Ribcage measurements indicate greater lung capacity in Neanderthals and Lower Pleistocene hominins compared to modern humans.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Garcia-Martinez D
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6123625 | biostudies-literature | 2018
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Ribcage measurements indicate greater lung capacity in Neanderthals and Lower Pleistocene hominins compared to modern humans.
García-Martínez Daniel D Torres-Tamayo Nicole N Torres-Sánchez Isabel I García-Río Francisco F Rosas Antonio A Bastir Markus M
Communications biology 20180816
Our most recent fossil relatives, the Neanderthals, had a large brain and a very heavy body compared to modern humans. This type of body requires high levels of energetic intake. While food (meat and fat consumption) is a source of energy, oxygen via respiration is also necessary for metabolism. We would therefore expect Neanderthals to have large respiratory capacities. Here we estimate the pulmonary capacities of Neanderthals, based on costal measurements and physiological data from a modern h ...[more]
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