In Western Europe, the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition is associated
with the disappearance of Neandertals and the spread of
anatomically modern humans (AMHs).
Current chronological, behavioral,
and biological models of this transitional period hinge on the
Châtelperronian technocomplex. At the site of the Grotte du Renne,
Arcy-sur-Cure, morphological Neandertal specimens are not directly
dated but are contextually associated with the Châtelperronian,
which contains bone points and beads. The association between Neandertals
and this "transitional" assemblage has been controversial
because of the lack either of a direct hominin radiocarbon date or of
molecular confirmation of the Neandertal affiliation. Here we provide
further evidence for a Neandertal-Châtelperronian association
at the Grotte du Renne through biomolecular and chronological analysis. A team of scientists identified 28 additional hominin specimens through zooarchaeology
by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) screening of morphologically
uninformative bone specimens from Châtelperronian layers at the
Grotte du Renne. Next, they obtain an ancient hominin bone proteome
through liquid chromatography-MS/MS analysis and error-tolerant
amino acid sequence analysis. Analysis of this palaeoproteome
allows us to provide phylogenetic and physiological information on
these ancient hominin specimens. They distinguish Late Pleistocene
clades within the genus Homo based on ancient protein evidence
through the identification of an archaic-derived amino acid sequence
for the collagen type X, alpha-1 (COL10α1) protein. They support this
by obtaining ancient mtDNA sequences, which indicate a Neandertal
ancestry for these specimens. Direct accelerator mass spectometry
radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modeling confirm that the hominin
specimens date to the Châtelperronian at the Grotte du Renne.
Palaeoproteomic evidence identifies archaic hominins associated with the Châtelperronian at the Grotte du Renne
Frido Welker, Mateja Hajdinjak, Sahra Talamo, Klervia Jaouen, Michael Dannemann, Francine David, Michèle Julien, Matthias Meyer, Janet Kelso, Ian Barnes, Selina Brace, Pepijn Kamminga, Roman Fischer, Benedikt M. Kessler, John R. Stewart, Svante Pääbo, Matthew J. Collins, and Jean-Jacques Hublin
DOI:
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