A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium
The Ndutu cranium is a partial, fragmented, and distorted hominin specimen from the Lake Ndutu site in Tanzania. It was first reconstructed by R. J. Clarke in 1976 and later revisited using now-outdated techniques. Consequently, features such as facial projection, cranial height/length, and cranial...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/3/151 |
| _version_ | 1797611486494851072 |
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| author | Gustavo Montiel Carlos Lorenzo |
| author_facet | Gustavo Montiel Carlos Lorenzo |
| author_sort | Gustavo Montiel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Ndutu cranium is a partial, fragmented, and distorted hominin specimen from the Lake Ndutu site in Tanzania. It was first reconstructed by R. J. Clarke in 1976 and later revisited using now-outdated techniques. Consequently, features such as facial projection, cranial height/length, and cranial flexion are contestable. Here, we present a new virtual reconstruction following a transparent and replicable approach that employs virtual anthropology techniques to reassemble, mirror, digitally align, complete the cranium, and remove the effect of plastic deformation. Before deciding on an approach to align the unarticulated fragments, we tested the effects of symmetrization and the use of surface semilandmarks on the performance of our tool of choice: the digital alignment tool (DTA), developed by A. Profico and colleagues in 2019. Upon completion, we compare our reconstruction to a sample of Pleistocene hominin crania via geometric morphometrics. Test results reveal that DTA performance varies by fragment and that the use of surface semilandmarks bears no statistically significant advantage. We found our reconstruction to boast a more prognate and narrower face with a less flexed cranium overall than previous reconstruction efforts. The shape of the reconstructed cranial vault of Ndutu resulted closest to Sima de los Huesos (SH) 5, while its sagittal profile was most similar to Kabwe’s, lending support to J. L. Arsuaga and colleagues’ 1997 work and to P. Rightmire’s, respectively. We warn that further work is necessary before settling the debate surrounding Ndutu’s phylogeny. However, if our reconstruction hypothesis is held, its inclusion in future morphological studies is granted. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:28:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cf8d4f54f5204d548df067d5769ed466 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-9408 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:28:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage |
| spelling | doaj.art-cf8d4f54f5204d548df067d5769ed4662023-11-17T11:23:11ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082023-03-01632822285010.3390/heritage6030151A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu CraniumGustavo Montiel0Carlos Lorenzo1Campus Catalunya, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, SpainCampus Catalunya, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, SpainThe Ndutu cranium is a partial, fragmented, and distorted hominin specimen from the Lake Ndutu site in Tanzania. It was first reconstructed by R. J. Clarke in 1976 and later revisited using now-outdated techniques. Consequently, features such as facial projection, cranial height/length, and cranial flexion are contestable. Here, we present a new virtual reconstruction following a transparent and replicable approach that employs virtual anthropology techniques to reassemble, mirror, digitally align, complete the cranium, and remove the effect of plastic deformation. Before deciding on an approach to align the unarticulated fragments, we tested the effects of symmetrization and the use of surface semilandmarks on the performance of our tool of choice: the digital alignment tool (DTA), developed by A. Profico and colleagues in 2019. Upon completion, we compare our reconstruction to a sample of Pleistocene hominin crania via geometric morphometrics. Test results reveal that DTA performance varies by fragment and that the use of surface semilandmarks bears no statistically significant advantage. We found our reconstruction to boast a more prognate and narrower face with a less flexed cranium overall than previous reconstruction efforts. The shape of the reconstructed cranial vault of Ndutu resulted closest to Sima de los Huesos (SH) 5, while its sagittal profile was most similar to Kabwe’s, lending support to J. L. Arsuaga and colleagues’ 1997 work and to P. Rightmire’s, respectively. We warn that further work is necessary before settling the debate surrounding Ndutu’s phylogeny. However, if our reconstruction hypothesis is held, its inclusion in future morphological studies is granted.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/3/151Ndutuvirtual reconstructionhuman evolution |
| spellingShingle | Gustavo Montiel Carlos Lorenzo A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium Heritage Ndutu virtual reconstruction human evolution |
| title | A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium |
| title_full | A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium |
| title_fullStr | A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium |
| title_full_unstemmed | A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium |
| title_short | A New Virtual Reconstruction of the Ndutu Cranium |
| title_sort | new virtual reconstruction of the ndutu cranium |
| topic | Ndutu virtual reconstruction human evolution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/3/151 |
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