The DOI matches its Crossref record; 18 of the 18 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Body mass and encephalization in Pleistocene Homo.
Abstract
Many dramatic changes in morphology within the genus Homo have occurred over the past 2 million years or more, including large increases in absolute brain size and decreases in postcanine dental size and skeletal robusticity. Body mass, as the 'size' variable against which other morphological features are usually judged, has been important for assessing these changes. Yet past body mass estimates for Pleistocene Homo have varied greatly, sometimes by as much as 50% for the same individuals. Here we show that two independent methods of body-mass estimation yield concordant results when applied to Pleistocene Homo specimens. On the basis of an analysis of 163 individuals, body mass in Pleistocene Homo averaged significantly (about 10%) larger than a representative sample of living humans. Relative to body mass, brain mass in late archaic H. sapiens (Neanderthals) was slightly smaller than in early 'anatomically modern' humans, but the major increase in encephalization within Homo occurred earlier during the Middle Pleistocene (600-150 thousand years before present (kyr BP)), preceded by a long period of stasis extending through the Early Pleistocene (1,800 kyr BP).
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In the citing paper
“A steady increase in brain size-independent of body size-followed and lasted through the Pleistocene (Ruff et al., 1997;Lee and Wolpoff, 2003;Rightmire, 2004;Hawks, 2011).”
From When and Why Did Human Brains Decrease in Size? A New Change-Point Analysis and Insights From Brain Evolution in Ants (2021) · cites this paper as Ruff et al., 1997
In the citing paper
“Human body size, as measured from skeletal dimensions, did reduce during the past 30,000 years, at least in some populations [1,6,7,12].”
From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [1]
In the citing paper
“Human populations during the last 10,000 years have undergone rapid decreases in average brain size as measured by endocranial volume or as estimated from linear measurements of the cranium.”
From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [1]
In the citing paper
“The decline in body mass in human populations during the last 10,000 years has been estimated as less than 5 kg, or less than a 10 percent reduction in mass from a Late Upper Paleolithic mean of some 63 kg [1].”
From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [1]
In the citing paper
“This reduction influenced both mass and stature [1,7,12].”
From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [1]
In the citing paper
“The 'living worldwide' value cited in that study was 58.2 kg, a reduction of less than 5 kg from the Late Upper Paleolithic value, although the samples are geographically inconsistent.”
From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [1]
In the citing paper
“Ruff and colleagues [1] estimated a mean body mass for Late Upper Paleolithic humans as 62.9 kg; this estimate was derived from 71 skeletal specimens, mostly from Europe.”
From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [1]
In the citing paper
“Leach showed that all four traits are found in H. sapiens, although cranial capacity was not reduced until the end of the Pleistocene and the significance of its reduction has been challenged (Ruff et al., 1997).”
From Hypotheses for the Evolution of Reduced Reactive Aggression in the Context of Human Self-Domestication (2019) · cites this paper as Ruff et al., 1997
Citations
Cites
Relative brain size and basal metabolic rate in terrestrial vertebrates
Martin, R. D. (1981) · Nature · doi:10.1038/293057a0 · Cited by 711
Morphological adaptation to climate in modern and fossil hominids
Ruff, C. B. (1994) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330370605 · Cited by 684
Self-citationBody size and proportions in early hominids
McHenry, H. M. (1992) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330870404 · Cited by 583
Postcranial robusticity in Homo . II: Humeral bilateral asymmetry and bone plasticity
Trinkaus, E., Churchill, S. E., & Ruff, C. B. (1994) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330930102 · Cited by 479
Self-citationOrigin and evolution of the genus Homo
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Articular and diaphyseal remodeling of the proximal femur with changes in body mass in adults
Ruff, C. B., Scott, W. W., & Liu, A. Y. ‐. (1991) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330860306 · Cited by 393
Self-citationEarly Homo erectus skeleton from west Lake Turkana, Kenya
Brown, F. H., Harris, J., Leakey, R. E. F., & Walker, A. (1985) · Nature · doi:10.1038/316788a0 · Cited by 391
Brain Size, Cranial Morphology, Climate, and Time Machines [and Comments and Reply]
Beals, K. L., Smith, C. L., Dodd, S. M., Angel, J. L., Armstrong, E., Blumenberg, B., Girgis, F. G., Turkel, S., Gibson, K. R., Henneberg, M., et al. (1984) · Current Anthropology · doi:10.1086/203138 · Cited by 332
Self-citationFossil Homo femur from Berg Aukas, northern Namibia
Grine, F. E., Jungers, W. L., Tobias, P. V., & Pearson, O. M. (1995) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330970207 · Cited by 279
The evolution of body mass and relative brain size in fossil hominids
Kappelman, J. W. (1996) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1006/jhev.1996.0021 · Cited by 255
Behavioral ecological implications of early hominid body size
McHenry, H. M. (1994) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1006/jhev.1994.1036 · Cited by 216
Decrease of human skull size in the Holocene.
Henneberg, M. (1988) · PubMed · Cited by 132
Cranial variables as predictors of hominine body mass
Aiello, L. C., & Wood, B. (1994) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330950405 · Cited by 129
Cranial capacity evolution in Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens
Leigh, S. R. (1992) · American Journal of Physical Anthropology · doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330870102 · Cited by 84
Tobias, P. V. (1985) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1016/s0047-2484(85)80041-5 · Cited by 83
Patterns in the evolution of Homo erectus
Rightmire, G. P. (1981) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300004012 · Cited by 76
Body size and proportions in the late Pleistocene western old world and the origins of modern humans
Holliday, T. W. (1996) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 74
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Mcbrearty, S., & Brooks, A. S. (2000) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1006/jhev.2000.0435 · Cited by 2,718
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Adolphs, R. (2009) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163514 · Cited by 1,827
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Geary, D. C. (1998) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/10370-000 · Cited by 981
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Metadata
- Authors
- Ruff, C. B., Trinkaus, E., & Holliday, T. W.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- William & Mary (US)
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 1997-05
- Volume
- 387
- Issue
- 6629
- Pages
- 173-176
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2072482003
- Cited by
- 896
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 38 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 111.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Keywords
- body mass estimation, encephalization, Neanderthals, brain mass, anatomically modern humans, hominin evolution, Middle Pleistocene, brain size increase, skeletal robusticity
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Body Constitution, Body Weight, Brain, Biological Evolution, Female, Femur Head, Fossils, Humans, Male, Hominidae
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