European manufacture, indicating trade involving Europeans, possibly in connection with the ivory and slave trade. One bead with a composition typical of South Asia was also found, suggesting connections between the hinterland and the coast.
AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL REVIEW
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Anthropology
Alex Bertacchi, Stanley H. Ambrose, Julia I. Giblin, Andrew M. Zipkin, Jessica C. Thompson, Potiphar Kaliba
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Shaw Badenhorst, Joel Ezeimo, Karen L. van Niekerk, Christopher S. Henshilwood
Summary: Research on faunal remains from MSA sites in South Africa's Eastern and Western Cape provinces reveals differences in accumulation by carnivores versus hominins. The carnivore ungulate ratio and the leopard index are useful indicators for distinguishing between carnivore and human accumulations.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE-REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Magnus M. Haaland, Christopher E. Miller, Ole F. Unhammer, Jerome P. Reynard, Karen L. van Niekerk, Bertrand Ligouis, Susan M. Mentzer, Christopher S. Henshilwood
Summary: The archaeological assemblage from the Middle Stone Age levels in Blombos Cave in South Africa provides valuable insight into the development of early modern humans. The study reveals significant shifts in site use and occupational intensity, which correlate with changes in vegetation, sea levels, and subsistence, pointing towards broader changes in hunter-gatherer mobility strategies and occupation patterns. These changes during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages 5b-4 may have impacted social interaction and technological advances among prehistoric populations in the southern Cape region.
QUATERNARY RESEARCH
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Anthropology
Alex Bertacchi, Jessica Cerezo-Roman, Jessica C. Thompson, Alan Morris, Potiphar Kaliba
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Jessica C. Thompson, David K. Wright, Sarah J. Ivory
Summary: Hunter-gatherers play a significant role in shaping environments through niche construction, with modern foragers impacting environmental productivity through their behaviors. African hunter-gatherers are seen as niche constructors in various environments, leaving legacies in today's ecosystem functioning.
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
(2021)