Conroy G C, Vannier M W
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology/Anthropology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110.
Nature. 1987;329(6140):625-7. doi: 10.1038/329625a0.
Just over 60 years ago, Dart's description and analysis of the Taung child's skull triggered an intellectual revolution about human origins. Recently, several authors have suggested that one of the most significant hominid-like traits of australopithecines, delayed maturation, may not after all be valid. This is a radical departure from Mann's classic study of australopithecine maturation and palaeodemography based on dental eruption patterns. The resolution of this debate has important implications for the history of the biological and social evolution of the human species. In view of the controversies generated by recent studies, and particularly because the Taung skull is the type specimen of Australopithecus africanus, we have investigated the relevant anatomy of the Taung 'child' using computerized tomography. We conclude that the Taung 'child' shows some important dental maturational affinities with great apes, although as Dart noted, other hominid-like features are clearly present.
就在60多年前，达特对汤恩幼儿头骨的描述与分析引发了一场关于人类起源的思想革命。最近，几位作者提出，南方古猿最显著的类人特征之一——发育迟缓，可能根本就不成立。这与曼恩基于牙齿萌出模式对南方古猿成熟度和古人口统计学的经典研究截然不同。这场争论的解决对人类物种的生物和社会进化史具有重要意义。鉴于近期研究引发的争议，特别是因为汤恩头骨是非洲南方古猿的模式标本，我们利用计算机断层扫描技术研究了汤恩“幼儿”的相关解剖结构。我们得出结论，尽管正如达特所指出的，汤恩“幼儿”明显具有其他类人特征，但它在牙齿发育方面与大猩猩存在一些重要的相似之处。
