Peter Schmid

University of the Witwatersrand | wits · Evolutionary Studies Institute

Adaptations of the lower back to bipedalism are frequently discussed but infrequently demonstrated in early fossil hominins. Newly discovered lumbar vertebrae contribute to a near-complete lower back of Malapa Hominin 2 (MH2), offering additional insights into posture and locomotion in Australopithecus sediba . We show that MH2 possessed a lower ba...

Adaptations of the lower back to bipedalism are frequently discussed but infrequently demonstrated in early fossil hominins. Newly discovered lumbar vertebrae contribute to a near-complete lower back of Malapa Hominin 2 (MH2), offering additional insights into posture and locomotion in Australopithecus sediba. We show that MH2 demonstrates a lower...

Homo naledi skeletal material described from the Dinaledi Chamber, Rising Star System, in the Cradle of Humankind , South Africa, includes upper limb material with remarkably ape-like morphology occurring in the context of a distinctly modern human-like lower limb, foot, and hand. Here we describe upper limb specimens from a new fossil hominin site...

Excavations in the Lesedi Chamber (U.W. 102) of the Rising Star cave system from 2013 to 2015 resulted in the recovery of 131 fossils representing at least three individuals attributed to Homo naledi. Hominin fossils were recovered from three collection areas within the Lesedi Chamber. A partial skull with near complete dentition (LES1) and an asso...

The lower back is adapted to mobility and stability across mammals and reflects posture and locomotion in the framework of a species’ evolutionary history. Upright bipedalism is one such positional behavior, and due to limited fossil evidence, disagreements exist as to when, how, and in what evolutionary context bipedalism evolved. Here, we describ...

The bones of the pectoral girdle and upper limb are well represented among the fossils thus far recovered from Malapa (Gauteng Province, South Africa). Malapa Hominin 2, a partial skeleton representing an adult female of Australopithecus sediba, preserves a largely complete right pectoral girdle and upper limb, including the most complete scapula y...

While the timing, duration, and nature of the shift is debated, human evolution ultimately involved an increase in body size relative to our Miocene ancestors, and a transition from a more arboreal to a more terrestrial way of life. This is reflected not only in the articular and muscular attachment morphology of the upper and lower limbs, but also...

Australopithecus sediba is known from two partial skeletons, Malapa Hominins 1 and 2 (MH1 and MH2), a juvenile male and an adult female, respectively. Forty-eight elements of the axial skeleton, including vertebrae, ribs, a sternum, and a sacrum, are known from MH1 and MH2. Here, we describe these ~2.0 Ma fossils and provide raw data and plots of s...

There are two living species of Old World camelids (Camelidae, Artiodactyla): the Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius). Differences in osteology between them are poorly known, and this lack of knowledge hinders archaeological and paleontological research. Previous comparative studies have focused on subtle qua...

The upper limb of Homo naledi has previously been described from fragmentary material discovered in the Dinaledi Chamber in the Rising Star cave system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. Recent work at Rising Star has led to the recovery of additional fossil material attributed to H. naledi from a new fossil site within the system called the Lesed...

Postcranial measurements. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24232.047

Canonical variates analysis of carpal morphology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24232.048

Traits of the LES1 cranium in comparison to H. naledi and other hominin species. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24232.045

Cranial and mandibular measurements. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24232.046

Taphonomic observations by specimen from the Lesedi Chamber. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24232.049

ELife digest Species of ancient humans and the extinct relatives of our ancestors are typically described from a limited number of fossils. However, this was not the case with Homo naledi. More than 1500 fossils representing at least 15 individuals of this species were unearthed from the Rising Star cave system in South Africa between 2013 and 2014...

H. naledi shows a mosaic morphological pattern with several derived (Homo-like) features of the skull, hands and feet, and primitive (australopith- like) features in the ribcage, shoulder, and pelvis. This pattern reflects a morphology that might be expected of a hominin at the evolutionary transition between Australopithecus and Homo. Two thoracic...

The evolutionary transition from an ape-like to human-like upper extremity occurred in the context of a behavioral shift from an upper limb predominantly involved in locomotion to one adapted for manipulation. Selection for overarm throwing and endurance running is thought to have further shaped modern human shoulder girdle morphology and its posit...

The species Homo naledi was recently named from specimens recovered from the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system in South Africa. This large skeletal sample lacks associated faunal material and currently does not have a known chronological context. In this paper, we present comprehensive descriptions and metric comparisons of the recove...

First ribs – the first or most superior ribs in the thorax – are rare in the hominin fossil record, and when found, have the potential to provide information regarding the upper thorax shape of extinct hominins. Here, we describe a partial first rib from Member 4 of Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa. The rib shaft is broken away, so only the head an...

The recently announced species, Homo naledi (Rising Star Cave, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa), combines an australopith-like cranial capacity with dental characteristics more akin to early Homo. Its postcranium is similarly mosaic; although the hand, foot, and lower limb share many derived characteristics, the H. naledi shoulder girdle and uppe...

Presenting first results of a comparative analysis of the Australopithecus sediba costal material using 3D geometric morphometrics..

The thorax of Australopithecus sediba is hypothesized to follow a mosaic evolutionary pattern showing a greater similarity with Australopithecus afarensis and great apes in the upper thorax and a greater similarity with humans at the lower thorax and waist (Berger et al. 2011; Schmid et al. 2013). This study presents first results of a comparative...

We describe the axial skeletal material recovered from the Dinaledi chamber of Rising Star cave that, together with some pelvis and shoulder remains, document the complicated nature of trunk evolution. The axial material includes two near-complete lower thoracic vertebrae found in articulation with an 11th rib, the proximal portion of a 12th rib, a...

Family Camelidae (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) includes some very important domestic animals from the Old World and South America, such as Bactrian camel, dromedary, llama and alpaca. However, the origins of the family and most of its fossil species were found in North America. The first camels are known from the middle Eocene (Uintan NALMA, ~45 Ma) (Ho...

At present, the oldest traces of human cultures are found in Eastern Africa. New discoveries set anew the questions about human and animal dispersal into Eurasia. For over 1.8 million years, humans have been present in the Levant. An extensive program of surveys and excavations in the Syrian Desert showed that this part of the world was a very anci...

The family Camelidae has been present in Eurasia since the latest Miocene, and several species are recognized, but their evolution is poorly known. The region of El Kowm, central Syria, includes several sites spanning the Early to Late Pleistocene and provides the only abundant fossil record of camelids in the Middle East. Our preliminary results s...

The Middle East is apparently the most important passage for the dispersal of early hominins. Numerous archeological sites prove the existence of hominin populations in this region, but despite these rich cultural remains, hominin fossils are very rare. In 1996, a hominin left parietal was found in an Acheulean context. In addition, the faunal rema...

A nearly complete right hand of an adult hominin was recovered from the Rising Star cave system, South Africa. Based on associated hominin material, the bones of this hand are attributed to Homo naledi. This hand reveals a long, robust thumb and derived wrist morphology that is shared with Neandertals and modern humans, and considered adaptive for...

Electron microprobe analyses of spots in fragments of samples UW101-SO-31, UW101-SO-34, UW101-SO-39 and DB-1. Note that in each of the tables totals below 100% reflect volatile content or porosity of sample, or both. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09561.018

Summary table listing surface modifications on all morphologically informative specimens. A total of 559 bone and dental specimens were examined for surface modifications. This sample includes all of the larger specimens and most of the complete elements in the collection, from both surface and excavation contexts. At low magnification (7×) most of...

Traits of H. naledi and comparative species. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09560.029

Holotype and paratype specimens and referred materials. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09560.028

Homo naledi is a previously-unknown species of extinct hominin discovered within the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. This species is characterized by body mass and stature similar to small-bodied human populations but a small endocranial volume similar to australopiths. Cranial morphology of H. na...

Homo naledi is a previously-unknown species of extinct hominin discovered within the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. This species is characterized by body mass and stature similar to small-bodied human populations but a small endocranial volume similar to australopiths. Cranial morphology of H. na...

Two partial vertebral columns of Australopithecus sediba grant insight into aspects of early hominin spinal mobility, lumbar curvature, vertebral formula, and transitional vertebra position. Au. sediba likely possessed five non-rib-bearing lumbar vertebrae and five sacral elements, the same configuration that occurs modally in modern humans. This f...

The evolution of the human upper limb involved a change in function from its use for both locomotion and prehension (as in apes) to a predominantly prehensile and manipulative role. Well-preserved forelimb remains of 1.98-million-year-old Australopithecus sediba from Malapa, South Africa, contribute to our understanding of this evolutionary transit...

The shape of the thorax of early hominins has been a point of contention for more than 30 years. Owing to the generally fragmentary nature of fossil hominin ribs, few specimens have been recovered that have rib remains complete enough to allow accurate reassembly of thoracic shape, thus leaving open the question of when the cylindrical-shaped chest...

maturation of Neandertals, a large sample (n = 42) of fossil infants, juveniles, subadults and adults is compared to an ontogenetic sequence for modern humans (n = 294) using an interpolation of growth trajectories generated from piecewise regression. Modeled growth trajectories and shape changes in the calvarium, face and mandible are subsequently...

The African origin of our species has essentially been accepted as a scientific fact, but evolutionary advantages connected with the reasons and circumstances of modern human dispersal remain widely unexplained or controversial. Consequently, this paper provides an overview of the natural and cultural context of earliest AMH (Anatomically Modern Hu...

The fossil record of the hominin pelvis reflects important evolutionary changes in locomotion and parturition. The partial pelves of two individuals of Australopithecus sediba were reconstructed from previously reported finds and new material. These remains share some features with australopiths, such as large biacetabular diameter, small sacral an...

Hand bones from a single individual with a clear taxonomic affiliation are scarce in the hominin fossil record, which has hampered understanding the evolution of manipulative abilities in hominins. Here we describe and analyze a nearly complete wrist and hand of an adult female [Malapa Hominin 2 (MH2)] Australopithecus sediba from Malapa, South Afr...

The spring site of Hummal is located in Central Syria, near the village of El Kowm between the Euphrates basin and the desert steppe stretching from Palmyra to Deir-ez-Zor. In 1966 the well was noted in a survey as Bir Onusi and a short preliminary study was carried out at the beginning of the 1980s. Since 1997, the Institute for Prehistory and Arc...

From Australopithecus to Homo Our genus Homo is thought to have evolved a little more than 2 million years ago from the earlier hominid Australopithecus . But there are few fossils that provide detailed information on this transition. Berger et al. (p. 195 ; see the cover) now describe two partial skeletons, including most of the skull, pelvis, and...

La région d'El Kowm est un territoire exceptionnel en ce qui concerne les périodes les plus anciennes de la Préhistoire du Moyen-Orient. Dans le cadre d'un projet syro-suisse, financé conjointement par le Fonds National Suisse et la Direction Générale des Anitquités et Musées de Syrie, les recherches entreprises depuis 25 ans par l'Institut de Préh...

Die heutige Fundlage fossiler Vertreter der Gattung Homo scheint das Postulat von Darwin, der Mensch stamme aus Afrika, zu bestätigen. Allerdings stellt sich die Ausbreitung der Hominiden als weit komplexerer Prozess dar, denn aufgrund der spärlichen Funddichte sowie unterschiedlicher Auffassungen bezüglich der taxonomischen Einordnung der Funde s...

WE DESCRIBE A SINGLE HANDAXE FROM fossiliferous breccias at Gladysvale Cave, South Africa. The artefact is the only known tool so far discovered during the controlled excavations conducted at this site over the last decade, and was recovered from decalcified sediments near the stratigraphic interface of two breccia units, making it difficult to ass...

Examination of the Laetoli hominid footprints has already lead to a diversity of opinion on different topics. Recent reconstruction of the locomotor apparatus of australopithecines led to the hypothesis that their locomotor repertoire included a significant proportion of arboreal activity. While the structure of the foot of the earliest hominids ma...

Gladysvale, a dolomitic cave located near Johannesburg, South Africa, has yielded in the last few years several thousand Plio-Pleistocene mammalian remains, including some hominid teeth and phalanges. The site consists of four large cave chambers, one of which has been heavily eroded and exposed to the surface. During the field seasons of 1996 and...

Bipedal posture and locomotion seem to be the most important, properties which in scenarios of hominid evolution were responsible for the specialized development of our kind. To gain insight into the origin and history of these characters, it is of major importance to study the fossil material, and especially the postcranial remains of the first re...