TY - JOUR
T1 - Contemporaneity of australopithecus, paranthropus, and early homo erectus in South Africa
AU - Herries, Andy I.R.
AU - Martin, Jesse M.
AU - Leece, A. B.
AU - Adams, Justin W.
AU - Boschian, Giovanni
AU - Joannes-Boyau, Renaud
AU - Edwards, Tara R.
AU - Mallett, Tom
AU - Massey, Jason
AU - Murszewski, Ashleigh
AU - Neubauer, Simon
AU - Pickering, Robyn
AU - Strait, David S.
AU - Armstrong, Brian J.
AU - Baker, Stephanie
AU - Caruana, Matthew V.
AU - Denham, Tim
AU - Hellstrom, John
AU - Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo
AU - Mokobane, Simon
AU - Penzo-Kajewski, Paul
AU - Rovinsky, Douglass S.
AU - Schwartz, Gary T.
AU - Stammers, Rhiannon C.
AU - Wilson, Coen
AU - Woodhead, Jon
AU - Menter, Colin
PY - 2020/4/3
Y1 - 2020/4/3
N2 - Understanding the extinction of Australopithecus and origins of Paranthropus and Homo in South Africa has been hampered by the perceived complex geological context of hominin fossils, poor chronological resolution, and a lack of well-preserved early Homo specimens. We describe, date, and contextualize the discovery of two hominin crania from Drimolen Main Quarry in South Africa. At ~2.04 million to 1.95 million years old, DNH 152 represents the earliest definitive occurrence of Paranthropus robustus, and DNH 134 represents the earliest occurrence of a cranium with clear affinities to Homo erectus. These crania also show that Homo, Paranthropus, and Australopithecus were contemporaneous at ~2 million years ago. This high taxonomic diversity is also reflected in non-hominin species and provides evidence of endemic evolution and dispersal during a period of climatic variability.
AB - Understanding the extinction of Australopithecus and origins of Paranthropus and Homo in South Africa has been hampered by the perceived complex geological context of hominin fossils, poor chronological resolution, and a lack of well-preserved early Homo specimens. We describe, date, and contextualize the discovery of two hominin crania from Drimolen Main Quarry in South Africa. At ~2.04 million to 1.95 million years old, DNH 152 represents the earliest definitive occurrence of Paranthropus robustus, and DNH 134 represents the earliest occurrence of a cranium with clear affinities to Homo erectus. These crania also show that Homo, Paranthropus, and Australopithecus were contemporaneous at ~2 million years ago. This high taxonomic diversity is also reflected in non-hominin species and provides evidence of endemic evolution and dispersal during a period of climatic variability.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082923168&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1126/science.aaw7293
DO - 10.1126/science.aaw7293
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85082923168
SN - 0036-8075
VL - 368
JO - Science
JF - Science
IS - 6486
M1 - eaaw7293
ER -