Homo bodoensis

Homo bodoensis Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene
Bodo cranium, the type specimen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Subfamily:	Homininae
Tribe:	Hominini
Genus:	Homo
Species:	†H. bodoensis
Binomial name
†Homo bodoensis Roksandic, Radović, Wu & Bae, 2021

Homo bodoensis is the species name for extinct archaic humans that lived during the Chibanian (770–126 ka) in Africa. It relies on the fossil specimen known as Bodo cranium, which was discovered in 1976 from the Awash River in Ethiopia and is estimated to have lived around 500,000 years ago. Following the comparative analysis of the fossil with those of other Homo falling on the same geological age, the name was formally introduced in 2021.

Based on the confusing usage of scientific names for different hominin specimens of the Chibanian, a research team led by Mirjana Roksandic at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, proposed in Evolutionary Anthropology that H. bodoensis should be used as an umbrella name for all species of the same age in Africa, including H. rhodesiensis and H. heidelbergensis. But not all scientists agree. British paleoanthropologist Chris Stringer argued that the name cannot replace H. rhodesiensis to which Bodo cranium is assigned since H. rhodesiensis (described by Arthur Smith Woodward in 1921) had been formally accepted.

Naming

The name of the genus Homo is derived from Template:Lang-la, for human. The specific epithet bodoensis refers to the site Bodo D'ar in the Afar Depression (Ethiopia), where the type specimen Bodo cranium (Bodo 1) was discovered in 1976. Homo bodoensis therefore means "human from Bodo".

Initial description

Side view of Kabwe 1, the type specimen of Homo rhodesiensis (original, approx. 300,000 years old)

A research group led by Jon Kalb recovered the Bodo skull in 1976 and first scientifically described the type specimen of the species Homo bodoensis in 1978. Even then it was recognized that the skull had features of both Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. In 1996, Philip Rightmire confirmed in a comprehensive description of the skull its phylogenetic intermediate position and suggested that it be assigned to the species Homo heidelbergensis together with more recent finds from Europe. Its delimitation from other chronospecies has long been controversial; According to the first description of Homo bodoensis, for example, the last time there was a meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists in 2019 were very different views on the definition of characteristics of this species.

The authors of the first description of Homo bodoensis therefore suggested in October 2021 that the name Homo heidelbergensis should be completely dispensed with and all fossils previously identified as Homo heidelbergensis that already have Neanderthal features - including the lower jaw of Mauer, the type specimen of Homo heidelbergensis and of the French Arago finds - to Homo neanderthalensis. Alternatively, all African and Southeast European fossils from the Middle Pleistocene epoch (around 750,000 to 130,000 years ago) with features of the archaic Homo sapiens could be combined under the species name Homo bodoensis. At the same time, the intermediate name Homo rhodesiensis, which had been introduced in 1921, was deprecated for this association. The term Homo rhodesiensis is also considered unacceptable by some because it honored Cecil Rhodes.

In addition to the Bodo skull, the following fossil skulls of Homo bodoensis were placed in the first description: Kabwe 1 (the type specimen of Homo rhodesiensis), Ndutu 1, Saldanha 1, LH 18 (Ngaloba) from Tanzania, Salé 1 from Morocco, and Ceprano 1 from central Italy. If the authors' point of view is to endure in future specialist literature, the lineage of anatomically modern humans in Africa - as graphically illustrated in the first description - would lead from Homo erectus via Homo bodoensis to Homo sapiens.

Criticism

Immediately after the publication of the species name, the British paleoanthropologist Chris Stringer - a specialist in the relationships between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens - criticized the proposed departure from Homo heidelbergensis and the introduction of a new species name in New Scientist. He does agree with the objection that too many and too different fossils of Homo heidelbergensis have been made; it is appropriate to assign only those European finds to Homo heidelbergensis that have a clear similarity to the lower jaw of Mauer, for example the lower jaw of Mala Balanica, but not fossils from Africa. According to the requirements of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, a species name that has already been introduced always has priority over a later one. Therefore, the designation Homo rhodesiensis takes precedence over Homo bodoensis. In this context, Stringer rejected the claim that the species name rhodesiensis honored Cecil Rhodes. In fact, it is a reference to the site in what was then Northern Rhodesia. But even if one wanted to avoid the reference to Rhodesia, the name Homo saldanensis chosen for the skull roof Saldanha 1 in 1955 would have priority over Homo bodoensis. Finally, Stringer also pointed out that the face of the Bodo skull had features that speak for its own evolutionary path and make it appear doubtful that it was a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens.

See also

• Human evolution – Evolutionary process leading to anatomically modern humans
• {{Human timeline}} – Hominin events for the last 10 million years
• Recent African origin of modern humans – "Out of Africa" theory of the early migration of humans

External links

• "Experts name new species of human ancestor". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 28 October 2021.