The brains of modern humans differ from those of great apes in size, shape, and cortical organization, notably in frontal lobe areas involved in complex cognitive tasks, such as social cognition, tool use, and language. When these differences arose during human evolution is a question of ongoing debate. Here, we show that the brains of early Homo from Africa and Western Asia (Dmanisi) retained a primitive, great ape–like organization of the frontal lobe. By contrast, African Homo younger than 1.5 million years ago, as well as all Southeast Asian Homo erectus, exhibited a more derived, humanlike brain organization. Frontal lobe reorganization, once considered a hallmark of earliest Homo in Africa, thus evolved comparatively late, and long after Homo first dispersed from Africa.
Previous research indicates that human genetic diversity in Wallacea—islands in present-day Eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste that were never part of the Sunda or Sahul continental shelves—has been shaped by complex interactions between migrating Austronesian farmers and indigenous hunter–gatherer communities. Yet, inferences based on present-day groups proved insufficient to disentangle this region’s demographic movements and admixture timings. Here, we investigate the spatio-temporal patterns of variation in Wallacea based on genome-wide data from 16 ancient individuals (2600–250 years BP) from the North Moluccas, Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara. While ancestry in the northern islands primarily reflects contact between Austronesian- and Papuan-related groups, ancestry in the southern islands reveals additional contributions from Mainland Southeast Asia that seem to predate the arrival of Austronesians. Admixture time estimates further support multiple and/or continuous admixture involving Papuan- and Asian-related groups throughout Wallacea. Our results clarify previously debated times of admixture and suggest that the Neolithic dispersals into Island Southeast Asia are associated with the spread of multiple genetic ancestries.
This paper focus on chewing betel quid habit that dominantly happen in the Asia to Pacific region. Betel quid leaves traces of reddish-brown colour on the teeth. It was identified that dental stain was very common on teeth of prehistoric skeletal remains, for example in Thailand and Vietnam. Several studies have shown that chewing betel nut can cause diseases in the teeth and oral cavity. The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between betel nut chewing and the emergence of tooth pathology in teeth from the prehistoric population from Lewoleba and Liang Bua. Ten individuals were observed using the macroscopic method. The results showed that consumption of betel nut (based on dental stains) was followed by attrition, periodontitis and even antemortem tooth loss.
The Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology (JICA) is aimed at archaeologists and other scientists with interests in the archaeology and historical ecology of islands and other coastal settings. This bi-annual journal publishes original research papers, major review articles, short notes, occasional book reviews, and forums of significance to a broad international audience. We encourage submissions on a variety of innovative and interdisciplinary topics, including broad syntheses of particular islands or coastal regions around the world, major methodological and theoretical advances in the study of island and coastal societies, and the historical ecology and human impacts of island and coastal ecosystems around the world. JICA provides an international forum for scholars from a variety of disciplines who share a common interest in studying islands, archipelagoes, and coastal regions. It is the goal of the journal to publish high quality, peer-reviewed research papers that contribute to a better understanding of the role islands and coastal regions played in the development of human societies over space and time.
Something interesting about the findings of the human skeleton in Binangun and Leran Prehistoric Burial Sites is the modification of the human teeth that is extremely rare found in prehistoric grave in Java as well as in Indonesia. Such tradition is still practiced in Java and Bali by leveling the top or bottom front teeth (Jawa: pangur tradition). Forms of human teeth of Binangun, Leran 1 and Leran 2 are very unique, teeth of Binangun is tapered while human teeth of Leran 1 and Leran 2 shaped like a flower bud. Anatomically the shape of teeth can be altered by a person in the habit of using his teeth. But variations in tooth shape as found in individuals in the Binangun and Leran sites, Rembang regency, Central Java province, in general is the result of a tribal culture.
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