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Isochron burial dating with cosmogenic nuclides 26 Al and 10 Be shows that the skeleton of the australopithecine individual known as ‘Little Foot’ is around 3.67 million years old, coeval with early Australopithecus from East Africa; a manuport dated to 2.18 million years ago from the Oldowan tool assemblage conforms with the oldest age previously suggested by fauna. An early date for 'Little Foot' australopithecine The cave infillings at Sterkfontein in South Africa contain some of the richest assemblages of fossil hominins in the world. The problem with Sterkfontein and many caves like it is that it is notoriously difficult to date such sediments : they accumulate in a haphazard way with many episodes of deposition, erosion and reworking. Darryl Granger et al . use isochron burial dating with cosmogenic nuclides 26 Al and 10 Be to show that the breccia containing the substantially complete skeleton of the australopithecine individual known as 'Little Foot' is around 3.67 million years old, coeval with Australopithecus afarensis ('Lucy') from East Africa. The earliest stone tools from Sterkfontein are dated to around 2.18 million years ago, a similar age to tools from nearby sites such as Swartkrans. The cave infills at Sterkfontein contain one of the richest assemblages of Australopithecus fossils in the world, including the nearly complete skeleton StW 573 (‘Little Foot’) 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 in its lower section, as well as early stone tools 5 , 6 , 7 in higher sections. However, the chronology of the site remains controversial 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 owing to the complex history of cave infilling. Much of the existing chronology based on uranium–lead dating 10 , 11 and palaeomagnetic stratigraphy 8 , 12 has recently been called into question by the recognition that dated flowstones fill cavities formed within previously cemented breccias and therefore do not form a stratigraphic sequence 4 , 14 . Earlier dating with cosmogenic nuclides 9 suffered a high degree of uncertainty and has been questioned on grounds of sediment reworking 10 , 11 , 13 . Here we use isochron burial dating with cosmogenic aluminium-26 and beryllium-10 to show that the breccia containing StW 573 did not undergo significant reworking, and that it was deposited 3.67 ± 0.16 million years ago, far earlier than the 2.2 million year flowstones found within it 10 , 11 . The skeleton is thus coeval with early Australopithecus afarensis in eastern Africa 15 , 16 . We also date the earliest stone tools at Sterkfontein to 2.18 ± 0.21 million years ago, placing them in the Oldowan at a time similar to that found elsewhere in South Africa at Swartkans 17 and Wonderwerk 18 .

Phytolith, stable carbon isotope, and dental microwear texture data for two individuals of Au. sediba , 2-million-year-old hominins from South Africa, show that they consumed a mostly C 3 diet that probably included harder foods, and both dicotyledons (for example, tree leaves, fruits, and wood or bark) and monocotyledons (for example, grasses and sedges); this diet contrasts with previously described diets of other early hominin species. Australopithecus enjoyed fruits of the forest Discovered in 2008, Australopithecus sediba is an approximately two-million-year-old hominin fossil from South Africa, related to other Australopithecus and early Homo species. Using a combination of stable-isotope analysis, dental-microwear patterns and analysis of plant microfossils extracted from dental calculus from two fossilized individuals, it is shown here that A. sediba consumed a diet consisting mainly of tree leaves, fruits and bark, suggesting that they resided in a woodland environment. This contrasts with previously described diets of other early hominin species that suggested an open-savanna habitat. Specimens of Australopithecus sediba from the site of Malapa, South Africa (dating from approximately 2 million years (Myr) ago) 1 present a mix of primitive and derived traits that align the taxon with other Australopithecus species and with early Homo 2 . Although much of the available cranial and postcranial material of Au. sediba has been described 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , its feeding ecology has not been investigated. Here we present results from the first extraction of plant phytoliths from dental calculus of an early hominin. We also consider stable carbon isotope and dental microwear texture data for Au. sediba in light of new palaeoenvironmental evidence. The two individuals examined consumed an almost exclusive C 3 diet that probably included harder foods, and both dicotyledons (for example, tree leaves, fruits, wood and bark) and monocotyledons (for example, grasses and sedges). Like Ardipithecus ramidus (approximately 4.4 Myr ago) and modern savanna chimpanzees, Au. sediba consumed C 3 foods in preference to widely available C 4 resources. The inferred consumption of C 3 monocotyledons, and wood or bark, increases the known variety of early hominin foods. The overall dietary pattern of these two individuals contrasts with available data for other hominins in the region and elsewhere.

Models for the origin of the genus Homo propose that increased quality of diet led to changes in ranging ecology and selection for greater locomotor economy, speed, and endurance. Here, I examine the fossil evidence for postcranial change in early Homo and draw on comparative data from living mammals to assess whether increased diet quality has led to selection for improved locomotor performance in other lineages. Body mass estimates indicate early Homo, both males and females, were approximately 33% larger than australopiths, consistent with archeological evidence indicating an ecological change with the origins of our genus. However, many of the postcranial features thought to be derived in Homo, including longer hind limbs, are present in Australopithecus, challenging the hypothesis that early Homo is marked by significant change in walking and running performance. Analysis of energy budgets across mammals suggests that the larger body mass and increased diet quality in early Homo may reflect an increase in the hominin energy budget. Expanding the energy budget would enable greater investment in reproduction without decreasing energy available for larger brains or increased activity. Food sharing and increased adiposity, which decrease variance in food energy availability, may have been integral to this metabolic strategy.

Australopiths are a group of early human ancestors that lived approximately 4 to 2 million years ago and are considered a key transitional form between apes and humans. Studying australopiths can help to understand the evolutionary processes that led to the emergence of humans and gain insights into the unique adaptations and characteristics that set humans apart from other primates. A bibliometric-based review of publications on australopiths contained in the Scopus database was conducted, analyzing approximately 2000 of them. The main authors, institutions, and countries researching this subject were identified, as well as their future development. The connections between authors, countries, and research topics were also analyzed through the detection of communities. The more frequent keywords in this subject are hominid, animal, human, South Africa, and Australopithecus afarensis . Four main research clusters were identified in the field of australopiths: palaeobiology, cranial evolution, locomotion, and mandible evolution and morphometry. The most important countries in terms of collaboration networks are South Africa, the UK, France, and Germany. Research on australopiths is ongoing, and new research clusters are expected to emerge, such as those focused on pre-australopiths and the molecular evolution and taxonomy of australopiths. Overall, this work provides a comprehensive overview of the state of research on australopiths and offers insights into the current direction of the field.