Morphology and structure of Homo erectus humeri from Zhoukoudian, Locality 1

A new analysis of Homo erectus humeri from the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian reveals significant regional variability in humeral robusticity, with East Asian H. erectus exhibiting greater diaphyseal strength compared to African counterparts when standardized for body mass and limb length. This suggests possible temporal or ecogeographical differences within the species, potentially reflecting distinct upper limb loading patterns. The study utilized high-resolution computed tomography (CT) to quantify cross-sectional properties of two Zhoukoudian humeri, comparing them with African H. erectus and Eurasian Late Pleistocene hominins, including Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic modern humans. Findings indicate that East Asian H. erectus humeral properties often align more closely with those of later hominins than with African H. erectus, challenging current understanding of this species' adaptive responses.

Xing, S., Carlson, K. J., Wei, P., He, J., & Liu, W. (2018). Morphology and structure of Homo erectus humeri from Zhoukoudian, Locality 1. PeerJ, 6, e4279. Portico. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4279