A single lineage in early Pleistocene Homo: size variation continuity in early Pleistocene Homo crania from East Africa and Georgia.

The relationship between Homo habilis and early African Homo erectus has been contentious because H. habilis was hypothesized to be an evolutionary stage between Australopithecus and H. erectus, more than a half-century ago.

The Dubois syndrome.

The modem scientific method relies on falsification of large, overarching explanatory hypotheses, but refutation at any level is not easily accepted, nor should it necessarily be. Here we discuss the "Dubois syndrome," based on the history of Eugène Dubois, famous for the discovery and interpretation of Pithecanthropus erectus. Widely viewed as unbalanced for his changing understanding of these important fossils, we discuss how his apparent capriciousness was actually a rational conclusion based on his adherence to a broad evolutionary theory.

How Neandertals inform human variation.

Since their first discovery, Neandertals have served as an out-group for interpreting human variation. Their out-group role has changed over the years because in spite of the fact that Neandertals are the most abundant of all fossil remains (or perhaps because of this) their interpretation is the most controversial of all human fossils. Many believe them to be a different, albeit human-like species, but recent genetic evidence supports anatomical interpretations indicating that interbreeding with other humans was an important aspect of human evolution.

Habiline variation: a new approach using STET.

The problem of whether the hominid fossil sample of habiline specimens is comprised of more than one species has received much attention in paleoanthropology. The core of this debate has critical implications about when and how variation can be explained by taxonomy. In this paper, we examine the problem of whether the observed variation in habiline samples reflects species differences.

Unique ramus anatomy for Neandertals?

The ramus of Neandertal mandibles is said to show a suite of uniquely Neandertal character states that demonstrate the independent course of Neandertal evolution. This is the latest of numerous attempts to define cranial and mandibular autapomorphies for Neandertals. We examine variation in the four presumably autapomorphic ramal features and show they are neither monomorhic within Neandertals (to the contrary Neandertals are at least as variable as other human samples) nor unique to Neandertals, since they regularly appear in populations predating and postdating them.