Short and long period growth markers of enamel formation distinguish European Pleistocene hominins

Mario Modesto-Mata, M. Christopher Dean, Rodrigo S. Lacruz, Timothy G. Bromage, Cecilia García-Campos, Marina Martínez de Pinillos, Laura Martín-Francés, María Martinón-Torres, Eudald Carbonell, Juan Luis Arsuaga, José María Bermúdez de Castro

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Characterizing dental development in fossil hominins is important for distinguishing between them and for establishing where and when the slow overall growth and development of modern humans appeared. Dental development of australopiths and early Homo was faster than modern humans. The Atapuerca fossils (Spain) fill a barely known gap in human evolution, spanning ~1.2 to ~0.4 million years (Ma), during which H. sapiens and Neandertal dental growth characteristics may have developed. We report here perikymata counts, perikymata distributions and periodicities of all teeth belonging to the TE9 level of Sima del Elefante, level TD6.2 of Gran Dolina (H. antecessor) and Sima de los Huesos. We found some components of dental growth in the Atapuerca fossils resembled more recent H. sapiens. Mosaic evolution of perikymata counts and distribution generate three distinct clusters: H. antecessor, Sima de los Huesos and H. sapiens.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number4665
JournalScientific reports
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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