Database PCA: A middle Pleistocene Homo from Nesher Ramla, Israel

It has long been believed that Neanderthals originated and flourished on the European continent. However, recent morphological and genetic studies have suggested that they may have received a genetic contribution from a yet unknown non-European group. Here we report on the recent discovery of archaic Homo fossils from the site of Nesher Ramla, Israel, which we dated to 140,000 to 120,000 years ago. Comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analyses of the parietal bones, mandible, and lower second molar revealed that this Homo group presents a distinctive combination of Neanderthal and archaic features. We suggest that these specimens represent the late survivors of a Levantine Middle Pleistocene paleodeme that was most likely involved in the evolution of the Middle Pleistocene Homo in Europe and East Asia.长期以来，学界普遍认为尼安德特人（Neanderthals）起源并繁盛于欧洲大陆。然而，近期的形态学与遗传学研究表明，该类群或曾接收自一个迄今未被认知的非欧洲人群的基因贡献。本研究报道了以色列内舍拉姆拉（Nesher Ramla）遗址出土的古人类（Homo）化石，经年代测定其距今14万至12万年。研究团队对该批标本的顶骨、下颌骨及下第二臼齿开展了全面的定性与定量分析，结果显示这一人属群体兼具尼安德特人与古人类的独特特征组合。我们认为，这批标本代表了黎凡特地区中更新世古种群的晚期存续者，该种群极可能参与了欧洲与东亚地区中更新世人属物种的演化进程。