Early Homo erectus skeleton from west Lake Turkana, Kenya

The most complete early hominid skeleton ever found was discovered at Nariokotome III, west Lake Turkana, Kenya, and excavated in situ in sediments dated close to 1.6 Myr. The specimen, KNM-WT 15000, is a male Homo erectus that died at 12 +/- 1 years of age, as judged by human standards, but was already 1.68 m tall. Although human-like in many respects, this specimen documents important anatomical differences between H. erectus and modern humans for the first time.     

New fossils from Koobi Fora in northern Kenya confirm taxonomic diversity in early Homo

Since its discovery in 1972 (ref. 1), the cranium KNM-ER 1470 has been at the centre of the debate over the number of species of early Homo present in the early Pleistocene epoch of eastern Africa. KNM-ER 1470 stands out among other specimens attributed to early Homo because of its larger size, and its flat and subnasally orthognathic face with anteriorly placed maxillary zygomatic roots. This singular morphology and the incomplete preservation of the fossil have led to different views as to whether KNM-ER 1470 can be accommodated within a single species of early Homo that is highly variable because of sexual, geographical and temporal factors, or whether it provides evidence of species diversity marked by differences in cranial size and facial or masticatory adaptation. Here we report on three newly discovered fossils, aged between 1.78 and 1.95 million years (Myr) old, that clarify the anatomy and taxonomic status of KNM-ER 1470. KNM-ER 62000, a well-preserved face of a late juvenile hominin, closely resembles KNM-ER 1470 but is notably smaller. It preserves previously unknown morphology, including moderately sized, mesiodistally long postcanine teeth. The nearly complete mandible KNM-ER 60000 and mandibular fragment KNM-ER 62003 have a dental arcade that is short anteroposteriorly and flat across the front, with small incisors; these features are consistent with the arcade morphology of KNM-ER 1470 and KNM-ER 62000. The new fossils confirm the presence of two contemporary species of early Homo, in addition to Homo erectus, in the early Pleistocene of eastern Africa.     

Vertebrate faunas and chronology of hominid-bearing sediments east of Lake Rudolf,Kenya

The vertebrate faunas which have been collected from east of Lake Rudolf include hominid remains and the earliest dated stone artefacts known. It is now possible to recognize faunal units and to establish a tentative chronology for observed faunal events. It is suggested here that the faunal sequence at East Rudolf may extend from 4.5 m.y. to about 1.3 m.y. with a significant break between about 4.0 and 2.6 m.y.     

Postcranial evidence from early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia

The Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi, Georgia, has yielded a rich fossil and archaeological record documenting an early presence of the genus Homo outside Africa. Although the craniomandibular morphology of early Homo is well known as a result of finds from Dmanisi and African localities, data about its postcranial morphology are still relatively scarce. Here we describe newly excavated postcranial material from Dmanisi comprising a partial skeleton of an adolescent individual, associated with skull D2700/D2735, and the remains from three adult individuals. This material shows that the postcranial anatomy of the Dmanisi hominins has a surprising mosaic of primitive and derived features. The primitive features include a small body size, a low encephalization quotient and absence of humeral torsion; the derived features include modern-human-like body proportions and lower limb morphology indicative of the capability for long-distance travel. Thus, the earliest known hominins to have lived outside of Africa in the temperate zones of Eurasia did not yet display the full set of derived skeletal features.     

The early Cretaceous Hemeroscopid larva fossils from Beijing, China

More than 100 Hemeroscopid larva fossils were discovered from the Lower Cretaceous in Southwest Beijing, which effectively ends the discussion of morphology and makes it more complete. It is assigned within the Libellu-loidea, and shows close evolutionary correlations with modern Libellulidae. Although the wing characters of adult Hemeroscopus from the same formation indicates the close relationship to Aeschnoidea, we suggest that the larvae and the adults were the same species. Therefore, it probably shows the evolutionary ancestors of Libellulidae. Being the fundamental species discriminating Jehol Entomofauna and Lushangfen Entomofauna, Hemeroscopus bears great significance in the study of stratigraphy.     

Early Pliocene sediments and fossils from the northern Kenya Rift Valley

Mammalian fossils, which include the tooth of an early hominid, have been recovered from the newly mapped Ngorora Formation in the Baringo District. Preliminary dating suggests that this formation is aged between 9 and 12 million years, and the new finds thus help to span a ten million year gap in the fossil mammal record in Africa south of the Sahara.     

Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya.

Well-documented Pliocene archaeological sites are exceptional. At present they are known only in East Africa, in the Hadar and Shungura formations of Ethiopia and in the Nachukui formation of Kenya. Intensive archeological survey and a series of test excavations conducted in the Nachukui formation since 1987 have led to the discovery of more than 25 archaeological sites whose ages range from 2.34 to 0.7 million years before present (Myr), and to the extensive excavation of two 2.34-Myr sites, Lokalalei 1 in 1991 and Lokalalei 2C in 1997. Lokalalei 2C yielded nearly 3,000 archaeological finds from a context of such good preservation that it was possible to reconstitute more than 60 sets of complementary matching stone artefacts. These refits, predating the Koobi Fora refits by 500 Kyr, are the oldest ever studied. Here we describe a technological analysis of the core reduction sequences, based on these refits, which allows unprecedented accuracy in the understanding of flake production processes. We can thus demonstrate greater cognitive capacity and motor skill than previously assumed for early hominids, and highlight the diversity of Pliocene technical behaviour.     

Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash,Ethiopia

The origin of anatomically modern Homo sapiens and the fate of Neanderthals have been fundamental questions in human evolutionary studies for over a century. A key barrier to the resolution of these questions has been the lack of substantial and accurately dated African hominid fossils from between 100,000 and 300,000 years ago. Here we describe fossilized hominid crania from Herto, Middle Awash, Ethiopia, that fill this gap and provide crucial evidence on the location, timing and contextual circumstances of the emergence of Homo sapiens. Radioisotopically dated to between 160,000 and 154,000 years ago, these new fossils predate classic Neanderthals and lack their derived features. The Herto hominids are morphologically and chronologically intermediate between archaic African fossils and later anatomically modern Late Pleistocene humans. They therefore represent the probable immediate ancestors of anatomically modern humans. Their anatomy and antiquity constitute strong evidence of modern-human emergence in Africa.     

Remains of Homo erectus from Bouri, Middle Awash, Ethiopia

The genesis, evolution and fate of Homo erectus have been explored palaeontologically since the taxon's recognition in the late nineteenth century. Current debate is focused on whether early representatives from Kenya and Georgia should be classified as a separate ancestral species ('H. ergaster'), and whether H. erectus was an exclusively Asian species lineage that went extinct. Lack of resolution of these issues has obscured the place of H. erectus in human evolution. A hominid calvaria and postcranial remains recently recovered from the Dakanihylo Member of the Bouri Formation, Middle Awash, Ethiopia, bear directly on these issues. These approximately 1.0-million-year (Myr)-old Pleistocene sediments contain abundant early Acheulean stone tools and a diverse vertebrate fauna that indicates a predominantly savannah environment. Here we report that the 'Daka' calvaria's metric and morphological attributes centre it firmly within H. erectus. Daka's resemblance to Asian counterparts indicates that the early African and Eurasian fossil hominids represent demes of a widespread palaeospecies. Daka's anatomical intermediacy between earlier and later African fossils provides evidence of evolutionary change. Its temporal and geographic position indicates that African H. erectus was the ancestor of Homo sapiens.     

陕西镇安早更新世的肉食类动物化石

记述了地处秦岭中段腹地的陕西镇安黄家湾河流相沉积中发现的6种食肉类动物：变异狼（Canis variabilis)、鬣狗(Hyaendaeget．et sp．indet．)、似剑齿虎(Homotherium sp．)、巨剑齿虎(Megantereon sp．)、山西猞猁(相似种)(Lynx cf．shansius)和豹(Panthera pardus)，其时代为早更新世晚期。这批化石的发现，对于恢复秦岭地区的古环境和了解我国动物的地理分布具有一定意义。     

New partial skeleton of Homo habilis from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

A new partial skeleton of an adult hominid from lower Bed I (about 1.8 Myr ago), Olduvai Gorge, is described. This specimen's craniodental anatomy indicates attribution to Homo habilis, but its postcranial anatomy, including small body size and relatively long arms, is strikingly similar to that of some early Australopithecus individuals.