The Shoulder Girdle of KSD-VP-1/1

Melillo, Stephanie M.

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-7429-1_6

Cited by 14 publications

(43 citation statements)

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“…Although our analysis lacks juvenile anthropoid data (DIK‐1‐1 is a juvenile), since Alemseged et al () compared juveniles and adults in their multivariate analysis of DIK‐1‐1, we argue that it is appropriate to also include DIK‐1‐1 here. Importantly, previous analyses (Alemseged et al, ; Churchill et al, ; Green & Alemseged, ; Haile‐Selassie et al, ; Melillo, ) compared fossil taxa only to extant hominoids, whereas we have included nonhominoid anthropoids in our analysis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early hominids also appear to have lacked an African ape‐like, funnel‐shaped thoracic cage (Latimer, Lovejoy, Spurlock, & Haile‐Selassie, ). The most complete scapulae of Australopithecus also show much more affinity with Homo (Melillo, ) and Gorilla than with Pan , further suggesting a cautious ABQ hominoid LCA. Taken together, this suggests that the human‐African ape LCA was a cautious, clambering ABQ, from which chimpanzees have diverged precipitously to become substantially more suspensory, a likely product of their high canopy ripe fruit feeding strategy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Many are taken from Ashton and Oxnard (), and were chosen to reflect the relative length and angulation of important muscle attachment sites. Additional angles (GMA, GSA, SMA, SAA) were adopted from those of other authors to allow comparisons with more recent analyses (e. g, Churchill et al, ; Green & Alemseged, ; Haile‐Selassie et al, ; Melillo, ). Fossil hominid scapulae were measured from published images.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both original descriptions for Au . sediba and the DIK‐1‐1 specimen argue that they resemble the scapulae of chimpanzees or gorillas, whereas KSD‐VP‐1/1g was described as being more similar to humans than African apes (Melillo, ). Despite the dissimilarity of these two genera, their morphology has been argued to be evidence for arboreal behavior in these species (Alemseged et al, ; Churchill et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolution of the hominoid scapula and its implications for earliest hominid locomotion

Selby

Lovejoy

2017

American J Phys Anthropol

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Most scapular features can be explained by only two primary changes: (1) reduction in mediolateral breadth and (2) change in the glenoid position relative to the vertebral border with increased reliance on suspension, which led to a more cranially angled scapular spine. Virtually all other scapular traits appear to be byproducts of these two changes. Based on fossil morphology, hominids were derived from a last common ancestor primarily adapted for clambering and not for suspension. Scapular form in early hominids such as Australopithecus is therefore primitive and largely reflects the genus's general clambering heritage.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evolution of the hominoid scapula and its implications for earliest hominid locomotion

Selby

Lovejoy

2017

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…We used Mitutoyo™ digital calipers to collect standard osteometric linear measurements and collected standard osteometric angular measurements with SPI™ 0–180° protractors (e.g., Been, Barash, Marom, Aizenberg, & Kramer, ; Corruccini, ; Digiovanni, Scoles, & Latimer, ; Drapeau, Ward, Kimbel, Johanson, & Rak, ; Haile‐Selassie et al, ; Heinrich, Rose, Leakey, & Walker, ; Holliday, ; Latimer & Ward, ; Martin, ; Martin & Saller, ; McHenry, ; McHenry, Brown, & McHenry, ; McHenry & Corruccini, ; Melillo, ; O'Higgins, Milne, Johnson, Runnion, & Oxnard, ; Sanders, ; Shapiro, ; Whitcome, Shapiro, & Lieberman, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hominin vertebrae and upper limb bone fossils from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa (1998–2003 excavations)

Pickering

Heaton

Clarke

et al. 2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: We provide descriptions and functional interpretations of 11 >2.0 Ma hominin vertebral and upper limb fossils from Sterkfontein. Materials and methods:We employed taphonomic methods to describe postmortem damage observed on the fossils. We used osteometric tools and measurements to generate quantitative descriptions, which were added to qualitative descriptions of the fossils. These observations were then interpreted using published data on the same skeletal elements from extant and extinct hominoid taxa.Results: Six of the fossils carry carnivore tooth marks. Two vertebrae show morphologies that are consistent with fully developed lordosis of the lumbar spine, but which are not completely consistent with bipedal loading of the same intensity and/or frequency as reflected in the lumbars of modern humans. A clavicle shows a combination of humanlike and apelike features, the latter of which would have endowed its hominin with good climbing abilities. When combined, analyses of fragmentary radius and ulna fossils yield more ambiguous results. Discussion:The new fossil collection presents a mix of bipedal and climbing features. It is unclear whether this mix indicates that all Sterkfontein hominins of >2.0 Ma were terrestrial bipeds who retained adaptations for climbing or whether the collection samples two differently adapted, coeval hominins, Australopithecus africanus and Australopithecus prometheus, both of which are represented at Sterkfontein by skull remains. Regardless, the significant frequency of tooth-marked fossils in the sample might indicate that predation was a selection pressure that maintained climbing adaptations in at least some Sterkfontein hominins of this period.

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The Spinal Cord in Hominin Evolution

Meyer

2016

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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Spinal cord dimensions increased in both relative and absolute terms during the course of hominin evolution. Recent discoveries demonstrate the presence of a fully developed human‐sized cervical spinal cord in Australopithecus afarensis at 3.6 million years before present (Ma) and in the cervical and thoracic regions of Homo erectus at 1.8 Ma. The fossil evidence suggests that these hominins possessed a fully human‐like postcranial neurological substrate for precision coordination of the arm and hand, corroborated by corresponding skeletal anatomy of the hand and shoulder, as well as discoveries of penecontemporaneous lithic use and putative throwing manuports in the archaeological record. These new fossils provide insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of sophisticated manual behaviours, and overturn prior thinking on the evolution of the central nervous system in the human lineage, indicating that the evolution of the hominin spinal cord was completed well in advance of advances in brain size. Key Concepts The brain and spinal cord are both larger in humans than those of the African great apes. New Australopithecus afarensis fossils from Woranso‐Mille, Ethiopia, demonstrate that hominin cervical spinal cord enlargement was completed by at least 3.6 million years ago. Evidence from Homo erectus now shows that hominin thoracic spinal cord enlargement was completed by at least 1.8 million years ago. These new discoveries reveal the neurological capability for fine‐motor coordination of the arm, hand, and thoracic muscles in our smaller brained ancestors. It is now apparent that spinal cord expansion was completed prior to brain size expansion in the human lineage.

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The Shoulder Girdle of KSD-VP-1/1

Cited by 14 publications

References 92 publications

Evolution of the hominoid scapula and its implications for earliest hominid locomotion

Evolution of the hominoid scapula and its implications for earliest hominid locomotion

Hominin vertebrae and upper limb bone fossils from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa (1998–2003 excavations)

The Spinal Cord in Hominin Evolution

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