Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darryl E. Granger, Dominic Stratford, Laurent Bruxelles, Ryan J. Gibbon, Ronald J. Clarke, Kathleen Kuman
Summary: Sterkfontein is a rich source of Australopithecus fossils, with most of them found in Member 4. The previously dated flowstones underestimated the true age of the fossils.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biology
Cinzia Fornai, Viktoria A. Krenn, Philipp Mitteroecker, Nicole M. Webb, Martin Haeusler
Summary: By utilizing geometric morphometrics, the study compared two alleged Australopithecus africanus specimens from Sterkfontein Member 4, South Africa, to a diverse sample of modern humans and great apes. The observed morphological differences were deemed unlikely to occur within a single species, supporting previous claims of taxonomic heterogeneity within the Australopithecus africanus hypodigm.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryan M. Campbell, Gabriel Vinas, Maciej Henneberg
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between facial soft tissue thickness and craniometric dimensions in chimpanzees, establishing regression models for approximating facial soft tissue thickness in Plio-Pleistocene hominids. The results demonstrated that such relationships exist in chimpanzees, suggesting that chimpanzee-derived regression models have interspecies compatibility with hominids who have similar craniometric dimensions.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Marie-Laure Sattolo, Laura Arbour, Marianne Bilodeau-Bertrand, Ga Eun Lee, Chantal Nelson, Nathalie Auger
Summary: This study suggests a strong association between birth defects in children and mortality due to circulatory, respiratory, and digestive causes.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Gursimran Kaur Dhamrait, Catherine Louise Taylor, Gavin Pereira
Summary: The study found that children with interpregnancy intervals shorter than 6 months or longer than 24 months had an increased risk of developmental vulnerability.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Janell Kwok, Lydia Gabriela Speyer, Georgia Soursou, Aja Louise Murray, Kostas A. Fanti, Bonnie Auyeung
Summary: This study examined the effects of maternal metabolic syndrome classification on children's developmental outcomes at age 5, as well as the potential mediators of this association. The results showed that maternal metabolic syndrome was associated with child development in areas such as literacy and mathematics, and this association was mediated by cord blood markers.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Robert Eves, Dieter Wolke, Juliane Spiegler, Sakari Lemola
Summary: There is a lack of research on the nonlinear associations between birth weight percentiles and cognitive performance in infancy. This study aims to investigate the culturally invariant, nonlinear associations of birth weight percentiles and gestational age with later cognitive performance.
Article
Neurosciences
Cheslie C. Klein, Philipp Berger, Tomas Goucha, Angela D. Friederici, Charlotte Grosse Wiesmann
Summary: The ability to process complex sentence structures emerges slowly in children and is related to the maturation of distinct cortical regions in the brain. At the age of 3, sentence production abilities are associated with increased surface area in the posterior part of the left superior temporal sulcus, while at the age of 4, they are associated with cortical thickness in the left posterior part of Broca's area.
Article
Pediatrics
Chidiogo Anyigbo, Manuel E. Jimenez, David W. Sosnowski
Summary: This study found associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) at age 5 and healthcare utilization patterns at age 9. Children with 4 or more ACEs had lower odds of dental visits and higher odds of primary care sick visits and emergency room visits. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support appropriate healthcare utilization for children with adversity.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gursimran K. Dhamrait, Hayley Christian, Melissa O'Donnell, Gavin Pereira
Summary: Studies have shown a dose-dependent relationship between gestational age and poorer school readiness. Children born preterm are at a higher risk for developmental vulnerability at school entry. Adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics can attenuate the relative risks for children born preterm, while modifiable risk factors such as preschool attendance also play a role. The risk of developmental vulnerability follows a reverse J-shaped relationship with gestational age, with children born extremely preterm having the highest risk.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Valerie Brandt, Praveetha Patalay, Julia Kerner Auch Koerner
Summary: This study used objective activity data to predict symptoms and diagnosis of ADHD, finding that less sedentary behavior at age 7 predicted more ADHD symptoms at age 14 and also predicted ADHD diagnosis at age 14.
EUROPEAN CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jessica L. Gleason, Stephen E. Gilman, Rajeshwari Sundaram, Edwina Yeung, Diane L. Putnick, Yassaman Vafai, Abhisek Saha, Katherine L. Grantz
Summary: The study showed that children's neurocognitive performance improved with each week of gestation, peaking at 40 or 41 weeks, indicating the importance of full-term gestation for optimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Beth A. Plunkett, Lisa Mele, Brian M. Casey, Michael W. Varner, Yoram Sorokin, Uma M. Reddy, Ronald J. Wapner, John M. Thorp, George R. Saade, Alan T. N. Tita, Dwight J. Rouse, Baha Sibai, Brian M. Mercer, Jorge E. Tolosa, Steve N. Caritis
Summary: The study found that breastfeeding and its duration were associated with a reduced risk of low IQ scores at age 5, with breastfeeding linked to lower odds of low IQ scores. No significant associations were found between breastfeeding and other neurodevelopmental outcomes.
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
David S. Freedman, Amy J. Goodwin-Davies, Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, Samantha J. Lange, Alyson B. Goodman, Thao-Ly Tam Phan, Suchitra Rao, Ihuoma Eneli, Christopher B. Forrest
Summary: This study compared the importance of age at adiposity rebound versus childhood BMI to subsequent BMI levels and found that BMI at age 3 provides more information and is easier to obtain.
Article
Ophthalmology
Elisa E. Cornish, Vuong Nguyen, Stephanie Young, Samantha Fraser-Bell, Robyn Guymer, David Squirrell, Daniel Barthelmes, Mark C. Gillies
Summary: The study revealed that only 10% of eyes with nAMD were able to extend their treatment interval beyond 13 weeks, with over half returning to shorter intervals within 12 months. Eyes that maintained longer treatment intervals showed stable vision, indicating the potential benefits of extending treatment intervals for nAMD patients.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Monica Villalba de Alvarado, Hipolito Collado Giraldo, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Jose Ramon Bello Rodrigo, Anneke H. Heteren, Asier Gomez-Olivencia
Summary: Brown bears diverged from the cave bear lineage around 1.2 million years ago and likely originated in Asia. Fossils of brown bears from the Middle Pleistocene are scarce in the Iberian Peninsula, with the oldest evidence dating back to around 250 ka and mainly located in the southern half of the peninsula. The Postes cave in southern Iberian Peninsula has yielded some of the oldest evidence for brown bears, with a minimum date of 244191 +/- 2261 a BP, and also a large Middle Pleistocene brown bear collection dated roughly between 193 and 244 ka BP. Geometric morphometric analyses show significant differences in size and shape compared to Holocene brown bears, indicating a need for more Middle Pleistocene fossils in the northern half of Iberia to further understand the morphological variation of brown bears in western Europe.
Article
Anthropology
Laura Martin-Frances, Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro, Marina Martinez de Pinillos, Maria Martinon-Torres, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Benoit Bertrand, Amelie Vialet
Summary: The study of dental morphology is a useful tool for understanding the origin and evolution of Neanderthals in Europe. Research on hominin dental remains from the Biache-Saint-Vaast (BSV) site in France reveals similarities with other Middle Pleistocene populations, showing more affinities with Neanderthals and sharing enamel thickness traits with the Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos (SH) population.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antoine Balzeau, Lou Albessard-Ball, Anna Maria Kubicka, Andrea Filippo, Amelie Beaudet, Elena Santos, Thibault Bienvenu, Juan -Luis Arsuaga, Antonis Bartsiokas, Lee Berger, Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro, Michel Brunet, Kristian J. Carlson, Joan Daura, Vassilis G. Gorgoulis, Frederick E. Grine, Katerina Harvati, John Hawks, Andy Herries, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Jiaming Hui, Rachel Ives, Josephine A. Joordens, Yousuke Kaifu, Mirsini Kouloukoussa, Baptiste Leger, David Lordkipanidze, Ann Margvelashvili, Jesse Martin, Maria Martinon-Torres, Hila May, Aurelien Mounier, Anton du Plessis, Todd Rae, Carolin Roeding, Montserrat Sanz, Patrick Semal, Dominic Stratford, Chris Stringer, Mirriam Tawane, Heiko Temming, Evangelia Tsoukala, Joao Zilhao, Bernhard Zipfel, Laura T. Buck
Summary: This study compares the frontal sinuses of various hominin species and provides a unique perspective on their variation in position, shape, and dimensions. The study also reveals a covariation between the size and shape of the sinuses and the underlying frontal lobes in hominin species.
Article
Anthropology
Alex D. Velez, Rolf Quam, Mercedes Conde-Valverde, Ignacio Martinez, Carlos Lorenzo, Juan Luis Arsuaga
Summary: The present study conducted a comparative 3D geometric morphometric analysis on the bony labyrinth of the Middle Pleistocene Sima de los Huesos (SH) hominins. The findings indicate a closer resemblance between the SH hominin canal morphologies and those of Neandertals rather than Homo sapiens. However, noticeable differences were observed in the cochlear analysis, suggesting that the SH hominin cochlea is more constricted compared to Neandertals. Overall, the results confirm previous suggestions of an evolutionary trend towards Neandertals in the semicircular canals of the SH hominins, while their cochlea remains primitive within the genus Homo.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Enrique Baquedano, Juan L. Arsuaga, Alfredo Perez-Gonzalez, Cesar Laplana, Belen Marquez, Rosa Huguet, Sandra Gomez-Soler, Lucia Villaescusa, M. Angeles Galindo-Pellicena, Laura Rodriguez, Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez, M-Cruz Ortega, David M. Martin-Perea, Ana Ortega, Lucia Hernandez-Vivanco, Gonzalo Ruiz-Liso, Juan Gomez-Hernanz, Jose Alonso-Martin, Ana Abrunhosa, Abel Moclan, Ana Casado, Marina Vegara-Riquelme, Ana Alvarez-Fernandez, Angel C. Dominguez-Garcia, Diego J. Alvarez-Lao, Nuria Garcia, Paloma Sevilla, Hugues-Alexandre Blain, Blanca Ruiz-Zapata, M. Jose Gil-Garcia, Adrian Alvarez-Vena, Teresa Sanz, Rolf Quam, Tom Higham
Summary: This study analyzes the behavior of Neanderthal groups at Cueva Des-Cubierta in central Spain based on archaeological findings. The presence of Mousterian lithic industry and an assemblage of large ungulate crania, along with evidence of processing outside the cave, suggests that the carcasses were brought inside for a second round of processing, possibly associated with brain removal. This recurrent behavior appears to be more symbolic than subsistence-related.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Asier Gomez-Olivencia, Juan Luis Arsuaga
Summary: Limited fossil record hinders our understanding of the evolution of the neck in genus Homo. However, the well-preserved fossils from the Middle Pleistocene site of Sima de los Huesos (SH) provides important clues about the evolution of this anatomical region within the Neandertal lineage. Comparison of the cervical spine anatomy between SH hominins, Neandertals, and modern humans suggests a closer resemblance between SH hominins and Neandertals, indicating their phylogenetic relationship.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Nohemi Sala, Ignacio Martinez, Carlos Lorenzo, Rebeca Garcia, Jose Miguel Carretero, Laura Rodriguez, Asier Gomez-Olivencia, Arantza Aranburu, Nuria Garcia, Rolf Quam, Ana Gracia, Ma Cruz Ortega, Juan Luis Arsuaga
Summary: The main objective of this study is to analyze the postcranial remains from the Sima de los Huesos site in Spain, focusing on taphonomic features such as bone surface modifications, fracture patterns, and skeletal part representation. The findings suggest that carnivores, probably bears, had limited access to the hominin bones and complete bodies were likely placed in the site.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Mercedes Conde-Valverde, Ignacio Martinez, Rolf Quam, Juan Luis Arsuaga
Summary: This study compares the inner, middle, and outer ear structures in the Sima de los Huesos fossils, revealing evolutionary characteristics of the Neandertals. It shows that Neandertals and the Sima de los Huesos population share certain features and have some unique structures. Additionally, the middle ear of Neandertals is characterized by small angles between the tympanic axis and the plane of the oval window.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Abel Moclan, Rosa Huguet, Belen Marquez, Ana Alvarez-Fernandez, Cesar Laplana, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Alfredo Perez-Gonzalez, Enrique Baquedano
Summary: This study examines the distribution patterns at the Navalmaillo Rock Shelter in Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain, a Neanderthal hunting camp. A main cluster of materials related to nearby hearths was found, indicating collaborative and repetitive activities. Additionally, a small isolated area possibly used for carcass processing and another area slightly altered by water were also detected through spatial analysis.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Correction
Psychology, Biological
Enrique Baquedano, Juan L. L. Arsuaga, Alfredo Perez-Gonzalez, Cesar Laplana, Belen Marquez, Rosa Huguet, Sandra Gomez-Soler, Lucia Villaescusa, M. Angeles Galindo-Pellicena, Laura Rodriguez, Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez, M. -Cruz Ortega, David M. M. Martin-Perea, Ana I. I. Ortega, Lucia Hernandez-Vivanco, Gonzalo Ruiz-Liso, Juan Gomez-Hernanz, Jose I. Alonso-Martin, Ana Abrunhosa, Abel Moclan, Ana I. I. Casado, Marina Vegara-Riquelme, Ana Alvarez-Fernandez, Angel C. Dominguez-Garcia, Diego J. J. Alvarez-Lao, Nuria Garcia, Paloma Sevilla, Hugues-Alexandre Blain, Blanca Ruiz-Zapata, M. Jose Gil-Garcia, Adrian Alvarez-Vena, Teresa Sanz, Rolf Quam, Tom Higham
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Gustavo Montiel, Carlos Lorenzo
Summary: The Ndutu cranium is a partial and distorted hominin specimen from Tanzania. A new virtual reconstruction was conducted using virtual anthropology techniques, resulting in a more prognate and narrower face with a less flexed cranium compared to previous reconstructions.
Article
Paleontology
Javier Ruiz, Federico Mansilla, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Elena Santos, Alberto Jimenez-Diaz, Isabel Egea-Gonzalez
Summary: Since their discovery in 1978, the hominin fossil footprints from Laetoli have been extensively studied to understand locomotion, speed, body size, and behavior of Australopithecus afarensis. This research shows that analyzing walking speed and displacement provides valuable insights into individual and group behavior of the hominins responsible for the footprints. The study suggests that the Laetoli footprints may represent comparatively large individuals, with statures ranging from 1.2 to 1.6-1.7 m, taller than previously estimated from skeletal remains.
ICHNOS-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL TRACES
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Mikel Arlegi, Adrian Pablos, Carlos Lorenzo
Summary: The study aims to enhance our understanding of the evolution of the hominin foot by analyzing the integration and response to selection in the foot of modern humans. The findings indicate that distal phalanges are more independent, variable, and flexible compared to proximal elements. Additionally, the medial ray bones exhibit stronger integration and weaker variability than the lateral column bones, following a medial-to-lateral trend. Among the tarsals, the talus and calcaneus are the most integrated, least variable, and least flexible elements.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Mario Modesto-Mata, Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez, Yuliet Quintino, Cecilia Garcia-Campos, Marina Martinez de Pinillos, Laura Martin-Frances, Maria Martinon-Torres, Yann Heuze, Eudald Carbonell, Juan Luis Arsuaga, M. Christopher Dean, Jose Maria Bermudez de Castro
Summary: The authors applied Bayesian statistical approach to analyze the dental development of five hominins from Gran Dolina and Sima de los Huesos sites, showing that both populations exhibited more advanced development in the third molars compared to modern Homo sapiens, with differences also observed in the development of the second molars. These observations suggest a potentially shorter ontogenetic period in early hominins compared to modern humans.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Jonathan Morley, Ana Bucchi, Carlos Lorenzo, Thomas A. Puschel
Summary: This study quantifies the shape of the first metacarcapal (MC1) in extant Homininae and some fossil hominins using 3D geometric morphometrics. The results show distinct differences in MC1 shape among the three extant genera, with Homo neanderthalensis being closest to modern humans. Homo naledi exhibits some human-like adaptations and Australopithecus sediba shows a mix of derived and primitive traits.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)