At a Glance
- Reconstructions of four ancient Homo sapiens ribcages reveal they share the globular proportions typical of modern humans, suggesting a similar thoracic structure in our species.
- The research indicates that the size and shape of these ancient ribcages were heavily influenced by climate, with smaller, cylindrical chests found in warmer temperate environments.
- In contrast, early humans living in colder climates, like the individual from Dolní Věstonice, developed larger and broader ribcages as an adaptation to conserve body heat.
- The ribcage of the Dolní Věstonice 13 fossil was surprisingly large, challenging the belief that Homo sapiens were always more slender than Neanderthals and Homo erectus.
- These findings highlight that human anatomical variation is complex, shaped by environmental plasticity and not reducible to a single, universally slender body plan for our species.
A new digital reconstruction of Ötzi the Iceman’s rib cage is helping to reshape our understanding of human evolution. For years, scientists have debated whether the slender thorax, or chest, of modern humans is a relatively new evolutionary trait. A study published in the journal Communications Biology sought to answer this by creating the first 3D models of the ribcages of four ancient Homo sapiens, revealing that our species’ body shape has always been more varied than previously believed.
Led by researcher José M. López-Rey, a team digitally reconstructed the ribs of Ötzi, who lived over 5,000 years ago, alongside three much older individuals: Nazlet Khater 2 from Egypt, Ohalo II H2 from Israel, and Dolní Věstonice 13 from the Czech Republic. These models were then compared to those of modern humans, as well as two Neanderthals and a Homo erectus. The analysis revealed that all ancient Homo sapiens fossils exhibited rounded, or “globular,” ribcage proportions characteristic of people today, indicating a shared, fundamental body plan within our species.
The study also uncovered a strong link between ribcage shape and climate. The fossils from warmer regions, Nazlet Khater 2 and Ohalo II H2, had smaller and more cylindrical chests, a shape that helps dissipate heat. In contrast, the Dolní Věstonice 13 individual, who lived in an Ice Age environment, possessed a much larger and broader ribcage. This stockier build would have been advantageous for conserving body heat. Ötzi’s ribcage showed mixed features, falling between the two extremes, which the researchers suggest may have been beneficial for his lifestyle of seasonal movement through the Alps.
These findings challenge the long-standing notion that Homo sapiens have always had a more slender and less robust build than other ancient humans, such as Neanderthals. The Dolní Věstonice 13 ribcage, for example, was nearly as large as a Neanderthal’s and broader than that of a Homo erectus. This highlights that human anatomy is not based on a single blueprint but is highly adaptable. The authors note that this “climatic plasticity” indicates that human variation is more complex and context-dependent than previously thought.
References
- Arnold, P. & Phys.org. (2025, July 16). New study links human ribcage shape to climate. Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-links-human-ribcage-climate.html
- López-Rey, J. M., Crevecoeur, I., May, H., Nadel, D., Palancar, C. A., Gómez-Recio, M., García-Martínez, D., & Bastir, M. (2025). Fossil ribcages of Homo sapiens provide new insights into modern human evolution. Communications Biology, 8(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08472-3
