title: Early modern humans and morphological variation in Southeast Asia: fossil evidence from Tam Pa Ling, Laos.
abstract: Little is known about the timing of modern human emergence and occupation in Eastern Eurasia. However a rapid migration out of Africa into Southeast Asia by at least 60 ka is supported by archaeological, paleogenetic and paleoanthropological data. Recent discoveries in Laos, a modern human cranium (TPL1) from Tam Pa Ling's cave, provided the first evidence for the presence of early modern humans in mainland Southeast Asia by 63-46 ka. In the current study, a complete human mandible representing a second individual, TPL 2, is described using discrete traits and geometric morphometrics with an emphasis on determining its population affinity. The TPL2 mandible has a chin and other discrete traits consistent with early modern humans, but it retains a robust lateral corpus and internal corporal morphology typical of archaic humans across the Old World. The mosaic morphology of TPL2 and the fully modern human morphology of TPL1 suggest that a large range of morphological variation was present in early modern human populations residing in the eastern Eurasia by MIS 3.
authors: Département Homme Nature Société, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7206, Unité Scientifique du Muséum 104, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France; Chaire Sorbonne Université FaciLe, Institut du Calcul et de la Simulation, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
authors: Fabrice
authors: F
authors: Demeter
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Shackelford
authors: Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Kira
authors: K
authors: Westaway
authors: Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité mixte de recherche 7516, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Duringer
authors: Unité Propre de Recherche 2147, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France.
authors: Anne-Marie
authors: AM
authors: Bacon
authors: Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l'Energie, l'Environnement et la Santé, Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7515 and Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7516 and 7362, Strasbourg, France.
authors: Jean-Luc
authors: JL
authors: Ponche
authors: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Xiujie
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Information and Culture, Vientiane, LAO People's Democratic Republic.
authors: Thongsa
authors: T
authors: Sayavongkhamdy
authors: School of Earth Sciences, Steele Building, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Jian-Xin
authors: JX
authors: Zhao
authors: Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Lani
authors: L
authors: Barnes
authors: Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité mixte de recherche 7516, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Boyon
authors: Department of National Heritage, Ministry of Information and Culture, Vientiane, LAO People's Democratic Republic.
authors: Phonephanh
authors: P
authors: Sichanthongtip
authors: Unité Propre de Recherche 2147, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Sénégas
authors: Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité mixte de recherche 7516, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors: Anne-Marie
authors: AM
authors: Karpoff
authors: Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de la Rochelle, La Rochelle, France.
authors: Elise
authors: E
authors: Patole-Edoumba
authors: Collège de France, Paris, France.
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Coppens
authors: Unité Mixte de Recherche 5288 Anthropobiologie et Imagerie Anatomique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Evolutionary Studies Institute and Kromdraai Research Project, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors: José
authors: J
authors: Braga
mesh_terms: D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D005580:Fossils; D006801:Humans; D007812:Laos; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology*