RT Journal Article
T1 Possible Further Evidence of Low Genetic Diversity in the El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) Neandertal Group: Congenital Clefts of the Atlas
A1 Ríos Frutos, Luis Francisco
A1 Rosas, Antonio
A1 Estalrrich, Almudena
A1 García-Tabernero, Antonio
A1 Bastir, Markus
A1 Huguet, Rosa
A1 Pastor, Francisco
A1 Sanchís-Gimeno, Juan Alberto
A1 Rasilla, Marco de la
A2 David Frayer, 
AB We present here the first cases in Neandertals of congenital clefts of the arch of the atlas. Two atlases from El Sidrón, northern Spain, present respectively a defect of the posterior (frequency in extant modern human populations ranging from 0.73% to 3.84%), and anterior (frequency in extant modern human populations ranging from 0.087% to 0.1%) arch, a condition in most cases not associated with any clinical manifestation. The fact that two out of three observable atlases present a low frequency congenital condition, together with previously reported evidence of retained deciduous mandibular canine in two out of ten dentitions from El Sidrón, supports the previous observation based on genetic evidence that these Neandertals constituted a group with close genetic relations. Some have proposed for humans and other species that the presence of skeletal congenital conditions, although without clinical significance, could be used as a signal of endogamy or inbreeding. In the present case this interpretation would fit the general scenario of high incidence of rare conditions among Pleistocene humans and the specific scenariothat emerges from Neandertal paleogenetics, which points to long-term small and decreasing population size with reduced and isolated groups. Adverse environmental factors affecting early pregnancies would constitute an alternative, non-exclusive, explanation for a high incidence of congenital conditions. Further support or rejection of these interpretations will come from new genetic and skeletal evidence from Neandertal remains.
PB Public Library of Science
SN 1932-6203
YR 2015
FD 2015
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94385
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94385
LA eng
NO Ríos L, Rosas A, Estalrrich A, García-Tabernero A, Bastir M, Huguet R, et al. (2015) Possible Further Evidence of Low Genetic Diversity in the El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) Neandertal Group: Congenital Clefts of the Atlas. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0136550. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136550
NO Funding was provided by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain, projects CGL2012-36682 and CGL2012-37279. Convenio Principado de Asturias-Universidad de Oviedo CN09-084.
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
NO Principado de Asturias
NO -Universidad de Oviedo
DS Docta Complutense
RD 8 abr 2025