Primates Primate research • A study on the frequency of
caries in
strepsirrhines and on implications for determining diet and health of fossil members of the group, based on data from extant strepsirrhines,
Karanisia clarki and
Megaladapis madagascariensis, is published by Selig
et al. (2024). • Chaimanee
et al. (2024) describe the anatomy of the maxilla of
Siamopithecus eocaenus and interpret the studied primate as an
anthropoid belonging to the family
Siamopithecidae. • New fossil material of the
Hispaniola monkey is described by Halenar-Price
et al. (2024), who provide the first description of the complete anterior dentition of the studied monkey, and interpret the ranges of the body mass and the endocranial volumes of the studied specimens as indicating that the brain size of the Hispaniola monkey was not smaller than expected for its body mass. • Evidence from the study of incisors of extant anthropoids, interpreted as indicative of mixed-feeding ecology of the Hispaniola monkey, is presented by Cobb
et al. (2024). • Bouchet
et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of
Pliobates cataloniae, and interpret this primate as a member of
Pliopithecoidea belonging to the family
Crouzeliidae. • Evidence from the study of the
enamel–
dentine junction in the
molars of
Pliobates cataloniae, interpreted as supporting the classification of
P. cataloniae as a crouzeliid pliopithecoid, is presented by Bouchet
et al. (2024). • Revision of the fossil material of
Old World monkeys from the Pliocene Mount Galili Formation (
Ethiopia), indicative of closer similarity of the studied faunal assemblage to monkey assemblages from the
Kanapoi and
Gona localities than to the one from
Aramis, is published by Reda
et al. (2024). • Stan
et al. (2024) revise fossil material of Plio–Pleistocene Old World monkeys from
Romania, and interpret the studied monkeys as indicative of a mosaic habitat with open and forested areas. • A
molar of
cf. Paradolichopithecus sp., possibly belonging to a previously unknown species, is described from the Pliocene strata from the Ridjake site (Serbia) by Radović
et al. (2024). • Pina & Nakatsukasa (2024) interpret the morphology of the ulna of
Nacholapithecus kerioi as consistent with adaptations for quadrupedal behaviors, and sharing morphological features with ulnae of large
papionins, chimpanzees and extinct taxa such as
Equatorius. • A study on the morphology of a thoracic vertebra of
Nacholapithecus kerioi is published by Kikuchi
et al. (2024). • A study on the distribution of the cortical bone in the
femoral neck of
Nacholapithecus, and on its implications for the knowledge of the locomotor behavior of
Nacholapithecus, is published by Tomizawa
et al. (2024). • Alba
et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of
Anoiapithecus brevirostris from the Miocene strata of the Abocador de Can Mata sequence in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (
Spain). • Russo
et al. (2024) describe a partial postcranial skeleton of an ape from the Middle Miocene sediments of Napudet (
Kenya), interpreting the studied specimen as having large forelimbs and likely relying on forelimb-dominated movement in the tree (possibly including vertical climbing) to a greater degree than most Early Miocene apes. • Review of the evidence supporting main competing hypotheses on the phylogenetic placement of
Oreopithecus bambolii is published by Alba
et al. (2024). • Review of the evidence supporting main competing hypotheses on the causes of extinction of
Oreopithecus bambolii is published by DeMiguel & Rook (2024), who interpret the extinction of
O. bambolii as most likely caused by competition with and predation by invading species from continental Europe. • A study on the inner ear and probable locomotion of
Lufengpithecus is published by Zhang
et al. (2024), who report that
Lufengpithecus and other Miocene
stem apes had the bony labyrinth morphology intermediate between that of gibbons and
great apes, and argue that stem
apes shared a common pattern of locomotion that combined aspects of the locomotor behaviors of
gibbons and
chimpanzees. • A study on tooth enamel thickness and distribution in
Lufengpithecus lufengensis is published by Zhang
et al. (2024), who find enamel of
Lufengpithecus to be thicker than those of
orangutans and
gorillas, but thinner than those of
Homo erectus and modern
humans. • A study on the timeline and causes of extinction of
Gigantopithecus blacki is published by Zhang
et al. (2024), who use data from caves in the Chongzuo and Bubing Basin (China) to establish a regional window of extinction of
G. blacki at 295.000–215.000 years ago, and interpret the demise of
G. blacki as caused by inability to adapt to changes in forest structure resulting from increased seasonality. • A sample of possible teeth of
Pongo devosi is described from the Zhongshan Cave by Liang
et al. (2024), representing fossil material of the smallest fossil orangutans from southern
China reported to date. • Cazenave
et al. (2024) argue that, contrary to the conclusions of Daver
et al. (2022), the anatomy of the femur of
Sahelanthropus tchadensis does not support the interpretation of this hominid as habitually bipedal. • A study on the skull of
Sahelanthropus tchadensis is published by Neves
et al. (2024), who report that
S. tchadensis shared closer morphological similarities with hominins than with great apes. • Evidence indicating that upper teeth of
Sahelanthropus tchadensis fall within the range of dental variation of Plio-Pleistocene hominins is presented by Neves, Valota & Monteiro (2024). • Evidence of similarity of patterns of selection of stone tools by extant
chimpanzees from Bossou (
Guinea) and by
Oldowan hominins is presented by Braun
et al. (2024). • A study reconstructs the
genetic event of
tail-loss in human ancestors around 25 million years ago. • A study on the
temporal lobe evolution in the family
Hominidae, based on data from extant humans and great apes and fossil hominins, is published by Pearson &
Polly (2024), who find that the greatest changes to temporal lobe proportions happened not in the genus
Homo but earlier in hominin evolution. • Ciurana
et al. (2024) compare the muscle insertion sites on the proximal end of the
ulna in extant and extinct hominids, interpret the relative size of the insertion sites as related to the relative mass of the
triceps and the
brachialis muscle and to the locomotion of the studied hominids, and interpret their findings as indicating that
Australopithecus and
Paranthropus likely used arboreal locomotion to complement their bipedalism, similar to extant bonobos but unlike members of the genus
Homo.
General paleoanthropology • A study on the biogeography of early hominins is published by Sekhavati & Strait (2024). • McRae &
Wood (2024) present an inventory of fossils of early hominins from Africa allocated to taxa. • Negash
et al. (2024) reconstruct the proportion of woody cover at eastern African early hominin sites spanning the past 6 million years, and report that early hominin paleoenvironments were dominated by mixed tree–
C4 grass savannas. • Evidence indicating that patterns of speciation and extinction of members of the genus
Homo differed from those of other hominins is presented by van Holstein &
Foley (2024). • Evidence from the study of extant mammals, interpreted as indicating that the eastern branch of the Eastern African Rift System might not be representative for morphological diversity and habitat reconstructions of early hominin in the entirety of their likely geographical range, is presented by Barr & Wood (2024). • Evidence from experimental study, interpreted as indicating that practical experience enabled efficient use of
flakes by early hominins, is presented by Eteson
et al. (2024), who argue that the ability to accumulate practical knowledge might have formed the basis for tool-using innovations that ultimately led to the development of more complex stone tools. • Affinito
et al. (2024) study brain activation patterns related to forceful hammerstone percussion and precise flake cutting, and interpret their findings as supporting the existence of a link between modifications of the brain in the hominin evolution and stone tool use. • Püschel
et al. (2024) report evidence of within-species increase in brain size during hominin evolution, and interpret this pattern as explaining the overall increase in relative brain size across hominin evolution. • Lewis
et al. (2024) describe an approximately 4.3 million-years-old hominin mandible from the
Ileret site (
Kenya), interpreted as the oldest specimen of
Australopithecus anamensis reported to date, and argue that
Ardipithecus ramidus was more likely a relative rather than a direct ancestor of
Australopithecus. • A study on changes of the complexity of stone tool manufacturing over the last 3.3 million years is published by Paige & Perreault (2024), who find evidence of an increase of technological complexity approximately 600,000 years ago, interpreted as related to the beginnings of human cumulative culture. • Braga &
Grine (2024) describe new fossil material of
Paranthropus robustus from the
Kromdraai fossil site (
South Africa), providing information on the anatomy of previously unknown portions of the juvenile cranium of
P. robustus, and interpret the studied fossil as consistent with the presence of a significant
sexual dimorphism in the studied species. • A study on the
endocast of the DNH 7 specimen of
Paranthropus robustus from the
Drimolen site (South Africa) is published by Falk & Marom (2024), who interpret the studied specimen as indicating that the three species of
Paranthropus had a fixed system of enlarged venous sinuses in the skull, as well as suggesting that infants of
Australopithecus africanus and members of the genus
Paranthropus developed cranial blood flow differently. • A study on the bony
vestibule morphology of
Paranthropus robustus,
Australopithecus africanus and extant hominids, providing evidence of distinctive morphology of
P. robustus compared to other studied taxa, is published by Smith
et al. (2024). • A study on the morphology of the
hip bone of the
Australopithecus individual known as "
Little Foot" is published by
Crompton et al. (2024), who interpret "Little Foot" and the individual StW 431 as most likely representing the same species, distinct from
Australopithecus africanus and providing evidence of the presence of two species of
Australopithecus at
Sterkfontein, and interpret the variability of the hip bone morphology of Plio-Pleistocene hominins as consistent with multiple forms of bipedality. • Evidence interpreted as indicating that fossil material of "Little Foot" is 3.6 million years old is presented by Thackeray (2024). • A study on the
entheseal patterns in the hand skeleton of
Australopithecus afarensis,
A. africanus and
A. sediba is published by Kunze
et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as suggesting that the habitual hand use of
A. sediba and
A. afarensis included activities similar to power-squeeze grasping and in-hand manipulation of members of the genus
Homo. • Bates
et al. (2024) interpret
Australopithecus afarensis as capable of bipedal running but with lower speed than modern humans, with running energetics similar to those of mammals and birds of similar body size. • Hanegraef
et al. (2024) compare the maxillary shapes of the
holotype specimens of
Kenyanthropus platyops and
Australopithecus deyiremeda with those of other mid-Pliocene hominins, and interpret their findings as supporting the status of
K. platyops and
A. deyiremeda as distinct species. • Rowan & Wood (2024) review the impact of the discovery of the
Taung Child for the studies of the hominin evolution at the time of its announcement, as well as the implications of subsequent discoveries for
Raymond Dart's assessment of the significance of this finding. • A study on the environmental preferences of hominins over the past 3 million years is published by Zeller & Timmermann (2024), who report evidence of two major phases of increasing adaptation toward rough terrain (related to greater biome diversity): from 2 to 1.1 million years ago, interrupted during the
Mid-Pleistocene Transition, and from the 0.9 to 0.1 million years ago, coinciding with expansion of
Homo heidelbergensis and Neanderthals into Europe. • Claims that the
Melka Kunture site-complex (
Ethiopia) includes
Oldowan and early
Acheulean material which is approximately 2.0-1.9 million-years-old, presented by Mussi
et al. (2023) and Muttoni
et al. (2023), are contested by Gossa
et al. (2024). • Finestone
et al. (2024) report the discovery of a new, approximately 1.7-million-years-old Oldowan locality Sare-Abururu (Homa Peninsula,
Kenya), interpret the stone tools from this locality as indicating that hominins from Sare-Abururu were skilled knappers using quartz pebbles to produce flakes with sharp cutting edges, and report evidence of different raw material utilization and composition of stone tool assemblages from different Oldowan localities, likely related to differences of local landscapes and ecology. • Evidence indicating that dental changes associated with later members of the genus
Homo were not present in
Homo habilis is presented by Davies
et al. (2024). • A study on the histology of teeth of
Homo naledi, providing evidence of enamel growth resembling the one seen in modern humans, is published by Mahoney
et al. (2024). • Delezene
et al. (2024) interpret low degree of morphological variation between teeth of different individuals of
Homo naledi as consistent with the interpretation of known sample of fossils of
H. naledi as including few or no individuals of one sex. • A study on enamel formation in
Homo naledi, providing evidence of short episodes of distress resulting from disease and longer periods of distress redulting from a season of undernutrition, is published by Skinner
et al. (2024). • Description of the
endocast morphology of one of the specimens of
Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber of the
Rising Star Cave in
South Africa (Lesedi Hominin 1) is published by Hurst
et al. (2024). • Evidence from the study of the hand skeleton of
Homo naledi, interpreted as indicating that the evolution of precision grip in hominins might have been facilitated by a shift in embryonic development, presented by Cofran & Kivell (2024). • Foecke, Queffelec & Pickering (2024) argue that geochemical and sedimentological data from the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star Cave System provide no evidence of deliberate burial of remains of
Homo naledi in the studied cave. • Pettitt & Wood (2024) evaluate the strength of the evidence supporting claims about age, burial context and behavior of
Homo naledi presented in earlier studies. • A study on the subsistence strategies of early hominins in tropical grasslands is published by Reschke, Krüger & Hertler (2024), who argue that hominin foragers were able to hunt large herbivores by adopting hunting strategies which did not take long to perform or by extensive cooperation of hunters. • Hatala
et al. (2024) report the discovery of approximately 1.5-million-years-old hominin footprints from
Koobi Fora (
Kenya) produced by two different types of bipedal walking on the same surface, and interpret this finding as likely evidence of
sympatry of
Paranthropus boisei and
Homo erectus. • Zollikofer
et al. (2024) study development of teeth of a subadult
Dmanisi hominin individual, and report evidence of an extended growth phase before a slow-down in life history of the studied individual, before expansion and reorganization of the brain in members of the genus
Homo. • Garba
et al. (2024) determine the oldest stone tools from the Korolevo site (
Ukraine) to be approximately 1.42 million years old, making the studied tools the earliest securely dated evidence of hominin presence in Europe reported to date. • Gibert
et al. (2024) determine the early hominin sites in the Orce region of
Spain: Venta Micena, Barranco León-5 and Fuente Nueva-3 to be, respectively, approximately 1.32, 1.28 and 1.23 million years old, and interpret these dates as indicating that early hominins using
Oldowan technology reached Europe approximately 0.5 million years after first leaving Africa. • Despriée
et al. (2024) determine the occupation of the Lunery-Rosieres la-Terre-des-Sablons site (
France) by early hominins to date to around 1,175,000 years ago, and interpret the stone tool industries from this site and from other sites from Western Europe of similar age as indicating that early European hominins settled in zones that were only inhospitable during very cold stages, opportunistically flaked local siliceous materials and occasionally attempted complex core technologies. • Ma
et al. (2024) report evidence of the use of
prepared-core technique at the Cenjiawan site in the
Nihewan Basin (
China), and interpret this finding as indicating that hominins with advanced technologies might have been present in high latitude East Asia as early as 1.1 million years ago. • Evidence interpreted as indicating that Mid-Pleistocene environmental changes resulted in early hominins from southern part of
Palearctic Eurasia becoming more widely dispersed and stimulated improvements in technology complexes is presented by Zan
et al. (2024). • A study on the cranial morphology and probable relationships of Pleistocene archaic hominins from eastern Asia is published by Kaifu & Athreya (2024), who interpret their findings as supporting the continuity and integrity of
Homo erectus from Java as a single evolutionary lineage, providing evidence of cranial form similarity between African and Chinese fossils, interpret
Homo erectus as likely ancestral to both
Homo floresiensis and
Homo luzonensis, and find no evidence that Denisovans crossed the seas of Southeast Asia. • Kaifu
et al. (2024) describe new hominin fossil material from the
Mata Menge site (
Flores,
Indonesia), providing evidence that approximately 700,000 years ago hominins even smaller than the holotype of
Homo floresiensis lived on Flores, and interpret
H. floresiensis as member of a long-lasting lineage that likely evolved from Asian
Homo erectus and maintained small body size during and beyond the Middle Pleistocene. • Review of developments in the study of
Paleolithic bone knapping tool industries in the preceding years is published by Parfitt & Bello (2024), who reevaluate evidence of the presence of bone knapping tools at the
Acheulean Horse Butchery Site (Boxgrove, West Sussex, United Kingdom) and at the
Magdalenian Gough's Cave site (Somerset, United Kingdom). • A study on the morphological variation of the
calvaria of Middle Pleistocene hominins from Africa and Eurasia with uncertain affinities is published by Hautavoine
et al. (2024), who report that, in the general, the studied fossils from Africa tend to share closer affinities with
Homo ergaster and
Homo sapiens and the Eurasian specimens with Neanderthals, but also report that some of the studied specimens do not follow this general pattern, and interpret their findings as suggesting that multiple hominin populations with different affinities might have contributed to the emergence of Neanderthals and
Homo sapiens. • A study on the anatomy and affinities of Pleistocene hominins from the
Xujiayao site is published by Wu & Bae (2024), who argue that Pleistocene hominins from Xujiayao and Lingjing sites in China might represent a previously unidentified population of large-brained hominins (subsequently assigned to the species
Homo juluensis), • A study on the morphology of the frontal bone of a Pleistocene hominin from Kocabaş (
Turkey) is published by Mori
et al. (2024), who interpret the studied hominin as more likely belonging to
Homo heidelbergensis sensu lato than to
Homo erectus sensu lato. • Review of genetic differences among Neandertals, Denisovans and modern humans, and of the impact of gene flow between archaic and modern humans on their physiology, is published by
Zeberg, Jakobsson &
Pääbo (2024). • A study on the distribution of Denisovan and Neandertal DNA within two modern human populations living in the mountainous terrain surrounding
Mount Wilhelm and
Daru Island (
Papua New Guinea) is published by Yermakovich
et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of a significant role of Denisovan DNA in the adaptive processes of the studied populations, in particular in influencing the biology of their brains and their immune response to tropical diseases. • Ongaro & Huerta-Sanchez (2024) review evidence of
introgressions of Denisovan populations into modern humans. • Evidence indicating that Denisovans from the
Baishiya Karst Cave (China) exploited animals from the Tibetan Plateau (mostly large herbivores, but also carnivores, small mammals and birds) for their bones which were used for tool production, as well as for their meat, marrow and hides, is presented by Xia
et al. (2024), who also describe a new Denisovan rib from the Baishiya Karst Cave, providing evidence of presence of Denisovans at the site until at least 48,000–32,000 years ago. • A study on the geochronology of Panxian Dadong hominin cave site (Guizhou, China), providing evidence of one of the earliest hominin settlement sites in southwestern China during the Middle Pleistocene, is published by Che
et al. (2024). • Pablos &
Arsuaga (2024) study the anatomy of
tarsals,
metatarsal bones and foot
phalanges of Middle Pleistocene hominins from the
Sima de los Huesos site (Spain), found to be generally more robust than corresponding bones of extant and fossil
Homo sapiens, and interpret the anatomy of the studied bones as supporting the placement of the Sima de los Huesos hominins as the sister evolutionaty group of Neanderthals. • Review of the anatomy of the thorax and lumbar spine of the hominins from the Sima de los Huesos site is published by Gómez-Olivencia & Arsuaga (2024). • A study on
wooden artifacts from
Schöningen 13 II-4 (
Germany) is published by Leder
et al. (2024), who report evidence of the presence of at least 20 hunting weapons as well as evidence of the presence of artifacts which were likely domestic tools, indicating that Schöningen was not only a hunting or butchering site but also a place for domestic activities of the hominins that produced the artifacts. • Evidence from the Schöningen 13II-4 site, interpreted as indicative of selective, specialized hunting of horses (
Equus mosbachensis) by Middle Pleistocene hominins, is presented by Hutson
et al. (2024). • Riga
et al. (2024) provide evidence of the presence of a hominin with a more archaic metatarsal morphology compared to Neanderthals at the Sedia del Diavolo site (
Italy), which might indicate coexistence of at least two hominin clades in the Italian Peninsula during the beginning of
Marine Isotope Stage 8. • Evidence interpreted as indicating that Neanderthals had 2.5 to 3.7% modern human ancestry, as well as indicating that accounting for effects of modern human-introgressed DNA sequences results in reduction of estimates of Neanderthal population size by ~20%, and evidence of two distinct episodes of
modern human gene flow into Neanderthal populations is presented by Li
et al. (2024). • A study on the frequency of
enamel hypoplasia in Neanderthals and Upper Paleolithic anatomically modern humans is published by Limmer
et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of similar overall early life stress levels in both groups, but also as indicative of differences in the likelihood of occurrence of hypoplasia throughout ontogeny which might be related to differences in childcare between the two groups. • Evidence from the
Scladina Cave (
Belgium), indicative of exploitation of birds by Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals as a part of their diet and possibly also for tool production and for symbolic purposes, is presented by Goffette
et al. (2024). • Evidence interpreted as indicating that the
Shanidar 3 Neanderthal individual had a typical "bell-shaped" Neanderthal thorax is presented by López-Rey, García-Martínez & Bastir (2024), who also interpret the ribcage morphology of the Shanidar 3 and
Kebara 2 individuals as inconsistent with the idea that Neanderthal body plan was specifically adapted to cold environments. • A study on cut marks on a hyena
phalanx bone from the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter (Spain) is published by Moclán
et al. (2024), who interpret the studied cut marks as evidence of skinning of the hyena pelt by Neanderthals. • Conde-Valverde
et al. (2024) report the discovery of remains of a Neanderthal child from
Cova Negra (Spain) that lived for at least 6 years in spite of being affected by a debilitating pathology of the inner ear which was likely associated with
Down syndrome. • Navazo Ruiz
et al. (2024) study an accumulation of fossils of Late Cretaceous marine molluscs and a sea urchin transported by Neanderthals into the Prado Vargas cave (Spain), report that the majority of the studied fossils were not used as tools, and interpret the accumulation as possible evidence of collecting activities of Neanderthals. • Evidence of three distinct diets of Neanderthal individuals from the Grotte du Bison and
Le Regourdou sites (
France) is presented by Dodat
et al. (2024). • Ochando
et al. (2024) report the discovery of a new type of Neanderthal hearth from the
Vanguard Cave in
Gibraltar, interpreted as a specialized burning structure likely used for steam distillation of essential oils from rockroses for tar production. • Guran
et al. (2024) reconstruct the distribution of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans in southwest Asia and southeast Europe during the
Marine Isotope Stage 5, and identify the
Iranian Plateau (particularly the
Zagros Mountains) as the area of contact and potential interbreeding between the two lineages. • Evidence indicating that the availability and distribution of the habitat suitable for the last Neanderthal populations in Europe was affected by climate fluctuations is presented by Albouy
et al. (2024). • Evidence from the study of southern Italian sites Cavallo, Castelcivita, Cala and Oscurusciuto, interpreted as indicating that the disappearance of Neanderthals probably preceded the appearance of early modern humans in the studied region, is presented by Higham
et al. (2024). • Slimak
et al. (2024) study the genome of a late Neanderthal individual from the
Mandrin Cave (France) and interpret this individual as belonging to a previously unknown Neanderthal lineage that stayed genetically isolated from other Neanderthal populations from Western Europe for approximately 50,000 years. • Sedrati
et al. (2024) report the discovery of Late Pleistocene footprints from a rocky beach in Larache (
Morocco) representing the oldest known footprints produced by
Homo sapiens reported from Northern Africa and the Southern Mediterranean. • Evidence from the Shinfa-Metema 1 site (
Ethiopia) indicative of intensive riverine-based foraging approximately 74,000 years ago, likely aided by adoption of the bow and arrow, is presented by Kappelman
et al. (2024), who argue that adaptation to foraging along dry-season waterholes might have facilitated human dispersal out of Africa. • A study on the mechanical properties of tool-stones from the
Diepkloof Rock Shelter (
South Africa) is published by Schmidt
et al. (2024), who argue that the
Middle Stone Age people selected specific rocks that allowed the best trade-off between the expected properties of tools made from the rocks and the ease of acquiring rocks and producing tools. • Evidence indicating that the Middle Stone Age people occupying the
Sibudu Cave (South Africa) were able to produce tar from plant other than
Podocarpus, produced tar through the condensation method using leaves and used tar in both single-component and compound adhesives with different mechanical properties, is presented by Schmidt
et al. (2024). • Evidence from the study of ancient and present-day genomes and paleoecological models, interpreted as indicating that the
Iranian Plateau likely acted as the hub for
Homo sapiens during early phases of migration out of Africa and colonisation of Eurasia, is presented by Vallini
et al (2024). • Evidence indicating that the choice of global expansion routes of anatomically modern humans beyond Africa was driven by suitable environmental conditions is presented by Saltré
et al. (2024). • Cave art depicting human-like figures interacting with a pig, painted at least 51,200 years ago and representing the oldest surviving example of representational art reported to date, is described from the
Leang Karampuang cave (
Sulawesi,
Indonesia) by Oktaviana
et al. (2024), who also determine the hunting scene from the limestone cave of Leang Bulu' Sipong 4 described by Aubert
et al. (2019) to be painted at least 48,000 years ago, i.e. more than 4,000 years older than initially assumed. • Paquin
et al. (2024) use habitat suitability models for the
Aurignacian technocomplex (interpreted as a proxy for the large scale dispersal of anatomically modern humans into Europe) to determine the impact of
climate change and variability on human dispersals into Europe during the
Marine Isotope Stage 3. • Shao
et al. (2024) present a reconstruction of the human dispersal in Europe at the time of the Aurignacian technocomplex. • Evidence from the study of human remains from the Ilsenhöhle site in Ranis (
Germany), interpreted as indicating that
Homo sapiens reached parts of Europe north of the Alps by 45,000 years ago, is presented by Mylopotamitaki
et al. (2024); Pederzani
et al. (2024) interpret people from Ilsenhöhle as living in environment characterized by temperatures substantially below modern-day conditions, while Smith
et al. (2024) report evidence interpreted as indicative of low-intensity use of the site, consistent with small, mobile groups occupying different localities for a short time, and indicative of low dietary variability, with a diet based on large terrestrial mammals. • Evidence from the study of genomes of individuals from Ilsenhöhle and the
Zlatý kůň woman, interpreted as indicative of distant familial relationships of the Ranis and Zlatý kůň individuals, is presented by Sümer
et al. (2024), who also interpret genomic data from Ranis individuals as preserving Neanderthal segments resulting from
an admixture event dating to approximately 49,000-45,000 years ago. • Iasi
et al. (2024) study Neanderthal ancestry of ancient and modern humans, and report evidence interpreted as indicating that the majority of Neanderthal gene flow happened during a period between 50,500 and 43,500 years ago. • Tournebize & Chikhi (2024) argue that purported evidence of interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans from the studies of genetic data needs reevaluation, as it might be a side effect of use of statistical approaches dependent on demographic models that do not account for population structure rather than actual evidence of admixture events. • Yang
et al. (2024) identify an
Initial Upper Paleolithic assemblage at the Shiyu site in northern China, providing evidence of expansion of
Homo sapiens into eastern Asia by about 45,000 years ago, as well as evidence of development of advanced cultural behaviours by people from the studied site; Carmignani
et al. (2024) subsequently contest attribution of the Shiyu site to the Initial Upper Paleolithic, while Yang
et al. (2024) reaffirm their original attribution. • A study on five Paleolithic sites from the western Hisma Basin (
Jordan) is published by Kadowaki
et al. (2024), who find that in the studied area a major increase in the cutting-edge productivity happened after the shift from the
Levallois technology to the blade technology in the Initial Upper Paleolithic (i.e. after the conventional
Middle-
Upper Paleolithic boundary), coinciding with the development of bladelet technology in the Early Upper Paleolithic instead, and argue that the Middle-Upper Paleolithic cultural transition was not a single sudden replacement. • Sahle
et al. (2024) report evidence of increase in the intensity and duration of human occupation of the Gorgora rockshelter (
Ethiopia) approximately 42,000 years ago, during a stable wet phase in the
Lake Tana area, as well as evidence of the development of innovative technologies and symbolic behaviors at the site starting around this time. • Barzilai
et al. (2024) report the discovery of a confined space with an engraved dolomite boulder deep in the
Manot Cave (
Israel), and interpret the studied area as a communal space used by the Upper Paleolithic Aurignacian inhabitants of the cave for ritual purposes. • Evidence from the Abrigo de la Malia site (Tamajón, Guadalajara, Spain), indicative of recurrent presence of anatomically modern humans in inland Iberia during the early and mid-Upper Paleolithic in spite of climate changes that resulted in increase of aridity and trend toward colder conditions, is presented by Sala
et al. (2024). • Conard & Rots (2024) describe a perforated baton made from mammoth ivory from the
Hohle Fels Cave (Germany), and interpret is as a probable
Aurignacian rope making tool. • Matzig
et al. (2024) demonstrate utility of phylodynamic models in the study of changes of knapped stone projectile points from the European Late
Upper Paleolithic, providing artefact phylogeny compatible with known patterns of human dispersal and paleogenomic studies. • A study on the human population history in Upper Paleolithic Europe, as indicated by data from fossil teeth, is published by Rathmann
et al. (2024), who interpret their findings as indicative of a population turnover in Western Europe at the beginning of the Late Pleniglacial (approximately 28,000 years ago), as well as indicative of
population bottlenecks of people from Western and Eastern Europe during the
Last Glacial Maximum, likely related to migrations to geographically distinct
refugia. • Ge
et al. (2024) provide new age estimates for
human remains from the Tongtianyan cave (China), ranging from ~33,000 to 23,000 years ago. • Baker
et al. (2024) study personal ornaments of European hunter-gatherers living between 34,000 and 24,000 years ago, and interpret them as indicative of existence of nine distinct cultural entities during the time of the existence of the
Gravettian technocomplex. • A study on the skeletal remains of a late Upper Palaeolithic infant from Grotta delle Mura (Apulia, southern Italy), providing evidence of a population turnover in southern Italy around the time of the cultural transition from the Gravettian to the
Epigravettian technocomplex, is published by Higgins
et al. (2024). • Evidence from the
Laili rockshelter (
East Timor), interpreted as indicative of an abrupt onset of intensive human habitation 44,000 years ago, is presented by Shipton
et al. (2024), who consider this human habitation to represent a colonization phase that may have overwhelmed previous human dispersals in
Wallacea. • Kaharudin
et al. (2024) present the first evidence of Pleistocene human occupation of the
Tanimbar Islands, dating back approximately 42,000 years, and report evidence that early inhabitants of the Tanimbar Islands exploited
macropods, which are now locally extinct and might represent the earliest case of animal translocation by humans reported to date. • Salles
et al. (2024) reconstruct the pattern of the peopling of
Sahul during the Late Pleistocene from a mechanistic movement model, and interpret their findings as indicative of a wave of dispersal following coastlines and rivers. • Evidence from the eastern seaboard of
Australia, interpret as indicative of human occupation by 30,000 years ago and possibly as early as 49,000–45,000 years ago, is presented by Adams
et al. (2024). • Evidence from sedimentary records from western and eastern extremes of the
Bass Strait, interpreted as indicating that the ancestors of the
Aboriginal Tasmanians markedly burned the landscape when they first entered
Tasmania 41,600 years ago, is presented by Adeleye
et al. (2024). • Hawkins
et al. (2024) report the discovery of remains of a man and a woman interred in a single grave from the Ratu Mali 2 site (
Kisar,
Indonesia) which are at least 14.7-thousand-years-old, representing the oldest human burials with established funerary rites from
Wallacea reported to date. • David
et al. (2024) report the discovery of 11,000- and 12,000-year-old fireplaces with wooden artefacts at the
Cloggs Cave (Australia) matching descriptions of
GunaiKurnai ritual installations described in 19th century ethnography, interpreted as evidence of cultural transmission of a ritual practice dating back to the end of the last ice age and continued by approximately 500 generations. • A study aiming to identify settings viable for vertebrate and human populations in the north Pacific coast of North America during the growth and decay of the
Cordilleran ice sheet, providing new age constraints for human coastal migration into North America, is published by Steffen (2024). • The oldest evidence of the use of hare bone for bead production in western North America known to date is reported from the
Clovis La Prele Mammoth site (
Wyoming,
United States) by Surovell
et al. (2024). • Pelton
et al. (2024) present evidence of use of bones of canids, felids and hares for bone needle production at the La Prele site, and interpret their findings as indicating that the earliest North Americans routinely trapped fur-bearing animals. • Chatters
et al. (2024) reconstruct the protein diet of the mother of
Anzick-1, and argue that the diet of members of the Clovis band including this individual, and likely Western Clovis people in general, was heavily reliant on mammalian megafauna, particularly mammoths. • Del Papa
et al. (2024) report the presence of cut marks on a specimen of
Neosclerocalyptus found on the southern margin of the Reconquista River (Argentina), with radiocarbon date obtained from the pelvis corresponding to the
Last Glacial Maximum, and interpreted as consistent with the human occupation of southern South America before 16,000 years ago. • Evidence supporting the interpretation of the Late Pleistocene molariform tooth of
Eremotherium laurillardi from a tank on a farm in Poço Redondo (Sergipe, Brazil) as intentionally modified by humans is presented by the Pansani
et al. (2024). • A study on trees associated with Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene campsites from the
Atacama Desert is published by Ugalde
et al. (2024), who report evidence of the first people living in the area locating their homes under the tree canopy at two sites, and find that the early people in the area spared the most abundant and resilient tree species, which resulted in promoting fertility oases in the desert. • Troiano
et al. (2024) report the discovery of an association of Early Cretaceous dinosaur tracks and
petroglyphs from the Serrote do Letreiro Site (
Brazil), and interpret the association as indicating that the engravers acknowledged at least the footprints of
theropod dinosaurs and intentionally executed the petroglyphs around them. • Evidence from isotope analysis of human remains from
Taforalt (
Morocco), interpreted as indicative as substantial plant-based component in the diets of the hunter-gatherers from this site during the Later Stone Age, is presented by Moubtahij
et al. (2024). • Evidence of use of a wheeled-shaped tool harnessed in a rotational mechanism is reported from the 12,000-year-old
Natufian site Nahal Ein Gev II (
Israel) by Yashuv & Grosman (2024). • Remains of a stonewall, interpreted as most likely used as a driving lane for the reindeer hunt during the
Younger Dryas or early
Preboreal and thus representing one of the oldest known examples of hunting architecture worldwide and possibly the oldest man-made megastructure in Europe, are described from the
Bay of Mecklenburg (
Baltic Sea off the German coast) by Geersen
et al. (2024). • Evidence from ancient DNA from chewed pitch from the
Mesolithic Huseby Klev site (
Sweden), interpreted as indicating that people from this site suffered from dental diseases similar to modern
periodontitis cases, is presented by Kırdök
et al. (2024). • A study on the genetic ancestries and social dynamics of Late Mesolithic individuals from
Téviec, Hoedic and Champigny (
France), representing some of the last Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in western Europe, is published by Simões
et al. (2024), who report evidence of distinct social units of hunter-gatherers in
Brittany that maintained intermarriage networks. • Allentoft
et al. (2024) present evidence from ancient genomes from Eurasia, interpreted as indicative of existence of a clear genetic division between Eurasian human populations living on the opposite sites of the boundary zone extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic which lasted throughout the Mesolithic and Neolithic, with large-scale shifts in genetic ancestry related to the arrival of the
Early European Farmers visible only in the areas west of the boundary zone, and dissolving only after the spread of the
Western Steppe Herders across western Eurasia. • A study on human demographic trends in 16 regions throughout 30,000 years of human history, providing evidence that frequent disturbances enhanced populations' capacity to resist and recover from later downturns, is published by Riris
et al. (2024). • Morton-Hayward
et al. (2024) compile an archive of human brains preserved in the archaeological record spanning approximately 12,000 years, identifying a total of 4405 preserved human brains, including 1308 brains preserved as the only soft tissue among skeletonized remains.
Rodents Rodent research • Zack & Penkrot (2024) describe new fossil material of
Lophiparamys debequensis from the Eocene
Willwood Formation (Wyoming, United States), providing new information on the anatomy of this rodent and representing its first record from the
Bighorn Basin. • Wölfer & Hautier (2024) study the locomotion of
Palaeosciurus goti and
Palaeosciurus feignouxi, interpreting
P. goti as most likely arboreal and
P. feignouxi as more likely terrestrial. • Description of the fossil material of Pleistocene flying squirrels from the Yumidong Cave (Chongqing, China), and a study on the implications of the studied fossils for reconstructions of the environments in the Yumidong Cave area from
MIS 5 to
MIS 2, is published by Pang
et al. (2024). • Sinitsa & Čermák (2024) redescribe the type specimen of the
xerine species
Csakvaromys sciurinus, and interpret this species as a junior synonym of
Csakvaromys bredai. • Halaçlar
et al. (2024) describe new fossil material of
Hystrix primigenia from the Miocene Asartepe Formation (
Turkey) and reevaluate the fossil material of members of the genus
Hystrix from Turkey, arguing that
Hystrix depereti is absent from the Late Miocene fossil record in Turkey. • Daxner-Höck, Winkler & Kalthoff (2024) describe new fossil material of
Hystrix parvae from the Miocene strata from the Kohfidisch site (
Austria), providing new information on the anatomy of skull and teeth of this taxon. • A study on the anatomy of feet of
Platypittamys,
Neoreomys,
Sciamys and
Steiromys, providing evidence of morphological diversity of early
caviomorphs, is published by Candela
et al. (2024). • Boivin
et al. (2024) compare the utility of different methods used to estimate body mass of extinct caviomorph rodents on the basis of their cheek teeth. • Bertrand
et al. (2024) describe the virtual brain
endocast of
Incamys bolivianus, reporting evidence of enhanced audition and sound processing which might have been adaptations to group living and complex communication. • Evidence from the study of skulls of extant and fossil members of the genus
Lagostomus, interpreted as indicative of similarity of ontogenetic changes in the skulls of members of the studied lineage since the Pliocene, is presented by Segura
et al. (2024). • Evidence indicating that
Erethizon poyeri had a long, prehensile tail, grasping foot, and lacked dental specializations for bark gnawing - unlike extant
North American porcupine but more closely resembling extant
prehensile-tailed porcupines - is presented by Vitek
et al. (2024). • A study on the brain anatomy of
Josephoartigasia monesi is published by Ferreira
et al. (2024), who recover this species within the encephalization range of extant caviomorphs. • Redescription and study on the affinities of
Orthomyctera andina is published by Madozzo Jaén & Pérez (2024), who transfer this species to the genus
Orocavia in the subfamily
Caviinae. • A study on incisor marks in burrow systems assigned to the ichnospecies
Yaviichnus iniyooensis from the Oligocene Chilapa Formation (
Mexico), interpreted as indicating that the studied burrow systems were produced by multiple individuals belonging to the genus
Gregorymys, is published by Guerrero-Arenas & Jiménez-Hidalgo (2024). • A study on the distribution of beavers in North America in the late Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene is published by Lubbers, Samuels & Joyner (2024). • Revision of fossil
zokors and
arvicoline cricetids from China is published by Zheng (2024). • Rekovets
et al. (2024) interpret the cricetid genus
Ischymomys as distinct from the genus
Pannonicola. • Evidence from the study of a partial mitochondrial genome of a specimen of
Pliomys lenki from the El Mirón Cave deposit (Spain), indicative of close phylogenetic relationship of
P. lenki with the extant
Balkan snow vole, is presented by Alfaro-Ibáñez
et al. (2024). • Taxonomic revision of fossils of members of the tribe
Lemmini from the Early and Middle Pleistocene of Europe is published by Louis
et al. (2024). • A study on the phylogenetic relationships of Miocene and Pliocene hamsters belonging to the genera
Collimys,
Rotundomys,
Neocricetodon,
Pseudocricetus,
Cricetulodon,
Apocricetus and
Hattomys is published by Dirnberger, Peláez-Campomanes & López-Antoñanzas (2024).
Other euarchontoglires Miscellaneous euarchontoglires research • A study on the evolution of members of the genus
Pliopentalagus is published by Tomida
et al. (2024), who transfer the species
Aztlanolagus agilis to the genus
Pliopentalagus. • Purported
paromomyid "Arcius" ilerdensis is reinterpreted as a member of the family
Apatemyidae and transferred to the genus
Heterohyus by Beard & Métais (2024). • A study on the affinities
picrodontids, as indicated by the anatomy of the skull of
Zanycteris paleocenus, is published by Crowell, Wible & Chester (2024), who argue that picrodontids were not
stem primates or even
euarchontans. • Schap
et al. (2024) report evidence indicative of a strong relationship of tooth crown height in extant African rodents and lagomorphs with annual
precipitation (but not with mean annual temperature), and find that tooth crown height of rodents and lagomorphs from fossil sites in eastern Africa can be used to estimate past annual precipitation and shifting precipitation patterns. • Dunn (2024) describes fossil material of the plesiadapiform
Microsyops annectens, the notharctid adapiform
Notharctus robustior, and omomyid tarsiiforms
Hemiacodon gracilis,
Omomys carteri and
Ourayia uintensis from the Eocene strata from the Sand Wash Basin (
Colorado, United States), and interpret the studied fossils as indicating that at least some localities within the Sand Wash Basin preserve
Uintan fossils. • A study on the morphological diversity of lower premolars and molars in Paleogene plesiadapiforms and euprimates from North America is published by Hunter, Schottenstein & Jernvall (2024), who report evidence of greater diversity of
talonid crown types compared to trigonid crown types during the Paleocene, and evidence of talonid and trigonid richness trends becoming more similar during the Eocene. • López-Torres
et al. (2024) study the allometry of brain mass to body mass of members of Euarchontoglires, and provide new estimates of
encephalization quotients of
Megalagus turgidus,
Microsyops annectens,
Adapis parisiensis and
Necrolemur antiquus. ==Laurasiatherians==