Acta Anthropologica Sinica >

2021 , Vol. 40 >Issue 06: 943 - 954

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2020.0069

Research Articles

Structural properties of humeral remains from Jianping, Liaoning province

  • Pianpian WEI ,
  • Yuhao ZHAO ,
  • Jianing HE
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  • 1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438
    2. Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
    3. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044
    4. CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044
    5. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049
    6. School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing 100871

Received date: 2020-07-20

  Revised date: 2020-08-27

  Online published: 2020-11-30

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Abstract

In 1957, one humeral diaphysis of human (PA103) was discovered in Jianping couty, Liaoning province, northern China. According to the comparison of mammal fossils from the same layer, PA103 could be attributed to Late Pleistocene. This specimen has been described in detail. Given the scarcity of upper limb fossil of Late Pleistocene humans from East Asia, a more detailed comparative study is warranted. Here, we provide a comparative assessment of Jianping PA103 humeral inner morphology. Specifically, we analyze the diaphyseal structure of PA103 using micro-computed tomography coupled with methods of cross-sectional geometry and morphometric maps. Cross-sectional properties, continuous cortical bone thickness, and continuous bone strength of PA103 are compared to those of Neandetrals, Middle and Upper Paleolithic modern humans. The PA103 were found to be similar to those of Late Upper Paleolithic in cross-sectional shape of midshaft and biomechanical robusticity. The individual represented by PA103 is more similar to the non-dominant side of comtemporary samples, i.e. biomechanical robusticity and shape index at midshaft. Although the distribution pattern of cortical bone thickness and bone strength in modern human is similar, the cortical thickness of the humeral diaphysis do not seem to correlate strongly with bone strength. Thus, caution is warranted when equating the cortical thickness of a long bone diaphysis to its overall strength.

Key words： Jianping hominin; humeral diaphysis; Biomechanics; Morphometric; Late Pleistocene

Cite this article

Pianpian WEI , Yuhao ZHAO , Jianing HE . Structural properties of humeral remains from Jianping, Liaoning province[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2021 , 40(06) : 943 -954 . DOI: 10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2020.0069

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