Early pleistocene human humeri from the gran dolina‐TD6 site (sierra de atapuerca, spain)

A comparative morphometric analysis of two Early Pleistocene humeri from the Gran Dolina-TD6 site in Atapuerca, Spain, reveals that certain 'Neandertal' traits—such as a large olecranon fossa and thin medial/lateral pillars—emerged much earlier than previously thought (ca. 900 ka), predating the estimated divergence of modern humans and Neandertals (ca. 400 ka). These features, shared with European Middle Pleistocene hominins and the Bodo humerus, suggest they were ancestral traits in an early polymorphic population of Homo, rather than exclusive to Neandertals. The study integrates skeletal morphology with dental evidence to propose that these derived characteristics arose during the Early Pleistocene, challenging assumptions about their evolutionary origins.

Bermúdez de Castro, J. M., Carretero, J. M., García‐González, R., Rodríguez‐García, L., Martinón‐Torres, M., Rosell, J., Blasco, R., Martín‐Francés, L., Modesto, M., & Carbonell, E. (2012). Early pleistocene human humeri from the gran dolina‐TD6 site (sierra de atapuerca, spain). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 147(4), 604–617. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22020