41 results on '"Christoph P. E. Zollikofer"'
Search Results
2. Human shoulder development is adapted to obstetrical constraints
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Mikaze Kawada, Masato Nakatsukasa, Takeshi Nishimura, Akihisa Kaneko, Naomichi Ogihara, Shigehito Yamada, Walter Coudyzer, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Marcia S. Ponce de León, and Naoki Morimoto
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musculoskeletal diseases ,Risk ,Shoulder ,Multidisciplinary ,Pan troglodytes ,OBSTETRICAL DILEMMA ,Parturition ,Macaca fuscata ,Fetal Development ,Pregnancy ,ONTOGENETIC ALLOMETRY ,Animals ,Humans ,Female ,Shoulder Dystocia ,CHILDBIRTH ,human activities - Abstract
In humans, obstetrical difficulties arise from the large head and broad shoulders of the neonate relative to the maternal birth canal. Various characteristics of human cranial development, such as the relatively small head of neonates compared with adults and the delayed fusion of the metopic suture, have been suggested to reflect developmental adaptations to obstetrical constraints. On the other hand, it remains unknown whether the shoulders of humans also exhibit developmental features reflecting obstetrical adaptation. Here we address this question by tracking the development of shoulder width from fetal to adult stages in humans, chimpanzees, and Japanese macaques. Compared with nonhuman primates, shoulder development in humans follows a different trajectory, exhibiting reduced growth relative to trunk length before birth and enhanced growth after birth. This indicates that the perinatal developmental characteristics of the shoulders likely evolved to ease obstetrical difficulties such as shoulder dystocia in humans., ヒトは小さく生まれて大きく育つ --その秘密は鎖骨にあり--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-04-13.
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- 2022
3. Human bony labyrinth is an indicator of population history and dispersal from Africa
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Marco Milella, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, John David Weissmann, Toetik Koesbardiati, Gen Suwa, Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Carlos S Reyna-Blanco, Tim D. White, Osamu Kondo, Marcia S. Ponce de León, University of Zurich, and White, Tim D
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10207 Department of Anthropology ,0301 basic medicine ,History ,Corrections ,Imaging ,Human Genome Project ,Stabilizing selection ,Tomography ,History, Ancient ,Comparative ,bony labyrinth ,human dispersals ,morphometrics ,stabilizing selection ,Pediatric ,education.field_of_study ,Multidisciplinary ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Ear ,Biological Evolution ,X-Ray Computed ,Anatomy, Comparative ,Phenotype ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Anatomy ,Primates ,Cephalometry ,Human Migration ,Population ,Biology ,Ancient ,Bony labyrinth ,03 medical and health sciences ,Imaging, Three-Dimensional ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Inner ear ,education ,Local adaptation ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Phenotypic plasticity ,Inner ,030104 developmental biology ,Ancient DNA ,Evolutionary biology ,Ear, Inner ,Three-Dimensional ,Africa ,Biological dispersal ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed - Abstract
The dispersal of modern humans from Africa is now well documented with genetic data that track population history, as well as gene flow between populations. Phenetic skeletal data, such as cranial and pelvic morphologies, also exhibit a dispersal-from-Africa signal, which, however, tends to be blurred by the effects of local adaptation and in vivo phenotypic plasticity, and that is often deteriorated by postmortem damage to skeletal remains. These complexities raise the question of which skeletal structures most effectively track neutral population history. The cavity system of the inner ear (the so-called bony labyrinth) is a good candidate structure for such analyses. It is already fully formed by birth, which minimizes postnatal phenotypic plasticity, and it is generally well preserved in archaeological samples. Here we use morphometric data of the bony labyrinth to show that it is a surprisingly good marker of the global dispersal of modern humans from Africa. Labyrinthine morphology tracks genetic distances and geography in accordance with an isolation-by-distance model with dispersal from Africa. Our data further indicate that the neutral-like pattern of variation is compatible with stabilizing selection on labyrinth morphology. Given the increasingly important role of the petrous bone for ancient DNA recovery from archaeological specimens, we encourage researchers to acquire 3D morphological data of the inner ear structures before any invasive sampling. Such data will constitute an important archive of phenotypic variation in present and past populations, and will permit individual-based genotype-phenotype comparisons.
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- 2018
4. Evidence for independent brain and neurocranial reorganization during hominin evolution
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William D. Hopkins, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, and José Luis Alatorre Warren
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Pan troglodytes ,Brain reorganization ,Computed tomography ,Biology ,morphological integration ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,human evolution ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,neurocranium ,Bipedalism ,Anterior displacement ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,Cerebellar fossa ,Multidisciplinary ,Gorilla gorilla ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Skull ,Encephalization ,Brain ,Biological Sciences ,Biological Evolution ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,brain reorganization ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Human evolution ,Neurocranium ,Evolutionary biology ,Anthropology ,biomedical imaging ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Significance Human brains differ substantially from those of great apes, and equally important differences exist between their braincases. However, it remains unclear to which extent evolutionary changes in brain structure are related to changes in braincase structure. To study this question, we use combined computed tomography (CT) and MRI head data of humans and chimpanzees and quantify the spatial correlations between brain sulci and cranial sutures. We show that the human brain–braincase relationships are unique compared to chimpanzees and other great apes and that structural rearrangements in the brain and in the braincase emerged independently during human evolution. These data serve as an important frame of reference to identify and quantify evolutionary changes in brain and braincase structures in fossil hominin endocasts., Throughout hominin evolution, the brain of our ancestors underwent a 3-fold increase in size and substantial structural reorganization. However, inferring brain reorganization from fossil hominin neurocrania (=braincases) remains a challenge, above all because comparative data relating brain to neurocranial structures in living humans and great apes are still scarce. Here we use MRI and same-subject spatially aligned computed tomography (CT) and MRI data of humans and chimpanzees to quantify the spatial relationships between these structures, both within and across species. Results indicate that evolutionary changes in brain and neurocranial structures are largely independent of each other. The brains of humans compared to chimpanzees exhibit a characteristic posterior shift of the inferior pre- and postcentral gyri, indicative of reorganization of the frontal opercular region. Changes in human neurocranial structure do not reflect cortical reorganization. Rather, they reflect constraints related to increased encephalization and obligate bipedalism, resulting in relative enlargement of the parietal bones and anterior displacement of the cerebellar fossa. This implies that the relative position and size of neurocranial bones, as well as overall endocranial shape (e.g., globularity), should not be used to make inferences about evolutionary changes in the relative size or reorganization of adjacent cortical regions of fossil hominins.
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- 2019
5. The primitive brain of early
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Marcia S, Ponce de León, Thibault, Bienvenu, Assaf, Marom, Silvano, Engel, Paul, Tafforeau, José Luis, Alatorre Warren, David, Lordkipanidze, Iwan, Kurniawan, Delta Bayu, Murti, Rusyad Adi, Suriyanto, Toetik, Koesbardiati, and Christoph P E, Zollikofer
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Fossils ,Africa ,Skull ,Asia, Western ,Animals ,Brain ,Humans ,Hominidae ,Biological Evolution ,Frontal Lobe - Abstract
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
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- 2019
6. Variation of bony labyrinthine morphology in Mio-Plio-Pleistocene and modern anthropoids
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Masato Nakatsukasa, Gen Suwa, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Tomohiko Sasaki, Hidemi Ishida, Naoki Morimoto, Yutaka Kunimatsu, Marcia S. Ponce de León, University of Zurich, and Morimoto, Naoki
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10207 Department of Anthropology ,Old World ,Biology ,Oreopithecus ,Anthropology, Physical ,Bony labyrinth ,stomatognathic system ,Ardipithecus ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Inner ear ,Phylogeny ,Aegyptopithecus ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Fossils ,Plio-Pleistocene ,Haplorhini ,2702 Anatomy ,biology.organism_classification ,Biological Evolution ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Australopithecus ,Evolutionary biology ,Anthropology ,Ear, Inner ,3314 Anthropology ,Anatomy - Abstract
Objectives The bony labyrinth of the inner ear has special relevance when tracking phenotypic evolution because it is often well preserved in fossil and modern primates. Here we track the evolution of the bony labyrinth of anthropoid primates during the Mio−Plio−Pleistocene—the time period that gave rise to the extant great apes and humans. Materials and Methods We use geometric morphometrics to analyze labyrinthine morphology in a wide range of extant and fossil anthropoids, including New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans; fossil taxa are represented by Aegyptopithecus, Microcolobus, Epipliopithecus, Nacholapithecus, Oreopithecus, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, and Homo. Results Our results show that the morphology of the anthropoid bony labyrinth conveys a statistically significant phylogenetic signal especially at the family level. The bony labyrinthine morphology of anthropoids is also in part associated with size, but does not cluster by locomotor adaptations. The Miocene apes examined here, regardless of inferred locomotor behaviors, show labyrinthine morphologies distinct from modern great apes. Discussion Our results suggest that labyrinthine variation contains mixed signals and alternative explanations need to be explored, such as random genetic drift and neutral phenotypic evolution, as well as developmental constraints. The observed pattern in fossil and extant hominoids also suggests that an additional factor, for example, prenatal brain development, could have potentially had a larger role in the evolutionary modification of the bony labyrinth than hitherto recognized.
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- 2019
7. Reconstructing the Neanderthal brain using computational anatomy
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Osamu Kondo, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Kunihiro Hasegawa, Hiromasa Suzuki, Takeru Akazawa, Markus Bastir, Takanori Kochiyama, Chris Stringer, Norihiro Sadato, Hideki Amano, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Naomichi Ogihara, University of Zurich, Ogihara, Naomichi, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan), Swiss National Science Foundation, and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
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0301 basic medicine ,10207 Department of Anthropology ,Cerebellum ,Neanderthal ,Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed ,Biological anthropology ,Climate Change ,lcsh:Medicine ,Article ,Social Skills ,03 medical and health sciences ,Executive Function ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cognition ,Imaging, Three-Dimensional ,biology.animal ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,lcsh:Science ,Neanderthals ,Analysis of Variance ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Working memory ,Cerebrum ,Fossils ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,lcsh:R ,Skull ,Cognitive flexibility ,Computational Biology ,Computational anatomy ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Memory, Short-Term ,Archaeology ,nervous system ,Homo sapiens ,Anthropology ,Linear Models ,lcsh:Q ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Algorithms - Abstract
© The Author(s) 2018., The present study attempted to reconstruct 3D brain shape of Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens based on computational neuroanatomy. We found that early Homo sapiens had relatively larger cerebellar hemispheres but a smaller occipital region in the cerebrum than Neanderthals long before the time that Neanderthals disappeared. Further, using behavioural and structural imaging data of living humans, the abilities such as cognitive flexibility, attention, the language processing, episodic and working memory capacity were positively correlated with size-adjusted cerebellar volume. As the cerebellar hemispheres are structured as a large array of uniform neural modules, a larger cerebellum may possess a larger capacity for cognitive information processing. Such a neuroanatomical difference in the cerebellum may have caused important differences in cognitive and social abilities between the two species and might have contributed to the replacement of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens., This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientifc Research on Innovative Areas “Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans: Testing Evolutionary Models of Learning” from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to T.A. (#22101001), N.O. (#22101006), and H.C.T. (#22101007) respectively, and by Swiss NSF grant 31003A_135470 to C.P.E.Z., CGL-2015-63648-P MINECO, Spain to M.B., and Te Calleva Foundation and the Human Origins Research Fund to C.S.
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- 2018
8. Femoral ontogeny in humans and great apes and its implications for their last common ancestor
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Masato Nakatsukasa, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Naoki Morimoto, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, University of Zurich, and Morimoto, Naoki
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0301 basic medicine ,Most recent common ancestor ,10207 Department of Anthropology ,Hominidae ,Ontogeny ,Biological anthropology ,lcsh:Medicine ,Morphology (biology) ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Phylogenetics ,Animals ,Humans ,0601 history and archaeology ,Femur ,lcsh:Science ,Phylogeny ,Ancestor ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Principal Component Analysis ,060101 anthropology ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,lcsh:R ,06 humanities and the arts ,biology.organism_classification ,030104 developmental biology ,Evolutionary biology ,Anthropology ,lcsh:Q ,Diaphyses ,Knuckle-walking - Abstract
Inferring the morphology of the last common ancestor of humans, chimpanzees and gorillas is a matter of ongoing debate. Recent findings and reassessment of fossil hominins leads to the hypothesis that the last common ancestor was not extant African ape-like. However, an African great-ape-like ancestor with knuckle walking features still remains plausible and the most parsimonious scenario. Here we address this question via an evolutionary developmental approach, comparing taxon-specific patterns of shape change of the femoral diaphysis from birth to adulthood in great apes, humans, and macaques. While chimpanzees and gorillas exhibit similar locomotor behaviors, our data provide evidence for distinct ontogenetic trajectories, indicating independent evolutionary histories of femoral ontogeny. Our data further indicate that anthropoid primates share a basic pattern of femoral diaphyseal ontogeny that reflects shared developmental constraints. Humans escaped from these constraints via differential elongation of femur., ヒトの祖先はチンパンジーやゴリラには似ていない --発生パターンの比較から二足歩行の起源に迫る--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2018-02-01.
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- 2018
9. Effects of cranial integration on hominid endocranial shape
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Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Thibaut Bienvenu, Marcia S. Ponce de León, University of Zurich, and Zollikofer, Christoph P E
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Male ,0301 basic medicine ,10207 Department of Anthropology ,Histology ,Morphology (biology) ,Biology ,2722 Histology ,1309 Developmental Biology ,1307 Cell Biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Globular shape ,medicine ,1312 Molecular Biology ,Animals ,Humans ,10. No inequality ,Molecular Biology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Skull Base ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Skull ,Brain morphometry ,Age Factors ,Brain ,Hominidae ,Original Articles ,Cell Biology ,Anatomy ,2702 Anatomy ,Biological Evolution ,030104 developmental biology ,Brain growth ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,1105 Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Viscerocranium ,Neurocranium ,Female ,Small face ,Endocast ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Because brains do not fossilize, the internal surface of the braincase (endocast) serves as an important source of information about brain growth, development, and evolution. Recent studies of endocranial morphology and development in great apes, fossil hominins, and modern humans have revealed taxon-specific differences. However, it remains to be investigated to which extent differences in endocranial morphology reflect differences in actual brain morphology and development, and to which extent they reflect different interactions of the brain and its case with the cranial base and face. Here we address this question by analyzing the effects of cranial integration on endocranial morphology. We test the 'spatial packing' and 'facial orientation' hypotheses, which propose that size and orientation of the neurocranium relative to the viscerocranium influence endocranial shape. Results show that a substantial proportion of endocranial shape variation along and across ontogenetic trajectories is due to cranial integration. Specifically, the uniquely globular shape of the human endocast mainly results from the combination of an exceptionally large brain with a comparatively small face. Overall, thus, cranial integration has pervasive effects on endocranial morphology, and only a comparatively small proportion of inter- and intra-taxon variation can directly be associated with variation in brain morphology.
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- 2017
10. A Stable Finite-Difference Scheme for Population Growth and Diffusion on a Map
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Simone Callegari, John David Weissmann, George Lake, Natalie Tkachenko, Wesley P. Petersen, and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
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0301 basic medicine ,Atmospheric Science ,Diffusion equation ,Paleoclimate ,lcsh:Medicine ,Population dispersal ,030105 genetics & heredity ,Diffusion ,Neumann boundary condition ,Population growth ,lcsh:Science ,Productivity ,Climatology ,education.field_of_study ,Numerical Analysis ,Multidisciplinary ,Geography ,Ecology ,Physics ,Solver ,Emigration and Immigration ,Computer simulation ,Finite element method ,Paleogeography ,Physical Sciences ,Carrying Capacity ,Map ,Geology ,Algorithms ,Research Article ,Human ,Optimization ,Ecological Metrics ,Population ,Finite Element Analysis ,03 medical and health sciences ,Population Metrics ,Carrying capacity ,Applied mathematics ,Humans ,education ,Paleoclimatology ,Population Density ,Traveling Waves ,Population Biology ,Western Hemisphere ,Numerical analysis ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,lcsh:R ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Paleontology ,Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted ,Upper Pleistocene ,Interpolation ,030104 developmental biology ,Linear Models ,Waves ,Earth Sciences ,lcsh:Q ,Paleoecology ,Paleobiology ,Paleogenetics ,World map ,Mathematics - Abstract
We describe a general Godunov-type splitting for numerical simulations of the Fisher–Kolmogorov–Petrovski–Piskunov growth and diffusion equation on a world map with Neumann boundary conditions. The procedure is semi-implicit, hence quite stable. Our principal application for this solver is modeling human population dispersal over geographical maps with changing paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the late Pleistocene. As a proxy for carrying capacity we use Net Primary Productivity (NPP) to predict times for human arrival in the Americas., PLoS ONE, 12 (1), ISSN:1932-6203
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- 2017
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11. Individual-based modelling of population growth and diffusion in discrete time
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Wesley P. Petersen, Simone Callegari, John David Weissmann, Natalie Tkachenko, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, George Lake, University of Zurich, and Tkachenko, Natalie
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0301 basic medicine ,10207 Department of Anthropology ,Population Dynamics ,Social Sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,01 natural sciences ,Human population dynamics ,Quantitative Biology::Populations and Evolution ,Limit (mathematics) ,Statistical physics ,lcsh:Science ,Mathematics ,Mass Diffusivity ,Multidisciplinary ,Continuum (measurement) ,Ecology ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Physics ,Simulation and Modeling ,Chemistry ,Discrete time and continuous time ,Archaeology ,Physical Sciences ,Carrying Capacity ,Research Article ,Ecological Metrics ,1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Research and Analysis Methods ,03 medical and health sciences ,Population Metrics ,1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,0103 physical sciences ,Population growth ,Carrying capacity ,Humans ,010306 general physics ,Population Growth ,Probability ,Population Density ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Traveling Waves ,Chemical Physics ,Population Biology ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,lcsh:R ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Models, Theoretical ,030104 developmental biology ,Archaeological Dating ,Waves ,Biological dispersal ,lcsh:Q ,Constant (mathematics) - Abstract
Individual-based models (IBMs) of human populations capture spatio-temporal dynamics using rules that govern the birth, behavior, and death of individuals. We explore a stochastic IBM of logistic growth-diffusion with constant time steps and independent, simultaneous actions of birth, death, and movement that approaches the Fisher-Kolmogorov model in the continuum limit. This model is well-suited to parallelization on high-performance computers. We explore its emergent properties with analytical approximations and numerical simulations in parameter ranges relevant to human population dynamics and ecology, and reproduce continuous-time results in the limit of small transition probabilities. Our model prediction indicates that the population density and dispersal speed are affected by fluctuations in the number of individuals. The discrete-time model displays novel properties owing to the binomial character of the fluctuations: in certain regimes of the growth model, a decrease in time step size drives the system away from the continuum limit. These effects are especially important at local population sizes of, PLoS ONE, 12 (4), ISSN:1932-6203
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- 2017
12. Mammalian skull heterochrony reveals modular evolution and a link between cranial development and brain size
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Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra, Nguyen Truong Son, Analía M. Forasiepi, Naoki Morimoto, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Daisuke Koyabu, Hideki Endo, Junpei Kimura, Satoshi D. Ohdachi, Ingmar Werneburg, University of Zurich, and Koyabu, Daisuke
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10207 Department of Anthropology ,0106 biological sciences ,General Physics and Astronomy ,1600 General Chemistry ,10125 Paleontological Institute and Museum ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Osteogenesis ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Endochondral ossification ,030304 developmental biology ,Mammals ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Ossification ,Skull ,Encephalization ,Brain ,General Chemistry ,Anatomy ,Evolution of mammals ,Biological Evolution ,3100 General Physics and Astronomy ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,560 Fossils & prehistoric life ,Neurocranium ,Brain size ,medicine.symptom ,Heterochrony - Abstract
The multiple skeletal components of the skull originate asynchronously and their developmental schedule varies across amniotes. Here we present the embryonic ossification sequence of 134 species, covering all major groups of mammals and their close relatives. This comprehensive data set allows reconstruction of the heterochronic and modular evolution of the skull and the condition of the last common ancestor of mammals. We show that the mode of ossification (dermal or endochondral) unites bones into integrated evolutionary modules of heterochronic changes and imposes evolutionary constraints on cranial heterochrony. However, some skull-roof bones, such as the supraoccipital, exhibit evolutionary degrees of freedom in these constraints. Ossification timing of the neurocranium was considerably accelerated during the origin of mammals. Furthermore, association between developmental timing of the supraoccipital and brain size was identified among amniotes. We argue that cranial heterochrony in mammals has occurred in concert with encephalization but within a conserved modular organization., The skeletal components of the skull develop at different times in mammals. Here, Koyabu et al. show that the mode of bone ossification constrains the timing of bone formation and find an association between the developmental timing of the supraoccipital bone and brain size.
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- 2014
13. Reply to Mitteroecker and Fischer: Developmental solutions to the obstetrical dilemma are not Gouldian spandrels
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Marcia S. Ponce de León, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Alik Huseynov, and University of Zurich
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10207 Department of Anthropology ,0106 biological sciences ,Adult ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Pelvis ,03 medical and health sciences ,Visual guidance ,Humans ,Animals ,Letters ,Female pelvis ,030304 developmental biology ,Statistical hypothesis testing ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Replicate ,Biological Evolution ,Obstetrics ,Variation (linguistics) ,Obstetrical dilemma ,Finches ,Psychology ,Cognitive psychology - Abstract
In our study on human pelvic development (1), we propose two hypotheses explaining the narrowing of the female pelvis during postreproductive life. Hypothesis 1 proposes ultimate, evolutionary causes, reflecting selective pressures acting on postreproductive life. Hypothesis 2 proposes proximate, developmental causes, reflecting reduced estrogen levels during postreproductive life. Mitteroecker and Fischer (2) replicate one part of our study—that concerning adult pelvic development—with an independent dataset, taking into account age effects on pelvic shape variation not considered in their earlier study (3). (Note that the smoothing functions used in our study only serve for visual guidance, not for statistical testing.) Rather than testing our hypotheses (1) with new … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: marcia{at}aim.uzh.ch. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
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- 2016
14. Skeletal correlates of quadrupedalism and climbing in the anthropoid forelimb: Implications for inferring locomotion in Miocene catarrhines
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Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Thomas R. Rein, and Terry Harrison
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Male ,Arboreal locomotion ,Humeral torsion ,Ulna ,Models, Biological ,Finger Phalanges ,Phylogenetics ,Quadrupedalism ,Catarrhini ,Forelimb ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Least-Squares Analysis ,Phylogeny ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Pliopithecus ,biology ,Phylogenetic tree ,Fossils ,Paleontology ,Haplorhini ,Anatomy ,Humerus ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Anthropology ,Climbing ,Female ,Locomotion - Abstract
Several well-known Miocene catarrhines, including Proconsul heseloni, have been inferred to combine quadrupedal walking in an arboreal substrate with a significant amount of climbing during locomotion. The degree to which some of these species were adapted to perform these behaviors is not fully understood due to the mosaic of 'ape-like' and 'monkey-like' traits identified in the forelimb. Given these unique combinations of forelimb features in the fossils, we report on forelimb traits that should be emphasized when investigating skeletal adaptation to quadrupedalism (defined in this manuscript as symmetrical gait movement on horizontal supports, excluding knuckle-walking) and climbing (including both vertical climbing and clambering). We investigate the correspondence between: 1) quadrupedalism and two well-known forelimb traits, humeral torsion and olecranon process length, and 2) climbing and phalangeal curvature. We also test the degree of phylogenetic signal in these relationships using phylogenetic generalized least-squares and branch length transformation methods in order to determine the models of best-fit. We present models that can be used to predict proportions of quadrupedalism and climbing in extant and extinct anthropoid taxa. Each trait-behavior correlation is significant and characterized by an absence of phylogenetic signal. Thus, we employ models assuming a star phylogeny to predict locomotor proportions. The climbing model based on phalangeal curvature and a proxy for size provides the most accurate predictions of behavior across anthropoids. The two quadrupedalism models are less accurate, but distinguish highly quadrupedal species from those that are not. Predictive equations based on these traits support the inference that P. heseloni performed a high proportion of quadrupedalism with a significant climbing component. The degree of phalangeal curvature measured in Pliopithecus vindobonensis predicts that this Miocene catarrhine species performed a proportion of climbing similar to Proconsul, while humeral torsion and olecranon process length provide conflicting inferences of quadrupedal locomotion in this species.
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- 2011
15. Femoral Morphology and Femoropelvic Musculoskeletal Anatomy of Humans and Great Apes: A Comparative Virtopsy Study
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Naoki Morimoto, Takeshi Nishimura, Marcia S. Ponce de León, and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
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Histology ,Pan troglodytes ,Vastus lateralis muscle ,Gorilla ,Biology ,Pelvis ,Pongo pygmaeus ,Virtopsy ,biology.animal ,Muscle attachment ,Animals ,Humans ,Whole Body Imaging ,Femur ,Muscle, Skeletal ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Gorilla gorilla ,Osteology ,Anatomy ,Comparative anatomy ,musculoskeletal system ,Adaptation, Physiological ,Homo sapiens ,Autopsy ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,Biotechnology - Abstract
The proximal femoral morphology of fossil hominins is routinely interpreted in terms of muscular topography and associated locomotor modes. However, the detailed correspondence between hard and soft tissue structures in the proximal femoral region of extant great apes is relatively unknown, because dissection protocols typically do not comprise in-depth osteological descriptions. Here, we use computed tomography and virtopsy (virtual dissection) for non-invasive examination of the femoropelvic musculoskeletal anatomy in Pan troglodytes, P. paniscus, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus, and Homo sapiens. Specifically, we analyze the topographic relationship between muscle attachment sites and surface structures of the proximal femoral shaft such as the lateral spiral pilaster. Our results show that the origin of the vastus lateralis muscle is anterior to the insertion of gluteus maximus in all examined great ape specimens and humans. In gorillas and orangutans, the insertion of gluteus maximus is on the inferior (anterolateral) side of the lateral spiral pilaster. In chimpanzees, however, the maximus insertion is on its superior (posteromedial) side, similar to the situation in modern humans. These findings support the hypothesis that chimpanzees and humans exhibit a shared-derived musculoskeletal topography of the proximal femoral region, irrespective of their different locomotor modes, whereas gorillas and orangutans represent the primitive condition. Caution is thus warranted when inferring locomotor behavior from the surface topography of the proximal femur of fossil hominins, as the morphology of this region may contain a strong phyletic signal that tends to blur locomotor adaptation.
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- 2011
16. The evolution of hominin ontogenies
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Marcia S. Ponce de León and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
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Fossils ,Skull ,Brain ,Paleontology ,Hominidae ,Morphology (biology) ,Cell Biology ,Biological evolution ,Models, Theoretical ,Biology ,Biological Evolution ,Anthropology, Physical ,Extant taxon ,Evolutionary biology ,Paleoanthropology ,Animals ,Humans ,Tooth ,Phylogeny ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Since the beginnings of paleoanthropology, immature fossil hominin specimens have marked important but highly contested cornerstones of research. Long deemed as not representative of a fossil species' morphology, immature hominins are now in the center of scientific attention, and an increasing interest in evolutionary developmental questions has made developmental paleoanthropology a vibrant field of research. Here we report on recent advances in this field, which result from a combination of new methods to reconstruct fossil ontogenies with insights from evo-devo research on extant species.
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- 2010
17. A Morphogenetic Model of Cranial Pneumatization Based on the Invasive Tissue Hypothesis
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Christoph P. E. Zollikofer and John David Weissmann
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Models, Anatomic ,Mucous tissue ,Empirical data ,Histology ,Craniology ,Model parameters ,Biology ,Models, Biological ,Maxilla ,Morphogenesis ,Animals ,Humans ,Compartment (development) ,Computer Simulation ,Process (anatomy) ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Skull ,Nasopharyngeal cavity ,Genetic Variation ,Temporal Bone ,Hominidae ,Anatomy ,Biological Evolution ,Biomechanical Phenomena ,Physical Concepts ,System parameters ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,Biotechnology - Abstract
The interpretation of patterns of cranial pneumatization in terms of evolution, development, and function is controversial, because these structures exhibit extreme diversity and variability among and within taxa. However, there is general consensus that air-filled spaces are formed by invasion of mucous epithelial tissue from the nasopharyngeal cavity into the surrounding cranial bones. This investigation presents a morphogenetic model of pneumatization, which combines empirical data about epithelial growth with physical concepts of surface growth. The study develops a model that defines growth equations with a minimum number of system parameters to simulate the invasion of mucous tissue and air-filled spaces into the cancellous compartment of cranial bones. Computer simulations show that tuning a small set of model parameters permits generation of a wide diversity of morphologies mimicking natural air-filled spaces. Comparison of virtual with actual morphologies yields new insights into possible factors controlling the process of cranial pneumatization.
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- 2008
18. Neanderthal brain size at birth provides insights into the evolution of human life history
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Lubov Golovanova, Galina Romanova, Hajime Ishida, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Takeru Akazawa, Osamu Kondo, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Vladimir B. Doronichev, and University of Zurich
- Subjects
10207 Department of Anthropology ,Adult ,Neanderthal ,Hominidae ,Biology ,Russia ,Paleontology ,Cave ,biology.animal ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Child ,Skeleton ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,geography ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Syria ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Fossils ,Skull ,Infant, Newborn ,Parturition ,Brain ,Infant ,Organ Size ,Human brain ,Biological Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Biological Evolution ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Homo sapiens ,Evolutionary biology ,Child, Preschool ,Brain size ,Obstetrical dilemma ,Female ,Homo erectus - Abstract
From birth to adulthood, the human brain expands by a factor of 3.3, compared with 2.5 in chimpanzees [DeSilva J and Lesnik J (2006) Chimpanzee neonatal brain size: Implications for brain growth in Homo erectus. J Hum Evol 51: 207–212]. How the required extra amount of human brain growth is achieved and what its implications are for human life history and cognitive development are still a matter of debate. Likewise, because comparative fossil evidence is scarce, when and how the modern human pattern of brain growth arose during evolution is largely unknown. Virtual reconstructions of a Neanderthal neonate from Mezmaiskaya Cave (Russia) and of two Neanderthal infant skeletons from Dederiyeh Cave (Syria) now provide new comparative insights: Neanderthal brain size at birth was similar to that in recent Homo sapiens and most likely subject to similar obstetric constraints. Neanderthal brain growth rates during early infancy were higher, however. This pattern of growth resulted in larger adult brain sizes but not in earlier completion of brain growth. Because large brains growing at high rates require large, late-maturing, mothers [Leigh SR and Blomquist GE (2007) in Campbell CJ et al. Primates in perspective; pp 396–407], it is likely that Neanderthal life history was similarly slow, or even slower-paced, than in recent H. sapiens .
- Published
- 2008
19. Postcranial evidence from early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia
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Maia Bukhsianidze, Oriol Oms, Lorenzo Rook, Bienvenido Martínez-Navarro, Abesalom Vekua, Alexander Mouskhelishvili, Reid Ferring, Martha Tappen, Medea Nioradze, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, G. Philip Rightmire, Gocha Kiladze, Herman Pontzer, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Ralf Dietrich Kahlke, David Lordkipanidze, Tea Jashashvili, and Jordi Agustí
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Homo naledi ,Multidisciplinary ,Adolescent ,biology ,Fossils ,Hominidae ,Postcrania ,biology.organism_classification ,Georgia (Republic) ,Homo floresiensis ,Paleontology ,Homo habilis ,Homo rudolfensis ,Homo ergaster ,Animals ,Body Size ,Humans ,Leg Bones ,Homo erectus ,History, Ancient ,Locomotion ,Skeleton - Abstract
The Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi, Georgia, has yielded a rich fossil and archaeological record documenting an early presence of the genus Homo outside Africa. Although the craniomandibular morphology of early Homo is well known as a result of finds from Dmanisi and African localities, data about its postcranial morphology are still relatively scarce. Here we describe newly excavated postcranial material from Dmanisi comprising a partial skeleton of an adolescent individual, associated with skull D2700/D2735, and the remains from three adult individuals. This material shows that the postcranial anatomy of the Dmanisi hominins has a surprising mosaic of primitive and derived features. The primitive features include a small body size, a low encephalization quotient and absence of humeral torsion; the derived features include modern-human-like body proportions and lower limb morphology indicative of the capability for long-distance travel. Thus, the earliest known hominins to have lived outside of Africa in the temperate zones of Eurasia did not yet display the full set of derived skeletal features.
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- 2007
20. Peştera cu Oase 2 and the cranial morphology of early modern Europeans
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Mircea Gherase, João Zilhão, Erik Trinkaus, Laurenţiu Sarcinǎ, Hélène Rougier, Ştefan Milota, Oana Teodora Moldovan, Silviu Constantin, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Ricardo Rodrigo, Marcia S. Ponce de León, and Robert G. Franciscus
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Mastoid process ,education.field_of_study ,Multidisciplinary ,Fossils ,Romania ,Occipital bun ,Skull ,Population ,Age Factors ,Mandible ,Paleontology ,Anatomy ,Biological Sciences ,Supraorbital ridge ,Europe ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Neurocranium ,medicine ,Humans ,Facial skeleton ,education ,Phylogeny ,Geology - Abstract
Between 2003 and 2005, the Peştera cu Oase, Romania yielded a largely complete early modern human cranium, Oase 2, scattered on the surface of a Late Pleistocene hydraulically displaced bone bed containing principally the remains of Ursus spelaeus . Multiple lines of evidence indicate an age of ≈40.5 thousand calendar years before the present (≈35 ka 14 C B.P.). Morphological comparison of the adolescent Oase 2 cranium to relevant Late Pleistocene human samples documents a suite of derived modern human and/or non-Neandertal features, including absence of a supraorbital torus, subrectangular orbits, prominent canine fossae, narrow nasal aperture, level nasal floor, angled and anteriorly oriented zygomatic bones, a high neurocranium with prominent parietal bosses and marked sagittal parietal curvature, superiorly positioned temporal zygomatic root, vertical auditory porous, laterally bulbous mastoid processes, superiorly positioned posterior semicircular canal, absence of a nuchal torus and a suprainiac fossa, and a small occipital bun. However, these features are associated with an exceptionally flat frontal arc, a moderately large juxtamastoid eminence, extremely large molars that become progressively larger distally, complex occlusal morphology of the upper third molar, and relatively anteriorly positioned zygomatic arches. Moreover, the featureless occipital region and small mastoid process are at variance with the large facial skeleton and dentition. This unusual mosaic in Oase 2, some of which is paralleled in the Oase 1 mandible, indicates both complex population dynamics as modern humans dispersed into Europe and significant ongoing human evolution once modern humans were established within Europe.
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- 2007
21. Comparative analysis of dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi mandibles
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Ann, Margvelashvili, Christoph P E, Zollikofer, David, Lordkipanidze, Paul, Tafforeau, and Marcia S, Ponce de León
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Tooth Diseases ,Australia ,Animals ,Humans ,Hominidae ,Mandible ,Tooth Wear ,Georgia (Republic) ,Tooth ,Anthropology, Physical - Abstract
Due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in vivo changes in the dentognathic system of early Homo are typically documented at the level of individual fossil specimens, and it remains difficult to draw population-level inferences about dietary habits, diet-related activities and lifestyle from individual patterns of dentognathic alterations. The Plio-Pleistocene hominin sample from Dmanisi (Georgia), dated to 1.77 million years ago, offers a unique opportunity to study in vivo changes in the dentognathic system of individuals belonging to a single paleodeme of early Homo.We analyze dentognathic pathologies in the Dmanisi sample, and in comparative samples of modern Australian and Greenlander hunter-gatherer populations, applying clinical protocols of dentognathic diagnostics.The Dmanisi hominins exhibit a similarly wide diversity and similar incidence of dentognathic pathologies as the modern human hunter-gatherer population samples investigated here. Dmanisi differs from the modern population samples in several respects: At young age tooth wear is already advanced, and pathologies are more prevalent. At old age, hypercementosis is substantial.Results indicate that dentognathic pathologies and disease trajectories are largely similar in early Homo and modern humans, but that the disease load was higher in early Homo, probably as an effect of higher overall stress on the dentognathic system. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:229-253, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Published
- 2015
22. POPULATION GENETICS. Genomic evidence for the Pleistocene and recent population history of Native Americans
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Maanasa, Raghavan, Matthias, Steinrücken, Kelley, Harris, Stephan, Schiffels, Simon, Rasmussen, Michael, DeGiorgio, Anders, Albrechtsen, Cristina, Valdiosera, María C, Ávila-Arcos, Anna-Sapfo, Malaspinas, Anders, Eriksson, Ida, Moltke, Mait, Metspalu, Julian R, Homburger, Jeff, Wall, Omar E, Cornejo, J Víctor, Moreno-Mayar, Thorfinn S, Korneliussen, Tracey, Pierre, Morten, Rasmussen, Paula F, Campos, Peter, de Barros Damgaard, Morten E, Allentoft, John, Lindo, Ene, Metspalu, Ricardo, Rodríguez-Varela, Josefina, Mansilla, Celeste, Henrickson, Andaine, Seguin-Orlando, Helena, Malmström, Thomas, Stafford, Suyash S, Shringarpure, Andrés, Moreno-Estrada, Monika, Karmin, Kristiina, Tambets, Anders, Bergström, Yali, Xue, Vera, Warmuth, Andrew D, Friend, Joy, Singarayer, Paul, Valdes, Francois, Balloux, Ilán, Leboreiro, Jose Luis, Vera, Hector, Rangel-Villalobos, Davide, Pettener, Donata, Luiselli, Loren G, Davis, Evelyne, Heyer, Christoph P E, Zollikofer, Marcia S, Ponce de León, Colin I, Smith, Vaughan, Grimes, Kelly-Anne, Pike, Michael, Deal, Benjamin T, Fuller, Bernardo, Arriaza, Vivien, Standen, Maria F, Luz, Francois, Ricaut, Niede, Guidon, Ludmila, Osipova, Mikhail I, Voevoda, Olga L, Posukh, Oleg, Balanovsky, Maria, Lavryashina, Yuri, Bogunov, Elza, Khusnutdinova, Marina, Gubina, Elena, Balanovska, Sardana, Fedorova, Sergey, Litvinov, Boris, Malyarchuk, Miroslava, Derenko, M J, Mosher, David, Archer, Jerome, Cybulski, Barbara, Petzelt, Joycelynn, Mitchell, Rosita, Worl, Paul J, Norman, Peter, Parham, Brian M, Kemp, Toomas, Kivisild, Chris, Tyler-Smith, Manjinder S, Sandhu, Michael, Crawford, Richard, Villems, David Glenn, Smith, Michael R, Waters, Ted, Goebel, John R, Johnson, Ripan S, Malhi, Mattias, Jakobsson, David J, Meltzer, Andrea, Manica, Richard, Durbin, Carlos D, Bustamante, Yun S, Song, Rasmus, Nielsen, Eske, Willerslev, Raghavan M, Steinrücken M, Harris K, Schiffels S, Rasmussen S, DeGiorgio M, Albrechtsen A, Valdiosera C, Ávila-Arcos MC, Malaspinas AS, Eriksson A, Moltke I, Metspalu M, Homburger JR, Wall J, Cornejo OE, Moreno-Mayar JV, Korneliussen TS, Pierre T, Rasmussen M, Campos PF, Damgaard Pde B, Allentoft ME, Lindo J, Metspalu E, Rodríguez-Varela R, Mansilla J, Henrickson C, Seguin-Orlando A, Malmström H, Stafford T Jr, Shringarpure SS, Moreno-Estrada A, Karmin M, Tambets K, Bergström A, Xue Y, Warmuth V, Friend AD, Singarayer J, Valdes P, Balloux F, Leboreiro I, Vera JL, Rangel-Villalobos H, Pettener D, Luiselli D, Davis LG, Heyer E, Zollikofer CP, Ponce de León MS, Smith CI, Grimes V, Pike KA, Deal M, Fuller BT, Arriaza B, Standen V, Luz MF, Ricaut F, Guidon N, Osipova L, Voevoda MI, Posukh OL, Balanovsky O, Lavryashina M, Bogunov Y, Khusnutdinova E, Gubina M, Balanovska E, Fedorova S, Litvinov S, Malyarchuk B, Derenko M, Mosher MJ, Archer D, Cybulski J, Petzelt B, Mitchell J, Worl R, Norman PJ, Parham P, Kemp BM, Kivisild T, Tyler-Smith C, Sandhu MS, Crawford M, Villems R, Smith DG, Waters MR, Goebel T, Johnson JR, Malhi RS, Jakobsson M, Meltzer DJ, Manica A, Durbin R, Bustamante CD, Song YS, Nielsen R, and Willerslev E
- Subjects
Gene Flow ,Siberia ,Models, Genetic ,Athabascans and Amerindians ,Human Migration ,Genetic history of Native American ,Indians, North American ,Humans ,Genomics ,Americas ,Population genetic ,History, Ancient ,Article - Abstract
How and when the Americas were populated remains contentious. Using ancient and modern genome-wide data, we find that the ancestors of all present-day Native Americans, including Athabascans and Amerindians, entered the Americas as a single migration wave from Siberia no earlier than 23 thousand years ago (KYA), and after no more than 8,000-year isolation period in Beringia. Following their arrival to the Americas, ancestral Native Americans diversified into two basal genetic branches around 13 KYA, one that is now dispersed across North and South America and the other is restricted to North America. Subsequent gene flow resulted in some Native Americans sharing ancestry with present-day East Asians (including Siberians) and, more distantly, Australo-Melanesians. Putative ‘Paleoamerican’ relict populations, including the historical Mexican Pericúes and South American Fuego-Patagonians, are not directly related to modern Australo-Melanesians as suggested by the Paleoamerican Model.
- Published
- 2015
23. The ancestry and affiliations of Kennewick Man
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Ripan S. Malhi, Eske Willerslev, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Ida Moltke, Ludovic Orlando, Morten Rasmussen, Cristina Valdiosera, J. Víctor Moreno-Mayar, Carlos Bustamante, Rasmus Nielsen, Thomas W. Stafford, Morten E. Allentoft, Thorfinn Sand Korneliussen, Hakon Jonsson, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, David J. Meltzer, Martin Sikora, G. David Poznik, Anders Albrechtsen, University of Zurich, and Willerslev, Eske
- Subjects
Cranial morphology ,Male ,Washington ,10207 Department of Anthropology ,common ,Genomic data ,Population ,Biology ,Article ,Polynesians ,HISTORY ,Humans ,Scientific debate ,AMERICA ,education ,POPULATION ,Phylogeny ,Skeleton ,education.field_of_study ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Multidisciplinary ,Native american ,Genome, Human ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Skull ,DNA ,Genomics ,humanities ,GORDON CREEK WOMAN ,GENOME ,common.group ,Indians, North American ,Ethnology ,Americas ,Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act ,Repatriation - Abstract
Kennewick Man, referred to as the Ancient One by Native Americans, is a male human skeleton discovered in Washington state (USA) in 1996 and initially radiocarbon dated to 8,340-9,200 calibrated years before present (BP). His population affinities have been the subject of scientific debate and legal controversy. Based on an initial study of cranial morphology it was asserted that Kennewick Man was neither Native American nor closely related to the claimant Plateau tribes of the Pacific Northwest, who claimed ancestral relationship and requested repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The morphological analysis was important to judicial decisions that Kennewick Man was not Native American and that therefore NAGPRA did not apply. Instead of repatriation, additional studies of the remains were permitted. Subsequent craniometric analysis affirmed Kennewick Man to be more closely related to circumpacific groups such as the Ainu and Polynesians than he is to modern Native Americans. In order to resolve Kennewick Man's ancestry and affiliations, we have sequenced his genome to ∼1× coverage and compared it to worldwide genomic data including for the Ainu and Polynesians. We find that Kennewick Man is closer to modern Native Americans than to any other population worldwide. Among the Native American groups for whom genome-wide data are available for comparison, several seem to be descended from a population closely related to that of Kennewick Man, including the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Colville), one of the five tribes claiming Kennewick Man. We revisit the cranial analyses and find that, as opposed to genome-wide comparisons, it is not possible on that basis to affiliate Kennewick Man to specific contemporary groups. We therefore conclude based on genetic comparisons that Kennewick Man shows continuity with Native North Americans over at least the last eight millennia.
- Published
- 2015
24. A fourth hominin skull from Dmanisi, Georgia
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Reid Ferring, G. Philip Rightmire, Abesalom Vekua, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Gocha Kiladze, Alexander Mouskhelishvili, David Lordkipanidze, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Martha Tappen, Medea Nioradze, and Jordi Agustí
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Systematics ,Early Pleistocene ,Cephalometry ,Mandible ,Georgia (Republic) ,Mastoid ,Paleontology ,Maxilla ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Assemblage (archaeology) ,History, Ancient ,Phylogeny ,Sex Characteristics ,biology ,Fossils ,Skull ,Brain ,Hominidae ,Organ Size ,biology.organism_classification ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Time of death ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Archaeology ,Human evolution ,Evolutionary biology ,Occipital Bone ,Frontal Bone ,Bone Remodeling ,Anatomy ,Homo erectus ,Tooth - Abstract
Newly discovered Homo remains, stone artifacts, and animal fossils from Dmanisi, Republic of Georgia, provide a basis for better understanding patterns of hominin evolution and behavior in Eurasia ca. 1.77 million years ago. Here we describe a fourth skull that is nearly complete, lacking all but one of its teeth at the time of death. Both the maxillae and the mandible exhibit extensive bone loss due to resorption. This individual is similar to others from the site but supplies information about variation in brain size and craniofacial anatomy within the Dmanisi paleodeme. Although this assemblage presents numerous primitive characters, the Dmanisi skulls are best accommodated within the species H. erectus. On anatomical grounds, it is argued that the relatively small-brained and lightly built Dmanisi hominins may be ancestral to African and Far Eastern branches of H. erectus showing more derived morphology.
- Published
- 2006
25. Brain development is similar in Neanderthals and modern humans
- Author
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Marcia S. Ponce de León, Takeru Akazawa, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Thibaut Bienvenu, University of Zurich, and Zollikofer, Christoph P E
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,10207 Department of Anthropology ,Brain development ,Neanderthal ,Zoology ,1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Globular shape ,1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,biology.animal ,Cognitive development ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Life history ,Neanderthals ,biology ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Fossils ,Brain morphometry ,Skull ,Brain ,Human brain ,Biological Evolution ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Evolutionary biology ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Summary While the braincase of adult Neanderthals had a similar volume to that of modern humans from the same period, differences in endocranial shape suggest that brain morphology differed between modern humans and Neanderthals. When and how these differences arose during evolution and development is a topic of ongoing research, with potential implications for species-specific differences in brain and cognitive development, and in life history [1,2]. Earlier research suggested that Neanderthals followed an ancestral mode of brain development, similar to that of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees [2–4]. Modern humans, by contrast, were suggested to follow a uniquely derived mode of brain development just after birth, giving rise to the characteristically globular shape of the adult human brain case [2,4,5]. Here, we re-examine this hypothesis using an extended sample of Neanderthal infants. We document endocranial development during the decisive first two years of postnatal life. The new data indicate that Neanderthals followed largely similar modes of endocranial development to modern humans. These findings challenge the notion that human brain and cognitive development after birth is uniquely derived [2,4].
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- 2016
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26. Evidence for interpersonal violence in the St. Césaire Neanderthal
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Marcia S. Ponce de León, François Lévêque, Bernard Vandermeersch, and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
- Subjects
Time Factors ,History ,Neanderthal ,Injury control ,Accident prevention ,Social Sciences ,Poison control ,Violence ,biology.animal ,Cranial vault ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Interpersonal Relations ,Behavior ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Skull ,Hominidae ,Interpersonal violence ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Archaeology ,Anthropology ,Châtelperronian ,Ethnology ,France ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed - Abstract
The St. Césaire 1 Neanderthal skeleton of a young adult individual is unique in its association with Châtelperronian artifacts from a level dated to ca. 36,000 years ago. Computer-tomographic imaging and computer-assisted reconstruction of the skull revealed a healed fracture in the cranial vault. When paleopathological and forensic diagnostic standards are applied, the bony scar bears direct evidence for the impact of a sharp implement, which was presumably directed toward the individual during an act of interpersonal violence. These findings add to the evidence that Neanderthals used implements not only for hunting and food processing, but also in other behavioral contexts. It is hypothesized that the high intra-group damage potential inherent to weapons might have represented a major factor during the evolution of hominid social behavior.
- Published
- 2002
27. Response to comment on 'A complete skull from Dmanisi, Georgia, and the evolutionary biology of early Homo'
- Author
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G. Philip Rightmire, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Ann Margvelashvili, and David Lordkipanidze
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Multidisciplinary ,Fossils ,Skull ,Hominidae ,Biology ,Biological Evolution ,Intraspecific competition ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Variation (linguistics) ,Taxon ,Evolutionary biology ,Face ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans - Abstract
Schwartz et al . hold that variation among the Dmanisi skulls reflects taxic diversity. The morphological observations to support their hypothesis, however, are partly incorrect, and not calibrated against intraspecific variation in living taxa. After proper adjustment, Schwartz et al .’s data are fully compatible with the hypothesis of a single paleodeme of early Homo at Dmanisi.
- Published
- 2014
28. Neanderthal cranial ontogeny and its implications for late hominid diversity
- Author
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Christoph P. E. Zollikofer and Marcia S. Ponce de León
- Subjects
Adult ,Autapomorphy ,Neanderthal ,Adolescent ,Cephalometry ,Hominidae ,Lineage (evolution) ,Ontogeny ,Zoology ,Mandible ,Eutheria ,biology.animal ,Animals ,Humans ,Child ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Fossils ,Skull ,Genetic Variation ,biology.organism_classification ,Biological Evolution ,Homo sapiens ,Child, Preschool ,Heterochrony - Abstract
Homo neanderthalensis has a unique combination of craniofacial features that are distinct from fossil and extant ‘anatomically modern’ Homo sapiens (modern humans). Morphological evidence, direct isotopic dates1 and fossil mitochondrial DNA from three Neanderthals2,3 indicate that the Neanderthals were a separate evolutionary lineage for at least 500,000 yr. However, it is unknown when and how Neanderthal craniofacial autapomorphies (unique, derived characters) emerged during ontogeny. Here we use computerized fossil reconstruction4 and geometric morphometrics5,6 to show that characteristic differences in cranial and mandibular shape between Neanderthals and modern humans arose very early during development, possibly prenatally, and were maintained throughout postnatal ontogeny. Postnatal differences in cranial ontogeny between the two taxa are characterized primarily by heterochronic modifications of a common spatial pattern of development. Evidence for early ontogenetic divergence together with evolutionary stasis of taxon-specific patterns of ontogeny is consistent with separation of Neanderthals and modern humans at the species level.
- Published
- 2001
29. The value of stereolithographic models for preoperative diagnosis of craniofacial deformities and planning of surgical corrections
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P. E. Haers, F.R. Caris, Peter Stucki, T. Warnke, Hermann F. Sailer, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, University of Zurich, and Sailer, H F
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Adult ,Male ,Models, Anatomic ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Large skull ,medicine.medical_treatment ,610 Medicine & health ,Computed tomography ,Osteotomy ,Surgical planning ,Patient Care Planning ,Craniofacial Abnormalities ,medicine ,Humans ,Osteotomy, Le Fort ,Craniofacial ,Hypertelorism ,Child ,Craniofacial surgery ,Orthodontics ,Bone Transplantation ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,3504 Oral Surgery ,business.industry ,Craniofacial Dysostosis ,Infant ,2746 Surgery ,Surgery ,2733 Otorhinolaryngology ,Otorhinolaryngology ,Viscerocranium ,Child, Preschool ,Frontal Bone ,Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ,Female ,10069 Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery ,Oral Surgery ,medicine.symptom ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,business ,Craniotomy - Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the importance of stereolithographic models (SLMs) for preoperative diagnosis and planning in craniofacial surgery and to examine whether these models offer valuable additional information as compared to normal CT scans and 3D CT images. Craniofacial SLMs of 20 patients with craniomaxillofacial pathology were made. A helical volume CT scan of the anatomic area involved delivered the necessary data for their construction. These were built with an SLA 250 stereolithography apparatus (3D-Systems, Valencia, CA, USA), steered by FORM-IT/DCS software (University of Zurich, Switzerland). The stereolithography models were classified according to pathology, type of surgery and their relevance for surgical planning. Though not objectively measurable, it was beyond doubt that relevant additional information for the surgeon was obtained in cases of hypertelorism, severe asymmetries of the neuro- and viscerocranium, complex cranial synostoses and large skull defects. The value of these models as realistic "duplicates" of complex or rare dysmorphic craniofacial pathology for the purpose of creating a didactic collection should also be emphasized. The models proved to be less useful in cases of consolidated fractures of the periorbital and naso-ethmoidal complex, except where there was major dislocation.
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- 1998
30. Tooth wear and dentoalveolar remodeling are key factors of morphological variation in the Dmanisi mandibles
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Timo Peltomäki, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Ann Margvelashvili, David Lordkipanidze, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, University of Zurich, and Margvelashvili, A
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10207 Department of Anthropology ,Materials science ,Dental Wear ,Morphological variation ,Mandible ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,stomatognathic system ,Tooth loss ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,0601 history and archaeology ,Orthodontics ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,060101 anthropology ,Multidisciplinary ,Dentition ,Life span ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Fossils ,Hominidae ,030206 dentistry ,06 humanities and the arts ,Tooth Attrition ,Biological Sciences ,Biological Evolution ,Masticatory force ,stomatognathic diseases ,Key factors ,Tooth wear ,Tooth Wear ,medicine.symptom - Abstract
The Plio-Pleistocene hominin sample from Dmanisi (Georgia), dated to 1.77 million years ago, is unique in offering detailed insights into patterns of morphological variation within a paleodeme of early Homo. Cranial and dentoalveolar morphologies exhibit a high degree of diversity, but the causes of variation are still relatively unexplored. Here we show that wear-related dentoalveolar remodeling is one of the principal mechanisms causing mandibular shape variation in fossil Homo and in modern human hunter–gatherer populations. We identify a consistent pattern of mandibular morphological alteration, suggesting that dental wear and compensatory remodeling mechanisms remained fairly constant throughout the evolution of the genus Homo. With increasing occlusal and interproximal tooth wear, the teeth continue to erupt, the posterior dentition tends to drift in a mesial direction, and the front teeth become more upright. The resulting changes in dentognathic size and shape are substantial and need to be taken into account in comparative taxonomic analyses of isolated hominin mandibles. Our data further show that excessive tooth wear eventually leads to a breakdown of the normal remodeling mechanisms, resulting in dentognathic pathologies, tooth loss, and loss of masticatory function. Complete breakdown of dentognathic homeostasis, however, is unlikely to have limited the life span of early Homo because this effect was likely mediated by the preparation of soft foods.
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- 2013
31. Shared Human-Chimpanzee Pattern of Perinatal Femoral Shaft Morphology and Its Implications for the Evolution of Hominin Locomotor Adaptations
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Naoki Morimoto, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Marcia S. Ponce de León, University of Zurich, and Morimoto, Naoki
- Subjects
10207 Department of Anthropology ,Anatomy and Physiology ,Animal Evolution ,Morphology (biology) ,Gorilla ,Social and Behavioral Sciences ,Human Evolution ,Convergent evolution ,0601 history and archaeology ,Biomechanics ,Femur ,Phyletic gradualism ,Musculoskeletal System ,media_common ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,06 humanities and the arts ,Adaptation, Physiological ,Biological Anthropology ,Human evolution ,Medicine ,Physical Anthropology ,Research Article ,Pan troglodytes ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Science ,Zoology ,1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Motor Activity ,Evolution, Molecular ,03 medical and health sciences ,Species Specificity ,1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,biology.animal ,Paleoanthropology ,Animals ,Humans ,Bipedalism ,Biology ,030304 developmental biology ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Evolutionary Biology ,060101 anthropology ,Evolutionary Developmental Biology ,Organismal Evolution ,Anthropology ,Adaptation ,Neutral theory of molecular evolution ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
BackgroundAcquisition of bipedality is a hallmark of human evolution. How bipedality evolved from great ape-like locomotor behaviors, however, is still highly debated. This is mainly because it is difficult to infer locomotor function, and even more so locomotor kinematics, from fossil hominin long bones. Structure-function relationships are complex, as long bone morphology reflects phyletic history, developmental programs, and loading history during an individual's lifetime. Here we discriminate between these factors by investigating the morphology of long bones in fetal and neonate great apes and humans, before the onset of locomotion.Methodology/principal findingsComparative morphometric analysis of the femoral diaphysis indicates that its morphology reflects phyletic relationships between hominoid taxa to a greater extent than taxon-specific locomotor adaptations. Diaphyseal morphology in humans and chimpanzees exhibits several shared-derived features, despite substantial differences in locomotor adaptations. Orangutan and gorilla morphologies are largely similar, and likely represent the primitive hominoid state.Conclusions/significanceThese findings are compatible with two possible evolutionary scenarios. Diaphyseal morphology may reflect retained adaptive traits of ancestral taxa, hence human-chimpanzee shared-derived features may be indicative of the locomotor behavior of our last common ancestor. Alternatively, diaphyseal morphology might reflect evolution by genetic drift (neutral evolution) rather than selection, and might thus be more informative about phyletic relationships between taxa than about locomotor adaptations. Both scenarios are consistent with the hypothesis that knuckle-walking in chimpanzees and gorillas resulted from convergent evolution, and that the evolution of human bipedality is unrelated to extant great ape locomotor specializations.
- Published
- 2012
32. Evolution of hominin cranial ontogeny
- Author
-
Christoph P E, Zollikofer
- Subjects
Fossils ,Face ,Skull ,Animals ,Humans ,Hominidae ,Biological Evolution ,Phylogeny ,Anthropology, Physical - Abstract
Hominin evolution is characterized by two main trends, transition to bipedality and increase in brain size. Fossil evidence shows that both trends had a major impact on the structure and function of the hominin skull. This chapter asks how evolutionary modification of the cranial ontogenetic program led to morphological reorganization of the hominin skull and ultimately to hominin cranial diversity. Three major mechanisms of evolutionary developmental reorganization are proposed: modified prenatal development of the cranial base and face reflects adaptation to bipedality; high rates of neurocranial growth during early postnatal ontogeny are essential to attain large brain sizes; taxon-specific modification of facial development reflects dietary adaptation and-in the genus Homo-a general trend toward neoteny.
- Published
- 2012
33. The effect of age, sex, and physical activity on entheseal morphology in a contemporary Italian skeletal collection
- Author
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Marco Milella, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Maria Giovanna Belcastro, Valentina Mariotti, University of Zurich, Milella, M, M. Milella, M.G. Belcastro, C.P.E. Zollikofer, and V. Mariotti
- Subjects
10207 Department of Anthropology ,Adult ,Male ,Skeletal series ,Large array ,Physical activity ,Postcrania ,Morphology (biology) ,Biology ,Motor Activity ,Bone and Bones ,Anthropology, Physical ,AGING ,Sex Factors ,ENTHESEAL CHANGES ,Humans ,Occupations ,MARKERS OF ACTIVITY ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,Chi-Square Distribution ,Anthropometry ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Scoring methods ,Age Factors ,Middle Aged ,2702 Anatomy ,Italy ,ENTHESES ,Anthropology ,3314 Anthropology ,Female ,Anatomy ,Biomarkers ,Demography - Abstract
Entheseal changes are traditionally included in a large array of skeletal features commonly referred to as ‘‘skeletal markers of activity.’’ However, medical studies and recent anthropological analyses of identified skeletal series suggest a complex combination of physiological and biomechanical factors underlying the variability of such ‘‘markers.’’ The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between age, sex, physical activity, and entheseal variability. To this end, 23 postcranial entheses are examined in a large (N 5 484) Italian contemporary skeletal series using standardized scoring methods. The sample comprises subjects of known age, sex and, mostly, occupation. Results show a strong relationship between age and entheseal changes. Differences between sexes are also highlighted, while the effects of physical activity appear moderate. Altogether, our study indicates that entheseal morphology primarily reflects the age of an individual, while correlation with lifetime activity remains ambiguous.
- Published
- 2011
34. A bidirectional interface growth model for cranial interosseous suture morphogenesis
- Author
-
Christoph P E, Zollikofer and John David, Weissmann
- Subjects
Bone Development ,Fractals ,Fourier Analysis ,Skull ,Morphogenesis ,Humans ,Computer Simulation ,Cranial Sutures ,Original Articles ,Models, Biological - Abstract
Interosseous sutures exhibit highly variable patterns of interdigitation and corrugation. Recent research has identified fundamental molecular mechanisms of suture formation, and computer models have been used to simulate suture morphogenesis. However, the role of bone strain in the development of complex sutures is largely unknown, and measuring suture morphologies beyond the evaluation of fractal dimensions remains a challenge. Here we propose a morphogenetic model of suture formation, which is based on the paradigm of Laplacian interface growth. Computer simulations of suture morphogenesis under various boundary conditions generate a wide variety of synthetic sutural forms. Their morphologies are quantified with a combination of Fourier analysis and principal components analysis, and compared with natural morphological variation in an ontogenetic sample of human interparietal suture lines. Morphometric analyses indicate that natural sutural shapes exhibit a complex distribution in morphospace. The distribution of synthetic sutures closely matches the natural distribution. In both natural and synthetic systems, sutural complexity increases during morphogenesis. Exploration of the parameter space of the simulation system indicates that variation in strain and/or morphogen sensitivity and viscosity of sutural tissue may be key factors in generating the large variability of natural suture complexity.
- Published
- 2011
35. Locomotor anatomy and biomechanics of the Dmanisi hominins
- Author
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Herman Pontzer, David Lordkipanidze, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Campbell Rolian, G. Philip Rightmire, Tea Jashashvili, and Marcia S. Ponce de León
- Subjects
Early Pleistocene ,Taphonomy ,Hominidae ,Range (biology) ,Population ,Zoology ,Walking ,Theria ,Eutheria ,Animals ,Humans ,Leg Bones ,education ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,Anthropometry ,Ecology ,Fossils ,Foot Bones ,Biomechanics ,biology.organism_classification ,Biomechanical Phenomena ,Hindlimb ,Anthropology - Abstract
The Dmanisi hominins inhabited a northern temperate habitat in the southern Caucasus, approximately 1.8 million years ago. This is the oldest population of hominins known outside of Africa. Understanding the set of anatomical and behavioral traits that equipped this population to exploit their seasonal habitat successfully may shed light on the selection pressures shaping early members of the genus Homo and the ecological strategies that permitted the expansion of their range outside of the African subtropics. The abundant stone tools at the site, as well as taphonomic evidence for butchery, suggest that the Dmanisi hominins were active hunters or scavengers. In this study, we examine the locomotor mechanics of the Dmanisi hind limb to test the hypothesis that the inclusion of meat in the diet is associated with an increase in walking and running economy and endurance. Using comparative data from modern humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as other fossil hominins, we show that the Dmanisi hind limb was functionally similar to modern humans, with a longitudinal plantar arch, increased limb length, and human-like ankle morphology. Other aspects of the foot, specifically metatarsal morphology and tibial torsion, are less derived and similar to earlier hominins. These results are consistent with hypotheses linking hunting and scavenging to improved walking and running performance in early Homo. Primitive retentions in the Dmanisi foot suggest that locomotor evolution continued through the early Pleistocene.
- Published
- 2009
36. Morphological affinities of the Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Late Miocene hominid from Chad) cranium
- Author
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Michel Brunet, David Pilbeam, Daniel E. Lieberman, Patrick Vignaud, Franck Guy, Andossa Likius, Hassane Taïsso Mackaye, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Laboratoire de géobiologie, biochronologie et paléontologie humaine (LGBPH), Université de Poitiers-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Peabody Museum Harvard University, Harvard University [Cambridge], Anthropologisches Institut, Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich (UZH), Departement de Paleontologie, and Université de N'Djaména
- Subjects
Male ,Pan troglodytes ,Basicranium ,Cephalometry ,Hominidae ,Late Miocene ,Anthropology, Physical ,03 medical and health sciences ,Paleontology ,Imaging, Three-Dimensional ,Species Specificity ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,0601 history and archaeology ,Phylogeny ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,030304 developmental biology ,Paleodontology ,0303 health sciences ,060101 anthropology ,Multidisciplinary ,Crania ,biology ,Fossils ,Skull ,Brain ,06 humanities and the arts ,Biological Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Biological Evolution ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Australopithecus ,Neurocranium ,Female ,[SDU.STU.PG]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Paleontology ,Sahelanthropus - Abstract
The recent reconstruction of the Sahelanthropus tchadensis cranium (TM 266-01-60-1) provides an opportunity to examine in detail differences in cranial shape between this earliest-known hominid, African apes, and other hominid taxa. Here we compare the reconstruction of TM 266-01-60-1 with crania of African apes, humans, and several Pliocene hominids. The results not only confirm that TM 266-01-60-1 is a hominid but also reveal a unique mosaic of characters. The TM 266-01-60-1 reconstruction shares many primitive features with chimpanzees but overall is most similar to Australopithecus , particularly in the basicranium. However, TM 266-01-60-1 is distinctive in having the combination of a short subnasal region associated with a vertical upper face that projects substantially in front of the neurocranium. Further research is needed to determine the evolutionary relationships between Sahelanthropus and the known Miocene and Pliocene hominids.
- Published
- 2005
37. A new skull of early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia
- Author
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G. Philip Rightmire, Abesalom Vekua, Alexander Mouskhelishvili, Marcia S. Ponce de León, Merab Tvalchrelidze, Martha Tappen, Givi Maisuradze, David Lordkipanidze, Reid Ferring, Jordi Agustí, Medea Nioradze, and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
- Subjects
Geologic Sediments ,Hominidae ,Cephalometry ,Population ,Zoology ,Rodentia ,Mandible ,Georgia (Republic) ,Anthropology, Physical ,Parietal Bone ,Eutheria ,Homo rudolfensis ,Homo ergaster ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Nasal Bone ,education ,education.field_of_study ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Fossils ,Skull ,Brain ,Temporal Bone ,Emigration and Immigration ,biology.organism_classification ,Geography ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Homo habilis ,Evolutionary biology ,Africa ,Frontal Bone ,Homo erectus ,Orbit ,Tooth - Abstract
Another hominid skull has been recovered at Dmanisi (Republic of Georgia) from the same strata in which hominid remains have been reported previously. The Dmanisi site dated to ∼1.75 million years ago has now produced craniofacial portions of several hominid individuals, along with many well-preserved animal fossils and quantities of stone artifacts. Although there are certain anatomical differences among the Dmanisi specimens, the hominids do not clearly represent more than one taxon. We assign the new skull provisionally to Homo erectus (= ergaster ). The Dmanisi specimens are the most primitive and small-brained fossils to be grouped with this species or any taxon linked unequivocally with genus Homo and also the ones most similar to the presumed habilis -like stem. We suggest that the ancestors of the Dmanisi population dispersed from Africa before the emergence of humans identified broadly with the H. erectus grade.
- Published
- 2002
38. Visualizing patterns of craniofacial shape variation in Homo sapiens
- Author
-
Marcia S. Ponce de León and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Models, Anatomic ,Adolescent ,Cephalometry ,Biology ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Cranial vault ,medicine ,Humans ,Craniofacial ,Child ,General Environmental Science ,Analysis of Variance ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,Orientation (computer vision) ,business.industry ,Skull ,Pattern recognition ,General Medicine ,Anatomy ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Viscerocranium ,Homo sapiens ,Neurocranium ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,Allometry ,Artificial intelligence ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,business ,Research Article - Abstract
The geometric morphometric analysis of shape variation in complex biological structures such as the human skull poses a number of specific challenges: the registration of homologous morphologies, the treatment of bilateral symmetry, the graphical representation of form variability in three dimensions and the interpretation of the results in terms of differential growth processes. To visualize complex patterns of shape change, we propose an alternative to classical Cartesian deformation grids in the style of D'Arcy W. Thompson. Reference to the surface structures of the organism under investigation permits a comprehensive visual grasp of shape change and its tentative interpretation in terms of differential growth. The application of this method to the analysis of human craniofacial shape variation reveals distinct modes of growth and development of the neurocranial and viscerocranial regions of the skull. Our data further indicate that variations in the orientation of the viscerocranium relative to the neurocranium impinge on the shapes of the face and the cranial vault.
- Published
- 2002
39. Phenotypic Variation in Infants, Not Adults, Reflects Genotypic Variation among Chimpanzees and Bonobos
- Author
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Marcia S. Ponce de León, Naoki Morimoto, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, University of Zurich, and Morimoto, Naoki
- Subjects
10207 Department of Anthropology ,Male ,0106 biological sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,Population genetics ,01 natural sciences ,Femur ,lcsh:Science ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,Age Factors ,Pan paniscus ,Phenotype ,Human evolution ,Female ,Physical Anthropology ,Heterochrony ,Research Article ,Genotype ,Pan troglodytes ,Genetic Speciation ,Zoology ,1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Genetic drift ,1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Paleoanthropology ,Genetic variation ,Animals ,Humans ,Genetic Association Studies ,030304 developmental biology ,1000 Multidisciplinary ,Evolutionary Biology ,Evolutionary Developmental Biology ,Human evolutionary genetics ,lcsh:R ,Genetic Drift ,Genetic Variation ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Paleontology ,Animals, Newborn ,Evolutionary biology ,Evolutionary developmental biology ,lcsh:Q ,Diaphyses ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Studies comparing phenotypic variation with neutral genetic variation in modern humans have shown that genetic drift is a main factor of evolutionary diversification among populations. The genetic population history of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos, is now equally well documented, but phenotypic variation among these taxa remains relatively unexplored, and phenotype-genotype correlations are not yet documented. Also, while the adult phenotype is typically used as a reference, it remains to be investigated how phenotype-genotye correlations change during development. Here we address these questions by analyzing phenotypic evolutionary and developmental diversification in the species and subspecies of the genus Pan. Our analyses focus on the morphology of the femoral diaphysis, which represents a functionally constrained element of the locomotor system. Results show that during infancy phenotypic distances between taxa are largely congruent with non-coding (neutral) genotypic distances. Later during ontogeny, however, phenotypic distances deviate from genotypic distances, mainly as an effect of heterochronic shifts between taxon-specific developmental programs. Early phenotypic differences between Pan taxa are thus likely brought about by genetic drift while late differences reflect taxon-specific adaptations.
- Published
- 2014
40. Neanderthal computer skulls
- Author
-
Marcia S. Ponce de León, Robert D. Martin, Peter Stucki, and Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
- Subjects
Multidisciplinary ,Neanderthal ,biology ,Fossils ,Skull ,Hominidae ,Archaeology ,Geography ,biology.animal ,Child, Preschool ,Animals ,Humans ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,Software - Published
- 1995
41. Treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome by dorsocranial liver resection and direct hepatoatrial anastomosis
- Author
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Hans R. Burger, Georg Bansky, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Åke Senning, Rolf Jenni, and Claudia Ernest
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Cirrhosis ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Vena Cava, Inferior ,Anastomosis ,Budd-Chiari Syndrome ,Inferior vena cava ,Surgical anastomosis ,Esophageal varices ,medicine ,Methods ,Hepatectomy ,Humans ,Heart Atria ,Hepatology ,business.industry ,Extracorporeal circulation ,medicine.disease ,Surgery ,medicine.vein ,cardiovascular system ,Budd–Chiari syndrome ,Female ,business ,Liver Circulation - Abstract
Since 1980 an operation which reestablishes the blood outflow from occluded hepatic veins was performed in 7 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome by one of us (A. Senning). Using extracorporeal circulation a dorsocranial cylindrical resection of the liver including the confluence of the occluded hepatic veins was performed by transcaval approach. The incised right atrium was sutured around the resected liver area. There was one intraoperative death. In 6 patients with a mean postoperative follow-up of 19.2 months (4-42 months), the patency of hepatoatrial anastomosis was documented by angiography or Doppler-2d-echocardiography. Four patients are free of symptoms and signs of Budd-Chiari syndrome. In one of two patients with associated cirrhosis compression of inferior vena cava reoccurred and in another patient esophageal varices persist. We conclude, that the hepatoatrial anastomosis is an effective treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome.
- Published
- 1986
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