image: Crania are ordered (from front to back) from least variable within species to most: Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Humans, Siamangs, Gorillas, Bornean Orangutans and Sumatran Orangutans. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Roderick Mickens/AMNH.
Researchers report that, across 12 species of living hominoids, including apes and humans, variation of cranial shape within a species reflects the amount of genetic diversity within that species and that the processes underlying the genetic diversity are likely factors such as genetic drift and mutation rather than selection or developmental constraints.
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Article #18-02651: "Hominoid intraspecific cranial variation mirrors neutral genetic diversity," by Julia M. Zichello, Karen L. Baab, Kieran P. McNulty, Christopher J. Raxworthy, and Michael E. Steiper.
MEDIA CONTACT: Julia M. Zichello, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY; tel: 212-769-5138; e-mail: jzichello@amnh.org
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences