Shape analysis of the StW 578 calotte from Jacovec Cavern, Gauteng (South Africa)
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Authors
Dumoncel, Jean
Heaton, Jason
Pickering, Travis
Clarke, Ron
Carlson, Kristian
Bam, Lunga
Van Hoorebeke, Luc
Stratford, Dominic
Publication Date
2022-03-29Journal Title
South African Journal of Science
ISSN
0038-2353
Publisher
Academy of Science of South Africa
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
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Beaudet, A., Dumoncel, J., Heaton, J., Pickering, T., Clarke, R., Carlson, K., Bam, L., et al. (2022). Shape analysis of the StW 578 calotte from Jacovec Cavern, Gauteng (South Africa). South African Journal of Science https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/11743
Abstract
The fossiliferous deposits within the lower-lying Jacovec Cavern in the locality of Sterkfontein yielded valuable hominin remains, including the StW 578 specimen. Because StW 578 mainly preserves the calotte, the taxonomic status of this specimen has been a matter of discussion. Within this context, here we employed high-resolution microtomography and a landmark-free registration method to explore taxonomically diagnostic features in the external surface of the StW 578 calotte. Our comparative sample included adult humans and common chimpanzees as well as one Australopithecus africanus specimen (Sts 5). We partially restored the StW 578 calotte digitally and compared it to extant specimens and Sts 5 using a landmark-free registration based on smooth and invertible surface deformation. Our comparative shape analysis reveals morphological differences with extant humans, especially in the frontal bones, and with extant chimpanzees, as well as intriguing specificities in the morphology of the StW 578 parietal bones. Lastly, our study suggests morphological proximity between StW 578 and Sts 5. Given the intimate relationship between the brain and the braincase, as well the integration of the hominin face and neurocranium, we suggest that cranial vault shape differences between StW 578 and extant humans, if confirmed by further analyses, could be either explained by differences in brain surface morphology or in the face. Besides providing additional information about the morphology of the Jacovec calotte that will be useful in future taxonomic discussion, this study introduces a new protocol for the landmark-free analysis of fossil hominin cranial shape.
Sponsorship
DSI-NRF, University of the Witwatersrand, AESOP+ program, Claude Leon Foundation, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences, French Institute of South Africa, The Ghent University Special Research Fund (BOF.EXP.2017.0007), South African National Research Foundation (grant numbers 82591, 82611, 98808, 129336), PAST
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/11743
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/334126
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