Cited by 104Pleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologyForensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology StudiesLanguage and cultural evolution

On the origin of our species

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Stringer, Chris, Galway-Witham, Julia·2017·Nature

Abstract

Gaps in the fossil record have limited our understanding of how Homo sapiens evolved. The discovery in Morocco of the earliest known H. sapiens fossils might revise our ideas about human evolution in Africa. See Letters p.289 & p.293 The exact place and time that our species emerged remains obscure because the fossil record is limited and the chronological age of many key specimens remains uncertain. Previous fossil evidence has placed the emergence of modern human biology in eastern Africa around 200,000 years ago. In this issue of Nature, Jean-Jaques Hublin and colleagues report new human fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco; their work is accompanied by a separate report on the dating of the fossils by Shannon McPherron and colleagues. Together they report remains dating back 300,000–350,000 years. They identify numerous features, including a facial, mandibular and dental morphology, that align the material with early or recent modern humans. They also identified more primitive neurocranial and endocranial morphology. Collectively, the researchers believe that this mosaic of features displayed by the Jebel Irhoud hominins assigns them to the earliest evolutionary phase of Homo sapiens. Both papers suggest that the evolutionary processes behind the emergence of modern humans were not confined to sub-Saharan Africa.

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Crossref · 10.1038/546212a

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  • Growth remodeling, meaning bone formation and bone resorption, is an integral process of craniofacial growth that relates to maintaining the shape and proportions of the face during development.

    “Growth remodeling (bone formation and bone resorption) is an integral process of craniofacial growth that relates to maintaining the shape and proportions of the face during development 94 .”

    From The evolutionary history of the human face (2019) · cites this paper as [94]

  • Genetic, mechanical and hormonal signals determine the distribution of depository and resorptive fields.

    “Genetic, mechanical and hormonal signals determine the distribution of these fields 94 .”

    From The evolutionary history of the human face (2019) · cites this paper as [94]

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Authors
Stringer, C., & Galway-Witham, J.
Affiliations
Natural History Museum (GB)
Corresponding author
Stringer, Chris
Venue
Nature
Published
2017-06-08
Volume
546
Issue
7657
Pages
212-214
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W1568547563
Cited by
101
References
14
Citations by year
2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 13
FWCI
35.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
Keywords
human origins, fossil dating, skull morphology, endocranial morphology, dental morphology, facial morphology, hominin evolution

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