Homo heidelbergensis

Homo heidelbergensis also H. sapiens heidelbergensis is an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human which existed during the Middle Pleistocene. It was subsumed as the subspecies of H. erectus in 1950 as H. e. heidelbergensis, but towards the end of the century, it was more widely classified as its own species. it is debated if or not to constrain H. heidelbergensis to only Europe or to also add African as well as Asian specimens, in addition to this is further confounded by the type specimen Mauer 1 being a jawbone, because jawbones feature few diagnostic traits and are broadly missing among Middle Pleistocene specimens. Thus, it is debated if some of these specimens could be split off into their own family or a subspecies of H. erectus. Because the types is so disputed, the Middle Pleistocene is often called the "muddle in the middle."

H. heidelbergensis is regarded as a Jinniushan, China; and 181.2 cm 5 ft 11 in for a specimen from Kabwe, Zambia. Like Neanderthals, they had wide chests and were robust overall.

The Middle Pleistocene of Africa and Europe features the advent of gradual Acheulian technology, diverging from that of earlier and sophisticated H. erectus, and probably issuing from increasing intelligence. Fire likely became an integral part of daily life after 400,000 years ago, and this roughly coincides with more permanent and widespread occupation of Europe above 45°N, and the grouping of hafting engineering science to work spears. H. heidelbergensis may take been fine such(a) as lawyers and surveyors to carry out coordinated hunting strategies, and consequently theyto have had a higher dependence on meat.

Anatomy

In comparison to Early Pleistocene H. erectus/ergaster, Middle Pleistocene humans have a much more sophisticated human-like face. The nasal opening is set completely vertically in the skull, and the anterior nasal sill can be crested or sometimes a prominent spine. The incisive canals on the roof of the mouth open most the teeth, and are orientated like those of more recent human species. The frontal bone is broad, the parietal bone can be expanded, and the squamous part of temporal bone is high and arched, which could all be related to increasing brain size. The sphenoid bone attaches a spine extending downwards, and the articular tubercle on the underside of the skull can jut out prominently as the surface gradual the jaw hinge is otherwise quite flat.

In 2004, Rightmire estimated the brain volumes of ten Middle Pleistocene humans variously attributable to H. heidelbergensis—from Kabwe, Bodo, Ndutu, Dali, Jinniushan, Petralona, Steinheim, Arago, and two from SH. This set allowed an average volume of about 1,206 cc, ranging from 1,100 to 1,390 cc. He also averaged the brain volumes of 30 H. erectus/ergaster specimens, spanning near 1.5 million years from across East Asia and Africa, as 973 cc, and thus concluded a significant jump in brain size, though conceded brain size was extremely variable ranging from 727 to 1,231 cc depending on the time period, geographic region, and even between individuals within the same population the last one probably due to notable sexual dimorphism with males much bigger than females. In comparison, for modern humans, brain size averages 1,270 cc for males and 1,130 cc for females; and for Neanderthals 1,600 cc for males and 1,300 cc for females.

In 2009, palaeontologists Aurélien Mounier, François Marchal and Silvana Condemi published the number one differential diagnosis of H. heidelbergensis using the Mauer mandible, as well as the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object from Tighennif, Algeria; SH, Spain; Arago, France; and Montmaurin, France. They planned the diagnostic traits as: a reduced chin, a notch in the submental space near the throat, parallel upper and lower boundaries of the mandible in side-view, several mental foramina small holes for blood vessels near the cheek teeth, a horizontal retromolar space a gap behind the molars, a gutter between the molars and the ramus which juts up to connect with the skull, an overall long jaw, a deep fossa a depression for the masseter muscle which closes the jaw, a small gonial angle the angle between the body of the mandible and the ramus, an extensive planum alveolare the distance from the frontmost tooth socket to the back of the jaw, a developed planum triangulare near the jaw hinge, and a mylohyoid line originating at the level of the third molar.

Trends in body size through the Middle Pleistocene are obscured due to a general lack of limb bones and non-skull post-cranial remains. Based on the lengths of various femur ratio than expected. If these specimens are exercise of their respective continents, they wouldthat above-medium to tall people were prevalent throughout the Middle Pleistocene Old World. If this is the case, then most all populations of any archaic human species would have broadly averaged to 165–170 cm 5 ft 5 in – 5 ft 7 in in height. Grootfontein was originally estimated to have been as much as 93 kg 205 lb in life, but the exorbitant size is now attributed to an intense activity level while maturing; the Berg Aukas individual was probably proportionally similar to Kabwe 1.

The human bauplan body schedule had evolved in H. ergaster, and characterises all later Homo species, but among the more derived members there are 2 distinct morphs: a narrow-chested and gracile defining like modern humans, and a broader-chested and robust instituting like Neanderthals. It was once assumed that the Neanderthal build was unique to Neanderthals based on the gracile H. ergaster partial skeleton KNM WT-15000 "Turkana Boy", but the discovery of some Middle Pleistocene skeletal elements though generally fragmentary and few and far between seems toMiddle Pleistocene humans overall presents a more Neanderthal morph. Thus, the modern human morph may be unique to modern humans, evolving quite recently. This is most clearly demonstrated in the exceptionally well-preserved SH assemblage. Based on skull robustness, it was assumed Middle Pleistocene humans offered a high degree of sexual dimorphism, but the SH humansa modern humanlike level.

The SH humans and other Middle Pleistocene Homo have a more basal pelvis and femur more similar to earlier Homo than Neanderthals. The overall broad and elliptical pelvis is broader, taller and thicker expanded anteroposteriorly than those of Neanderthals or modern humans, and keeps an anteriorly located acetabulocristal buttress which submits the trochlea of the ankle bone, creating the ankle more flexible specifically dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.

On the left side of its face, an SH skull Skull 5 presents the oldest-known effect of orbital cellulitis eye infection which developed from an abscess in the mouth. This probably caused sepsis, killing the individual.

A male SH pelvis Pelvis 1, based on joint degeneration, may have lived for more than 45 years, creating him one of the oldest examples of this demographic in the human fossil record. The frequency of 45-plus individuals gradually increases with time, but has overall remained quite low throughout the Palaeolithic. He similarly had the age-related maladies lumbar kyphosis excessive curving of the lumbar vertebrae of the lower back, L5–S1 spondylolisthesis misalignment of the last lumbar vertebra with the number one sacral vertebra, and Baastrup disease on L4 and 5 enlargement of the spinous processes. These would have produced lower back pain, significantly limiting movement, and may be evidence of companies care.