Prehistoric pelvis offers clues to human development

Eurekalert! ^ | Thursday, November 13, 2008 | Sileshi Semaw, Scott Simpson, Jay Quade, Naomi Levin, Robert Butler, & Guillaume Dupont-Nivet

[SunkenCiv]

Discovery of the most intact female pelvis of Homo erectus may cause scientists to reevaluate how early humans evolved to successfully birth larger-brained babies... A reconstruction of the 1.2 million-year-old pelvis discovered in 2001 in the Gona Study Area at Afar, Ethiopia, that has led researchers to speculate early man was better equipped than first thought to produce larger-brained babies. The actual fossils remain in Ethiopia... Reconstructing pelvis bone fragments from the 1.2 million-year-old adult female, Semaw and his co-workers determined the early ancestor's birth canal was more than 30 percent larger than earlier estimates based on a 1.5-million-year-old juvenile male pelvis found in Kenya. The new female fragments were discovered in the Gona Study Area in Afar, Ethiopia, in 2001 and excavation was completed in 2003. Scientists also were intrigued by other unique attributes of the specimen, such as its shorter stature and broader body shape more likely seen in hominids adapted to temperate climates, rather than the tall and narrow body believed to have been efficient for endurance running. Early humans became taller and narrower over time, scientists believe, partly due to long distance running and to help them maintain a constant body temperature. One consequence, however, is that a narrower pelvis would have been less accommodating to producing larger-brained offspring. But rather than a tall, narrow hominid with the expected slight pelvic region, Semaw and the Gona researchers found evidence of a hominid ready to produce offspring with a much larger brain size... Scientists studying early man predominantly find fragments of craniums and dental remains, while fossil bones from the neck down are rarely discovered. Even more difficult to verify are Homo erectus fossil bones that can be identified as those belonging to a female.

[SunkenCiv]

A reconstruction of the 1.2 million-year-old pelvis discovered in 2001 in the Gona Study Area at Afar, Ethiopia, that has led researchers to speculate early man was better equipped than first thought to produce larger-brained babies. The actual fossils remain in Ethiopia. [Scott W. Simpson, Case Western Reserve University]

[SunkenCiv]

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[knarf]

Gee Sunk ... the title just about says how, doesn't it?

I mean, the only developement I know of started there ....

[COBOL2Java]

In another amazing discovery, archeologists uncovered this t-shirt believed to be from the same era:

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[GoLightly]

Early humans became taller and narrower over time, scientists believe, partly due to long distance running and to help them maintain a constant body temperature.

:( I'm not sure who or what is responsible for this mess, but it was almost painful to read it.

[Daffynition]

Are they sure it wasn't an Elvis pelvis?

[JoeProBono]

Sorry

[SunkenCiv]

[singing] U-uh-huh...

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, apparently before that, they sweat a lot, even though they didn’t move around. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Now, see, that’s just naughty. I figured *someone* would say it, but I never thought it would be knarf. ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Well, the whole rhythm section *was* the purple gang...

[knarf]

Yeah ... I'm such a goodie, goodie.

No kiddin' ... I blushed and my fingers trembled as I typed ... sat and prayed, waited for the go'head before hittin' "enter"

/8^)

[JoeProBono]

Huh? Oh, sorry I was watching your Mobius stripping

[SoKatt]

Thank you! Thankyouverymuch! ;)

[JoeProBono]

[GRANGER]

I’d hit it.

[Daffynition]

"Number forty-seven said to number three:/You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see./I sure would be delighted with your company,/Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me."

[Daffynition]

You're givin' me a coronary.

[JoeProBono]

"You're givin' me a coronary."

Sorry