New book on human evolution published
A new book titled Everything about Human Evolution: From the Field to the Laboratory has been published by Dunod, offering a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on the history of humanity and addressing ongoing questions in the field.Authors are French experts in palaeoanthropology
The book is authored by several French specialists in the field, including Dominique Grimaud-Hervé, Emeritus Professor of Palaeoanthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Paris; Gilles Berillon, Research Director at CNRS; Thomas Ingicco, Professor of Palaeoanthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Paris; François Marchal, Research Director at CNRS; Sandrine Prat, Research Director at CNRS; and Amélie Vialet, Lecturer at the National Museum of Natural History, Paris.Book targets students and enthusiasts
The book is intended primarily for students but is also accessible to enthusiasts of anthropology and prehistory. It uses the subtitle "From the Field to the Laboratory" to highlight its approach, which shows how fossil discoveries in the field are analyzed through the tools of anthropology, geology, genetics, and chronology.Content organized by time and theme
The content is organized in chronological and thematic chapters, covering topics such as the primates, the simiiformes, the first hominins, the australopiths, the paranthropes, the emergence and diversification of the genus Homo, and various behavioral interpretations and lifestyles.Book highlights key fossil sites
The book includes detailed descriptions of emblematic sites such as the Fayoum Basin in Egypt, the Awash Basin in Ethiopia, the Omo-Turkana Basin in Ethiopia and Kenya, the Olduvai Gorge and the Laetoli Site in Tanzania, Sterkfontein in South Africa, Dmanissi in Georgia, Arago in France, the Atapuerca Region in Spain, La Ferrassie in France, Qafzeh in Lower Galilee (Israel), Zhoukoudian in China, Sangiran Dome in Indonesia, and Liang Bua in Indonesia.Book challenges old ideas about human evolution
The book emphasizes the complex, bushy, and sometimes contemporary nature of several hominin species that coexisted, moving away from the old linear and progressive scheme of human evolution. The authors discuss the Dmanissi site, where five skulls were discovered, with significant differences attributed to the sex of the individuals.Dmanissi skulls show variation
Some researchers consider the fossils of Dmanissi to be representatives of several human groups, populations, or species, while a recent study taking into account various coefficients of variation of the cranio-dental complex in current primates and fossil hominins shows the opposite, concluding that it is an expression of sexual dimorphism specific to the Dmanissi group.Fifth Dmanissi skull has unique features
The fifth skull (D4500) discovered in 2005 is particularly notable for its low endocranial volume of 546 cm³, compared to the other four skulls ranging between 601 and 730 cm³, and a small stature. Cranial characteristics vary from one individual to another, with more pronounced or less pronounced alveolar prognathism, which can also include the nasal region.Physical traits of Dmanissi individuals
The variation in the stature of these five individuals is between 1.45 m and 1.66 m, and their weight between 40 and 50 kg. Their body proportions are identical to those of H. ergaster and H. sapiens. The humeri of Dmanissi show low torsion due to a lateral position of the insertion of the shoulder muscles, which seems to allow for more extensive movements backward.Limb and foot features suggest mobility
The femoral diaphysis is straight, more robust than the specimens of the Homo genus from the east of Lake Turkana, and the femoral neck is of dimensions analogous to that of the adolescent of Nariokotome (KNM-WT 15000). In general, the length and morphology of the lower limbs, the morphology of the ankle, the adducted big toe, the presence of an arch indicate their ability to move over long distances.Foot structure indicates adapted movement
The orientation of the foot axis is more medial, due to the combination of a slight medial torsion of the tibia and a medial orientation of the talus neck. By these characteristics: foot orientation, low humeral torsion, and small body size, the humans of Dmanissi do not present the full set of derived traits of H. erectus.
