河南淅川盆地的恐龙蛋

记述了河南淅川盆地10个地点发现的恐龙蛋化石计6种,分属于4个科6个属．其中新属1个、新种2个。新属、新种滔河扁圆蛋（Placoolithustaohensis）以其特有的壳单元分枝特征成为树枝蛋科的新型分子;另一新种渐川树枝蛋（Dendroolithusxichuanensis）与湖北安陆王店树枝蛋（D．wandianensis）性质相似,两者时代应彼此相当;含滔河扁圆蛋的马家村组下部应与其下含淅川树枝蛋的高沟组划归同一时段为宜,即晚白垩世早期;含副圆形蛋、椭圆形蛋、长形蛋、南雄蛋的马家村组中、上部和其上的寺沟组,时代应属晚白垩世中、晚期。     

The brain of Homo habilis: A new level of organization in cerebral evolution

New studies have been made on endocranial casts of Olduvai specimens of Homo habilis. The results have been compared with those on other East African H. habilis and other hominoids. The mean absolute endocranial capacity of H. habilis is appreciably larger than the mean for australopithecine species: on the new estimates, the H. habilis mean is 45·1% greater than the A. africanus mean and 24·8% greater than that of A. boisei. New data for relative brain size, expressed by Jerison's Nc and EQ and Hemmer's CC, strongly confirm that it was with H. habilis that there appeared the remarkable autapomorphy of Homo, disproportionate expansion of the brain. Encephalometric studies reveal marked transverse expansion of the cerebrum, especially the frontal and parieto-occipital parts, in H. habilis and increased bulk of the frontal and parietal lobes, a derived feature of Homo. There is moderate cerebral heightening, but little or no cerebral lengthening. The sulcal and gyral pattern of the lateral part of the frontal lobe of H. habilis differs from those of Australopithecus and resembles the derived pattern of Homo. The inferior parietal lobule is prominently developed—an autapomorphy of Homo. The two major cerebral areas governing spoken language in modern man are well represented in the endocasts of H. habilis, a functionally important autapomorphy of Homo. The pattern of middle meningeal vessels is more complex with more anastomoses than in australopithecines: H. habilis shares this derived feature with later forms of Homo. In all these features, the brain of H. habilis had made major advances, beyond the more ape-like australopithecine brain. With H. habilis, cerebral evolution had progressed beyond the stage of “animal hominids” (Australopithecus spp.) to that of “human hominids” (Homo spp.). In functional capacity, in particular, its possession of a structural marker of the neurological basis of spoken language, H. habilis had attained a new evolutionary level of organization.     

The Liang Bua faunal remains: a 95 k.yr. sequence from Flores, East Indonesia

Excavations at Liang Bua, a limestone cave on the island of Flores, East Indonesia, have yielded a well-dated archaeological and faunal sequence spanning the last 95 k.yr., major climatic fluctuations, and two human species - H. floresiensis from 95 to 17 k.yr.¹, and modern humans from 11 k.yr. to the present. The faunal assemblage comprises well-preserved mammal, bird, reptile and mollusc remains, including examples of island gigantism in small mammals and the dwarfing of large taxa. Together with evidence from Early-Middle Pleistocene sites in the Soa Basin, it confirms the long-term isolation, impoverishment, and phylogenetic continuity of the Flores faunal community. The accumulation of Stegodon and Komodo dragon remains at the site in the Pleistocene is attributed to Homo floresiensis, while predatory birds, including an extinct species of owl, were largely responsible for the accumulation of the small vertebrates. The disappearance from the sequence of the two large-bodied, endemic mammals, Stegodon florensis insularis and Homo floresiensis, was associated with a volcanic eruption at 17 ka and precedes the earliest evidence for modern humans, who initiated use of mollusc and shell working, and began to introduce a range of exotic animals to the island. Faunal introductions during the Holocene included the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) at about 7 ka, followed by the Eurasian pig (Sus scrofa), Long-tailed macaque, Javanese porcupine, and Masked palm civet at about 4 ka, and cattle, deer, and horse - possibly by the Portuguese within historic times. The Holocene sequence at the site also documents local faunal extinctions - a result of accelerating human population growth, habitat loss, and over-exploitation.     

Conservation of key members in the course of the evolution of the insulin signaling pathway

Our understanding of the evolution of the insulin signaling pathway (ISP) is still incomplete. One intriguing unanswered question is the explanation of the emergence of the glucostatic role of insulin in mammals. To find out whether this is due to the development of new sets of signaling transduction elements in these organisms, or to the establishment of new interactions between pre-existing proteins, we rebuilt putative orthologous ISPs in 17 eukaryotic organisms. Then, we computed the conservation of orthologous ISPs at different levels, from sequence similarity of orthologous proteins to co-evolution of interacting domains. We found that the emergence of glucostatic role in mammals can neither be explained by the development of new sets of signaling elements, nor by the establishment of new interactions between pre-existing proteins. The comparison of orthologous IRS molecules indicates that only in mammals have they acquired their complete functionality as efficient recruiters of effector sub-pathways.     

Rethinking the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa

Current fossil, genetic, and archeological data indicate that Homo sapiens originated in Africa in the late Middle Pleistocene. By the end of the Late Pleistocene, our species was distributed across every continent except Antarctica, setting the foundations for the subsequent demographic and cultural changes of the Holocene. The intervening processes remain intensely debated and a key theme in hominin evolutionary studies. We review archeological, fossil, environmental, and genetic data to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa. The emerging picture of the dispersal process suggests dynamic behavioral variability, complex interactions between populations, and an intricate genetic and cultural legacy. This evolutionary and historical complexity challenges simple narratives and suggests that hybrid models and the testing of explicit hypotheses are required to understand the expansion of Homo sapiens into Eurasia.     

Right‐handed fossil humans

Fossil hominids often processed material held between their upper and lower teeth. Pulling with one hand and cutting with the other, they occasionally left impact cut marks on the lip (labial) surface of their incisors and canines. From these actions, it possible to determine the dominant hand used. The frequency of these oblique striations in an array of fossil hominins documents the typically modern pattern of 9 right‐ to 1 left‐hander. This ratio among living Homo sapiens differs from that among chimpanzees and bonobos and more distant primate relatives. Together, all studies of living people affirm that dominant right‐handedness is a uniquely modern human trait. The same pattern extends deep into our past. Thus far, the majority of inferred right‐handed fossils come from Europe, but a single maxilla from a Homo habilis, OH‐65, shows a predominance of right oblique scratches, thus extending right‐handedness into the early Pleistocene of Africa. Other studies show right‐handedness in more recent African, Chinese, and Levantine fossils, but the sample compiled for non‐European fossil specimens remains small. Fossil specimens from Sima del los Huesos and a variety of European Neandertal sites are predominately right‐handed. We argue the 9:1 handedness ratio in Neandertals and the earlier inhabitants of Europe constitutes evidence for a modern pattern of handedness well before the appearance of modern Homo sapiens.     

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。     

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。     

Morphostructural constraints and phylogenetic overprint on sutural frilling in Late Jurassic ammonites

The functional significance of frilled septa and complex sutures in ammonoids has generated ongoing debate. The 'classic' hypothesis envisages ammonoid shells and septa as designed for resisting ambient hydrostatic pressure, complex sutures being the evidence of strength in shells for colonization of deep habitats. Here we address the 'suture problem', focusing on the analysis and interpretation of variables in our database of Late Jurassic ammonites not included in previous studies, such as whorl height ( W h ), whorl shape ( S ), shell coiling ( WD ), taxonomic grouping and basic planispiral shell shape. The results indicate that sutural complexity, as measured by the fractal dimension ( D f ) value of the suture line, is positively correlated with W h , and that the sutures of oceanic shells tend to provide, for a given W h value, lower D f estimates than do those of neritic shells. No general trend of increase in sutural complexity was noted for specimens recovered from swell areas belonging to oceanic fringes with respect to those that inhabited epicontinental shelves. In fact, Perisphinctoidea, the clade best represented in the database analysed, shows a higher D f mean value in neritic species than in epioceanic ones. Significant differences in sutural complexity were detected for groups of ammonites classified according to shell shapes ( WD , S ). Oxycones and discocones, streamlined potential swimmers, show the highest D f mean values, while spherocones and cadicones, which were presumably vertical vagrants, present the lowest ones. This indicates that sutural complexity was more related to shell geometry than to bathymetry.