Shape analysis of the StW 578 calotte from Jacovec Cavern, Gauteng (South Africa)
Beaudet, Amélie (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Dumoncel, Jean (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (França))
Heaton, Jason (Ditsong National Museum of Natural History)
Pickering, Travis (University of the Witwatersrand. Evolutionary Studies Institute)
Clarke, Ronald (University of the Witwatersrand. Evolutionary Studies Institute)
Carlson, Kristian (University of the Witwatersrand. Evolutionary Studies Institute)
Bam, Lunga (South African Nuclear Energy Corporation)
Van Hoorebeke, Luc (Ghent University. Department of Physics and Astronomy)
Stratford, Dominic (University of the Witwatersrand. School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies)

Fecha:	2022
Resumen:	The fossiliferous deposits within the lower-lying Jacovec Cavern in the locality of Sterkfontein yielded valuable hominin remains, including the StW 578 specimen. Because StW 578 mainly preserves the calotte, the taxonomic status of this specimen has been a matter of discussion. Within this context, here we employed high-resolution microtomography and a landmark-free registration method to explore taxonomically diagnostic features in the external surface of the StW 578 calotte. Our comparative sample included adult humans and common chimpanzees as well as one Australopithecus africanus specimen (Sts 5). We partially restored the StW 578 calotte digitally and compared it to extant specimens and Sts 5 using a landmark-free registration based on smooth and invertible surface deformation. Our comparative shape analysis reveals morphological differences with extant humans, especially in the frontal bones, and with extant chimpanzees, as well as intriguing specificities in the morphology of the StW 578 parietal bones. Lastly, our study suggests morphological proximity between StW 578 and Sts 5. Given the intimate relationship between the brain and the braincase, as well as the integration of the hominin face and neurocranium, we suggest that cranial vault shape differences between StW 578 and extant humans, if confirmed by further analyses, could be either explained by differences in brain surface morphology or in the face. Besides providing additional information about the morphology of the Jacovec calotte that will be useful in future taxonomic discussion, this study introduces a new protocol for the landmark-free analysis of fossil hominin cranial shape.
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Materia:	Australopithecus ; Sterkfontein Caves ; Cranial morphology ; Surface-based comparison
Publicado en:	South African Journal of Science, Vol. 118, Num. 3/4 (March/April 2022) , ISSN 1996-7489

DOI: 10.17159/sajs.2022/11743

6 p, 2.0 MB

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Documentos de investigación > Documentos de los grupos de investigación de la UAB > Centros y grupos de investigación (producción científica) > Ciencias > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
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