{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T06:18:24Z","timestamp":1790921904165,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"National Academy of Sciences","issue":"22","content-domain":{"domain":["www.pnas.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,29]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    The type specimen for\n                    <jats:italic>Australopithecus africanus<\/jats:italic>\n                    (Taung) includes a natural endocast that reproduces most of the external morphology of the right cerebral hemisphere and a fragment of fossilized face that articulates with the endocast. Despite the fact that Taung died between 3 and 4 y of age, the endocast reproduces a small triangular-shaped remnant of the anterior fontanelle, from which a clear metopic suture (MS) courses rostrally along the midline [Hrdli\u010dka A (1925)\n                    <jats:italic>Am J Phys Anthropol<\/jats:italic>\n                    8:379\u2013392]. Here we describe and interpret this feature of Taung in light of comparative fossil and actualistic data on the timing of MS closure. In great apes, the MS normally fuses shortly after birth, such that unfused MS similar to Taung\u2019s are rare. In humans, however, MS fuses well after birth, and partially or unfused MS are frequent. In gracile fossil adult hominins that lived between \u223c3.0 and 1.5 million y ago, MS are also relatively frequent, indicating that the modern human-like pattern of late MS fusion may have become adaptive during early hominin evolution. Selective pressures favoring delayed fusion might have resulted from three aspects of perinatal ontogeny: (\n                    <jats:italic>i<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) the difficulty of giving birth to large-headed neonates through birth canals that were reconfigured for bipedalism (the \u201cobstetric dilemma\u201d), (\n                    <jats:italic>ii<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) high early postnatal brain growth rates, and (\n                    <jats:italic>iii<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) reorganization and expansion of the frontal neocortex. Overall, our data indicate that hominin brain evolution occurred within a complex network of fetopelvic constraints, which required modification of frontal neurocranial ossification patterns.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1119752109","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,8]],"date-time":"2012-05-08T03:17:40Z","timestamp":1336447060000},"page":"8467-8470","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.cm10313","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":60,"title":["Metopic suture of Taung (\n                    <i>Australopithecus africanus<\/i>\n                    ) and its implications for hominin brain evolution"],"prefix":"10.1073","volume":"109","author":[{"given":"Dean","family":"Falk","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM 87505;"},{"name":"Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306; and"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christoph P. E.","family":"Zollikofer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Z\u00fcrich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Naoki","family":"Morimoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Z\u00fcrich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcia S.","family":"Ponce de Le\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Z\u00fcrich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"341","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/115195a0"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","first-page":"567","article-title":"Dental enamel hypoplasia, age at death, and weaning in the Taung child","volume":"101","author":"Lacruz RS","year":"2005","unstructured":"RS Lacruz, FR Ramirez Rozzi, TG Bromage, Dental enamel hypoplasia, age at death, and weaning in the Taung child. S Afr J Sci 101, 567\u2013569 (2005).","journal-title":"S Afr J Sci"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajpa.20697"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.168.3934.966"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajpa.21570"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2012.01.005"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","volume-title":"Adventures With the Missing Link","author":"Dart RA","year":"1959","unstructured":"RA Dart, D Craig Adventures With the Missing Link (Harper, New York, 1959)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","volume-title":"New Discoveries Relating to the Antiquity of Man","author":"Keith A","year":"1931","unstructured":"A Keith New Discoveries Relating to the Antiquity of Man (W. W. Norton, New York, 1931)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajpa.21184"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1525\/9780520949645"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","first-page":"155","article-title":"The endocranial casts of the South African ape-men","volume":"2","author":"Schepers G","year":"1946","unstructured":"G Schepers, The endocranial casts of the South African ape-men. Transvaal Mus Mem 2, 155\u2013272 (1946).","journal-title":"Transvaal Mus Mem"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","first-page":"85","article-title":"The brain casts of recently discovered Plesianthropus skulls","volume":"4","author":"Schepers G","year":"1950","unstructured":"G Schepers, The brain casts of recently discovered Plesianthropus skulls. Transvaal Mus Mem 4, 85\u2013117 (1950).","journal-title":"Transvaal Mus Mem"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1006\/jhev.1999.0378"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2008.10.008"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajpa.1330080402"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.PRS.0000080729.28749.A3"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2844176"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1631-0683(02)00001-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","volume-title":"Epigenetic Variants of the Human Skull","author":"Hauser G","year":"1989","unstructured":"G Hauser, GF De Stefano Epigenetic Variants of the Human Skull (E. Schweizerbart'sche, Stuttgart, 1989)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ca.20663"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ar.20647"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4419-8873-7_5"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/1005610"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajpa.1330090206"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2164-8-458"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1188021"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1601-0825.2011.01862.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.41.4.829"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00001665-200111000-00005"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2006.05.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2009.11.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1003865108"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0047-2484(86)80052-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0047-2484(87)90004-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_35_2","volume-title":"Obstetrics and the Newborn: An Illustrated Textbook","author":"Beischer N","year":"1997","unstructured":"N Beischer, E Mackay, P Colditz Obstetrics and the Newborn: An Illustrated Textbook (WB Saunders, London, 1997)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/ajp.20012"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2005.02.008"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_38_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/aja.1000440306"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_39_2","first-page":"568","article-title":"Acrocephalo-oligodactylism in a wild chimpanzee","volume":"92","author":"Schultz AH","year":"1958","unstructured":"AH Schultz, Acrocephalo-oligodactylism in a wild chimpanzee. J Anat 92, 568\u2013579 (1958).","journal-title":"J Anat"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_40_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nature05047"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cercor\/bhq191"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_42_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2004.03.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_43_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.022440799"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_44_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhevol.2010.06.011"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_45_2","first-page":"272","volume-title":"Evolution of the Primate Brain: From Neuron to Behavior","author":"Zollikofer CPE","year":"2012","unstructured":"CPE Zollikofer Evolution of the Primate Brain: From Neuron to Behavior, eds M Hofman, D Falk (Elsevier, London), pp. 272\u2013292 (2012)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0803917105"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_47_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0047-2484(81)80094-2"}],"container-title":["Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/pnas.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1073\/pnas.1119752109","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,12]],"date-time":"2022-04-12T21:25:57Z","timestamp":1649798757000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/pnas.org\/doi\/full\/10.1073\/pnas.1119752109"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,7]]},"references-count":47,"journal-issue":{"issue":"22","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,29]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1073\/pnas.1119752109"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1119752109","relation":{},"ISSN":["0027-8424","1091-6490"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0027-8424","type":"print"},{"value":"1091-6490","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,7]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2012-05-07","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}