SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences © Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 earth.scichina.com link.springer.com *Corresponding author (email: panlei@ivpp.ac.cn) †Corresponding author (email: wuxiujie@ivpp.ac.cn)  RESEARCH PAPER  doi: 10.1007/s11430-014-4850-3 Latitudinal and climatic distributions of 3D craniofacial features among Holocene populations PAN Lei 1,2* , WEI Dong 3 & WU XiuJie 1† 1 Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; 2 Université de Toulouse (Paul Sabatier), Toulouse 31400, France; 3 Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China Received April 9, 2013; accepted September 4, 2013 The geographical and climatic patterning in craniofacial morphology among recent hominids has been regarded as relatively reliable evidence of environmental adaptation and natural selection, which is largely attributed to thermoregulation. However, the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on craniofacial features is unclear. Our study employed 3D laser scanning techniques to evaluate the association between geographical (latitude), climatic (annual temperature) factors, and 3D craniofacial measurements in 18 recent populations through bivariate correlation analysis. Significant correlations were found among braincase surface area, zygomatic bone surface area, cranial-facial index (facial surface area relative to braincase sur- face area) and local temperature, and a clear latitudinal gradient was also found in variation of braincase surface area. No sig- nificant correlations were found between zygomatic bone surface area, cranial-facial index and latitude. Our analysis supports the idea that the braincase functions as a radiator and is closely related to direct sunlight. We also suggest that absolute/relative craniofacial surface area varies consistently with predictions derived from Bergmann’s Rule. The mosaic craniofacial traits of American Indians may reflect retention of cold-derived, ancestral features, as well as a response to a slightly warmer climate. Because different craniofacial regions preserve environmental/genetic signatures differentially, caution is suggested when cra- niofacial anatomy is used for phylogenetic reconstruction and functional-morphological analysis. Holocene population, craniofacial morphology, surface area, latitude, temperature Citation: Pan L, Wei D, Wu X J. 2014. Latitudinal and climatic distributions of 3D craniofacial features among Holocene populations. Science China: Earth Sciences, doi: 10.1007/s11430-014-4850-3 Certain biological (both phenotypical and genotypical) traits in humans have been shown to reflect phylogenetic rela- tionships. For example, the deep infraglabellar notch, marked prognathism, and flat frontal bone are distinctive Australian/Melanesian characters. Very flat faces in the transverse plane are the most common condition in eastern Asians. Some sub-Saharan Africans share similar character- istics with Australians in terms of marked prognathism and flat frontal bones in the sagittal plane on the one hand, and with eastern Asians on the other hand for flat nasal and zy- gomaxillary regions (Hanihara, 2000; Zhu, 2004). At the same time, however, ecogeographic patterning of cranial and postcranial features stands as one of the best examples of human morphological adaptation to climate (Auerbach, 2007; Coon, 1962). Populations adapted to cold and/or dry environments tend to present more protrusive, narrower skeletal nasal apertures and more projecting turbinates in the internal chamber, while populations adapted to hot/humid climates, especially in equatorial areas, present just the op- posite (Hanihara, 2000; Thomson, 1903). Body shape varies systematically along latitudinal and climatic clines in modern