Revealing the Countenance of a Great Ape from 12 Million Years Ago
From left: Pierolapithecus skull immediately after discovery, after initial preparation, and after virtual reconstruction. Credit: © David Alba (left), Salvador New research has reconstructed the face of Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, an important fossil in the story of great ape and human evolution. The study was led by scientist Miquel Curzafont from the American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn College, and the Catalan Institute of Paleontology. Pierolapsithecus, a species from northeastern Spain that lived about 12 million years ago, could be crucial to understanding the evolution of great apes and humans. The researchers published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They used CT scans to virtually reconstruct the skull, comparing it to other primate species and modelling key features of the great ape facial structure.
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New research reconstructs the face Pierolapithecus catalaunicusan important fossil in the story of great ape and human evolution.
A new study led by scientist Miquel Curzafont of the American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn College, and the Catalan Institute of Paleontology has reconstructed a well-preserved but damaged great ape skull. seed It lived about 12 million years ago. The seeds are Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, This could be crucial to understanding the evolution of great apes and humans. The researchers published their findings Oct. 16 in the journal Nature. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Pierolapithecus catalaunicusis a species from northeastern Spain that was first described in 2004 and was one of a diverse group of now extinct great apes that lived in Europe about 15 million to 7 million years ago. This species is known from the skull and partial skeleton of the same individual, a rarity in the fossil record, and is key to understanding the mosaic nature of hominid (ape and human) evolution.
“Characteristics of the skull and teeth are very important in elucidating the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, and finding that this material is associated with the remaining skeletal bones allows us to identify the species as It gives you the opportunity to not only place it precisely on the top, but also to place it precisely on the species, said Kelsey Pugh, a research fellow in the Department of Anthropology, a researcher in the museum’s anthropology department, and lead author. says: Brooklyn College.
previous work clown lapithecus The upright body plan suggests that hominids preceded adaptations that allowed them to hang from and move between tree branches. However, the evolutionary place of this species continues to be debated, due in part to damage to the skull.
“One of the deep problems in studying the evolution of great apes and humans is that the fossil record is fragmented, with many specimens poorly preserved and distorted,” said co-author and associate curator. said Ashley Hammond, head of the museum’s anthropology department. “This makes it difficult to reach agreement on the evolutionary relationships of major fossil apes, which are essential for understanding the evolution of great apes and humans.”
To clarify these questions, researchers used CT scans to virtually reconstruct the skull. clown lapithecus, compare it to other primate species and model the evolution of key features of great ape facial structure.they discovered it clown lapithecus Although its overall facial shape and size are similar to both fossilized and living apes, it also has distinct facial features not seen in other Miocene apes. This result is consistent with the idea that this species represents one of the earliest members of the great ape and human families.
“An interesting result of evolutionary modeling in research is that the human skull clown lapithecus Their shape and size are similar to those of modern apes and the evolutionary ancestors of humans. Gibbons and siamangs (‘lower apes’), on the other hand, appear to have been derived secondarily in relation to size reduction,” said co-author Sergio Almecija, a senior researcher in the museum’s anthropology department. .
Reference: “Reconstructed skull” clown lapithecus and the evolution of the great ape face” Kelsey D. Pugh, Santiago A. Catalano, Miriam Perez de los Rios, Josep Fortuny, Brian M. Shearer, Alessandra Vecino Gazabon, Ashley S. Hammond, Salvador Moya-Sola, David M. Alba and Sergio Almesilla, October 16, 2023. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218778120
Other authors of the study include Santiago Catalano of the Miguel Lillo Foundation (Argentina); Miriam Pérez de los Ríos, graduate of the Complutense University of Madrid. Josep Fortuny, from the Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Cursafont (ICP).Brian Shearer, born new york university; Alessandra Vecino Gazabon, American Museum of Natural History collection. Mr. Salvador Moya Sola of ICP and ICREA. and David Alba of ICP.