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The length of time it takes to experimentally make one-sided choppers, as found in the fossil record, bears a linear relationship to the knapping process of fabricating them. In addition, this temporal frame appears to be related to human heart rates measured as beats per minute, which act as a physiological metronome. We achieved these observations, assuming that any paleolithic one-sided chopper has the information needed to estimate, quantitatively, the number of strikes on it. The experimental data allow us to establish the total timing needed for the standard fabricating of any one-sided chopper. We discuss issues derived from these experimental results, showing the evolution of human neurological abilities from 2.4 million years ago to the Modern period via the duration of time needed for making one chopper to that needed to play a 19th-century music score on a piano. Given that the neuronal and physiological distance between both actions differs by a factor of 6, we propose the concept of "technome" to measure human evolution by using methodological homogeneous metrics applied to these two human technologic objects: the chopper and the piano.

International audience The Sima del Elefante cave, in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain), is famous for the fact that level TE9 of its Lower Red Unit recently delivered the oldest hominin remains of Western Europe, identified as Homo antecessor and dated by biostratigraphy and radiometric methods to ca 1.2 Ma. Given the importance of this discovery, every effort is being made to reconstruct the landscapes where these hominins once thrived. The amphibian and squamate reptile assemblage of the Sima del Elefante Lower Red Unit is here studied for the first time. The faunal list comprises at least 17 species (roughly 12,000 bone fossil remains): Salamandra salamandra, Triturus cf. marmoratus, Alytes obstetricans, Pelobates cultripes, Pelodytes punctatus, Bufo bufo, Bufo calamita, Hyla arborea, Rana sp., cf. Pelophylax sp., Lacerta s.l., small-sized indeterminate lacertids, Anguis fragilis, Natrix cf. natrix, Natrix cf. maura, Coronella cf. girondica and Vipera sp.As the amphibians and squamate reptiles do not differ at species level from the extant herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, they can contribute to the reconstruction of the landscape and climate. In this paper, the mutual climatic range and habitat weighting methods are applied to the amphibian and squamate reptile assemblages in order to estimate quantitative data. The results from the squamate and amphibian study indicate that during the hominin presence the mean annual temperature (MAT = 10–13 °C) was always slightly warmer than at present and the mean annual precipitation (MAP = 800–1000 mm) was greater than today in the Burgos area. The landscape had open habitats in the vicinity of the Atapuerca caves throughout the sequence, with wet points in the surrounding area, and a predominance of humid meadows and open woodlands. These results mainly agree with those for large mammals, small mammals and the pollen analysis.The climate and landscape of TE-LRU are very similar to those reconstructed for the TD6 "Aurora Stratum" level of the Gran Dolina ...

21 pages, 10 figures, 1 table. ; [EN] The "Sima del Elefante" (TE site) (Atapuerca, Spain) is a major cave infill with a stratigraphic succession 25 m thick and 15 m wide, wealthy in animal bones and evidences of human occupation at different Pleistocene ages. TE site is under systematic excavation since 1996, and the inferior and superior levels are being dug up independently. The exposed section has been divided into 21 lito-stratigraphic units defined by major unconformities. Concerning the cave history, at least three main infill phases have been identified. The lower phase (TE8-TE14) is dated to Early Pleistocene (between 1.1 and 1.4 million years ago) on the basis of inverse paleomagnetics and belonging to the later Early Pleistocene on the basis of biochronology. The TE lower phase is providing a rich faunal assemblage, and shows evidence of human occupation. A set of stone tools of flint, and possibly, calcareous, is being found at these levels. Hence, the lower part of the TE section documents early presence of hominids in Europe and constituted an important element in the understanding of human dispersions out-of-Africa. The middle phase (TE15-TE19) dated to Middle Pleistocene and it is further sud-divided into a basal part (TE15-TE17), still largely unexplored, but no vertebrate fossil record is present at this levels. Units TE18, and mainly TE19 unit, date to late Middle Pleistocene, and contain an abundant record of large mammals as well as stone tools included in calcareous breccias. The TE19 G level contains abundant pieces of charcoal, though verification of its antropic character is pending. Finally, the third and last sedimentary phase (TE20 and TE21) date to Last Pleistocene and it defined the final infilling of the cavity and soil formation. The chronological intervals represented in the fertile levels of the Sima del Elefante enlarge the temporal and biostratigraphic local succession at the Atapuerca Hill complex. The lower phase was deposited in a time previous to the lower levels from Gran Dolina site (TD4), whereas the TE upper levels possibly correspond to a moment later than the sedimentation of Galería GIII/GIV, and Gran Dolina TD10/TD11. In addition, the structural features of the TE site together with its sedimentary and arqueo-paleontological record allow the eventual exploration of problems that remain unresolved in other Atapuerca cave sites. ; [ES] El yacimiento de la Sima del Elefante (TE) (Atapuerca, España) se localiza en el extremo sur de la trinchera del ferrocarril de la Sierra de Atapuerca. TE constituye una sección transversal de una antigua galería kárstica totalmente colmatada de sedimentos pleistocenos. La secuencia estratigráfica completa alcanza los 25 m de potencia y ha sido dividida en 21 unidades lito-estratigráficas delimitadas por discontinuidades mayores. La historia de la cavidad puede ordenarse en al menos tres fases. La fase inferior (niveles TE8 a TE14) data del tercio final del Pleistoceno Inferior, con una cronología entre 1.1 y 1.4 millones de años. Es rica en registro arqueo-paleontológico y presenta claras evidencias de actividad antrópica. Dada su cronología, los niveles inferiores de TE representan un importante referente para la comprensión de la primera colonización humana de Europa. La fase intermedia la constituyen las unidades TE15 a TE19. El tramo basal de esta segunda fase de relleno (TE15 a TE17) hasta la fecha no ha deparado contenido fósil. El tramo superior (TE18 y TE19), cuya cronología parece corresponder a la parte final del Pleistoceno Medio, es rica en restos de grandes mamíferos e industria lítica sobre sílex y cuarcita. La unidad TE19 se caracteriza por una sucesión de coladas detríticas ("debris-flow") (TE19A a TE19G), con matriz muy dura y carbonatada, rica en huesos de grandes mamíferos y ausencia de micromamíferos. El nivel TE19G contiene abundantes restos de carbón pendiente de verificar su posible carácter antrópico. Finalmente, la tercera y última fase de relleno (TE20 y TE21) corresponde al Pleistoceno superior y se define por la colmatación final de la cavidad y formación de un horizonte edáfico. Los intervalos cronológicos representados en los niveles fértiles de la Sima del Elefante (TE) complementan la secuencia cronológica y bioestratigráfica local del complejo Atapuerca. La fase inferior de TE tuvo lugar en un tiempo anterior a los niveles inferiores de Gran Dolina (TD4), mientras que el relleno de las unidades superiores de TE corresponde a un momento posterior a la sedimentación de GIII/GIV de Galería y TD10/TD11 de Gran Dolina. ; The MCYT Project BOS2003-08938- C03-02, and the CSIC Unidades Asociadas program have funded this research. The government of Junta de Castilla y León funded fieldwork. Thanks are also given to the Fundación Atapuerca for his financial support to several authors of this contribution. ; Peer reviewed