郧县人类头骨化石与周口店直立人头骨的形态比较

对郧县人类头骨化石与周口店直立人头骨作了形态上的比较以检验直立人特征在郧县头骨化石上的表现情况．比较项目包括眶上圆枕、枕骨圆枕、枕平面与项平面之间的转折情况、眶后收缩、颅骨最大宽位置、颅盖低平情况、前额后倾情况和颅容量．结果表明,在郧县人类头骨化石的这些特征项目中,有的因头骨破损和变形而难以肯定．其余的则应是早期智人的特征．从形态上讲,郧县人类头骨化石目前还难肯定是属于直立人,而有可能属于智人,如果认为“直立人”和“智人”是两个不同的物种的话．     

对人类进化全过程的思索

本文从人类的诞生,人类发展过程的连续与间断,人类进化过程中体质发展的不平衡性和现代人的进化等４方面来论述人类进化的全过程．     

中国早期智人牙齿化石

中国目前较为可靠的早期智人牙齿材料应包括在巢县、许家窑、长阳、周口店新洞和桐梓发现的人类牙齿化石,代表一类与早期组早期智人相当或十分相近的古人类。丁村人类牙齿化石可能是代表晚期组早期智人也可能是代表解剖学上的现代智人。就牙齿材料而言,尚无充分的证据能表明在中国曾同时存在过两种类型的早期智人。     

许家窑人颞骨研究

本文记述1979年在许家窑遗址获得的人类左侧颞骨化石一块。通过与北京猿人、欧洲早期智人和现代人等的比较,表明许家窑人颞骨的某些性状较原始,有些性状则较为进步,但更主要的是许多特征介于直立人与现代人之间。     

鄂西“南方古猿”和印尼早更新世若干人类化石

在鄂西发现的四枚臼齿化石曾被认为是南方古猿的。鄂西臼齿,从其齿冠尺寸和形状等来看,与非洲的有关材料对比,更接近人属成员的;与印尼早更新世有关的化石对比,与魁人等的很相似。直立人牙齿的演化趋势和变异性表明:鄂西臼齿以及印尼早更新世人类下颌骨化石更大的可能是代表一类时代较早的直立人。     

Chimpanzee variation facilitates the interpretation of the incisive suture closure in South African Plio-Pleistocene hominids

For a better understanding of early hominid growth patterns, we need to compare skeletal maturation among humans and chimpanzees. This study provides new data on variation of the incisive suture closure in extant species to facilitate the understanding of growth patterns among South African Plio-Pleistocene hominids. The complete anterior closure of the incisive suture occurs early during human life, mostly before birth. In contrast, in chimpanzees a complete anterior closure occurs mostly after the eruption of either the first permanent molars (pygmy chimpanzees) or the third molars (common chimpanzees). The first aim of this study is to test whether the patterns of closure of both the anterior and palatal components of the incisive suture in chimpanzees accurately mirror their polytypism by investigating 720 museum specimens of known geographical origin. Then we use the data gleaned from the incisive suture closure in chimpanzees to determine whether there are different growth patterns among South African Plio-Pleistocene hominids and to interpret them. Results about the pattern of incisive suture closure are consistent with the differences among chimpanzees as revealed by molecular data. Thus, the variation in chimpanzee patterns of incisive suture closure facilitates the interpretation of morphology in South African fossil hominids. In Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus as compared to Australopithecus africanus, the complete anterior closure and, probably, the complete palatal closure of the incisive suture occurs during early life in the same way as they occur in humans. Moreover, the closure pattern observed on Stw 53, a supposed early Homo from Sterkfontein Member 5, is similar to that seen in A. africanus and in chimpanzees. Thus, with respect to the anterior component of the incisive suture, A. africanus and Stw 53 retain the primitive feature for which A. (P.) robustus and Homo share the derived character state. Finally, it is worth noting that the Taung child does not show the robust condition. Am J Phys Anthropol 105:121–135, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Underestimating intraspecific variation: The problem with excluding Sts 19 from Australopithecus africanus

Two analyses conclude that Sts 19 cannot be accommodated within the Australopithecus africanus hypodigm (Kimbel and Rak [1993] In Kimbel and Martin [eds.]: Species, Species Concepts, and Primate Evolution. New York: Plenum, pp. 461–484; Sarmiento [1993] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. [Suppl.] 16:173). Both studies exclude Sts 19 because it possesses synapomorphies with Homo. Furthermore, according to Kimbel and Rak (1993), including Sts 19 in A. africanus results in an unacceptably high degree of polymorphism. This study aims to refute the null hypothesis that Sts 19 belongs to A. africanus. Twelve basicranial characters, as defined and implemented in Kimbel and Rak's study, were scored for casts of seven A. africanus and seven Homo habilis basicranial specimens. These characters were also examined on specimens from a large (N = 87) sample of African pongids. Contrary to Kimbel and Rak's (1993) findings, the null hypothesis is not refuted. The degree of polymorphism among A. africanus with Sts 19 included is less than that seen in Pan troglodytes. In addition, Sts 19 shares only one apomorphy with Homo. However, when treated metrically, Sts 19's morphology for this character is not significantly divergent from other A. africanus specimens. Am J Phys Anthropol 105:461–480, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

An adolescent female Neanderthal mandible from Montgaudier Cave,Charente, France

In 1974, an incomplete human mandible was discovered in the site of Montgaudier Cave, along the Tardoire (Charente), France. The mandible was found in association with stone tools and animal bones in geological deposits referable to the very end of the Middle Pleistocene or the beginning of the Upper Pleistocene. The mandible preserves much of the anterior part of the body and three permanent teeth: left lateral incisor, canine and first molar. Estimates based on tooth eruption of modern humans, as well as occlusal wear and root development, suggest an age at death of between 12.5 and 14.5 years. Morphologically, the fossil possesses features, such as a lack of a chin and multiple mental foramina, which have been observed on immature Neanderthal mandibular specimens from Europe. Comparison with these immature European Neanderthals indicates that the jaw and teeth of the Montgaudier mandible are small for its chronological age, suggesting it was that of a female. Am J Phys Anthropol 103:507–527, 1997 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Allometric patterns of cranial bone thickness in fossil hominids

The interspecific allometry of five measures of total cranial bone thickness is examined in 10 extant catarrhine genera and two fossil hominid samples representing A. africanus and Asian H. erectus. Analysis of the modern sample shows that most interspecific variation in vault thickness can be accounted for by variation in body size. Correlation values are moderate to high (r = 0.75–0.98), and all variables exhibit positive allometry. The bone thickness:body mass relationship of modern humans broadly conforms with that of other primates. However, in the distribution of relative thickness throughout the skull, H. sapiens is distinguished by relative thickening of the parietal and extreme relative thinning of the temporal squama. The bone thickness:body mass relationship in the two early hominid species is examined using published mean body weight estimates generated from post-cranial predictor variables. A. africanus exhibits great similarity to modern humans in its relation to the catarrhine regression data and in the distribution of relative thickness throughout the skull. H. erectus also shows a modern human-like pattern in the distribution of its relative thickness; however, its bone thickness:body mass relationship is dissimilar to that displayed by all other taxa, including the other hominid species. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that the published body weight estimate assigned to H. erectus greatly underestimates actual mean body size for Asian members of this species. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.