title: Early Pleistocene human hand phalanx from the Sima del Elefante (TE) cave site in Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain).
abstract: In this study, a new Early Pleistocene proximal hand phalanx (ATE9-2) from the Sima del Elefante cave site (TE - Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain), ascribed to Homo sp., is presented and comparatively described in the context of the evolution of the genus Homo. The ATE9-2 specimen is especially important because of the paucity of hand bones in the human fossil record during the Early Pleistocene. The morphological and metrical analyses of the phalanx ATE9-2 indicate that there are no essential differences between it and comparator fossil specimens for the genus Homo after 1.3 Ma (millions of years ago). Similar to Sima de los Huesos and Neandertal specimens, ATE9-2 is a robust proximal hand phalanx, probably reflecting greater overall body robusticity in these populations or a higher gracility in modern humans. The age of level TE9 from Sima del Elefante and morphological and metrical studies of ATE9-2 suggest that the morphology of the proximal hand phalanges and, thus, the morphology of the hand could have remained stable over the last 1.2-1.3 Ma. Taking into account the evidence recently provided by a metacarpal from Kaitio (Kenya) from around 1.42 Ma, we argue that modern hand morphology is present in the genus Homo subsequent to Homo habilis.
authors.affiliation: Area de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.affiliation: Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Laboratorio de Evolución Humana (LEH), Dpto. de Ciencias Históricas y Geografía, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001 Burgos, Spain; National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca s/n, 09002 Burgos, Spain. Electronic address: adrizaino@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pablos
authors.affiliation: Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Laboratorio de Evolución Humana (LEH), Dpto. de Ciencias Históricas y Geografía, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001 Burgos, Spain.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carretero
authors.affiliation: Area de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; Unit Associated to CSIC, Campus Sescelades URV, (Edifici W3) E3, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huguet
authors.affiliation: Area de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; Unit Associated to CSIC, Campus Sescelades URV, (Edifici W3) E3, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valverdú
authors.affiliation: National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca s/n, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinón-Torres
authors.affiliation: Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Paleontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avenida Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arsuaga
authors.affiliation: Area de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain; Unit Associated to CSIC, Campus Sescelades URV, (Edifici W3) E3, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Eudald
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carbonell
authors.affiliation: National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca s/n, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bermúdez de Castro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D059552:Caves; D050278:Finger Phalanges / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005580:Fossils; D015186:Hominidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013030:Spain
keywords: Homo; Phalanges; Postcranial evolution; Western Europe