Dental data challenge the ubiquitous presence of Homo in the Cradle of Humankind

A groundbreaking analysis challenges the long-held assumption that Homo was ubiquitous in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind during the Early Pleistocene. Using advanced microcomputed tomography and 3D geometric morphometrics, researchers examined 23 postcanine teeth from four key sites—Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Drimolen, and Kromdraai B—and found only four specimens with clear Homo attributes: three from Swartkrans (SK 27, SK 847, SKX 21204) and one from Sterkfontein (Sts 9). Three other teeth showed mixed traits, while the rest exhibited strong Australopithecus-like features. This reconsideration of dental taxonomy suggests a more nuanced picture of early Homo's presence in southern Africa, with implications for dietary reconstructions and phylogenetic relationships. The study also questions previous interpretations linking these sites to Homo erectus.

Zanolli, C., Davies, T. W., Joannes-Boyau, R., Beaudet, A., Bruxelles, L., de Beer, F., Hoffman, J., Hublin, J.-J., Jakata, K., Kgasi, L., Kullmer, O., Macchiarelli, R., Pan, L., Schrenk, F., Santos, F., Stratford, D., Tawane, M., Thackeray, F., Xing, S., et al. (2022). Dental data challenge the ubiquitous presence of Homo in the Cradle of Humankind. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(28). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2111212119