Advanced search×

Utility of the lateral meniscal notch in distinguishing hominin taxa

James Dugan and Trenton W Holliday

J Hum Evol 57(6):4 (2009) PMID 19878967

In humans, a notch marking the posterior attachment of the lateral meniscus is often visible on the posterior, lateral plateau of the tibia, adjacent to the intercondylar eminence. In theory, the presence or absence of this notch in dry bone can be used to differentiate the fossil remains of Australopithecus from those of the genus Homo. In a small-scale study, however, we found examples of modern human tibiae that appear not to have such a notch. In other cases, the morphology of the surrounding bone made it difficult to determine whether or not the notch was present. Although based on a small sample, this study questions: 1) the theoretical postulate that the lateral meniscal notch can be used to differentiate between hominin taxa, and 2) the practical reliability of determining the absence or presence of the notch in fossil remains.

Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2009.07.006
Version: za2963e q8zaf q8zb2 q8zc7 q8zdf q8ze0 q8zf5 q8zga

Similar articles you may find interesting…

  1. Observations of comet 19P/Borrelly by the miniature integrated camera and spectrometer aboard Deep Space 1.
    L A LA Soderblom, T L TL Becker, ... R V RV Yelle

    Science 296(5570):1087-91 (2002) PMID 11934989

    The nucleus of the Jupiter-family comet 19P/Borrelly was closely observed by the Miniature Integrated Camera and Spectrometer aboard the Deep Space 1 spacecraft on 22 September 2001. The 8-kilometer-long body is highly variegated on a scale of 200 meters, exhibiting large albedo variations (0.01 to...
  2. Distribution and abundance of patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) in Laikipia, Kenya, 1979-2004.
    Lynne A LA Isbell and Janice J Chism

    Am J Primatol 69(11):1223-35 (2007) PMID 17397045

    We assessed a patas monkey population in Kenya's 9,700 km(2) Laikipia District over 25 years, using data collected in 1979-1981 and 1992-2004. The data were based on intensive observations of three study groups, "on the ground" counts, and surveys of Laikipia residents. In 1979-1981, a minimum of 41...
  3. Ground substrate affects activity budgets and hair loss in outdoor captive groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).
    Brianne A BA Beisner and Lynne A LA Isbell

    Audio, Transactions of the IRE Professio... 70(12):1160-8 (2008) PMID 18828148

    These results add to growing evidence that substrate type in captivity is important to consider because it affects animal well-being. In particular, these results reveal that grass substrate is more effective than gravel in stimulating foraging and reducing allo-grooming to levels that are comparabl...