Becoming Human

Maloney et al. in the journal Nature this week report the oldest known amputation (31,000 years ago) with the individual living six years beyond the amputation. The abstract of the paper tells the story:

In the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) for June 27 of this year, Granger et al. add to their findings, first reported in the journal Nature in 2015. In 2015 they reported on Sterkfontein member 2. In this PNAS paper, they report on their findings with regard to member 4: Sterkfontein Member 4 bears a much earlier date than previously determined.

A remarkable paper, appearing in Science Advances last week and authored by Slimack et al., reports to phenomena: alternating occupancy of a rock shelter overlooking the wrong valley by Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens, on  one occasion no more than a year apart, and the second phenomenon, significantly earlier arrival of H.