Frontal sinuses and human evolution
Science Advances, vol. 8, pp. eabp9767
Abstract
The frontal sinuses are cavities inside the frontal bone located at the junction between the face and the cranial vault and close to the brain. Despite a long history of study, understanding of their origin and variation through evolution is limited. This work compares most hominin species’ holotypes and other key individuals with extant hominids. It provides a unique and valuable perspective of the variation in sinuses position, shape, and dimensions based on a simple and reproducible methodology. We also observed a covariation between the size and shape of the sinuses and the underlying frontal lobes in hominin species from at least the appearance of Homo erectus . Our results additionally undermine hypotheses stating that hominin frontal sinuses were directly affected by biomechanical constraints resulting from either chewing or adaptation to climate. Last, we demonstrate their substantial potential for discussions of the evolutionary relationships between hominin species.
Authors 45
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Antoine Balzeau corresponding
Royal Museum for Central Africa · Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Affiliation as printed
Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, PaleoFED Team, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle · University of York
Affiliation as printed
PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, PaleoFED Team, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle · Poznań University of Life Sciences
Affiliation as printed
Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, PaleoFED Team, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Affiliation as printed
UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, PaleoFED Team, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · University of the Witwatersrand · University of Cambridge · Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont · Universitat de Barcelona
Affiliation as printed
Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid · Universidad de Alcalá · Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana · HM Hospitales
Affiliation as printed
Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales - Universidad de Alcalá), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Anthropology and Anthropological Museum, University of Zurich, CH-8052 Zurich, Switzerland
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Affiliation as printed
Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Democritus University of Thrace
Affiliation as printed
Department of History and Ethnology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
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University of the Witwatersrand
Affiliation as printed
Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, WITS, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana · University College London
Affiliation as printed
Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Collège de France · Université de Poitiers · Institute of Paleoprimatology Human Paleontology Evolution and Paleoenvironments · Laboratoire Paléontologie Évolution Paléoécosystèmes Paléoprimatologie
Affiliation as printed
Chaire de Paléoanthropologie Humaine, Collège de France, Paris, France
UMR 7262 CNRS, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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University of Southern California · University of the Witwatersrand
Affiliation as printed
Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Palaeosciences Centre, Wits, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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University of Lisbon · Centro de Arqueologia · Universitat de Barcelona
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa (UNIARQ), Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal
Departament d’Història i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona, c/Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
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University of Dundee · National and Kapodistrian University of Athens · Ninewells Hospital · University of Manchester · Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens
Affiliation as printed
Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4GJ, UK
Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Departments of Anthropology and Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment · University of Tübingen
Affiliation as printed
Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment and Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Affiliation as printed
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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La Trobe University · University of Johannesburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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Collège de France · Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Affiliation as printed
Chaire de Paléoanthropologie, Collège de France, 75005 Paris, France
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Affiliation as printed
UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, PaleoFED Team, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Evolution Research, History Museum, London, UK
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Naturalis Biodiversity Center · Maastricht University
Affiliation as printed
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Affiliation as printed
Museum of Anthropology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Affiliation as printed
Columbia University, 116 Street & Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Tbilisi State University · Georgian National Museum
Affiliation as printed
Georgian National Museum, Purtseladze Str. 3, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Chavchavadze Av. 1, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia
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Tbilisi State University · Georgian National Museum
Affiliation as printed
Georgian National Museum, Purtseladze Str. 3, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Chavchavadze Av. 1, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia
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Affiliation as printed
Palaeoscience, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
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Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana · University College London
Affiliation as printed
Anthropology Department, University College London, London, UK
Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Paseo de la Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Post Office Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Democritus University of Thrace · Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques · Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Affiliation as printed
Department of History and Ethnology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
UMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, CNRS, PaleoFED Team, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Affiliation as printed
Physics Department, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Roehampton University, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
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Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment · University of Tübingen
Affiliation as printed
Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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University of Lisbon · Centro de Arqueologia · Universitat de Barcelona
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa (UNIARQ), Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1600-214 Lisboa, Portugal
Grup de Recerca del Quaternari (GRQ-SERP), Departament d’Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Montalegre, 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels 1000, Belgium
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University of the Witwatersrand
Affiliation as printed
School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, WITS, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Affiliation as printed
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Ditsong National Museum of Natural History
Affiliation as printed
Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
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Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Affiliation as printed
Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Affiliation as printed
Laboratory of Geology and Palaeontology, School of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats · University of Lisbon · Centro de Arqueologia · Universitat de Barcelona
Affiliation as printed
Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
Department of History and Archaeology, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
UNIARQ-Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa, 1600-214 Lisbon, Portugal
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University of the Witwatersrand
Affiliation as printed
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Liverpool John Moores University
Affiliation as printed
Research Centre for Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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