The thigh and leg of Homo naledi

Marchi, Damiano; Walker, Christopher S.; Wei, Pianpian; Holliday, Trenton W.; Churchill, Steven E.; Berger, Lee; DeSilva, Jeremy M.

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.09.005

Cited by 54 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(65 reference statements)

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“…sediba and derived traits shared either with H. rudolfensis or with archaic and modern humans. Even though H. naledi crania are most similar in shape to the smallest H. erectus crania from Dmanisi (Schroeder et al, 2017), they are distinct from the Dmanisi sample in numerous aspects of cranial, dental, and postcranial morphology (Berger et al, 2015; Laird et al, 2017; Marchi et al, 2017; Feuerriegel et al, 2017; Rightmire et al, 2017), and Bayesian analysis of cranial and dental morphology provides strong evidence against the hypothesis of a sister taxon relationship for these samples (Dembo et al, 2016). In summary, no traits link H. naledi exclusively or specifically with H. erectus , and many traits distinguish the two.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…sediba , and features otherwise known in Homo , including Plio-Pleistocene H. erectus and fossils attributed to Homo sp. indet., such as KNM-ER 1472 and KNM-ER 1481 (Figure 28; Marchi et al, 2017). The femoral remains from the 102a locality share this mosaic of features, including: a marked linea aspera, with a weak pilaster in U.W.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…102a-001 specimen limits the accuracy of an estimate of anteversion, but at 115 degrees, this estimate is within the range for the Dinaledi specimens. The most distinctive feature of the H. naledi proximal femur is the presence of two mediolaterally oriented pillars on the superior femur neck, separated by a medially positioned shallow and vascularized groove where m. obturator internus and gemelli insert (Marchi et al, 2017). This configuration is not seen in other hominin species.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The U.W. 101–484 tibia specimen from the Dinaledi Chamber is also long and relatively narrow, and has an estimated length greater than that of the D3901 tibia from Dmanisi (Marchi et al, 2017). Several very thick, large femora have been attributed to H. erectus from the Early Pleistocene of Africa; these are very different from U.W.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No derived features of the H. naledi skeleton require a close or exclusive relationship with modern humans. Overall, H. naledi resembles more primitive species of Homo such as H. erectus, H. habilis, or H. rudolfensis much more than it resembles archaic or modern humans (Berger et al, 2015; Laird et al, 2017; Marchi et al, 2017; Feuerriegel et al, 2017; Williams et al, 2016; Schroeder et al, 2017). H. naledi does, however, possess a number of derived features that are otherwise known only from modern humans and Neandertals (Supplementary file 1; Figures 34 and 35; Berger et al, 2015; Dembo et al, 2016; Kivell et al, 2015; Harcourt-Smith et al, 2015; Williams et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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New fossil remains of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber, South Africa

Hawks

Elliott

Schmid

et al. 2017

eLife

122

119

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The Rising Star cave system has produced abundant fossil hominin remains within the Dinaledi Chamber, representing a minimum of 15 individuals attributed to Homo naledi. Further exploration led to the discovery of hominin material, now comprising 131 hominin specimens, within a second chamber, the Lesedi Chamber. The Lesedi Chamber is far separated from the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave system, and represents a second depositional context for hominin remains. In each of three collection areas within the Lesedi Chamber, diagnostic skeletal material allows a clear attribution to H. naledi. Both adult and immature material is present. The hominin remains represent at least three individuals based upon duplication of elements, but more individuals are likely present based upon the spatial context. The most significant specimen is the near-complete cranium of a large individual, designated LES1, with an endocranial volume of approximately 610 ml and associated postcranial remains. The Lesedi Chamber skeletal sample extends our knowledge of the morphology and variation of H. naledi, and evidence of H. naledi from both recovery localities shows a consistent pattern of differentiation from other hominin species.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24232.001

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 3 more Smart Citations

New fossil remains of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber, South Africa

Hawks

Elliott

Schmid

et al. 2017

eLife

122

119

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Morphology of the Homo naledi femora from Lesedi

Walker

Cofran

Grabowski

et al. 2019

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: The femoral remains recovered from the Lesedi Chamber are among the most complete South African fossil hominin femora discovered to date and offer new and valuable insights into the anatomy and variation of the bone in Homo naledi.While the femur is one of the best represented postcranial elements in the H. naledi assemblage from the Dinaledi Chamber, the fragmentary and commingled nature of the Dinaledi femoral remains has impeded the assessment of this element in its complete state. Materials and methods: Here we analyze and provide descriptions of three new relatively well-preserved femoral specimens of H. naledi from the Lesedi Chamber: U.W. 102a-001, U.W. 102a-003, and U.W. 102a-004. These femora are quantitatively and qualitatively compared to multiple extinct hominin femoral specimens, extant hominid taxa, and, where possible, each other. Results: The Lesedi femora are morphologically similar to the Dinaledi femora for all overlapping regions, with differences limited to few traits of presently unknown significance. The Lesedi distal femur and mid-diaphysis preserve anatomy previously unidentified or unconfirmed in the species, including an anteroposteriorly expanded midshaft and anteriorly expanded patellar surface. The hypothesis that the Lesedi femoral sample may represent two individuals is supported. Discussion: The Lesedi femora increase the range of variation of femoral morphology in H. naledi. Newly described features of the diaphysis and distal femur are either taxonomically uninformative or Homo-like. Overall, these three new femora are consistent with previous functional interpretations of the H. naledi lower limb as belonging to a species adapted for long distance walking and, possibly, running. K E Y W O R D S bipedal locomotion, hominin, Rising Star, thigh

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Comparative morphometric analyses of the deciduous molars of Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa

Brophy

Moggi‐Cecchi

Matthews

et al. 2020

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: The purpose of this study is to help elucidate the taxonomic relationship between Homo naledi and other hominins. Materials and Methods: Homo naledi deciduous maxillary and mandibular molars from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa were compared to those of Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus afarensis, Paranthropus robustus, Paranthropus boisei, early Homo sp., Homo erectus, early Homo sapiens, Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens, recent southern African H. sapiens, and Neanderthals by means of morphometric analyses of crown outlines and relative cusp areas. The crown shapes were analyzed using elliptical Fourier analyses followed by principal component analyses (PCA). The absolute and relative cusp areas were obtained in ImageJ and compared using PCA and cluster analyses. Results: PCA suggests that the crown shapes and relative cusp areas of mandibular molars are more diagnostic than the maxillary molars. The H. naledi deciduous mandibular first and second molar (dm 1 and dm 2) do not have a strong affinity to any taxon in the comparative sample in all analyses. While the H. naledi dm 2 plots as an outlier in the relative cusp analysis, the H. naledi specimen fall closest to Australopithecus due to their relatively large metaconid, a primitive trait for the genus Homo. Although useful for differentiating Neanderthals from recent southern African H. sapiens and UP H. sapiens, the PCA of the relative cusp areas suggests that the deciduous maxillary second molars (dm 2) do not differentiate other groups. The three H. naledi dm 2 cuspal areas are variable and fall within the ranges of other Homo, as well as Australopithecus, and Paranthropus suggesting weak diagnostic utility. Discussion: This research provides another perspective on the morphology of, and variation within, H. naledi. The H. naledi deciduous molars do not consistently align with any genus or species in the comparative sample in either the crown shape or relative cusp analyses. This line of inquiry is consistent with other cranial and postcranial studies suggesting that H. naledi is unique.

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The thigh and leg of Homo naledi

Cited by 54 publications

References 67 publications

New fossil remains of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber, South Africa

New fossil remains of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber, South Africa

Morphology of the Homo naledi femora from Lesedi

Comparative morphometric analyses of the deciduous molars of Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa

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