Morphological Affinities of the mandibles from Dinaledi (South Africa), Malapa (South Africa), Ledi-Geraru (Ethiopia) and Dmanisi (Georgia) with others homininins fossils from the Plio-Pleistocene: a multivariated analysis.

• Grant number: 22/13462-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology - Prehistoric Archaeology
• Principal Investigator: Walter Alves Neves
• Grantee: Maria Helena Madalosso Senger
• Host Institution: Instituto de Estudos Avançados (IEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Homo sapiens species is the result of the evolution of a set of 7 genera and about 20 species, which started about 7 million years ago. Since we are dealing with old and fragile fossils, the ability to infer, with an acceptable degree of certainty, their taxonomic characteristics is very scarce. Thus, the evolutionary history of the hominin lineage has undergone several taxonomic revisions in recent years. By analyzing several recent papers, it is possible to recognize that there are still inconclusive points that need more attention, to better elucidate the trajectory of our lineage. Therefore, the present project aims to analyze Plio-Pleistocene mandibles and to attack the taxonomic problems surrounding them. Furthermore, in searching the literature for this project, it was noticed that the field of paleoanthropology is devoid of works that use large databases. Consequently, before analyzing the morphology of early hominins mandibles, we will form the most inclusive database possible for these Plio-Pleistocene specimens. Such a database has never been formed before, at least not in the extension we intend to achieve. To do so, we will first gather metric data from the literature on species of the genera Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo, to create the database. Later, through multivariate statistical analyses based on the compiled data, we hope to resolve doubts about the taxonomy and variability of some of the included specimens.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NEVES, WALTER; SENGER, MARIA H.; ROCHA, GABRIEL; SUESDEK, LINCOLN; HUBBE, MARK. Ledi-Geraru strikes again: Morphological affinities of the LD 350-1 mandible with early Homo. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, v. 95, p. 7-pg., 2023-01-01. (22/13462-1)