RT Journal Article
T1 Fossil ribcages of Homo sapiens provide new insights into modern human evolution
A1 López Rey, José M.
A1 Crevecoeur, Isabelle
A1 May, Hila
A1 Nadel, Dani
A1 Palancar, Carlos A.
A1 Gómez Recio, Marta
A1 García Martínez, Daniel
A1 Bastir, Markus
AB Recent research on the Nariokotome Boy’s ribcage suggests the slender thorax of modern H. sapiens is a derived condition. However, since digital ribcage reconstructions of fossil H. sapiens are not available yet, it is unknown whether these individuals would have had a primitive or derived thorax. To address this issue, we first reconstructed the ribcages of Nazlet Khater 2, Ohalo II H2, Dolní Věstonice 13, and Ötzi. We used geometric morphometrics to compare them to 59 recent H. sapiens and three other Homo fossils (Nariokotome Boy, Kebara 2, Shanidar 3). Fossil H. sapiens ribcages exhibit the typical globular proportions of recent humans. Additionally, size and shape seem to be climate-dependent: smaller, cylindrical ribcages in warmer and more temperate climates (Nazlet Khater 2, Ohalo II H2) contrasted with larger, broader ribcages in colder climates (Dolní Věstonice 13). The ribcage of Ötzi presented mixed features, something that could have been beneficial for seasonal alpine transhumance. This suggests H. sapiens ribcage morphology encompasses both slender and stockier forms, highlighting that human anatomical variation might be more complex and context-dependent than previously thought.
PB Springer
SN 2399-3642
YR 2025
FD 2025-07
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123553
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123553
LA eng
NO López-Rey, J.M., Crevecoeur, I., May, H. et al. Fossil ribcages of Homo sapiens provide new insights into modern human evolution. Commun Biol 8, 1038 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08472-3
NO Regarding funding information, grant PRE2021-097584 to JMLR and grant PID2020-115854GB-I00 to MB are funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Union. The work of DGM is carried out at the R&D Unit Center for Functional Ecology - Science for People and the Planet (CFE), with reference UIDB/04004/2020, financed by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) (DOI 10.54499/UIDB/04004/2020).
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO European Commission
NO Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 7 sept 2025