Nature & Environment
Neanderthals Look Different Than Modern Humans, Study Sheds Light On Difference
Rosanna Singh
First Posted: Dec 08, 2015 11:18 AM EST
A new study is shedding light on the development of Neanderthal facial skeletons and how it differs from the facial bone structures of modern humans.
Neanderthals roamed various parts of the earth 200,000 years ago. In their study, the researchers found Neanderthals are distinctive species compared to Homo sapiens (humans) based on the growth and structure of their faces, which separates the two groups.
"This is an important piece of the puzzle of evolution," Rodrigo Lacruz, lead author of the study and paleontologists from New York University, said in a news release. "Some have thought that Neanderthals and humans should not be considered distinct branches of the human family tree. However, our findings, based upon facial growth patterns, indicate they are indeed sufficiently distinct from one another."
The researchers used an electron microscope and a portable confocal microscope to facilitate in their investigation. These devices were developed by Dr. Timothy Bromage, co-author of the study from NYUCD's Department of Biomaterials.
The researchers studied several Neanderthal child skulls, which were then compared to four Middle Pleistocene (about 400,000 years ago) hominin faces of teenagers, which were collected in north-central Spain. The fossils from Spain are considered to be ancestors of the Neanderthal based on their genomic DNA analysis and anatomical features, according to the researchers.
The researchers found that Neanderthals underwent facial bone-growth remodeling, a process in which, bone is deposited and reabsorbed. This forms and shapes the adult skeleton. It aids in the development of the upper jaw bone. However, this process is quite distinctive among human children, whose faces grow with counter balance, where resorption takes place in the lower part of the face resulting in a flatter jaw compared to Neanderthals. (Bone resorption is the absorption into the circulation of cells or tissue)
"We always considered Neanderthals to be a very different category of hominin. But in fact they share with older African hominins a similar facial growth pattern," Lacruz said. "It's actually humans who are developmentally derived, meaning that humans deviated from the ancestral pattern."
"The next phase of research is to identify how and when modern humans acquired their facial-growth development plan," Lacruz added.
The findings of this study were published in in Nature Communications.
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Tagsgreat apes, apes, Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, modern human, facial skeletons, New York University, Rodrigo Lacruz, Fossil, Timothy Bromage ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Dec 08, 2015 11:18 AM EST
A new study is shedding light on the development of Neanderthal facial skeletons and how it differs from the facial bone structures of modern humans.
Neanderthals roamed various parts of the earth 200,000 years ago. In their study, the researchers found Neanderthals are distinctive species compared to Homo sapiens (humans) based on the growth and structure of their faces, which separates the two groups.
"This is an important piece of the puzzle of evolution," Rodrigo Lacruz, lead author of the study and paleontologists from New York University, said in a news release. "Some have thought that Neanderthals and humans should not be considered distinct branches of the human family tree. However, our findings, based upon facial growth patterns, indicate they are indeed sufficiently distinct from one another."
The researchers used an electron microscope and a portable confocal microscope to facilitate in their investigation. These devices were developed by Dr. Timothy Bromage, co-author of the study from NYUCD's Department of Biomaterials.
The researchers studied several Neanderthal child skulls, which were then compared to four Middle Pleistocene (about 400,000 years ago) hominin faces of teenagers, which were collected in north-central Spain. The fossils from Spain are considered to be ancestors of the Neanderthal based on their genomic DNA analysis and anatomical features, according to the researchers.
The researchers found that Neanderthals underwent facial bone-growth remodeling, a process in which, bone is deposited and reabsorbed. This forms and shapes the adult skeleton. It aids in the development of the upper jaw bone. However, this process is quite distinctive among human children, whose faces grow with counter balance, where resorption takes place in the lower part of the face resulting in a flatter jaw compared to Neanderthals. (Bone resorption is the absorption into the circulation of cells or tissue)
"We always considered Neanderthals to be a very different category of hominin. But in fact they share with older African hominins a similar facial growth pattern," Lacruz said. "It's actually humans who are developmentally derived, meaning that humans deviated from the ancestral pattern."
"The next phase of research is to identify how and when modern humans acquired their facial-growth development plan," Lacruz added.
The findings of this study were published in in Nature Communications.
Related Articles
Three Horned, Giraffe-Like Creature Lived 16 Million Years Ago, Found In Spain
North Pacific Whale: 30-Million-Year-Old Fossil Identified
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone