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Evidence of trauma in a ca. 1-million-year-old patella of Homo antecessor, Gran Dolina-Atapuerca (Spain)

Martín-Francés, L; Martinón-Torres, M; Gracia-Téllez, A; Bermúdez de Castro, JM; (2016) Evidence of trauma in a ca. 1-million-year-old patella of Homo antecessor, Gran Dolina-Atapuerca (Spain). Comptes Rendus Palevol , 15 (8) 10.1016/j.crpv.2016.04.014. Green open access

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Abstract

We present the palaeopathological study of a left patella (ATD6-56) belonging to the Early Pleistocene species Homo antecessor (Atapuerca-Gran Dolina, Spain). The abnormal morphology observed in the inferior margin of the patella is an osseous overgrowth (osteophyte). Macroscopic and microscopic techniques, including microtomography and zoom stereomicroscope, were used to describe the lesion. Externally, the osteophyte has a smooth and porous texture; the boundary between the more radiolucent osteophyte and the normal bone can be identified in X-ray images. We suggest that the observed signs could be secondary to a local trauma. The lesion would have involved either the bone or related soft tissues of the left limb, possibly affecting the stability of the joint. Consequently, the individual's knee would have suffered an abnormal mechanical load that could have eventually triggered osteoarthritic changes. This is also supported by the lack of changes observed in the associated right patella (ATD6-22).

Type: Article
Title: Evidence of trauma in a ca. 1-million-year-old patella of Homo antecessor, Gran Dolina-Atapuerca (Spain)
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.crpv.2016.04.014
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2016.04.014
Language: English
Additional information: © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licenses are available at http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0. Access may be initially restricted by the publisher.
Keywords: Osteophyte; Trauma; Paleopathology; Patella; Homo antecessor
UCL classification: UCL
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UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Anthropology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1508621
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