Small-bodied humans from Palau, Micronesia.

Date
2008-03-12
Authors
Berger, L.R.
De Klerk, B.
Quinn, R.L.
Churchill, S.E.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Abstract
Newly discovered fossil assemblages of small bodied Homo sapiens from Palau, Micronesia possess characters thought to be taxonomically primitive for the genus Homo. Background: Recent surface collection and test excavation in limestone caves in the the rock islands of Palau, Micronesia, has produced a sizeable sample of human skeletal remains dating roughly between 940-2890 cal ybp. Principle Findings: Preliminary analysis indicates that this material is important for two reasons. First, Individuals from the older time horizons are small in body size even relative to "pygmoid" populations from Southeast Asia and Indonesia, and thus may represent a marked case of human insular dwarfism. Second, while possessing a number of derived features that align them with Homo sapiens, the human remains from Palau also exhibit several skeletal traits that are considered to be primitive for the genus Homo. Significance. These features may be previously unrecognized developmental correlates of small body size and, if soo, they may have important implications for interpreting the taxonomic affinities of fossil specimens of Homo.
Description
Keywords
age determination, anthropology, anthropometric parameters, article, body size, bone age, brain size, controlled study, craniofacial morphology, dwarfism, Federated States of Micronesia, fossil human, human, human tissue, Indonesia, paleontology, physical development, skeleton, Southeast Asia, taxonomy, anthropometry, comparative study, female, fossil, geography, male
Citation
Berger, L.R. et al. 2008. Small-bodied humans from Palau, Micronesia. PLoS ONE 3(3): e1780.