Person:
Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis

First Name

Juan Luis

Last Name

Arsuaga Ferreras

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/75276

Affiliation

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty / Institute

Ciencias Geológicas

Department

Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología

Area

Paleontología

Identifiers

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 241

Human talus bones from the Middle Pleistocene site of Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain
(Journal of Human Evolution, 2013) Pablos, Adrián; Martínez Mendizábal, Ignacio; Lorenzo Merino, Carlos; Gracia Téllez, Ana; Sala Burgos, Nohemi; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
Here we present and describe comparatively 25 talus bones from the Middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos (SH) (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain). These tali belong to 14 individuals (11 adult and three immature). Although variation among Middle and Late Pleistocene tali tends to be subtle, this study has identified unique morphological characteristics of the SH tali. They are vertically shorter than those of Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens, and show a shorter head and a broader lateral malleolar facet than all of the samples. Moreover, a few shared characters with Neanderthals are consistent with the hypothesis that the SH population and Neanderthals are sister groups. These shared characters are a broad lateral malleolar facet, a trochlear height intermediate between modern humans and Late Pleistocene H. sapiens, and a short middle calcaneal facet. It has been possible to propose sex assignment for the SH tali based on their size. Stature estimates based on these fossils give a mean stature of 174.4 cm for males and 161.9 cm for females, similar to that obtained based on the long bones from this same site.
Main anatomical characteristics of the hominin fossil humeri from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site, Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain: An update
(Anatomical Record, 2024) Carretero, José Miguel; García González, Rebeca; Rodríguez, Laura; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
Some of the Sima de los Huesos (SH) humeri have been previously studied and described elsewhere. Here we present an updated inventory and a review of the specimens recovered to the present day. The morphological key traits of the adult and subadult specimens are described, discussed, and illustrated. The SH humeri share with Neandertals many traits usually considered to be Neandertal specializations, thus, most of this morphological pattern is not exclusive to them. The variation found within fossil samples stresses the frequential nature of all these traits and in the specific case of the SH humeri, most of the traits considered as phylogenetically relevant are retained by their descendants, the Neandertals. Some traits are plesiomorphic for the entire genus Homo or are present in European hominins since the early Pleistocene. Finally, some other traits display high variability within the SH sample or different hominin samples and are of uncertain phylogenetic value. Altogether, this evidence is consistent with the hypothesis based on the overall cranial and postcranial morphology that the SH hominins are a sister group to the later Neandertals.
Orofacial pathology in Homo heidelbergensis: The case of Skull 5 from the Sima de los Huesos site (Atapuerca, Spain)
(Quaternary international, 2013) Gracia-Téllez, Ana; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis; Martínez Mendizábal, Ignacio; Martín Francés, Laura; Martinón Torres, María; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Bonmatí, Alejandro; Lira, Jaime
This paper presents a detailed palaeopathological study of the orofacial lesions present in Skull 5 from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site. Besides testing a previous diagnosis of periodontal disease, tooth wear, left P3 fracture and two periapical abscesses, unreported lesions are identified: the I1 abscess and the M3 fracture. The timing of the pathological events that have produced the conspicuous bone growth of the maxilla was determined with the aid of computer tomography techniques. This is particularly important to assess the duration/chronicity of the lesions and the cause/s of them. Some physiological particularities of the region affected could account for the maxillary osteitis and concomitant infection as a probable cause of death.
An analytical study of a complete subadult clavicle of Homo antecessor (Gran Dolina Site, Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain)
(L'anthropologie, 2009) García González, Rebeca; Carretero, José Miguel; Rodríguez, Laura; Gómez Olivencia, Asier; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Carbonell, Eudald; Martínez, Ignacio; Lorenzo, Carlos
This study reports on the skeletal remains of an infant clavicle – specimen ATD6-37 – belonging to the Homo antecessor species, unearthed at Lower Pleistocene level TD6 of the Gran Dolina site (Sierra de Atapuerca). Studied alongside a further adult specimen – ATD6-50 –, they provide us with significant information on two key paleobiological aspects of these early humans: body shape and development. Based on the analytical results, the paper proposes a more accurate proportional method for determining age at death is applied to the fossilized infant clavicle under study. It goes on to hypothesize on postcranial growth and body shape and discusses morphological patterns and age at death of these early humans through comparisons with a wide range of infant dental samples and clavicular specimens in early and modern humans.
The Neandertal vertebral column 1: The cervical spine
(Journal of Human Evolution, 2013) Gómez Olivencia, Asier; Been, Ella; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis; Stock, Jay T.
This paper provides a metric analysis of the Neandertal cervical spine in relation to modern human variation. All seven cervical vertebrae have been analysed. Metric data from eight Neandertal individuals are compared with a large sample of modern humans. The significance of morphometric differences is tested using both z-scores and two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank tests. The results identify significant metric and morphological differences between Neandertals and modern humans in all seven cervical vertebrae. Neandertal vertebrae are mediolaterally wider and dorsoventrally longer than modern humans, due in part to longer and more horizontally oriented spinous processes. This suggests that Neandertal cervical morphology was more stable in both mid-sagittal and coronal planes. It is hypothesized that the differences in cranial size and shape in the Neandertal and modern human lineages from their Middle Pleistocene ancestors could account for some of the differences in the neck anatomy between these species.
Restoration of a fossil human femur from the site of the Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain)
(L'anthropologie, 2009) Ortega, María Cruz; Gracia Téllez, Ana; Carretero, José Miguel; Martínez, Ignacio; Quam, Rolf; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
A fossil human femur of Homo heidelbergensis from the site of the Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain) was reconstructed from two main proximal and distal portions and numerous smaller fragments from the diaphysis. The use of an evaporative process to separate the bone fragments during their restoration represents an innovative approach in restoring paleontological materials and the intervention has resulted in the reconstruction of a complete femur. To avoid excessive manipulation of the reconstructed femur, a mold (negative) and cast (positive) were made of the restored specimen. This case study provides general protocols which can be widely applied to the restoration of paleontological materials from the moment of their excavation until they are deposited in a research center.
Main morphological characteristics and sexual dimorphism of hominin adult femora from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)
(The Anatomical Record, 2024) Carretero, José Miguel; Rodríguez, Laura; García González, Rebeca; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
The excellent fossil record from Sima de los Huesos (SH) includes three well-known complete adult femora and several partial specimens that have not yet been published in detail. This fossil record provides an opportunity to analyze the morphology of European pre-Neandertal adult femur and its variation with different evolution patterns. Currently, there are a minimum of five adult individuals (males or females). In this study, we compiled previously published basic anatomical and biometric characteristics of SH adult femora, emphasizing the most relevant features compared to other recent and fossil hominins. The SH femora exhibited a primitive morphological pattern common to all non-Homo sapiens femora, as well as most of the Neandertal traits. Therefore, the complete Upper Pleistocene Neandertal pattern was well-established in Middle Pleistocene ancestors long before the proper Neandertals appeared. Additionally, we highlight that the SH and Neandertal femora share some morphological traits and proportions with modern humans that hold sexual significance in our species, regardless of size. Keeping this in mind, we discussed the sex determination of the complete SH specimens and re-evaluated sex allocation in two of them.
Ancient DNA reveals lack of postglacial habitat tracking in the arctic fox
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007) Dalén, Love; Nyström, Veronica; Valdiosera Morales, Cristina; Germonpré, Mietje; Sablin, Mikhail; Turner, Elaine; Angerbjörn, Anders; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis; Götherström, Anders
How species respond to an increased availability of habitat, for example at the end of the last glaciation, has been well established. In contrast, little is known about the opposite process, when the amount of habitat decreases. The hypothesis of habitat tracking predicts that species should be able to track both increases and decreases in habitat availability. The alternative hypothesis is that populations outside refugia become extinct during periods of unsuitable climate. To test these hypotheses, we used ancient DNA techniques to examine genetic variation in the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) through an expansion/contraction cycle. The results show that the arctic fox in midlatitude Europe became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene and did not track the habitat when it shifted to the north. Instead, a high genetic similarity between the extant populations in Scandinavia and Siberia suggests an eastern origin for the Scandinavian population at the end of the last glaciation. These results provide new insights into how species respond to climate change, since they suggest that populations are unable to track decreases in habitat availability. This implies that arctic species may be particularly vulnerable to increases in global temperatures.
From meat availability to hominin and carnivore biomass: A paleosynecological approach to reconstructing predator-prey biomass ratios in the Pleistocene
(Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024) Rodríguez Gómez, Guillermo; Martín González, Jesús A.; Espigares, M. Patrocinio; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Martínez Navarro, Bienvenido; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis; Palmqvist, Paul
Reconstructing the conditions and circumstances under which the human lineage evolved is of great interest to those disciplines related to human evolution, especially in fields such as archaeoecology and human paleoecology. A mathematical model was presented almost a decade ago aimed to reconstructing the human populations that the Pleistocene paleoecosystems could support. This model followed a paleosynecological perspective, being focused on: (i) estimating the availability of meat resources in the paleoecosystems, as these resources are vital for human survival; and (ii) measuring the level of competition for these resources among the members of the carnivore guild, including hominins. The model has been applied since then to several Pleistocene localities of Europe, with particular emphasis on the Orce and Sierra de Atapuerca sites. In this study, we use the model for estimating predator-prey biomass ratios and compare the model outputs with the values measured in present-day African ecosystems. The results obtained confirm that our paleosynecological approach provides estimates of predator-prey biomass ratios that are broadly similar to those measured in the extant ecosystems. However, our estimates tend to be slightly higher than expected, which is probably due to the weight of species that satisfy part of their nutritional requirements with resources other than the meat from large herbivores. This allows us to assume that our model performs relatively well, although it has room for methodological improvements.
Right handedness of Homo heidelbergensis from Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain) 500,000 years ago
(Evolution and human behavior, 2009) Lozano Ruiz, Marina; Mosquera, Marina; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis; Carbonell, Eudald
Handedness is a product of brain specialization, which in turn seems to be responsible for the higher cognitive capabilities of humans, such as language and technology. Handedness in living humans is well established and shows the highest degree of manual specialization. Studies on hand laterality in nonhuman primates, particularly in chimpanzees, remain a matter of controversy as results tend to vary depending on factors such as the tasks performed and the environment in which the individuals live. Studies in several disciplines have attempted to determine where in the course of human evolution handedness established itself, with evidence collected from sources such as paleoneurological analyses, stone tool flaking, zooarchaeological studies and dental wear analyses, the last one of which have proven the most reliable source of information. Here we report an experimental and paleoanthropological study on hand laterality of a sample of 28 hominids from Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain), dated at about 500,000 years ago, and compare our results with dental microwear analysis in other fossil samples such as that from Krapina (Croatia), as well as modern traditional societies. Our results indicate that European Middle Pleistocene Homo heidelbergensis was already as right-handed as modern populations.