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Briatico G, Bocherens H, Geraads D, Melis RT, Mussi M. The Pleistocene high-elevation environments between 2.02 and 0.6 Ma at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) based upon stable isotope analysis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6619. [PMID: 38503829 PMCID: PMC10950861 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56768-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Pleistocene environments are among the most studied issues in paleoecology and human evolution research in eastern Africa. Many data have been recorded from archaeological sites located at low and medium elevations (≤ 1500 m), whereas few contexts are known at 2000 m and above. Here, we present a substantial isotopic study from Melka Kunture, a complex of prehistoric sites located at 2000-2200 m above sea level in the central Ethiopian highlands. We analyzed the stable carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of 308 faunal tooth enamel samples from sites dated between 2.02 and 0.6 Ma to investigate the animal diets and habitats. The carbon isotopic results indicate that the analyzed taxa had C4-dominated and mixed C3-C4 diets with no significant diachronic changes in feeding behavior with time. This is consistent with faunal and phytolith analyses, which suggested environments characterized by open grasslands (with both C3 and C4 grasses), patches of bushes and thickets, and aquatic vegetation. However, palynological data previously documented mountain forests, woodlands, and high-elevation grasslands. Additionally, the carbon isotopic comparison with other eastern African localities shows that differences in elevation did not influence animal feeding strategies and habitat partitioning, even though plant species vary according to altitudinal gradients. In contrast, the oxygen isotopic comparison suggests significant differences consistent with the altitude effect. Our approach allows us to detect diverse aspects of animal behavior, habitat, and vegetation that should be considered when reconstructing past environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Briatico
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Dell'Antichità, Sapienza Università Di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
- Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia.
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Sigwartstrasse 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Denis Geraads
- CR2P, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, CP 38, 8 Rue Buffon, 75231, Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Rita T Melis
- Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Chimiche E Geologiche, Università Di Cagliari, 09042, Cittadella Di Monserrato, Italy
- CNR-IGAG, Piazzale Aldo Moro 7, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Margherita Mussi
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Dell'Antichità, Sapienza Università Di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia
- ISMEO, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 244, 00186, Rome, Italy
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2
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Frynta D, Elmi HSA, Janovcová M, Rudolfová V, Štolhoferová I, Rexová K, Král D, Sommer D, Berti DA, Landová E, Frýdlová P. Are vipers prototypic fear-evoking snakes? A cross-cultural comparison of Somalis and Czechs. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1233667. [PMID: 37928591 PMCID: PMC10620321 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Snakes are known as highly fear-evoking animals, eliciting preferential attention and fast detection in humans. We examined the human fear response to snakes in the context of both current and evolutionary experiences, conducting our research in the cradle of humankind, the Horn of Africa. This region is characterized by the frequent occurrence of various snake species, including deadly venomous viperids (adders) and elapids (cobras and mambas). We conducted experiments in Somaliland and compared the results with data from Czech respondents to address the still unresolved questions: To which extent is human fear of snakes affected by evolutionary or current experience and local culture? Can people of both nationalities recognize venomous snakes as a category, or are they only afraid of certain species that are most dangerous in a given area? Are respondents of both nationalities equally afraid of deadly snakes from both families (Viperidae, Elapidae)? We employed a well-established picture-sorting approach, consisting of 48 snake species belonging to four distinct groups. Our results revealed significant agreement among Somali as well as Czech respondents. We found a highly significant effect of the stimulus on perceived fear in both populations. Vipers appeared to be the most salient stimuli in both populations, as they occupied the highest positions according to the reported level of subjectively perceived fear. The position of vipers strongly contrasts with the fear ranking of deadly venomous elapids, which were in lower positions. Fear scores of vipers were significantly higher in both populations, and their best predictor was the body width of the snake. The evolutionary, cultural, and cognitive aspects of this phenomenon are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Frynta
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Amoud University, Borama, Somalia
| | - Markéta Janovcová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Veronika Rudolfová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Iveta Štolhoferová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Kateřina Rexová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - David Král
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - David Sommer
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Daniel Alex Berti
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Eva Landová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petra Frýdlová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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Frynta D, Elmi HSA, Rexová K, Janovcová M, Rudolfová V, Štolhoferová I, Král D, Sommer D, Berti DA, Frýdlová P. Animals evoking fear in the Cradle of Humankind: snakes, scorpions, and large carnivores. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:33. [PMID: 37405495 PMCID: PMC10322782 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01859-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Theories explain the presence of fears and specific phobias elicited by animals in contemporary WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) populations by their evolutionary past in Africa. Nevertheless, empirical data about fears of animals in the Cradle of Humankind are still fragmentary. To fill this gap, we examined which local animals are perceived as the most frightening by Somali people, who inhabit a markedly similar environment and the region where humans have evolved. We asked 236 raters to rank 42 stimuli according to their elicited fear. The stimuli were standardized pictures of species representing the local fauna. The results showed that the most frightening animals were snakes, scorpions, the centipede, and large carnivores (cheetahs and hyenas). These were followed up by lizards and spiders. Unlike in Europe, spiders represent less salient stimuli than scorpions for Somali respondents in this study. This conforms to the hypothesis suggesting that fear of spiders was extended or redirected from other chelicerates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Frynta
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Hassan Sh Abdirahman Elmi
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
- Amoud University, Borama, Somaliland
| | - Kateřina Rexová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Janovcová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Rudolfová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Iveta Štolhoferová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - David Král
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - David Sommer
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Alex Berti
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Frýdlová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 43, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
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Mondanaro A, Melchionna M, Di Febbraro M, Castiglione S, Holden PB, Edwards NR, Carotenuto F, Maiorano L, Modafferi M, Serio C, Diniz-Filho JAF, Rangel T, Rook L, O'Higgins P, Spikins P, Profico A, Raia P. A Major Change in Rate of Climate Niche Envelope Evolution during Hominid History. iScience 2020; 23:101693. [PMID: 33163945 PMCID: PMC7607486 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Homo sapiens is the only species alive able to take advantage of its cognitive abilities to inhabit almost all environments on Earth. Humans are able to culturally construct, rather than biologically inherit, their occupied climatic niche to a degree unparalleled within the animal kingdom. Precisely, when hominins acquired such an ability remains unknown, and scholars disagree on the extent to which our ancestors shared this same ability. Here, we settle this issue using fine-grained paleoclimatic data, extensive archaeological data, and phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results indicate that whereas early hominins were forced to live under physiologically suitable climatic conditions, with the emergence of H. heidelbergensis, the Homo climatic niche expanded beyond its natural limits, despite progressive harshening in global climates. This indicates that technological innovations providing effective exploitation of cold and seasonal habitats predated the emergence of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens oversteps our ecological niche limits by means of culture The origin of Homo niche-construction ability is unknown We found Homo species other than H. sapiens were able to construct their own niche
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Mondanaro
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples 80126, Italy.,Department of Earth Science. University of Florence, Florence 50121, Italy
| | - Marina Melchionna
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples 80126, Italy
| | - Mirko Di Febbraro
- Department of Bioscience and Territory. University of Molise, Pesche, Isernia 86090, Italy
| | - Silvia Castiglione
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples 80126, Italy
| | - Philip B Holden
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6BJ, UK
| | - Neil R Edwards
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6BJ, UK
| | - Francesco Carotenuto
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples 80126, Italy
| | - Luigi Maiorano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Maria Modafferi
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples 80126, Italy
| | - Carmela Serio
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Josè A F Diniz-Filho
- Department of Ecology, ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia 74968-755, Brasil
| | - Thiago Rangel
- Department of Ecology, ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia 74968-755, Brasil
| | - Lorenzo Rook
- Department of Earth Science. University of Florence, Florence 50121, Italy
| | - Paul O'Higgins
- Department of Archaeology and Hull York Medical School, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Penny Spikins
- Department of Archaeology and Hull York Medical School, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Antonio Profico
- Department of Archaeology and Hull York Medical School, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Resources Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples 80126, Italy
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5
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Altamura F, Bennett MR, D'Août K, Gaudzinski-Windheuser S, Melis RT, Reynolds SC, Mussi M. Archaeology and ichnology at Gombore II-2, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: everyday life of a mixed-age hominin group 700,000 years ago. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2815. [PMID: 29434269 PMCID: PMC5809588 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21158-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the occurrence at 0.7 million years (Ma) of an ichnological assemblage at Gombore II-2, which is one of several archaeological sites at Melka Kunture in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia, 2000 m asl. Adults and children potentially as young as 12 months old left tracks in a silty substrate on the shore of a body of water where ungulates, as well as other mammals and birds, congregated. Furthermore, the same layers contain a rich archaeological and palaeontological record, confirming that knapping was taking place in situ and that stone tools were used for butchering hippo carcasses at the site. The site gives direct information on hominin landscape use at 0.7 Ma and may provide fresh perspective on the childhood of our ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio Altamura
- Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità, Università di Roma Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Italian Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit (Ethiopia), Rome, Italy
| | - Matthew R Bennett
- Institute for Studies in Landscapes and Human Evolution, Bournemouth University, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK
| | - Kristiaan D'Août
- Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
| | - Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution and Institute of Ancient Studies, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Schloss Monrepos, 56567, Neuwied, Germany
| | - Rita T Melis
- Italian Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit (Ethiopia), Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Università di Cagliari, Via Trentino 51, 009127, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sally C Reynolds
- Institute for Studies in Landscapes and Human Evolution, Bournemouth University, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK
| | - Margherita Mussi
- Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità, Università di Roma Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Italian Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit (Ethiopia), Rome, Italy.
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6
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Di Vincenzo F, Profico A, Bernardini F, Cerroni V, Dreossi D, Schlager S, Zaio P, Benazzi S, Biddittu I, Rubini M, Tuniz C, Manzi G. Digital reconstruction of the Ceprano calvarium (Italy), and implications for its interpretation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13974. [PMID: 29070804 PMCID: PMC5656598 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14437-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ceprano calvarium was discovered in fragments on March 1994 near the town of Ceprano in southern Latium (Italy), embedded in Middle Pleistocene layers. After reconstruction, its morphological features suggests that the specimen belongs to an archaic variant of H. heidelbergensis, representing a proxy for the last common ancestor of the diverging clades that respectively led to H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. Unfortunately, the calvarium was taphonomically damaged. The postero-lateral vault, in particular, appears deformed and this postmortem damage may have influenced previous interpretations. Specifically, there is a depression on the fragmented left parietal, while the right cranial wall is warped and angulated. This deformation affected the shape of the occipital squama, producing an inclination of the transverse occipital torus. In this paper, after X-ray microtomography (μCT) of both the calvarium and several additional fragments, we analyze consistency and pattern of the taphonomic deformation that affected the specimen, before the computer-assisted retrodeformation has been performed; this has also provided the opportunity to reappraise early attempts at restoration. As a result, we offer a revised interpretation for the Ceprano calvarium’s original shape, now free from the previous uncertainties, along with insight for its complex depositional and taphonomic history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy.,Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Profico
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy.,Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Roma, Italy
| | - Federico Bernardini
- Centro Fermi - Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche 'Enrico Fermi', Roma, Italy.,The 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy
| | - Vittorio Cerroni
- Italian Ministry of Culture, Anthropological Service, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Stefan Schlager
- Department Biological Anthropology, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Paola Zaio
- Italian Ministry of Culture, Anthropological Service, Roma, Italy
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Mauro Rubini
- Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Roma, Italy.,Italian Ministry of Culture, Anthropological Service, Roma, Italy.,Dipartimento di Archeologia, Università di Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Claudio Tuniz
- Centro Fermi - Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche 'Enrico Fermi', Roma, Italy.,The 'Abdus Salam' International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.,Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy. .,Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, Roma, Italy.
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