The females of two species of bipedal hominids that lived in the African savanna a million years ago,Australopithèque y Paranthropus robustus, tended to leave the group in which they were born to join another, while the males remained in their original place of birth, according to a study by the University of Colorado Boulder (USA). The group of scientists led by paleoanthropologist Sandi Copeland used a geochemical indicator – strontium isotopes found in tooth enamel – to determine the movements of various hominids. The research, published in the latest issue of the journalNature, point to whatfemale hominids were more likely than males to leave their natural group behind, a characteristic behavior of chimpanzees and some modern human groups, but not of gorillas and most other primates.
The researchers used laser ablation on hominin teeth to measure the isotope levels ofstrontium, an element found in rocks and soils. ? The amounts of the different strontium isotopes are a direct reflection of the foods that these hominins ate, and also an indicator of the local geology of the place where they lived ,? explains Copeland. The analyzes reveal thatmore than half of the female teeth had been formed far from the place where those women were born, up to 600 kilometersaway. In contrast, only a small proportion of the specimens believed to be male came from an environment other than the one in which they were found. ? Here we have the first direct evidence of geographical movements of ancient hominids, and everything points towomen were the most traveling? explains the researcher.
