Infant craniofacial diversity in Early Pleistocene Homo

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59734-x
Abstract
The adult craniofacial diversity of early Pleistocene
Homo species is relatively well-documented, but its
developmental foundations is hindered by the scarcity
of infant specimens with preserved skeletal features.
Here, we present evidence of craniofacial development
in early Pleistocene Homo infants. This study focuses
on a mandible (Omo 222-1973-2744) from the Lower Omo
Valley in Ethiopia, attributed to Homo habilis, along
with a mandible (KW 7000) from Kromdraai and a maxilla
(DNH 83) from Drimolen, both in South Africa. We find
that early Homo from southern Africa includes infant
specimens with diagnostic facial features, with
DNH 83 and KW 7000 uniquely combining both dental and
skeletal evidence. Structural differences between the
mandibles of Omo 222-1973-2744 and KW 7000 attributed
to Homo aff. H. erectus, suggest that taxonomic
diversity in early Homo was already evident in infancy.
Furthermore, the unique combination of mandibular and
dental features in these infants highlights the
importance of integrating both dental and cranial
morphology to identify early Homo.