New Analysis of Chinese Fossil Provides Clearer Picture of Pleistocene Humans

Scientific American ^ | February 21, 2006 | David Biello

[SunkenCiv]

In 1984 researchers working at a site called Jinniushan, near the town of Yinkou in northeastern China, found the fossilized remains of a woman who lived roughly 260,000 years ago. Though the climate may have been milder then, she still lived near the edge of human existence in a time before fire... the lady from Jinniushan is the biggest woman yet found from the Pleistocene, weighing in at an estimated 173 pounds or so and standing some five feet tall. This led some researchers to classify her as a male specimen, but the shape of her pelvis suggests differently. "If we use modern sexing criteria, it looks clearly female," Rosenberg says. The size and apparent strength of the Jinniushan woman may have been an adaptation to a cold climate. Much like elk or bears, these cold-adapted humans grew larger but with shorter limbs than those of their tropical peers in order to conserve heat more efficiently, the team posits.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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[colorado tanker]

173 pounds or so and standing some five feet tall

She wandered that far north trying to find a date?

[SunkenCiv]

Any interest?

[PatrickHenry]

Interesting, but this is probably a "blam thread."

[SunkenCiv]

images are required in a Blam thread. ;')

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Image: COURTESY OF PNAS

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Now what is a Blam thread?....

[gleeaikin]

What is a blam thread.

Blam is one of the very active contributors of all kinds of interesting articles. Check out his FR site for lots of info.

[Junior]

Yes.

[SunkenCiv]

Heh... something to do with Creole cooking?

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

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