Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Society of Sciences, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain.
Science. 2017 Sep 22;357(6357):1282-1287. doi: 10.1126/science.aan6463.
Ontogenetic studies help us understand the processes of evolutionary change. Previous studies on Neandertals have focused mainly on dental development and inferred an accelerated pace of general growth. We report on a juvenile partial skeleton (El Sidrón J1) preserving cranio-dental and postcranial remains. We used dental histology to estimate the age at death to be 7.7 years. Maturation of most elements fell within the expected range of modern humans at this age. The exceptions were the atlas and mid-thoracic vertebrae, which remained at the 5- to 6-year stage of development. Furthermore, endocranial features suggest that brain growth was not yet completed. The vertebral maturation pattern and extended brain growth most likely reflect Neandertal physiology and ontogenetic energy constraints rather than any fundamental difference in the overall pace of growth in this extinct human.
个体发生研究有助于我们理解进化变化的过程。先前对尼安德特人的研究主要集中在牙齿发育上，并推断出一般生长速度加快。我们报告了一个保存颅面和后躯残骸的幼年部分骨骼（El Sidrón J1）。我们使用牙齿组织学来估计死亡年龄为 7.7 岁。大多数元素的成熟度都在这个年龄的现代人类预期范围内。例外的是寰椎和中胸椎，它们仍处于 5 到 6 岁的发育阶段。此外，内颅特征表明大脑生长尚未完成。椎骨成熟模式和延长的大脑生长很可能反映了尼安德特人的生理和个体发生能量限制，而不是这种已灭绝人类整体生长速度的任何根本差异。
