Unfused transverse foramen of the atlas vertebra in the Neandertal lineage fossils
Archivos
Fecha
2025-11-07
Nota de Acceso
Fecha de embargo
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Título del volumen
Editor
Wiley
ISBN
ISSN
1932-8486
ISSNe
Resumen
In anatomically modern humans, the atlas can display an unfused transverse foramen (UTF) but currently the presence of UTF in the Neandertal lineage is uncertain due to a scarcity of prevalence studies and no exhaustive record of its presence throughout the entire hominin fossil record. In this context, this study aimed to assess the UTF prevalence in Neandertal lineage fossils. In the Neandertal lineage fossil record, UTF was identified in three atlases: a Middle Pleistocene Preneandertal fossil (VC3) from Sima de los Huesos, and the Neandertal specimens Kebara 2 and Krapina 98. These results suggest that UTF may have been present in the hominin lineage since, at least, the Middle Pleistocene. An UTF could have been present in other, older hominin lineages but this remains unclear due to the generally poor preservation of atlases outside the Neandertal lineage fossil record. However, the existence of UTFs in the Neandertal lineage warrants further investigation into the evolutionary and developmental factors underlying this vertebral morphological variation.
Descripción
Lugar de Publicación
United States
Sponsorship
Citación
The Anatomical Record (2025) p. 1-9
Palabras clave
Neandertal, atlas vertebra, developmental anatomy, fossil hominines, unfused transverse foramen
Licencia
Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 Chile (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 CL)