Locals and Foreigners in the Levant during the Pleistocene

This paper summarizes the social evolution of the Pleistocene Palaeolithic sequence of the Levant. It examines the available cultural records as reflecting a non-continuous record that was created by the impacts of mainly human inward migrations followed by the development of local cultures and mixing with foreigners. Outward migrations are yet poorly known due to the paucity of solid information from neighboring geographic territories.     

Wild Gazelles of the Southern Levant: Genetic Profiling Defines New Conservation Priorities

The mountain gazelle (Gazella gazelle), Dorcas gazelle (Gazella Dorcas) and acacia gazelle (Gazella arabica acacia) were historically abundant in the southern Levant, and more specifically in Israel. Anthropogenic and natural changes have caused a rapid decline in gazelle populations, raising concerns about their conservation status and future survival. The genetic profile of 111 wild gazelles from Israel was determined based on three regions of mitochondrial DNA (control region, Cytochrome b and 12S ribosomal RNA) and nine nuclear microsatellite markers. Genetic analysis of the mountain gazelle population, the largest known population of this rare species, revealed adequate diversity levels and gene flow between subpopulations. Nevertheless, ongoing habitat degradation and other human effects, such as poaching, suggest the need for drastic measures to prevent species extinction. Dorcas gazelles in Israel displayed inbreeding within subpopulations while still maintaining considerable genetic diversity overall. This stable population, represented by a distinctive genetic profile, is fragmented and isolated from its relatives in neighboring localities. Based on the genetic profile of a newly sampled subpopulation in Israel, we provide an alternative hypothesis for the historic dispersal of Dorcas gazelle, from the Southern Levant to northern Africa. The small acacia gazelle population was closest to gazelles from the Farasan Islands of Saudi Arabia, based on mitochondrial markers. The two populations did not share haplotypes, suggesting that these two populations may be the last remnant wild gazelles of this species worldwide. Only a dozen acacia gazelles survive in Israel, and urgent steps are needed to ensure the survival of this genetically distinctive lineage. The genetic assessments of our study recognize new conservation priorities for each gazelle species in the Southern Levant.     

A review of the chronology of the European Middle Pleistocene hominid record

Over the last seventy years, European hominid fossils and associated archaeological remains have been dated by reference to the classical, fourfold glacial/interglacial subdivision of the Pleistocene. This method seemed relatively straightforward and precise especially as new discoveries were fitted into the schemes, apparently strengthening the correlations and increasing their validity. However, recent studies of deep-sea cores and terrestrial deposits, combined with new developments in relative and absolute dating, have shown that the fourfold schemes are oversimplified. This paper critically reviews some of the dating evidence from sites with hominid remains generally considered as Middle Pleistocene (ca. 700,000–128,000 BP). The hominid and archaeological remains are shown to require independent dating and a cautious approach is adopted towards the use of mammalian faunal remains as chronological indicators. The techniques and results of absolute dating are discussed with reference to present problems and future prospects. At a time of transition from an old framework to new correlations, it is inevitable that some conclusions seem tentative and others rather negative. Nevertheless, the Middle Pleistocene in Europe is more fully understood and better dated than the equivalent period in other parts of the world.     

U-Series dating of Liujiang hominid site in Guangxi,Southern China

It has been established that modern humans were living in the Levant and Africa ca. 100ka ago. Hitherto, this has contrasted with the situation in China where no unequivocal specimens of this species have been securely dated to more than 30ka. Here we present the results of stratigraphic studies and U-series dating of the Tongtianyan Cave, the discovery site of the Liujiang hominid, which represents one of the few well-preserved fossils of modern Homo sapiens in China. The human fossils are inferred to come from either a refilling breccia or a primarily deposited gravel-bearing sandy clay layer. In the former case, which is better supported, the fossils would date to at least approximately 68ka, but more likely to approximately 111-139ka. Alternatively, they would be older than approximately 153ka. Both scenarios would make the Liujiang hominid one of the earliest modern humans in East Asia, possibly contemporaneous with the earliest known representatives from the Levant and Africa. Parallel studies on other Chinese localities have provided supporting evidence for the redating of Liujiang, which may have important implications for the origin of modern humans.     

Timing of the Lower to Middle Paleolithic boundary: new dates from the Levant

This paper reviews the numerical dates available for the late Lower Paleolithic and early Middle Paleolithic in the Levant. We also present here new electron spin resonance dates for the late Lower Paleolithic sites of Holon, Yabrud I and Oumm Qatafa. Irrespective of dating techniques used, the ages of these sites converge on oxygen isotope stage 7 at roughly 215+/-30 ka. Similarly, dates for early Middle Paleolithic sites in the region, with the exception of Tabun, fall within oxygen isotope stage 7, suggesting a relatively rapid transition from Lower to Middle Paleolithic. In the light of these findings, the "early chronology" for the region, based on the TL dates on burned flint from Tabun, is discussed.     

The Levant versus the Horn of Africa: evidence for bidirectional corridors of human migrations

Paleoanthropological evidence indicates that both the Levantine corridor and the Horn of Africa served, repeatedly, as migratory corridors between Africa and Eurasia. We have begun investigating the roles of these passageways in bidirectional migrations of anatomically modern humans, by analyzing 45 informative biallelic markers as well as 10 microsatellite loci on the nonrecombining region of the Y chromosome (NRY) in 121 and 147 extant males from Oman and northern Egypt, respectively. The present study uncovers three important points concerning these demic movements: (1) The E3b1-M78 and E3b3-M123 lineages, as well as the R1*-M173 lineages, mark gene flow between Egypt and the Levant during the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic. (2) In contrast, the Horn of Africa appears to be of minor importance in the human migratory movements between Africa and Eurasia represented by these chromosomes, an observation based on the frequency distributions of E3b*-M35 (no known downstream mutations) and M173. (3) The areal diffusion patterns of G-M201, J-12f2, the derivative M173 haplogroups, and M2 suggest more recent genetic associations between the Middle East and Africa, involving the Levantine corridor and/or Arab slave routes. Affinities to African groups were also evaluated by determining the NRY haplogroup composition in 434 samples from seven sub-Saharan African populations. Oman and Egypt's NRY frequency distributions appear to be much more similar to those of the Middle East than to any sub-Saharan African population, suggesting a much larger Eurasian genetic component. Finally, the overall phylogeographic profile reveals several clinal patterns and genetic partitions that may indicate source, direction, and relative timing of different waves of dispersals and expansions involving these nine populations.     

New estimates of early hominid body size

Body weights for 12 early hominid specimens are estimated based on an analysis of four variables shown to have high correlation with body size in living Old World primates. Average size estimates of around 36 kg are suggested for gracile early hominids and around 59 kg for robust early hominids. Size variation is considerably more pronounced in the robust group than in the gracile group, suggesting substantially greater sexual dimorphism in the former.     

New evidence for the greater noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus) in the Late Pleistocene of western Europe

This article reports a new record of the greater noctule Nyctalus lasiopterus (Schreber, 1780) in the Late Pleistocene of Europe. A fragment of a left mandible from this species was collected in Layer O (around 55 ka) from the Abric Romaní rock shelter, providing evidence of the presence of the greater noctule in north-eastern Spain during the latest Late Pleistocene. The relevance of this new record, which is geographically not reported up to now in the area, is discussed in terms of environmental changes.     

A new molar from the Middle Pleistocene hominid assemblage of Yanhuidong,Tongzi, South China

1988年,贵州省博物馆对桐梓岩灰洞的支洞进行了最后一次发掘。2014年,在洞内第四层堆积物中鉴定出逾2000件的动物牙齿化石,以及一枚古人类上颊齿(编号:TZ-1)。1991年,铀系法测定这些次生堆积物的沉积年代约为距今24万年。本文运用高精度CT(巴黎自然历史博物馆)对TZ-1的釉质齿质界面(EDJ)和牙髓腔几何形态进行了分析。TZ-1的冠面形态有如下特征:次尖小且在远中舌侧不发育,咀嚼面轮廓呈四边形,颊舌径稍大过近中远中径,原尖舌侧齿带发育,齿尖从大到小依次为原尖、后尖、前尖和次尖。TZ-1牙髓腔的髓角与其釉质齿质界面以及釉质表面的形态都具有相关性。TZ-1的形态与M1虽有相似之处,但完全不同于1983年出土于同一层位的另两颗M1;其应被鉴定为dm2,并可被归入中中更新世的中国直立人支系。岩灰洞上臼齿PA 875的形态与建始龙骨洞PA 1279和周口店直立人等古老型直立人相似。岩灰洞另一枚刚萌发的臼齿PA 874具有凸出的次尖和长菱形的外廓,接近于爪哇型直立人Sangiran NG 91-G10;这也是智人和尼安德特人的共有衍征。但PA 874的冠面仍保留了亚洲型的齿带,因而被归入人属未定种。因出土自次生堆积,岩灰洞的三种古人类类型未必曾同时并存,但却揭示了华南地区人类演化进程中的多样面貌。     

许昌人遗址研究的新收获及展望

许昌人遗址位于河南省许昌市灵井镇,2005-2017年发掘,揭露面积500余平方米,2007、2014年在9号探方出土包括2颗"许昌人"头骨在内的5个古人类个体,大量的石制品和21种哺乳动物化石。头骨具有东亚古人类、欧洲尼安德特人和早期现代人的镶嵌特征,可能代表一种新型的古老型人类。石制品研究显示,石核类型多样,且以小型双锥形盘状石核为特色;小型工具类型分异明显、加工精细,显示出不同于旧石器时代早期遗址中的工具技术,而与西方旧石器时代中期遗址工具技术上的特点较为一致。此外,遗址出土7件软锤工具,以动物长骨或鹿角为原料,用以修理石质工具。软锤工具的发现,对于认识中国旧石器时代技术的发展有重要意义。通过对遗址形成过程的分析,"许昌人"生活时期的沉积环境经历了三个阶段:下部灰绿色滨湖相粉砂堆积所指示的水流动力相对较弱的沉积环境,中部综红色粉砂堆积所指示的水流动力相对较强的沉积环境,以及上部浅棕红色粉砂堆积所指示的相对冷湿、水动力仍然较强的沉积环境。尽管存在水动力强弱上的相对变化,但水动力总体上并不大,以低能量水流为主,文化遗物属于原地埋藏。今后将开展人类艺术行为能力、古人用软锤和压制法制作石器的技术、动物埋藏学和年代学等方面的深入研究。     

Lower Pleistocene stratigraphy of the Burdur Basin of SW Anatolia

The Burdur Basin is one of the NE-trending extensional orogen-top basins of SW Anatolia hosting alluvial-fan, fluvial and lacustrine deposits from the Late Miocene onward. The remains of Equus (Allohippus) sp., Paracamelus cf. gigas, and medium-sized deer (Cervidae gen. indet.) from the uppermost reach of the basin-fill succession show an interregional palaeobiogeographical linkage. The composition of fossil associations is typical for the Villafranchian of eastern Europe and central Asia. The architecture of the basin-fill stratigraphy and associated fossil taxa refines the Early Pleistocene regional palaeogeography and biodiversity of Anatolia drawn over the Eurasian migration pattern.     

Immunocytochemical evidence for the presence of oxytocin in rat testis

Summary The presence of oxytocin, vasopressin and neurophysin in the testis of adult Wistar and Brattleboro rats has been examined immunocytochemically. After fixation in modified Bouin's solution, or Bouin's sublimate fixative, immunostaining was accomplished with the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. The presence of immunoreactive oxytocin was demonstrated in 80% of the interstitial cell population of both rat strains while no staining was observed for vasopressin or neurophysin.     

A New Basal Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone of Southern Utah

Background

Basal sauropodomorphs, or ‘prosauropods,’ are a globally widespread paraphyletic assemblage of terrestrial herbivorous dinosaurs from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. In contrast to several other landmasses, the North American record of sauropodomorphs during this time interval remains sparse, limited to Early Jurassic occurrences of a single well-known taxon from eastern North America and several fragmentary specimens from western North America.

Methodology/Principal Findings

On the basis of a partial skeleton, we describe here a new basal sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone of southern Utah, Seitaad ruessi gen. et sp. nov. The partially articulated skeleton of Seitaad was likely buried post-mortem in the base of a collapsed dune foreset. The new taxon is characterized by a plate-like medial process of the scapula, a prominent proximal expansion of the deltopectoral crest of the humerus, a strongly inclined distal articular surface of the radius, and a proximally and laterally hypertrophied proximal metacarpal I.

Conclusions/Significance

Phylogenetic analysis recovers Seitaad as a derived basal sauropodomorph closely related to plateosaurid or massospondylid ‘prosauropods’ and its presence in western North America is not unexpected for a member of this highly cosmopolitan clade. This occurrence represents one of the most complete vertebrate body fossil specimens yet recovered from the Navajo Sandstone and one of the few basal sauropodomorph taxa currently known from North America.