Gen Suwa

Last updated
Gen Suwa
Born1954 (age 68–69)
NationalityJapanese
Alma mater UC Berkeley
Awards Asahi Prize
Scientific career
Fields Paleoanthropology
Institutions University of Tokyo

Gen Suwa (born 1954) is a Japanese paleoanthropologist. He is known for his contributions to the understanding of the evolution of early hominids, including the discovery of a tooth from a hominid that was more than one million years older than the oldest previously known hominid. The discovery changed scientific opinion regarding the ancestral splits between humans, chimps and gorillas.

Contents

A professor at The University Museum of the University of Tokyo, Suwa is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the Asahi Prize.

Biography

Suwa completed an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Tokyo, and he earned a master's degree in biological anthropology from the same institution in 1980. [1] He earned a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. He began to study hominid fossils in Ethiopia during his doctoral studies. [2] He worked with Berkeley anthropology professor Tim D. White and has continued to collaborate with him after graduate school. [3] Before joining the faculty at the University of Tokyo, Suwa worked at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University. [2]

Since 1990, Suwa has done archaeological work at the Middle Awash site in Ethiopia's Afar Triangle. [4] In 1992, Suwa found a tooth belonging to a primitive hominid. The hominid in question was at first thought to belong to the same species as the 3.2-million-year-old Lucy (Australopithecus). [5] Within a year, sixteen more fossil specimens were found in the area, and in late 1994, a partial skeleton was located. [6] Suwa used micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and a 3-D stereolithic printer to reconstruct the skeleton. [7] In 2009, the hominid was determined to belong to its own species (Ardipithecus ramidus) and to be more than a million years older than Lucy. The skeleton became known as Ardi. [5] A special issue of the journal Science was published that year featuring 11 articles on various aspects of the research on Ardipithecus. [8]

In 2007, Suwa was working in the Chorora Formation when he discovered several teeth belonging to an extinct ape. Suwa's group named the newly discovered species Chororapithecus abyssinicus . The characteristics of the teeth suggested that the species was an ancestral branch in the gorilla lineage. In 2016, Suwa and several associates - including archaeologist Yonas Beyene and paleontologist Berhane Asfaw, both from Ethiopia - determined that the teeth were about 8 million years old. The discovery indicated that modern apes originally came from Africa and not Asia. The age of the species showed that the human-chimp split and the gorilla-human split occurred several million years earlier than most scientists had thought. [9] [10]

Suwa won the Asahi Prize in 2009 for his work on the science behind early human evolution. The Japanese award is given to people who make outstanding contributions in academics or the arts. [11] In 2016, Suwa was elected a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences. [12] He is a full professor at The University Museum, The University of Tokyo. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ardipithecus</i> Extinct genus of hominins

Ardipithecus is a genus of an extinct hominine that lived during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene epochs in the Afar Depression, Ethiopia. Originally described as one of the earliest ancestors of humans after they diverged from the chimpanzees, the relation of this genus to human ancestors and whether it is a hominin is now a matter of debate. Two fossil species are described in the literature: A. ramidus, which lived about 4.4 million years ago during the early Pliocene, and A. kadabba, dated to approximately 5.6 million years ago. Initial behavioral analysis indicated that Ardipithecus could be very similar to chimpanzees, however more recent analysis based on canine size and lack of canine sexual dimorphism indicates that Ardipithecus was characterised by reduced aggression, and that they more closely resemble bonobos.

<i>Australopithecus</i> Genus of hominin ancestral to modern humans

Australopithecus is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The genera Homo, Paranthropus, and Kenyanthropus evolved from some Australopithecus species. Australopithecus is a member of the subtribe Australopithecina, which sometimes also includes Ardipithecus, though the term "australopithecine" is sometimes used to refer only to members of Australopithecus. Species include A. garhi, A. africanus, A. sediba, A. afarensis, A. anamensis, A. bahrelghazali and A. deyiremeda. Debate exists as to whether some Australopithecus species should be reclassified into new genera, or if Paranthropus and Kenyanthropus are synonymous with Australopithecus, in part because of the taxonomic inconsistency.

<i>Sahelanthropus</i> Extinct hominid from Miocene Africa

Sahelanthropus tchadensis is an extinct species of the Homininae dated to about 7 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. The species, and its genus Sahelanthropus, was announced in 2002, based mainly on a partial cranium, nicknamed Toumaï, discovered in northern Chad.

<i>Australopithecus afarensis</i> Extinct hominid from the Pliocene of East Africa

Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct species of australopithecine which lived from about 3.9–2.9 million years ago (mya) in the Pliocene of East Africa. The first fossils were discovered in the 1930s, but major fossil finds would not take place until the 1970s. From 1972 to 1977, the International Afar Research Expedition—led by anthropologists Maurice Taieb, Donald Johanson and Yves Coppens—unearthed several hundreds of hominin specimens in Hadar, Ethiopia, the most significant being the exceedingly well-preserved skeleton AL 288-1 ("Lucy") and the site AL 333. Beginning in 1974, Mary Leakey led an expedition into Laetoli, Tanzania, and notably recovered fossil trackways. In 1978, the species was first described, but this was followed by arguments for splitting the wealth of specimens into different species given the wide range of variation which had been attributed to sexual dimorphism. A. afarensis probably descended from A. anamensis and is hypothesised to have given rise to Homo, though the latter is debated.

Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as hominization, through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinship lines within the family Hominidae, working from biological evidence and cultural evidence.

<i>Australopithecus anamensis</i> Extinct hominin from Pliocene east Africa

Australopithecus anamensis is a hominin species that lived approximately between 4.2 and 3.8 million years ago and is the oldest known Australopithecus species, living during the Plio-Pleistocene era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afar Triangle</span> Geological depression caused by the Afar Triple Junction

The Afar Triangle is a geological depression caused by the Afar Triple Junction, which is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. The region has disclosed fossil specimens of the very earliest hominins; that is, the earliest of the human clade, and it is thought by some paleontologists to be the cradle of the evolution of humans. The Depression overlaps the borders of Eritrea, Djibouti and the entire Afar Region of Ethiopia; and it contains the lowest point in Africa, Lake Assal, Djibouti, at 155 m (509 ft) below sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hominini</span> Tribe of mammals

The Hominini form a taxonomic tribe of the subfamily Homininae ("hominines"). Hominini includes the extant genera Homo (humans) and Pan and in standard usage excludes the genus Gorilla (gorillas).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australopithecine</span> Extinct subtribe of the Hominini tribe, and members of the human clade

Australopithecina or Hominina is a subtribe in the tribe Hominini. The members of the subtribe are generally Australopithecus, and it typically includes the earlier Ardipithecus, Orrorin, Sahelanthropus, and Graecopithecus. All these closely related species are now sometimes collectively termed australopiths or homininians. They are the extinct, close relatives of humans and, with the extant genus Homo, comprise the human clade. Members of the human clade, i.e. the Hominini after the split from the chimpanzees, are now called Hominina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim D. White</span> American paleoanthropologist

Tim D. White is an American paleoanthropologist and Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is best known for leading the team which discovered Ardi, the type specimen of Ardipithecus ramidus, a 4.4 million-year-old likely human ancestor. Prior to that discovery, his early career was notable for his work on Lucy as Australopithecus afarensis with discoverer Donald Johanson.

Aramis is a village and archaeological site in north-eastern Ethiopia, where remains of Australopithecus and Ardipithecus have been found. The village is located in Administrative Zone 5 of the Afar Region, which is part of the Afar Sultanate of Dawe, with a latitude and longitude of 10°30′N40°30′E, and is part of the, Carri Rasuk, Xaale Faagê Daqaara.

Lucy (<i>Australopithecus</i>) 3.2-million-year-old fossilized hominid

AL 288-1, commonly known as Lucy, is a collection of several hundred pieces of fossilized bone representing 40 percent of a female of the hominin species Australopithecus afarensis. In Ethiopia, the assembly is also known as Dinkinesh, which means "you are marvelous" in Amharic. Lucy was discovered in 1974 in Africa, at Hadar, a site in the Awash Valley of the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia, by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Chororapithecus is an extinct great ape from the Afar region of Ethiopia roughly 8 million years ago during the Late Miocene, comprising one species, C. abyssinicus. It is known from 9 isolated teeth discovered in a 2005–2007 survey of the Chorora Formation. The teeth are indistinguishable from those of gorillas in terms of absolute size and relative proportions, and it has been proposed to be an early member of Gorillini. However, this is controversial given the paucity of remains, and notable anatomical differences between Chororapithecus and gorilla teeth. The Kenyan ape Nakalipithecus has been proposed to be an ancestor of Chororapithecus or at least closely related. If correct, they would be the only identified fossil members of any modern non-human great ape lineage, and would push the gorilla–human last common ancestor from 8 million years ago to 10 million years ago. The teeth are adapted for processing tough plant fibres as well as hard, brittle food, and the formation is thought to represent a forested lakeside habitat.

<i>Ardipithecus kadabba</i> Hominin fossil

Ardipithecus kadabba is the scientific classification given to fossil remains "known only from teeth and bits and pieces of skeletal bones", originally estimated to be 5.8 to 5.2 million years old, and later revised to 5.77 to 5.54 million years old. According to the first description, these fossils are close to the common ancestor of chimps and humans. Their development lines are estimated to have parted 6.5–5.5 million years ago. It has been described as a "probable chronospecies" of A. ramidus. Although originally considered a subspecies of A. ramidus, in 2004 anthropologists Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Gen Suwa, and Tim D. White published an article elevating A. kadabba to species level on the basis of newly discovered teeth from Ethiopia. These teeth show "primitive morphology and wear pattern" which demonstrate that A. kadabba is a distinct species from A. ramidus.

<i>Ardipithecus ramidus</i> Extinct hominin from Early Pliocene Ethiopia

Ardipithecus ramidus is a species of australopithecine from the Afar region of Early Pliocene Ethiopia 4.4 million years ago (mya). A. ramidus, unlike modern hominids, has adaptations for both walking on two legs (bipedality) and life in the trees (arboreality). However, it would not have been as efficient at bipedality as humans, nor at arboreality as non-human great apes. Its discovery, along with Miocene apes, has reworked academic understanding of the chimpanzee-human last common ancestor from appearing much like modern day chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas to being a creature without a modern anatomical cognate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hominidae</span> Family of primates

The Hominidae, whose members are known as the great apes or hominids, are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: Pongo ; Gorilla ; Pan ; and Homo, of which only modern humans remain.

AL 333, commonly referred to as the "First Family", is a collection of prehistoric hominid teeth and bones. Discovered in 1975 by Donald Johanson's team in Hadar, Ethiopia, the "First Family" is estimated to be about 3.2 million years old, and consists of the remains of at least thirteen individuals of different ages. They are generally thought to be members of the species Australopithecus afarensis. There are multiple theories about the hominids' cause of death and some debate over their species and sexual dimorphism.

Ardi (ARA-VP-6/500) is the designation of the fossilized skeletal remains of an Ardipithecus ramidus, thought to be an early human-like female anthropoid 4.4 million years old. It is the most complete early hominid specimen, with most of the skull, teeth, pelvis, hands and feet, more complete than the previously known Australopithecus afarensis specimen called "Lucy." In all, 125 different pieces of fossilized bone were found.

Claude Owen Lovejoy is an evolutionary anthropologist and anatomist at Kent State University Ohio. He is best known for his work on Australopithecine locomotion and the origins of bipedalism. "The origin of man", which he published in Science in January 1981, is cited as among his best-known articles. The 'C' of his name stands for Claude, but he never uses the name and is known only as Owen.

Changes to the dental morphology and jaw are major elements of hominid evolution. These changes were driven by the types and processing of food eaten. The evolution of the jaw is thought to have facilitated encephalization, speech, and the formation of the uniquely human chin.

References

  1. ↑ "Gen Suwa | Invited Speakers & Abstracts of Lectures". Kyoto University-Inamori Foundation Joint Kyoto Prize Symposium. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "CDB Symposium 2017: Gen Suwa". RIKEN . Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ Gibbons, Ann (March 2010). "The human family's earliest ancestors". Smithsonian . Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Gen Suwa". carta.anthropogeny.org. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Sanders, Robert (October 1, 2009). "Ethiopian desert yields oldest hominid skeleton". University of California, Berkeley . Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ Britannica Book of the Year 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2010. p. 190. ISBN   9781615353668.
  7. ↑ Reader, John (2011). Missing Links: In Search of Human Origins. OUP Oxford. p. 426. ISBN   9780191619861.
  8. ↑ Wren, Kathy (1 October 2009). "Press release: Before "Lucy," There Was "Ardi": First Major Analysis of One of Earliest Known Hominids Published in Science". AAAS.
  9. ↑ Choi, Charles (February 10, 2016). "Fossils shed new light on human-gorilla split". Live Science . Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Fossil analysis pushes back human split from other primates by two million years". Science Daily. February 16, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Asahi Prize". Asahi Shimbun Foundation. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Gen Suwa". National Academy of Sciences . Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Faculty Search". University of Tokyo . Retrieved November 3, 2016.
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