The World | • Updated | By
The discovery is ‘major’ , insisted on Thursday, Jean-Philippe Faivre, researcher at CNRS and first author of the article published the same day in the journal PLoS One. “ It will help to advance the understanding of the dynamics of the population of Neanderthals, their appearance, there are four hundred and fifty thousand years to their disappearance, there are about thirty thousand years “ says paleontologist. Indeed, it is only the second time that human remains of the Middle Pleistocene (781 000-128 000) are found in France north of the Loire. So far, ten persons in Europe, Northwest sites concentrated in Germany and Britain.
The site Tourville-la-Rivière was already known. In this meander previous two campaigns had demonstrated a wide variety of animals, carnivores (bears, wolves), large herbivores (aurochs, horses, deer, deer) and small mammals (cats, rabbits, beavers). They had also found an important site of flint. And it was so far the greatest feature of the place. “Pre-Neanderthals were collecting animal carcasses rejected by the River” , details the archeozoologist Celine Bemilli. They sewed their blades and retailed meat – perhaps – the skins, tendons and bones, most likely. What archaeologists had appointed a “scavenging active” .
MANY MYSTERIES
In the last campaign, in September 2010, scientists were however held to announce what was actually their pearl: the full arm, the second ever found on a pre-Neanderthal. They wanted to actually study it more closely, refine dating, try to understand the course and characteristics. Four years later, they are now able to propose hypotheses. But mysteries remain serious
Watch the video. Exceptional bone discovery dated to 200,000 years in Normandy
The source, first. Man of Tourville-la-Rivière did not die on the spot. As animal carcasses, the arm came down the river. Like them, the alluvium of the river quickly covered, to protect it. Was he already separated from the rest of the body? “It’s very likely ,” said Bruno Maureille, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Bordeaux, who studied the remains. Scientists do not know but if the hand had been detached. They did, at least, found or phalanges or other small bones, despite a systematic screening of the soil removed.
The upper limb he had been ripped off the body by an animal? Again, examination of the bone failed to ensure this. The joints could help but know they have not been recovered. However, scientific developments highlight the lack of bite marks on the bones, despite numerous laboratory performed imaging studies.
ANOMALY BONE
L However, bone-examination was particularly fruitful. Dating conducted in Australia and Spain by two different techniques (uranium 238 and electron spin resonance ), confirmed the captain’s age: about 200 000 years. Above all, the anatomical study has found on the humerus (upper arm) as the radius (forearm) specific to the Neanderthal lineage characteristics.
Finally, imaging techniques and topographic reconstruction showed, on the crest of the humerus, a bone relief 4cm so far unknown. At least among Neanderthals. In the scientific literature, such anomaly is common … among baseball players. Paleontologists have concluded nothing about American citizenship skeletal or his love of sports. “Our hypothesis is that this anomaly is the result of repetitive motion arm extension with distance from the rest of the body , said Bruno Maureille. Maybe a throw. “” Or a musculoskeletal disorder, “ is considering Jean-Philippe Faivre. Especially that the arm had experienced at least one ligament tear.
The team now intends to pursue the morphological study of three bones, including more systematically compare the different pre-Neanderthal remains found in Europe and the Middle East. It also wants to launch an ancient DNA research. For ten years, the technicians were able to find genetic material on even more ancient bones. Such a discovery would locate more precisely the skeleton in the long line Neanderthal. And see if, by chance, the man of Tourville-la-Rivière is not a woman.
No comments:
Post a Comment