[Paper] Skeletal remains of a Pleistocene modern human (Homo sapiens) from Sulawesi

via PLOS One, 29 September 2021: A new paper by Brumm et al. on a Pleistocene human who lived in Sulawesi between 16,000-25,000 years ago.

Major gaps remain in our knowledge of the early history of Homo sapiens in Wallacea. By 70–60 thousand years ago (ka), modern humans appear to have entered this distinct biogeographical zone between continental Asia and Australia. Despite this, there are relatively few Late Pleistocene sites attributed to our species in Wallacea. H. sapiens fossil remains are also rare. Previously, only one island in Wallacea (Alor in the southeastern part of the archipelago) had yielded skeletal evidence for pre-Holocene modern humans. Here we report on the first Pleistocene human skeletal remains from the largest Wallacean island, Sulawesi. The recovered elements consist of a nearly complete palate and frontal process of a modern human right maxilla excavated from Leang Bulu Bettue in the southwestern peninsula of the island. Dated by several different methods to between 25 and 16 ka, the maxilla belongs to an elderly individual of unknown age and sex, with small teeth (only M¹ to M³ are extant) that exhibit severe occlusal wear and related dental pathologies. The dental wear pattern is unusual. This fragmentary specimen, though largely undiagnostic with regards to morphological affinity, provides the only direct insight we currently have from the fossil record into the identity of the Late Pleistocene people of Sulawesi.

Source: Skeletal remains of a Pleistocene modern human (Homo sapiens) from Sulawesi

See also:

• Jawbone of 16,000-25,000-year-old human represents first Pleistocene remains from Sulawesi; shows surprising dental wear pattern | Eureka Alerts, 29 Sep 2021
• Decoding the secrets of a forgotten human history during the Pleistocene | Cosmos, 30 Sep 2021