چکیده:
Neanderthals exhibit a unique midfacial morphology that distinguishes them from their non-Neanderthal contemporaries
and from the generalized hominid face. Neanderthal zygomatic and maxillary regions are more sagittally oriented than those of modern
people, so the midface projects in a manner, and to an extent, not found in modern humans. This is known as midfacial prognathism
(MFP). A decrease in the expression of MFP is a significant point of distinction between Neanderthals and modern humans, and some
consider it an important aspect of morphological ‘modernity’ in general. This research assesses the degree of resemblance in the
midfacial region of Upper Pleistocene European hominids including Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic people. To assess the degree
of midfacial resemblance, a new method called Geometric Morphometric 3-Dimensional Analysis (GM3DA) is developed. A computer
program transforms morphological raw data into comparable curves that can be analyzed statistically to assess the degree of similarity
and difference in the midfaces of different hominids. Using these methods, the results indicate a clear morphological difference in the
midfacial region when Neanderthals are compared with Upper Paleolithic Europeans. The results suggest that European Neanderthals
constitute a distinct morphological population, at least so far as the midface is concerned.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Using these methods, the results indicate a clear morphological difference in the midfacial region when Neanderthals are compared with Upper Paleolithic Europeans.
Abstract: Keywords: geometric morphometric 3D analysis, Neanderthal, midfacial prognathism, Europe, Upper Pleistocene hominids Introduction Facial morphology has played a prominent role in studies of human evolution.
Neanderthals exhibit a unique facial morphology, midfacial prognathism (MFP) that distinguishes them from their contemporaries, from modern humans, and from the generalized hominid face.
We investigate here whether or not, and to what extent, morphological similarity exists in the midfacial region of European Neanderthals and European Upper Paleolithic (EUP) samples generally regarded as H.
The null hypothesis (H0) states that there are no statistically significant morphological differences in the overall form of the midface in Neanderthals and EUP humans from western Eurasia.
The alternative hypothesis (H1) states that there is a statistically demonstrable morphological difference in the overall form of the midface when west Eurasian Neanderthals and EUP humans are compared.
The study collections of Archaic Homo sapiens (AHS), Neanderthals, anatomically early modern humans (AMH), and European Upper Paleolithic and Holocene Homo sapiens are listed in table 1.
The data also imply that European Upper Paleolithic (EUP) people have a different zygomatic morphology than European Neanderthals (EN); the degree of similarity between these two groups is relatively low (APO: 30%) compared to the ME/EUP comparison (APO: 79%).
(2) Regardless of the possible evolutionary relationships between Neanderthals and modern humans in Europe, the data indicate different morphologies in the midfaces of these two groups - a conclusion with which practically all MHO researchers would agree.