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Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face
Published on: January 7, 2019
Middle Pleistocene human facial morphology in an evolutionary and developmental context
Sarah E Freidline1, Philipp Gunz, Katerina Harvati
1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig 04103, Germany. sarah.freidline@eva.mpg.de
Journal of Human Evolution
|September 18, 2012
Summary
Facial morphology in Pleistocene humans shows distinct temporal trends. Modern human facial patterns emerged by 170,000 years ago, with Neanderthal and Middle Pleistocene differences linked to size scaling.
Area of Science:
- Paleoanthropology
- Human Evolution
- Bioarchaeology
Background:
- Neanderthals and modern humans possess distinct facial structures.
- Middle Pleistocene humans display mosaic facial features, blending archaic and modern traits.
- Pleistocene human evolution involved significant changes in facial size and robustness, with poorly understood allometric patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore temporal trends in Pleistocene human facial morphology.
- To understand the polarity of facial features and describe allometric patterning.
- To investigate the evolutionary relationships between Middle Pleistocene humans, Neanderthals, and modern humans.
Main Methods:
- Digitization of landmarks and semilandmarks from surface and CT scans.
- Analysis of Procrustes shape coordinates, principal component analyses, and Procrustes distances.
- Calculation of allometric trajectories and developmental simulations for fossil and modern human groups.
Main Results:
- Facial features effectively cluster Pleistocene humans into temporal groups.
- Modern human facial morphology patterns were present as early as 170,000 years ago.
- Key differences between Neanderthals and Middle Pleistocene humans, including browridge and nasal aperture, result from shared allometric scaling.
Conclusions:
- Species- and population-specific facial features develop early in ontogeny.
- European Middle Pleistocene hominins show intermediate midfacial characteristics, suggesting incipient Neanderthal traits.
- Allometric scaling plays a significant role in shaping facial differences among archaic human groups.
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