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LATEST
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ADDIS
ABABA, ETHIOPIA (Contextual)
(RHOI-supported) Per F. Bibi: The RHOI Bovid Analytical
Working Group met for a conference in Addis Ababa from 4-8
August, 2008. Conference participants included Elisabeth Vrba,
Alan Gentry, Denis Geraads, Maia Bukhsianidze, Dimitris Kostopoulos,
and Faysal Bibi. In the mornings, attendees met at the Hilton
Addis conference facilities to present and discuss topics
relevant to the evolution of Bovidae. Attendees presented
on new Mio-Pliocene specimens from Eurasia and Africa and
focused on the question of the origin of the living bovid
tribes during the late Miocene and their subsequent evolution
during the Pliocene. Afternoons saw the group convening at
the National Museum of Ethiopia to discuss and exchange observations
on fossils from the Middle Awash and Omo collections. A summary
paper of the conference's conclusions is in preparation.

Participants of the Bovid AWG conference (left to right: E. Vrba, A. Gentry, D.
Geraads, M. Bukhsianidze, F. Bibi; behind camera: D.
Kostopoulos)
(Image:
D. Kostopoulos)
NIKITI, GREECE (Contextual)
(RHOI-supported) Per Prof. G. D. Koufos: The excavations in the localities of Nikiti (Macedonia, Greece)
were continued this summer (June) by a team of palaeontologists of the University
of Thessaloniki, lead by Prof. G. D. Koufos. A large terrestrial turtle
(length=1.60m; breadth=1.20m) has been unearthed from a new late Miocene fossiliferous
site. It was discovered as the bulldozer was working to open the area. Several other
fossils (bovids, equids, giraffids, mastodonts) have been discovered in the known
fossiliferous site of Nikiti-2.

Excavations at Nikiti (Image: G. Koufos)
POITIERS, FRANCE
(Meetings News)
(RHOI-Supported)
The Carnivore Analytical Working Group met over two days in
late May, 2008, at the University of Poitiers, France. Convened
by Louis de Bonis, the meeting was conducted in a presentation/discussion
format, with research topics spanning the late-middle Miocene
to early Pleistocene.
Important
contextual research by Morales and Pickford, on the middle
Miocene carnivores from Muruyur Formation at Kipsaraman, was
presented. This material adds much needed information to link,
for example, early Miocene Amphicyonids with late Miocene
forms.
Other
exciting research included late Miocene feliforms from Toros-Menalla,
Chad (Peigne et al.), the As Sahabi carnivore guild (Rook
and Sardella), small hyaenids from Lothagam (Semenov), a comparison
of the late Miocene European and African carnivoran assemblages
(Koufos and de Bonis), Middle Awash carnivores (Haile-Selassie),
carnivores from Kossom Bougoudi, Chad (Peigne et al.), late
Pliocene carnivores from Ahl al Oughlam, Morocco (Geraads),
Plio-Pleistocene carnivores from South Africa (Hartstone-Rose),
early Pleistocene Megantereon from Italy (Sardella), the evolution
of African carnivores (Lewis), new canids from Aramis, Middle
Awash, Ethiopia (Garcia), and the geographic patterning of
African carnivore faunas (Werdelin).
June
11, 2008
THESSALONIKI, GREECE (Meetings News)
(RHOI-Supported) The Hominoid Analytical Working Group met March
27-29, 2008 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Organized by Jay Kelley and
George Koufos and hosted by Professor Koufos and the Aristotle
University of Thessalonki, the meeting topic was, "Late Miocene
Euro-African hominoids and their relationships." Further details
to follow.

Hominoid Conference Participants (Image: G. Koufos)
YALE
UNIVERSITY, CONNECTICUT (Contextual)
(RHOI-Supported) The February, 2008 issue of the Yale University
Graduate School newsletter features a profile of the Baynunah Research
Project and the project's leaders, RHOI members Prof. Andrew Hill and
Yale graduate student Faysal Bibi. Working in the emirate of Abu Dhabi,
a multinational team including scholars from Yale and the Abu Dhabi
Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) are researching the ecology
of the Arabian Penninsula during the late Miocene.
Preliminary fossil finds from Baynunah are described along with details of
survey and collection methods. The article also features the work of Prof. Hill
in helping to develop paleontological infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates.
Check back to this newsfeed for future updates on this important site for Miocene
biogeography.

Bibi (Left) and Hill (Right) at Baynunah (Image: M. Beech/Yale University)
SIENA,
ITALY (Meetings News)
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Baccinello
Oreopithecus bambolii skeleton by J. Hürzeler, the
Vertebrate Paleontology Research Group at the University of Florence
and the Functional Morphology and Evolution Research Unit at the
Hull York Medical School are organising A Colloquium on European
Fossil Primates to be held in Siena and Grosseto, Italy from September
11-13, 2008.
The program includes invited lectures, podium and poster presentations,
and field trips to late Miocene outcrops in the Baccinello Basin.
The deadline for abstracts and early registration is June 30,
2008. Contact Lorenzo Rook (lorenzo.rook@unifi.it) of the Universita
di Firenze, or Sarah Elton (sarah.elton@hyms.ac.uk) of the Hull
York Medical School to register, submit an abstract or with general
questions on the colloquium. Click the image below to download
a PDF of the announcement.

A
Colloquium on European Fossil Primates (Image: L. Rook)
SARDINIA,
ITALY (Exploration, Contextual)
(RHOI-supported)
A preliminary report on the recovery of some 2400 vertebrate specimens
from the late Miocene site of Fiume Santo in Sardinia, Italy has
been published by L. Abbazzi, M. Delfino, G. Gallai, L. Trebini,
and L. Rook (Abbazzi et al. (2008) New data on the vertebrate
assemblage of Fiume Santo (North-West Sardinia, Italy), and overview
on the late Miocene Tusco-Sardinian palaeobioprovince. Palaeontology
51:425-451). Included in these specimens are several teeth and
a mandible fragment from the Tusco-Sardinian endemic hominoid
Oreopithecus bambolii.
The analysis of the finds at Fiume Santo has resulted in the description
of three new ruminant species, two in new genera (434, 441-443).
The authors compare the new finds with fossil specimens from Tuscany
and continental Europe to add to our knowledge of island endemism
and the evolution and extinction of chronofauna (447).
Continue
to monitor this newsfeed for further updates on this important
site for hominoid evolution and paleobiogeography.

Fossil
teeth of Oreopithecus bambolii (Image: Abbazzi et
al., 2008, Plate 1)
LEMUDONG'O,
KENYA (Core)
(RHOI-supported)
A special issue on paleontological and geological work at the
late Miocene site of Lemudong’o, Kenya has been published in the
journal Kirtlandia (Number 56, December 2007). The seventeen
articles within this issue detail the history of research at Lemudong’o
and describe some of the 1268 vertebrate specimens in 48 taxa
found over the course of fieldwork spanning 1994-2005.
Among the finds is a new species of Paracolobus (P.
enkorikae) described in detail by L. Hlusko (L. Hlusko (2007)
A new late Miocene species of Paracolobus and other Cercopithecoidea
(Mammalia: Primates) fossils from Lemudong’o, Kenya. Kirtlandia
56: 72-85). Though research at Lemudong’o yielded no hominid fossils,
an understanding of the paleoenvironment of the Narok district,
Kenya at 6.1 Ma is invaluable for understanding habitat preferences
of the earliest members of the human lineage.
Continue
to monitor this newsfeed for further updates of research on the
evolution and paleobiology of early hominids.

(Image:
Cleveland Museum of Natural History)
JANUARY
15, 2008
ADDIS
ABABA , ETHIOPIA (Meetings News)
The
Conference on Paleoanthropology, Paleontology, and Archaeology
was held between January 12th and 14th, 2008, in Addis Ababa.
Organized by the Ministry and ARCCH, this stimulating and productive
gathering involved RHOI members from several Projects and Analytical
Working Groups.

Conference
Participants

(From left) Dr.
Berhane Asfaw; Dr. Giday WoldeGabriel; Prof. Tim White;
His Excellency, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ambassador
Mohamoud Dirir (MP); and other dignitaries and colleagues.
DECEMBER
15, 2007
WORANSO-MILLE,
ETHIOPIA (Exploration)
(RHOI-supported)
A new Pliocene-age hominid-bearing study area from the central
Afar region of Ethiopia has just been announced by Y. Haile-Selassie,
A. Deino, B. Saylor, M. Umer, and B. Latimer (Haile-Selassie et
al. (2007) Preliminary geology and paleontology of new hominid-bearing
Pliocene localities in the central Afar region of Ethiopia. Anthropological
Science 115: 215-222).
The finds include over 1000 vertebrate specimens from 17 localities.
Among these specimens are, “more than 20 fossil hominid craniodental
and postcranial remains, including one partial skeleton, of Pliocene
age (3.53.8 Ma)” (215). Preliminary research on the geology and
paleontology of the area indicates a relatively closed woodland
with a paleo-river system (215).
The
authors expect these new finds to contribute to our understanding
of the evolution and phylogenetic relationships of Australopithecus
anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis (220).
Stay
tuned to the newsfeed for future updates from this new study area.

Hominid
excavation at Korsi Dora (Image: Y. Haile-Selassie et al.,
2007, Figure 3)
BERKELEY,
CA
A
major goal of the Revealing Hominid Origins Intiative is to standardize
data management and facilitate the sharing of comparable and accurate
specimen-level paleontological data within a global scientific
consortium.
To
this end, the RHOI has just released a free-for-download
FileMaker database template that is both PC and Mac compatible.
Navigate to http://rhoi.berkeley.edu/RHOI_Database_Template/downloads.php
and follow the on-screen instructions to try out the new RHOI
Database Template today.
ADDIS
ABABA, ETHIOPIA (Infrastructure)
(RHOI-supported)
The Paleobotany laboratory at Addis Ababa University, an RHOI
infrastructure project led by Dr. Mohammed Umer, was opened on
the university campus and is processing a variety of paleobotanical
remains. The facility is expected to host an upcoming Paleobotany
Working Group meeting scheduled for next summer, in conjunction
with the East African Quaternary Association Meeting.

Dr.
Mohammed Umer in the Paleobotany laboratory.
AUGUST
24, 2007
ÇORAKYERLER,
TURKEY (Contextual)
(RHOI-supported)
Ouranopithecus turkae, a new ape from the late Miocene
of Turkey, has just been announced by E. Güleç, A. Sevim,
C. Pehlevan, and F. Kaya (Güleç et al. (2007)
A new great ape from the late Miocene of Turkey. Anthropological
Science 115: 153-158). The specimens include a maxilla fragment,
a sub-adult mandible, and an adult partial right mandible (see figure
below).
After
close comparison of the dentognathic features of these specimens
with other examples of Ouranopithecus (e.g., RPL-56, RPL-128,
and XIR-1) as well as Orrorin, Sahelanthropus,
Ardipithecus, and Australopithecus, the authors
suggest that Ouranopithecus shows “substantial dentognathic
parallelism with Australopithecus” (157). As a result,
Güleç et al. “do not consider these features
of Ouranopithecus to indicate placement within the hominid
(African ape-human) clade” (157).
Field
work at Çorakyerler over the last decade has added substantially
to our understanding of late Miocene ape evolution outside of Africa.
Continue to watch this Newsfeed for future developments.

Ouranopithecus
turkae (Image: E. Gulec et al., 2007, Figure 2)
AUGUST
22, 2007
CHORORA,
ETHIOPIA (Exploration; Contextual)
(RHOI-supported)
The Ethio-Japanese Research Team, led by G. Suwa, B. Asfaw and Y.
Beyene, have just announced a new late Miocene ape, Chororapithecus
abyssinicus (Suwa et al. (2007). A new species of
great ape from the late Miocene epoch in Ethiopia. Nature
448(7156): 921-924). The species is described on the basis of 9
teeth, including 1 canine and 8 molars from Chorora, southeastern
Afar rift, Ethiopia.
After careful comparative study, the researchers conclude that Chororapithecus
“was either a primitive form of gorilla, or an independent
branch showing a similar adaption at about the time when the gorilla
line was emerging somewhere else” (from Press Release statement).
If their interpretation is correct, then Chororapithecus
may indicate a human-gorilla split before 10 to 11 Ma. Previous
molecular and DNA studies calibrated to different fossils suggested
an earlier split at ca. 8 Ma. A recalibration based on these fossils
may be required, as discussed in the paper and its supplementary
information.
Only
more fossils can resolve such fundamental puzzles. With any luck,
the late Miocene great ape record will continue to grow. Watch this
Newsfeed for future developments.

Chororapithecus
abyssinicus (Image: Gen Suwa)

Chororapithecus
abyssinicus compared with a gorilla (Image: Gen Suwa)
AUGUST
20, 2007
BERKELEY,
CA
F.
Clark Howell, one of the pillars of human evolutionary studies in
the modern era, passed away March 10, 2007 at his home in Berkeley.
A
co-founder of the RHOI, Clark's inexhaustible curiosity and ability
to create and stimulate truly multidisciplinary science drove nearly
half a century of research in paleoanthropology and beyond. The
example he set will no doubt continue to drive new and challenging
research far into the future.
A
memorial website has been established in Clark's honor. Please visit
the F.
Clark Howell Memorial website by clicking on the link to the
left or on the picture of Clark above.
BARCELONA,
SPAIN (Contextual)
(RHOI-supported)
Hispanopithecus laietanus hand morphology and biomechanics
are described in a new paper in the Proceedings of the Royal
Society B: Biological Sciences (v. 274, n. 1624) by S. Almécija,
D. M. Alba, S. Moyà-Solà, and M. Köhler. According
to the authors, this important new specimen, number IPS 18800, from
Can Llobateres, Catalonia, Spain “indicates a unique positional
repertoire, combining orthogrady with suspensory behaviours and
palmigrade quadrupedalism” (2375). They further note that
Hispanopithecus presents a complex mosaic of features such
that a “retention of powerful grasping and palmigrady suggests
that the last common ancestor of hominids might have been more primitive
than what can be inferred on the basis of extant taxa, suggesting
that pronograde behaviours are compatible with an orthograde bodyplan
suitable for climbing and suspension” (2375).

(Image:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)
KENT
STATE UNIVERSITY, OHIO (Contextual)
C.
Owen Lovejoy comments on the new Almécija et al. Hispanopithecus
hand paper in the same issue of the Proceedings of the Royal
Society B: Biological Sciences (v. 274, n. 1624). Lovejoy notes
“that even small parts of animals can sometimes reveal a great
deal about how and where they lived” (2373). The hand of Hispanopithecus
indicates that it had relatively short metacarpals for its proposed
body mass, even shorter than in gorillas, while at the same time
having relatively long phalanges, almost as long as in orang-utans.
In addition, the metacrapal heads suggest an ability to extend the
metacarpophalangeal joints. Such a mosaic of features may indicate
a unique morphological ‘step’ in the evolution of modern
apes.
However,
Lovejoy cautions that this new morphological information on Hispanopithecus
does not necessarily place it as an evolutionary intermediate. This
ape may in fact represent “a special adaptation that left
no modern descendants” (2374).

(Image:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)
CAMBRIDGE,
ENGLAND (Meetings News)
(RHOI-supported)
The Primatology Meets Palaeoanthropology Conference was held April
17-19, 2007 in Cambridge, England. Organized by W. McGrew and R.
Foley of the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies (LCHES),
the conference met to discuss the ways in which cooperation among
primatologists and paleoanthropologists can stimulate research.
Participants included: Sandi Copeland, John Gowlett, John Harris,
Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar, Kevin Hunt, Stephen Lycett, Linda Marchant,
Jim Moore, Kaye Reed, Kathy Schick, Craig Stanford, Nick Toth, Natalie
Uonomi, Carel van Shaik, Elisabetta Visalberghi, Alan Walker, Andrew
Whiten, and Richard Wrangham. Wrangham's research, presented at
this conference, was also recently the subject of a News Focus piece
by Ann Gibbons in Science (v. 316 n. 5831, pp. 1558-1560).

PMP
2007 Conference Participants (Image: W. McGrew)
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