Cochlear morphology of Indonesian Homo erectus from Sangiran
Urciuoli, Alessandro (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Kubat, Jülide (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Université de Paris)
Schisanowski, Lisa (Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt. Division of Palaeoanthropology)
Schrenk, Friedemann (Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt. Division of Palaeoanthropology)
Zipfel, Bernhard (University of the Witwatersrand. Evolutionary Studies Institute (South Africa))
Tawane, Mirriam (Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (South Africa))
Bam, Lunga (South African Nuclear Energy Corporation. Department of Radiation Science)
Alba, David M.. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Kullmer, Ottmar (Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt. Division of Palaeoanthropology)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	Homo erectus s. l. is key for deciphering the origin and subsequent evolution of genus Homo. However, the characterization of this species is hindered by the existence of multiple variants in both mainland and insular Asia, as a result of divergent chronogeographical evolutionary trends, genetic isolation, and interbreeding with other human species. Previous research has shown that cochlear morphology embeds taxonomic and phylogenetic information that may help infer the phylogenetic relationships among hominin species. Here we describe the cochlear morphology of two Indonesian H. erectus individuals (Sangiran 2 and 4), and compare it with a sample of australopiths, Middle to Late Pleistocene humans, and extant humans by means of linear measurements and both principal components and canonical variates analyses performed on shape ratios. Our results indicate that H. erectus displays a mosaic morphology that combines plesiomorphic (australopithlike) features (such as a chimplike round cochlear cross section and low cochlear thickness), with derived characters of later humans (a voluminous and long cochlea, possibly related to hearing abilities)-consistent with the more basal position of H. erectus. Our results also denote substantial variation between the two studied individuals, particularly in the length and radius of the first turn, as well as cross-sectional shape. Given the small size of the available sample, it is not possible to discern whether such differences merely reflect intraspecific variation among roughly coeval H. erectus individuals or whether they might result from greater age differences between them than currently considered. However, our results demonstrate that most characters found in later humans were already present in Indonesian H. erectus, with the exception of Neanderthals, which display an autapomorphic condition relative to other Homo species.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-117289GB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-116908GB-I00 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-116
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Fossil humans ; Inner ear ; Cochlea ; Morphometrics ; Human Evolution ; Southeastern Asia
Published in:	Journal of human evolution, Vol. 165 (April 2022) , art. 103163, ISSN 0047-2484

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103163

Postprint 56 p, 10.8 MB

Supplementary material 8 p, 199.5 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles