Laetoli's lost tracks: 3D generated mean shape and missing footprints

Scientific Reports
M R BennettM Budka

Abstract

The Laetoli site (Tanzania) contains the oldest known hominin footprints, and their interpretation remains open to debate, despite over 35 years of research. The two hominin trackways present are parallel to one another, one of which is a composite formed by at least two individuals walking in single file. Most researchers have focused on the single, clearly discernible G1 trackway while the G2/3 trackway has been largely dismissed due to its composite nature. Here we report the use of a new technique that allows us to decouple the G2 and G3 tracks for the first time. In so doing we are able to quantify the mean footprint topology of the G3 trackway and render it useable for subsequent data analyses. By restoring the effectively 'lost' G3 track, we have doubled the available data on some of the rarest traces directly associated with our Pliocene ancestors.

References

Apr 1, 1987·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·T D White, G Suwa
Sep 16, 2008·Journal of Biomechanics·Todd C PatakyRobin H Crompton
Mar 22, 2013·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·K T BatesR H Crompton
May 4, 2013·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Sarita A MorseRobin H Crompton

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Citations

Aug 5, 2016·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Kevin G HatalaBrian G Richmond
Dec 15, 2016·ELife·William L Jungers
Sep 11, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jérémy DuveauDominique Cliquet
Jul 12, 2019·PeerJ·Jens N Lallensack
Dec 24, 2018·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Jeremy DeSilvaBernhard Zipfel
Apr 14, 2021·Journal of Forensic Sciences·Hannah J LarsenMatthew R Bennett
May 17, 2021·Journal of Human Evolution·Christopher B RuffMichael Baksh
Jun 27, 2021·Science & Justice : Journal of the Forensic Science Society·Hannah LarsenMatthew R Bennett

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Software Mentioned

ArcMap
MATLAB
pSPM
Track Transformer

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