Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah Pederzani, Kate Britton, Vera Aldeias, Nicolas Bourgon, Helen Fewlass, Tobias Lauer, Shannon P. McPherron, Zeljko Rezek, Nikolay Sirakov, Geoff M. Smith, Rosen Spasov, N-Han Tran, Tsenka Tsanova, Jean-Jacques Hublin
Summary: This study reveals that early Homo sapiens in Europe experienced subarctic climates similar to 45,000 years ago, challenging previous assumptions about the role of warm climates in human expansion. This highlights the need for revising key models of human expansion and reconsidering the deterministic role of climate in our evolutionary history.
Article
Anthropology
David R. Samson
Summary: Despite the importance of sleep for human physical and cognitive performance, humans sleep the least among primates. The social sleep hypothesis suggests that human sleep traits emerged due to social and technological niche construction.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY, VOL 50
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Peiqi Zhang, Xinjun Zhang, Xiaoling Zhang, Xing Gao, Emilia Huerta-Sanchez, Nicolas Zwyns
Summary: Recent archaeological and genetic studies suggest early occupation of the Tibetan Plateau by both archaic Denisovans and Homo sapiens, with Denisovan genetic introgression aiding Tibetan populations in adapting to high-altitude environments. Two testable models are proposed to address human settlement on the plateau in the broader context of Homo sapiens dispersal and interactions with Denisovans in Asia.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam Brumm, David Bulbeck, Budianto Hakim, Basran Burhan, Adhi Agus Oktaviana, Iwan Sumantri, Jian-xin Zhao, Maxime Aubert, Ratno Sardi, David McGahan, Andi Muhammad Saiful, Shinatria Adhityatama, Yousuke Kaifu
Summary: There are significant gaps in our understanding of the early history of Homo sapiens in Wallacea. A study of Pleistocene human skeletal remains from Sulawesi, the largest Wallacean island, offers insights into the Late Pleistocene people of the region, shedding light on their dental wear patterns and providing the only direct evidence from the fossil record.
Article
Ecology
Gabriele Sansalone, Antonio Profico, Stephen Wroe, Kari Allen, Justin Ledogar, Sarah Ledogar, Dave Rex Mitchell, Alessandro Mondanaro, Marina Melchionna, Silvia Castiglione, Carmela Serio, Pasquale Raia
Summary: There is controversy regarding the mechanisms behind the changes in brain shape during the evolution of modern humans. Recent studies suggest that high levels of covariation between brain cortical areas in modern humans and Neanderthals evolved under distinctly higher evolutionary rates than in any other primate, indicating that the highly integrated brain played a critical role in the evolution of unique cognitive capacities and complex behaviors.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin F. Pera
Summary: The second week of embryonic development is a crucial phase for scientific investigation. Human embryo models built from stem cells offer the potential to gain comprehensive insights into critical events such as cell specification and morphogenesis.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Alexander Weiss
Summary: Unlike nonhuman primates, individual differences in dominance among humans do not manifest as general personality factors. This difference could be attributed to variation in the questionnaires used to study human and nonhuman primate personality, or it may reflect divergence in the organization of personality between humans and nonhuman primates. To investigate this, researchers recruited 1,147 participants and had them rate their own personality and/or somebody else's personality using the Hominoid Personality Questionnaire (HPQ), which is commonly employed in the study of nonhuman primate personality. Exploratory factor analyses revealed five factors in the HPQ rater reports that correlated with scales from human personality questionnaires. However, self-report data did not yield clear factors related to dominance. In comparison to dominance factors found in chimpanzees, bonobos, mountain gorillas, and orangutans, the absence of human dominance factors seems to be influenced by the social conditions of our species.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Mercedes Conde-Valverde, Ignacio Martinez, Rolf M. Quam, Manuel Rosa, Alex D. Velez, Carlos Lorenzo, Pilar Jarabo, Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro, Eudald Carbonell, Juan Luis Arsuaga
Summary: This study used CT scanning and an auditory bioengineering model to investigate the auditory capacities of Neanderthals, finding that their occupied bandwidth was similar to that of modern humans, indicating that they had evolved auditory capacities to support a vocal communication system as efficient as modern human speech.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Andra Meneganzin, Massimo Bernardi
Summary: Prior to the advent of whole-genome sequencing, the question of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal admixture has been debated based on phenotypic assessments. Recent evidence suggests ancient Homo sapiens and Neanderthal interbreeding, but it is still not sufficient to merge them or abandon specific taxonomies. The study proposes a diachronic and integrative perspective on lineage divergence, arguing against complete reproductive isolation as the defining factor for species status.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Meng Tang, Ying Xia, Taoran Xiao, Ruiyu Cao, Yu Cao, Bo Ouyang
Summary: DHHC3 is a promising antitumor target with unknown structure and catalysis mechanism. This study describes the expression, purification, and structural exploration of human DHHC3, as well as the identification of interacting protein LAMTOR1. Cryo-EM analysis revealed the structure of inactive DHHC3 mutant, which could guide the further structural determination of DHHC3.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Celine M. Vidal, Christine S. Lane, Asfawossen Asrat, Dan N. Barfod, Darren F. Mark, Emma L. Tomlinson, Amdemichael Zafu Tadesse, Gezahegn Yirgu, Alan Deino, William Hutchison, Aurelien Mounier, Clive Oppenheimer
Summary: This article reports new dating evidence that pushes back the age of the oldest modern human fossils in eastern Africa to before 200,000 years ago. The study also challenges previous arguments about the stratigraphic relationships and tephra correlations and provides new evidence for the minimum age of the fossils.
Article
Family Studies
Patrick Manning
Summary: Recent developments in social evolution theory support the argument that human evolution can be understood through the mechanisms of biological, cultural, and social evolution. This framework is applied to the study of intimate groups and community groups in primate species. For humans, the intimate group takes the form of a household led by a pairbonded couple. The essay explores the evolution of these groups in hominin species, as well as the evolution of individual and group behavior in biological, cultural, and social realms.
HISTORY OF THE FAMILY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Maria Kubicka
Summary: Previous research on the effects of body mass on the pelvic girdle focused on adult females and males. This study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and pelvic shape during development and assessed the influence of the number of live births in females. The results showed a significant association between BMI and pelvic shape in young females and old males, but the association between the number of live births and pelvic shape in females was not significant. The study suggests that pelvic shape in adult females is less plastic compared to puberty, reflecting adaptations for supporting organs and fetus during pregnancy.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
David Tilman
Summary: Due to human domination, the world is facing two major environmental problems—species extinctions and climate change. Addressing these global issues requires considering ecological, economic, political, ethical, and cultural constraints and trade-offs, and will demand unprecedented international cooperation. Significant advancements in ecological research, making ecology a more mechanistic and predictive science, are crucial for formulating viable and sustainable solutions. Research progress in various disciplines such as evolution, population ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology can greatly contribute to the development of such solutions. Additionally, it is increasingly important for ecologists to be part of multidisciplinary teams that assess the full range of interlinked environmental and societal impacts of alternative policies to ensure equity, ethics, economic viability, and societal sustainability.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jayne Wilkins, Benjamin J. Schoville, Robyn Pickering, Luke Gliganic, Benjamin Collins, Kyle S. Brown, Jessica von der Meden, Wendy Khumalo, Michael C. Meyer, Sechaba Maape, Alexander F. Blackwood, Amy Hatton
Summary: The study revealed that human behavioral innovations in the interior of southern Africa did not lag behind those near the coast, and these innovations may have developed in a wet savannah environment. This challenges the dominant narrative that ties modern human origins to coastal regions and suggests a revision of models linking behavioral innovations to the exploitation of coastal resources by our species.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
W. E. H. Harcourt-Smith, Z. Throckmorton, K. A. Congdon, B. Zipfel, A. S. Deane, M. S. M. Drapeau, S. E. Churchill, L. R. Berger, J. M. DeSilva
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2015)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kevin Rey, Romain Amiot, Francois Fourel, Thomas Rigaudier, Fernando Abdala, Michael O. Day, Vincent Fernandez, Frederic Fluteau, Christian France-Lanord, Bruce S. Rubidge, Roger M. Smith, Pia A. Viglietti, Bernhard Zipfel, Christophe Lecuyer
Article
Anthropology
Angel Zeininger, Biren A. Patel, Bernhard Zipfel, Kristian J. Carlson
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward J. Odes, Patrick S. Randolph-Quinney, Maryna Steyn, Zach Throckmorton, Jacqueline S. Smilg, Bernhard Zipfel, Tanya N. Augustine, Frikkie de Beer, Jakobus W. Hoffman, Ryan D. Franklin, Lee R. Berger
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Anthropology
Eve K. Boyle, Ellison J. McNutt, Tomohiko Sasaki, Gen Suwa, Bernhard Zipfel, Jeremy M. DeSilva
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2018)
Article
Biology
Roger S. Seymour, Vanya Bosiocic, Edward P. Snelling, Prince C. Chikezie, Qiaohui Hu, Thomas J. Nelson, Bernhard Zipfel, Case V. Miller
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Bernhard Zipfel, Chandele Montgomery, Frank H. H. Neumann, Louis Scott, Jonah Choiniere, John P. P. Hancox
Summary: This study conducted a systematic investigation into fossil collections in South Africa and discovered a significant number of coprolites. However, scientific research on coprolites has been relatively sparse. By enhancing research on coprolites, a better understanding of the ecosystems and dietary habits of extinct animals can be achieved.
CURATOR-THE MUSEUM JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Braga, Bernard A. Wood, Veronika A. Zimmer, Benjamin Moreno, Catherine Miller, John F. Thackeray, Bernhard Zipfel, Frederick E. Grine
Summary: This study describes fossils from South African sites that provide important information about the evolutionary history of early hominin adult morphology. The research shows that while most distinctive robust craniofacial features appear relatively late in development, a few do not. Unexpected evidence of independent growth in certain regions is also found. The evidence suggests that the iconic SK 54 juvenile calvaria is more likely early Homo rather than Paranthropus, and supports the hypothesis that P. robustus is more closely related to Homo than to A. africanus.
Article
Paleontology
Charles W. Helm, Martin G. Lockley, Hayley C. Cawthra, Jan C. De Vynck, Mark G. Dixon, Renee Rust, Willo Stear, Monique Van Tonder, Bernhard Zipfel
Summary: This study explores the potential use of ichnology in answering the question of when and where humans first made footwear. The limited global record of shod-hominin tracksites suggests that southern Africa and Western Europe are suitable regions to search for tracks of this nature. Through the examination of three paleosurfaces in South Africa and neoichnological study, evidence suggests that humans may have worn footwear during the Middle Stone Age. The bias towards identifying barefoot tracks highlights the need for criteria to identify shod-hominin tracks.
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael C. Everett, Marina C. Elliott, David Gaynor, Austin C. Hill, Samar M. Syeda, Jesse Casana, Bernhard Zipfel, Jeremy M. DeSilva, Nathaniel J. Dominy
Summary: Mechanical loading of finger bones can induce angular curvature, benefiting arboreal primates, but the recent discovery of extremely curved phalanges in Homo naledi raises questions about its arboreal or rock-climbing habits. The significance of climbing rock walls is seen in populations of baboons, with implications for stress-mitigating curvature in the phalanges of primates.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
A. T. Thompson, B. Zipfel, C. Aldous
Summary: This article emphasizes the importance of foot posture and function in diabetes, particularly focusing on the effects of metatarsal parabola on foot function and clinical management. The presence of a metatarsal parabola and its impact on stability and balance in diabetic patients are highlighted as key factors for examination and management in diabetes care.
JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY METABOLISM AND DIABETES OF SOUTH AFRICA
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Christopher Yelverton, Sunil Rama, Bernhard Zipfel
HEALTH SA GESONDHEID
(2019)
Review
Anthropology
Ellison J. McNutt, Bernhard Zipfel, Jeremy M. DeSilva
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward J. Odes, Alexander H. Parkinson, Patrick S. Randolph-Quinney, Bernhard Zipfel, Kudakwashe Jakata, Heather Bonney, Lee R. Berger
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Paleontology
Brian F. Kuhn, Kristian J. Carlson, Philip J. Hopley, Bernhard Zipfel, Lee R. Berger
PALAEONTOLOGIA ELECTRONICA
(2015)