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Monday, December 23, 2013

Skeletal Remains Suggesting or Attributed to Early Man in North America- Ales Hrdlicka

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Steroidal biomarker analysis of a 14,000 years old putative human coprolite from Paisley Cave, Oregon

Steroidal biomarker analysis of a 14,000 years old putative human coprolite from Paisley Cave, Oregon 

Lipid components of a putative human coprolite sample from the Paleoindian site of Paisley Cave, Oregon (12,300 14C yr BP) were analyzed using GC/MS to explore its origin in light of controversial data obtained from mitochondrial DNA, cross-immunoelectrophoresis, trisodium phosphate rehydration, and micromorphology analyses. Results show the predominant presence of 5b-stigmastanol, the biomarker of herbivore fecal matter, supporting micromorphological identification of the coprolite as herbivore. This study highlights the potential of the biomarker approach in coprolite studies devoted to research on the first presence of humans in North America. 

https://www.academia.edu/

Charlie Hatchett 

Pre-Clovis Artifacts from Central Texas 
http://www.pre-clovis.com
http://www.forum.pre-clovis.com
http://www.blog.pre-clovis.com


Rick Baudé Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm a little confused here Charlie, since you're
> one of the few people on the board that know
> something about ' pre-clovis are they saying that
> the results are inconclusive about whether it's a
> hominid or that it leans toward a hominid origin?

This statement in the paper sums up the authors' view concerning one of the coprolites:

"...the predominant presence of 5b-stigmastanol, the biomarker of
herbivore fecal matter, supporting micromorphological identification
of the coprolite as herbivore..."

As I noted above:

“…The sample in question is 1374-5/5D-31-2. mtDNA Hg B2 was determined by Copenhagen SNaPshot, Copenhagen cloned, Uppsala Pyrosequenced, Uppsala cloned and sequenced. The sample was dated to 12,400 ± 60 by Beta Analytic Inc. and 12,275 ± 55 by Oxford University. Note that general mammalian primer pair that targets a small fragment of the 16S ribosomal RNA was negative for 1374-5/5D-31-2…”

Precluding positive DNA evidence for an herbivore (or any other mammal besides human) source for coprolite sample 1374-5/5D-31-2.

There are 26 coprolites from Paisley Caves identified as human, 7 are AMS dated older than Clovis (> 11,050 14C yr BP per Waters and Stafford 2007).

This statement in the paper sums up the authors' view concerning older than Clovis occupation of the Americas:

“…Although some claims have been made for pre-Clovis sites in North (e.g., Adovasio et al., 1999; Gilbert et al., 2008; Falk, 2004; Jenkins et al., 2012) and South America (Dillehay, 2000; Guidon, 1989; Waters and Stafford, 2007), the putative earliest sites that are typically mentioned are still controversial (Fiedel, 2000; Kelly, 2003). The first clear evidence of occupation appears much later and is related to the Clovis complex _11.000 to 10.800 14C yr BP (Waters and Stafford, 2007)…”


> BTW what are your thoughts on "Monte Verde" and
> the "Kelp Highway" frankly I see no impediments at
> all to either one.  Looking at Google earth and
> Monte Verde's present position I can see no major
> geographical barriers to entering the new world
> after all we're talking about bands of people that
> maybe numbered 25 to 50 people or so and there had
> to dozens to hundreds of different way to make it
> into the new world.   

The vast majority of archeologists agree with Goebel et al., 2008:

“…Perhaps the best candidate is the Monte Verde site (Chile), which
contains clear artifacts in a sealed context and is dated to 14.6 ka (58).
Despite criticism (59), its acceptance by most archaeologists means synchronous
and possibly earlier sites should exist in North America…”

mtDNA evidence is concordant with a Pacific coast migration (See Hg B ):


Note the lack of mtDNA B in northern North America and Siberia.

LGM sea levels:


Distribution of stemmed projectiles in the Americas, during and before Clovis times, extends from Oregon to the tip of Chile, near the Straits of Magellan:



In Siberia, the northern most dated stemmed points are found at The Ushki Site on the Kamchatka Peninsula:



“…Here we present four new radiocarbon dates (and two previously unpublished dates) on curated charcoal from hearth features excavated at Ushki-1 more than 20 years ago. They indicate that these hearths and associated dwelling features date to about 13,000 cal BP. We now know 15 radiocarbon dates on charcoal from a variety of features and profiles across Ushki-1 and Ushki-5 that indicate the age of layer 7 is about 13,000 cal BP…”


13,000 cal BP falls within the Clovis timeframe, suggesting a possible technological backflow from North America to Siberia. 

Charlie Hatchett 

Pre-Clovis Artifacts from Central Texas 
http://www.pre-clovis.com
http://www.forum.pre-clovis.com
http://www.blog.pre-clovis.com

Saturday, December 14, 2013

The Calico Archaeological Site, California

Uranium-series and soil-geomorphic dating of the Calico archaeological site, California

    James L. Bischoff, Roy J. Shlemon, T. L. Ku, Ruth D. Simpson, Robert J. Rosenbauer and  Fred E. Budinger, Jr.

    Author Affiliations

    1 U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025
    2 Roy J. Shlemon and Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 3066, Newport Beach, California 92663
    3 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007
    4 San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, California 92373
    5 U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025
    6 Calico Early Man Site, P.O. Box 535, Yermo, California 92398

Abstract

Lithic specimens identified as artifacts have been recovered from near the base of the Yermo fan deposits at Calico, California. The soil on the fan surface is a strongly developed relict paleosol. Comparison of this soil with dated paleosols elsewhere in the southwestern United States suggests that the surface is about 80,000 to 125,000 yr old. Clasts near the base of the deposit are well cemented by laminated CaCO3 that probably formed from groundwater action while the fan was still active. Uranium-thorium assays on the CaCO3 indicate an age of 200,000 yr.


Image

This small, finely-worked, symmetrical, black chert graver has been created by the sequential removal of dozens of flakes in a patterned manner. The ventral side is a smooth flake bulb. Found in cemented reddish-tan sands at a depth of nearly 4 m in the Lower Yermo Formation. There is no possibility that this object could be a geofact produced by natural geologic processes. Coated with powdered aluminum. D. Griffin photo

Image


Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) sides of a small beaked graver recovered from a depth of 3.99 m (157 in) in Master Pit I. Powdered aluminum coating to reveal morphological details. Dorsal side clearly fashioned according to a predetermined design, being nearly symmetrical. The ventral side is the unmodified positive bulb of the small flake. The working tip is shown in greater detail in a subsequent image. D. Griffin photos


Image

Multi-function Scraper or Blade

Chalcedony blade with a narrow ventral bulb scar (at right) and a high dorsal arete (at left), bifacially retouched along margins, and unifacially flaked at the distal end, with use-wear evident. Appears to have been used as both a cutting tool and an end scraper. Recovered from Trench 1 at a depth of 1.88 m (74 inches). D. Griffin photos


Image

Blade tool or side scraper

Same as the dorsal view in the preceding figure, but a clearer portrayal of the sharp, evenly-spaced removal scars on the blade laterals. Lateral retouch is bifacial. D. Griffin photo.

 Image

Crescentic Chopper

Crescent-shaped chopper or skreblo, showing bifacial flaking and a blunted back edge; a definitive tool type in Asia. Coated with powdered aluminum. From Calico Master Pit II. D. Griffin photo.


Image

Crescentic Scraper

The reverse side of the skreblo-like convex scraper, showing flaking to create a crescentic working edge (top). D. Griffin photo)



 









http://www-personal.umich.edu/~feliks/louis-leakey-calico-prt2/images/Fig3_pcn21-jan-feb2013-p5-pdf-export-for-html.jpg

Image
Budinger measuring objects exposed in the wall of Master Pit I.
T. Oberlander photo.


Charlie Hatchett

www.pre-clovis.com

www.forum.pre-clovis.com

www.blog.pre-clovis.com

Monday, December 9, 2013

mtDNA B4b1 ubiquitous presence among four Filipino negrito populations in Luzon.

Gisele Horvat writes:

In Heyer et al’s “Genetic Diversity of Four Filipino Negrito Populations from Luzon: Comparison of Male and Female Effective Population Sizes and Differential Integration of Immigrants into Aeta and Agta Communities”, I am surprised to see haplogroup B4b1 singled out.  mtDNA sequences belonging to this group are the Asian/Oceanic ones which are phylognetically closest to the Native American B group (“B2”).   In fact, the Native American ones could have been called B4b1 and the Asian/Oceanic B4b2.

See the B4b group here:

http://www.phylotree.org/tree/subtree_R.htm

I’ve previously noticed that the Aboriginal Taiwanese Bunun had a high frequency of B4b1 lineages as well as Hainan Islanders. 

From Heyer et al:

“The two most common mtDNA haplogroups, B4b1 and P9, are present in all four negrito populations and constitute 45% of all lineages found. P9 (previously called P8) has been found at very low frequency among the general population of Luzon and Visaya provinces, and together with P10, these have been proposed as autochthonous lineages (Tabbada et al. 2010). B4b1 overall represents more than 20% of the negrito maternal lineages, compared with approximately 7% of the general population of the Philippines.”

“The mtDNA haplogroups B4b1, B5b, E1b1, F1a3, F1a4, and R9* constitute ~33–57% of the Agta and Aeta maternal lineages but are not unique to the Philippines and are considered to have distributions arising prior to the dispersal of Austronesian speakers from Taiwan (Hill et al. 2007; Tabbada et al. 2010). Of these, B4b1 merits particular attention because of its ubiquitous presence among the four negrito populations, across the East Asian mainland and Japan (Trejaut et al. 2005). The relative prevalence of B4b1 among the negritos of Luzon suggests a presence in the Philippines prior to the Austronesian expansion approximately 4–6 kya, which could also predate the long-term separation of the Aeta and Agta indicated by the differentiation in autosomal genetic diversity.”   

Gisele

Genetic Diversity of Four Filipino Negrito Populations from Luzon: Comparison of Male and Female Effective Population Sizes and Differential Integration of Immigrants into Aeta and Agta Communities

Abstract
 
Genetic data corresponding to four negrito populations (two Aeta and two Agta; n = 120) from the 

region of the Philippines have been analyzed. These data comprise mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
hypervariable segment 1 haplotypes and haplogroups, Y-chromosome haplogroups and short 

tandem repeats (STRs), autosomal STRs, and X-chromosome STRs. The genetic diversity and 
structure of the populations were investigated at a local, regional, and interregional level. We 
found a high level of autosomal differentiation, combined with no significant reduction in diversity, 
consistent with long-term settlement of the Luzon region by the ancestors of the Agta and Aeta 
followed by reduced gene flow between these two ethnolinguistic groups. Collectively, the Aeta 
have a much higher ratio of female:male effective population size than do the Agta, a finding that 
supports phylogenetic analysis of their mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroups, which suggests 
different genetic sex-biased contributions from putative Austronesian source populations. We 
propose that factors of social organization that led to the reduction in Agta female effective
population size may also be linked to the limited incorporation of female lineages associated with the
s
population size, relative to females, could be indicative of a limited incorpotlement of the Philippines by Austronesian speakers; conversely, the reduction in Aeta male effective population size than do the Agta, a finding that supports phylogenetic analysis of their mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroups, which suggests different genetic sex-biased contributions from putative Austronesian source populations. We propose that factors of social organization that led to the reduction in Agta female effective population size may also be linked to the limited incorporation of female lineages associated with the settlement of the Philippines by Austronesian speakers; conversely, the reduction in Aeta male effective population size, relative to females, could be indicative of a limited incorporation of male lineages associated with this demographic process.


Heyer, E; Georges, M; Pachner, M; and Endicott, P (2013) "Genetic Diversity of Four Filipino Negrito Populations from Luzon: Comparison of Male and Female Effective Population Sizes and Differential Integration of Immigrants into Aeta and Agta Communities," Human Biology: Vol. 85: Iss. 1, Article 9.







Aeta woman

 http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3307/4627316744_72549bda2b_z.jpg

Agta girl
composite image of plan maps and reconstructions of individuals buried at Horn Shelter and Wilson-Leonard


http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/519/flashcards/1605519/jpg/kibgsheng_rice_terrace_91344793278534.jpg

Andean Farming Terraces

http://tropicalvacationspotsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/12.jpg

Luzon Farming Terraces


http://britam.org/MtDNAWorld.jpg


Charlie Hatchett

www.pre-clovis.com

www.forum.pre-clovis.com

www.blog.pre-clovis.com