Growth processes in teeth distinguish modern humans from Homo erectus and earlier hominins.

A modern human-like sequence of dental development, as a proxy for the pace of life history, is regarded as one of the diagnostic hallmarks of our own genus Homo. Brain size, age at first reproduction, lifespan and other life-history traits correlate tightly with dental development. Here we report differences in enamel growth that show the earliest fossils attributed to Homo do not resemble modern humans in their development. We used daily incremental markings in enamel to calculate rates of enamel formation in 13 fossil hominins and identified differences in this key determinant of tooth formation time. Neither australopiths nor fossils currently attributed to early Homo shared the slow trajectory of enamel growth typical of modern humans; rather, both resembled modern and fossil African apes. We then reconstructed tooth formation times in australopiths, in the approximately 1.5-Myr-old Homo erectus skeleton from Nariokotome, Kenya, and in another Homo erectus specimen, Sangiran S7-37 from Java. These times were shorter than those in modern humans. It therefore seems likely that truly modern dental development emerged relatively late in human evolution.     

Early brain growth in Homo erectus and implications for cognitive ability

Humans differ from other primates in their significantly lengthened growth period. The persistence of a fetal pattern of brain growth after birth is another important feature of human development. Here we present the results of an analysis of the 1.8-million-year-old Mojokerto child (Perning 1, Java), the only well preserved skull of a Homo erectus infant, by computed tomography. Comparison with a large series of extant humans and chimpanzees indicates that this individual was about 1 yr (0-1.5 yr) old at death and had an endocranial capacity at 72-84% of an average adult H. erectus. This pattern of relative brain growth resembles that of living apes, but differs from that seen in extant humans. It implies that major differences in the development of cognitive capabilities existed between H. erectus and anatomically modern humans.     

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.     

Implications of new early Homo fossils from Ileret, east of Lake Turkana, Kenya

Sites in eastern Africa have shed light on the emergence and early evolution of the genus Homo. The best known early hominin species, H. habilis and H. erectus, have often been interpreted as time-successive segments of a single anagenetic evolutionary lineage. The case for this was strengthened by the discovery of small early Pleistocene hominin crania from Dmanisi in Georgia that apparently provide evidence of morphological continuity between the two taxa. Here we describe two new cranial fossils from the Koobi Fora Formation, east of Lake Turkana in Kenya, that have bearing on the relationship between species of early Homo. A partial maxilla assigned to H. habilis reliably demonstrates that this species survived until later than previously recognized, making an anagenetic relationship with H. erectus unlikely. The discovery of a particularly small calvaria of H. erectus indicates that this taxon overlapped in size with H. habilis, and may have shown marked sexual dimorphism. The new fossils confirm the distinctiveness of H. habilis and H. erectus, independently of overall cranial size, and suggest that these two early taxa were living broadly sympatrically in the same lake basin for almost half a million years.     

On the possible use of fire by Homo erectus at Zhoukoudian,China

For decades,the so-called Peking Man(Homo erectus pekinensis)at Zhoukoudian has been considered to be a hominin that engaged in the controlled production and management of fire.However,relatively recent analyses have cast doubt on this assertion.The most compelling reason for this doubt was the absence of siliceous aggregates in the Zhoukoudian deposits.This study presents evidence establishing the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus pekinensis through analyses of four soil samples sourced from Layers 4 and 6 at Zhoukoudian Locality 1.These results demonstrate that all four specimens contain siliceous aggregates as well as elemental carbon,and the potassium content of the insoluble residues of these specimens ranges between 1.21%and 2.94%.The analyses provide strong evidence of the in situ use of fire by Homo erectus pekinensis.     

A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia

Currently, it is widely accepted that only one hominin genus, Homo, was present in Pleistocene Asia, represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. Both species are characterized by greater brain size, increased body height and smaller teeth relative to Pliocene Australopithecus in Africa. Here we report the discovery, from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia, of an adult hominin with stature and endocranial volume approximating 1 m and 380 cm3, respectively--equal to the smallest-known australopithecines. The combination of primitive and derived features assigns this hominin to a new species, Homo floresiensis. The most likely explanation for its existence on Flores is long-term isolation, with subsequent endemic dwarfing, of an ancestral H. erectus population. Importantly, H. floresiensis shows that the genus Homo is morphologically more varied and flexible in its adaptive responses than previously thought.     

Early Pleistocene hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave in Bubing Basin, Guangxi,South China

Since the 1950s, researchers who examine the issue of human beginnings often turn to Africa where there is a picture of human origins and evolution based on African hominid fossils with ages that are constantly revised to be older and older. However, there are many other unsolved problems about early human origins and evolution that may be solved by looking outside Africa. Over seventy years ago, Asia was described as a dispersal center of the earliest human industry, and a key arena for huma…     

汤山猿人洞穴埋藏堆积地质雷达勘探解译

通过对南京汤山猿人洞穴内部东侧地质雷达勘探资料的分析，得出东部洞穴基岩埋深在10m以下，为水平状的岩系．其上的洞穴埋藏堆积可以分为上、中、下3个角砾层，反映了该洞穴曾经历过3次较大的崩塌堆积过程．上角砾层可能含有动物化石，是今后考古值得关注的堆积层.     

Origin and evolution of the genus Homo.

It is remarkable that the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the earliest known representatives of our own genus, Homo, remain obscure. Advances in techniques for absolute dating and reassessments of the fossils themselves have rendered untenable a simple unilineal model of human evolution, in which Homo habilis succeeded the australopithecines and then evolved via H. erectus into H. sapiens-but no clear alternative consensus has yet emerged.     

Nb-V低碳微合金钢等温淬火过程析出行为

利用透射电镜和纳米压痕仪对Nb-V低碳微合金钢中纳米碳化物的析出行为进行研究.研究结果表明,在700℃等温60min试样中,可同时观察到相间析出和弥散析出,在其余试样中均未观察到相间析出,此规律可以通过相变过程中的扩散准则和台阶机制来解释.另外,纳米压痕结果显示在600℃等温20min试样中,平均硬度为3.87GPa,650℃等温20min试样中,平均硬度为4.10GPa,且通过TEM观察可以看出,650℃等温20min中试样析出物数量密度较大且分布均匀.利用Ashby-Orowan机制对析出强化量进行计算,可以得出在650℃等温20min试样中,析出强化对整个屈服强度的贡献量可以达到110MPa.     

Out of Africa again and again

The publication of a haplotype tree of human mitochondrial DNA variation in 1987 provoked a controversy about the details of recent human evolution that continues to this day. Now many haplotype trees are available, and new analytical techniques exist for testing hypotheses about recent evolutionary history using haplotype trees. Here I present formal statistical analysis of human haplotype trees for mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosomal DNA, two X-linked regions and six autosomal regions. A coherent picture of recent human evolution emerges with two major themes. First is the dominant role that Africa has played in shaping the modern human gene pool through at least two--not one--major expansions after the original range extension of Homo erectus out of Africa. Second is the ubiquity of genetic interchange between human populations, both in terms of recurrent gene flow constrained by geographical distance and of major population expansion events resulting in interbreeding, not replacement.     

岩溶洞穴地球物理考古方法集成研究 --以南京汤山直立人洞穴为例

根据相关地球物理勘探的实践,勾画洞穴勘探的知识技术体系.据此建立已知洞穴和未知洞穴的地球物理勘探方案与工作流程,并在南京汤山直立人洞穴的考古研究中进行了综合应用,取得预期效果.综合地球物理考古可以在一定程度上解决单一地球物理勘探的多解性和不确定性等问题.     

密质骨力-电效应的实验研究

根据从生理盐水中取出时间的长短模拟干骨和湿骨,采用分离式Hopkinson压杆装置研究不同长度和直径的密质骨试件在冲击载荷作用下的压电电压及相应的滞后时间,从而研究干骨和湿骨分别对压电电压滞后时间以及电压幅值的影响,并分析讨论了产生不同压电电压滞后现象的机理。得到以下结论:湿骨电压滞后现象比干骨更为明显;从试件的几何尺寸分析,试件长度和直径都与压电电压幅值成正比;试件离水时间越长,压电电压幅值越小。     

基于颗粒流法研究混凝土的劈裂拉伸破坏特性

基于二维颗粒流程序,构建了包含水泥砂浆、不规则多边形骨料和水泥砂浆与骨料的交界面的二维混凝土细观模型,采用标定后的平节理模型参数,对混凝土破坏的裂纹演化和破坏机理进行研究. 模拟结果表明:宏观破坏的细观机制是水泥砂浆、骨料以及交界面内的裂纹扩展和演化造成的;随机骨料的分布会对混凝土的峰值应力和破坏模式有一定的影响;巴西圆盘试件内的裂纹起始于加载端,随着载荷增加裂纹向中心扩展,混凝土试件呈现出劈裂拉伸破坏的模式;随着加载速度的提高,沿加载方向上的主裂纹及其他次生裂纹相互作用,使混凝土试件出现大量的碎块;裂纹统计结果显示,在细观层次上,拉伸型裂纹主导了混凝土试件的劈裂破坏,少量的剪切型裂纹主要集中在试件加载端的骨料附近.      

划伤损伤对复合材料层合板承载能力的影响

为了研究划伤对复合材料层合板承载能力的影响,通过对含划伤试件和未损伤试件进行拉伸试验的方法研究了层合板划伤处的损伤类型以及损伤演化过程;同时通过粘贴电阻应变片来分析划伤附近的应变变化规律。结果表明:划伤试件在加载初期主要以基体损伤为主,后期主要以纤维拉伸断裂为主;划伤的存在使得试件的形心与加载中心不重合,使试件在加载后期发生了弯曲变形。可见,划伤明显地降低了试件的承载能力。     

非等厚度四点弯曲试样环向应力理论研究

针对四点弯曲试样标准为等厚度直梁试样,不能真实模拟管件曲梁结构的真实工况,设计了一种外壁为完整的一段圆弧,内壁为一直线段和两段对称圆弧构成的非标准、非等厚度的四点弯曲试样。根据非等厚度的四点弯曲试样结构及其力学模型,推导出了其外壁任意一点环向拉应力与试样加载载荷之间的理论计算公式,建立了该四点弯曲试样的有限元力学计算模型。计算结果表明,文中推导出的理论公式计算出的最大环向应力与有限元法的计算结果误差的绝对值为0.06%~0.33%,几乎没有误差,充分证明了理论公式的准确性,该理论公式为非等厚度四点弯曲的应力腐蚀开裂试验加载参数提供了简便的计算方法。     

基于双CCD相机的三轴试验三维成像测量技术

提出了一种基于双CCD相机的三轴试验三维成像测量技术,在三轴试验仪前后面分别放置一台CCD相机,利用具有黑白方格的橡皮膜代替传统的橡皮膜.在试验过程中对试样进行图像采集,能够捕捉试样全表面的变形.提取和跟踪图像中黑白方格的角点并对试样的边界进行识别,基于三轴试样的水平截面在变形前后均保持水平圆形平面的假设,对前后表面分别采集到的图像进行拼接处理,初步实现了三轴试验过程中试样变形的三维测量,与有限元软件ANSYS相结合,能够绘制试样表面的三维变形云图,并将这种技术应用到了硅藻土的三轴试验研究中,取得了较好的测量效果.     

搅拌方法对阳极氧化法制备TiO2纳米管阵列的影响

将Ti箔在电压为40 V、温度为60℃,超声搅拌或磁力搅拌下质量分数0.25%的NH4F+体积分数2.5%的蒸馏水+乙二醇电解液中进行阳极氧化,以制备TiO2纳米管阵列;所制备的样品在空气中经450℃退火3 h。用场发射扫描电镜、透射电镜对所制得的样品表面形貌和晶体结构进行表征。结果发现:磁力搅拌制得的样品表面被严重腐蚀;而超声搅拌下可制备出完整的TiO2纳米管,无腐蚀现象;阳极氧化后的TiO2纳米管为非晶态结构,经退火处理后转变为锐态矿结构。对不同搅拌方式影响TiO2纳米管阵列的形成机制进行了分析讨论。     

C型环环向应力与加载载荷的公式推导与验证

基于任意C型环试样结构尺寸及其力学关系,建立了C型环内任意截面的力学模型,根据材料力学基本理论,推导出了其外壁和内壁任意一点环向应力与C型环试样加载位移、加载载荷之间的理论计算公式。为了验证本文推导的理论公式的正确性,建立了C型环试样的有限元计算的力学模型,当某试验要求C型环试样最大环向拉应力为650 MPa,对油管外径88.9 mm的C型环试样,通过有限元法和本文推导的理论公式对该结构工况进行计算和对比分析,得出有限元法和理论公式计算出需要施加的载荷和位移的误差分别为-1.82%和1.25%,证明推导文中推导的理论公式的正确性,为C型环硫化物应力腐蚀开裂（SSCC）和应力腐蚀开裂（SCC）实验加载参数的确定提供了简便的计算方法。