title: A reassessment of the presumed Neandertal remains from San Bernardino Cave, Italy.
abstract: In 1986-1987, three human remains were unearthed from macro-unit II of San Bernardino Cave (Berici Hills, Veneto, Italy), a deposit containing a late Mousterian lithic assemblage. The human remains (a distal phalanx, a lower right third molar and a lower right second deciduous incisor) do not show diagnostic morphological features that could be used to determine whether they were from Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens. Despite being of small size, and thus more similar to recent H. sapiens, the specimens were attributed to Neandertals, primarily because they were found in Mousterian layers. We carried out a taxonomic reassessment of the lower right third molar (LRM3; San Bernardino 4) using digital morphometric analysis of the root, ancient DNA analysis, carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses, and direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating of dentine collagen. Mitochondrial DNA analysis and root morphology show that the molar belongs to a modern human and not to a Neandertal. Carbon 14 ((14)C) dating of the molar attributes it to the end of the Middle Ages (1420-1480 cal AD, 2 sigma). Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses suggest that the individual in question had a diet similar to that of Medieval Italians. These results show that the molar, as well as the other two human remains, belong to recent H. sapiens and were introduced in the Mousterian levels post-depositionally.
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: stefano_benazzi@eva.mpg.de.
authors: Stefano
authors: S
authors: Benazzi
authors: Sezione di Preistoria e Antropologia, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, Università di Ferrara, I-44100 Ferrara, Italy.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Peresani
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Sahra
authors: S
authors: Talamo
authors: Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
authors: Qiaomei
authors: Q
authors: Fu
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Marcello A
authors: MA
authors: Mannino
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1 Canada.
authors: Michael P
authors: MP
authors: Richards
authors: Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Jean-Jacques
authors: JJ
authors: Hublin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D059552:Caves; D002910:Chronology as Topic; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005580:Fossils; D006801:Humans / Q000145:classification; D007558:Italy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008963:Molar / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D059125:Neanderthals / Q000145:classification*; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D010161:Paleodontology; D010802:Phylogeny; D055110:Radiometric Dating; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes
keywords: AMS radiocarbon dating; Ancient DNA; Homo neanderthalensis; Isotope analyses; Modern human; Root morphometry