Integrating the genotype and phenotype in hominid paleontology

Abstract

Competing interpretations of human origins and evolution have recently proliferated despite the accelerated pace of fossil discovery. These controversies parallel those involving other vertebrate families and result from the difficulty of studying evolution among closely related species. Recent advances in developmental and quantitative genetics show that some conventions routinely used by hominid and other mammalian paleontologists are unwarranted. These same advances provide ways to integrate knowledge of the genotype into the study of the phenotype. The result is an approach that promises to yield a fuller understanding of evolution below the family level.

Fig. 1.

Drawing of the inferior view of the human skull from a well known anatomy textbook (11) showing the nature of anatomical nomenclature.