1
|
Johnston RA, Cowgill LW. The path less traveled: Using structural equation modeling to investigate factors influencing bone functional morphology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24999. [PMID: 39049572 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The relationship between an organism's mechanical environment and its bone strength has been long established by experimental research. Multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including body mass, muscle strength, genetic background, and nutritional and/or hormonal status, are likely to influence bone deposition and resorption throughout the lifespan, complicating this relationship. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is uniquely positioned to parse this complex set of influences. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including sex, total body mass, lean body mass, exercise frequency, peak body mass, and age, were analyzed using SEM to determine how they affect bone strength both individually and combined. RESULTS Body mass is typically the driver of cross-sectional area, but body mass and lean mass have similar effects on the polar moment of area (J). Peak body mass had a strong direct effect on J, despite decreasing strongly with increases in lean mass. Exercise also did not confer a large direct effect on cross-sectional area or J but did modify body mass and lean mass. In females, intentional weight loss was associated with decreased exercise levels. DISCUSSION SEM is a useful tool for parsing complex systems in bone functional morphology and has the potential to uncover causal links in the study of skeletal remodeling, including factors like weight loss or exercise that may have secondary effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rob'yn A Johnston
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Libby W Cowgill
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cosnefroy Q, Berillon G, Gilissen E, Brige P, Chaumoître K, Lamberton F, Marchal F. New insights into patterns of integration in the femur and pelvis among catarrhines. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24931. [PMID: 38491922 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Integration reflects the level of coordinated variation of the phenotype. The integration of postcranial elements can be studied from a functional perspective, especially with regards to locomotion. This study investigates the link between locomotion, femoral structural properties, and femur-pelvis complex morphology. MATERIALS AND METHODS We measured (1) morphological integration between femoral and pelvic morphologies using geometric morphometrics, and (2) covariation between femoral/pelvic morphologies and femoral diaphyseal cross-sectional properties, which we defined as morpho-structural integration. Morphological and morpho-structural integration patterns were measured among humans (n = 19), chimpanzees and bonobos (n = 16), and baboons (n = 14), whose locomotion are distinct. RESULTS Baboons show the highest magnitude of morphological integration and the lowest of morpho-structural integration. Chimpanzees and bonobos show intermediate magnitude of morphological and morpho-structural integration. Yet, body size seems to have a considerable influence on both integration patterns, limiting the interpretations. Finally, humans present the lowest morphological integration and the highest morpho-structural integration between femoral morphology and structural properties but not between pelvic morphology and femur. DISCUSSION Morphological and morpho-structural integration depict distinct strategies among the samples. A strong morphological integration among baboon's femur-pelvis module might highlight evidence for long-term adaptation to quadrupedalism. In humans, it is likely that distinct selective pressures associated with the respective function of the pelvis and the femur tend to decrease morphological integration. Conversely, high mechanical loading on the hindlimbs during bipedal locomotion might result in specific combination of structural and morphological features within the femur.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emmanuel Gilissen
- Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Laboratory of Histology and Neuropathology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pauline Brige
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, CERIMED, Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille, Pôle Pharmacie, Radiopharmacie, Marseille, France
| | - Kathia Chaumoître
- UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Univ-CNRS-EFS, Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital Nord, Aix-Marseille Univ, Service d'Imagerie Médicale, Marseille, France
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Barak MM. Cortical and Trabecular Bone Modeling and Implications for Bone Functional Adaptation in the Mammalian Tibia. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024; 11:514. [PMID: 38790379 PMCID: PMC11118124 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11050514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Bone modeling involves the addition of bone material through osteoblast-mediated deposition or the removal of bone material via osteoclast-mediated resorption in response to perceived changes in loads by osteocytes. This process is characterized by the independent occurrence of deposition and resorption, which can take place simultaneously at different locations within the bone due to variations in stress levels across its different regions. The principle of bone functional adaptation states that cortical and trabecular bone tissues will respond to mechanical stimuli by adjusting (i.e., bone modeling) their morphology and architecture to mechanically improve their mechanical function in line with the habitual in vivo loading direction. This principle is relevant to various research areas, such as the development of improved orthopedic implants, preventative medicine for osteopenic elderly patients, and the investigation of locomotion behavior in extinct species. In the present review, the mammalian tibia is used as an example to explore cortical and trabecular bone modeling and to examine its implications for the functional adaptation of bones. Following a short introduction and an exposition on characteristics of mechanical stimuli that influence bone modeling, a detailed critical appraisal of the literature on cortical and trabecular bone modeling and bone functional adaptation is given. By synthesizing key findings from studies involving small mammals (rodents), large mammals, and humans, it is shown that examining both cortical and trabecular bone structures is essential for understanding bone functional adaptation. A combined approach can provide a more comprehensive understanding of this significant physiological phenomenon, as each structure contributes uniquely to the phenomenon.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meir M Barak
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chevalier T, Colard T. Inferring the mobility of a middle Upper Paleolithic female skeleton from Caviglione (Liguria, Italy): Impact of trauma and mountainous terrain. J Hum Evol 2023; 184:103428. [PMID: 37741140 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Mobility and territory occupation, the participation of injured individuals in group activities, and the role of women in early human groups are crucial issues in human evolution. Previously, a biomechanical study showed evidence of several traumas to the upper limb of the well-preserved middle Upper Paleolithic (UP) female skeleton from Caviglione (Caviglione 1, Liguria, Italy) but did not characterize their impact on locomotor behavior. Furthermore, mobility in the European UP context is thoroughly documented in males but not in females. Therefore, we examined whether this trauma-affected female skeleton shows bone adaptation to high mobility, as expected in UP groups, and to frequent foot eversion and inversion, as expected, given the mountainous area in which it was discovered. This study investigated the structural properties of the femur, tibia, fibula, and first metatarsal to infer the mobility level and pattern of Caviglione 1. We analyzed the diaphyseal 'shape', robusticity, fibular cortical distribution, and relative robusticity (fibula versus tibia). No substantial findings were derived from the first metatarsal. The fibular cortical distribution can discriminate 'active' (nomadic or settled) and recent sedentary human groups; these findings indicated Caviglione 1 belonged to the former. Interestingly, compared with ancient and recent sedentary humans and some UP individuals, Caviglione 1 had femurs with strong relative anteroposterior rigidity and robust tibias and fibulas reflecting an adaptation to extremely high levels of mobility. The very high relative fibular robusticity of Caviglione 1, higher than that of Middle UP males, is consistent with bone adaptation to frequent travel through mountainous terrain. Such fibular robusticity may also be a consequence of imbalance, due to upper limb traumas, when traveling downhill. These findings indicate that injured individuals may have participated in subsistence activities in past populations and describe an UP female with bone adaptations to habitual high mobility, notably in mountainous terrain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tony Chevalier
- UMR 7194 HNHP, University of Perpignan via Domitia, EPCC-CERP de Tautavel, Avenue Léon Jean Grégory, Tautavel 66720, France.
| | - Thomas Colard
- UMR 5199 PACEA, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC; Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, CS50023, Pessac F-33615, France; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, University of Lille, CHU Lille, Lille F-59000, France
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Konner M, Eaton SB. Hunter-gatherer diets and activity as a model for health promotion: Challenges, responses, and confirmations. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:206-222. [PMID: 37417918 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Beginning in 1985, we and others presented estimates of hunter-gatherer (and ultimately ancestral) diet and physical activity, hoping to provide a model for health promotion. The Hunter-Gatherer Model was designed to offset the apparent mismatch between our genes and the current Western-type lifestyle, a mismatch that arguably affects prevalence of many chronic degenerative diseases. The effort has always been controversial and subject to both scientific and popular critiques. The present article (1) addresses eight such challenges, presenting for each how the model has been modified in response, or how the criticism can be rebutted; (2) reviews new epidemiological and experimental evidence (including especially randomized controlled clinical trials); and (3) shows how official recommendations put forth by governments and health authorities have converged toward the model. Such convergence suggests that evolutionary anthropology can make significant contributions to human health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melvin Konner
- Department of Anthropology, Program in Anthropology and Human Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - S Boyd Eaton
- Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine (Emeritus), Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Walker MM, Oxenham MF, Vlok M, Matsumura H, Thi Mai Huong N, Trinh HH, Minh TT, Miszkiewicz JJ. Human femur morphology and histology variation with ancestry and behaviour in an ancient sample from Vietnam. Ann Anat 2023; 247:152054. [PMID: 36696927 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2023.152054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a genetic component to the minimum effective strain (MES)-a threshold which determines when bone will adapt to function-which suggests ancestry should play a role in bone (re)modelling. Further elucidating this is difficult in living human populations because of the high global genetic admixture. We examined femora from an anthropological skeletal assemblage (Mán Bạc, Vietnam) representing distinct ancestral groups. We tested whether femur morphological and histological markers of modelling and remodelling differed between ancestries despite their similar lifestyles. METHODS Static histomorphometry data collected from subperiosteal cortical bone of the femoral midshaft, and gross morphometric measures of femur robusticity, were studied in 17 individuals from the Mán Bạc collection dated to 1906-1523 cal. BC. This assemblage represents agricultural migrants with affinity to East Asian groups, who integrated with the local hunter-gatherers with affinity to Australo-Papuan groups during the mid-Holocene. Femur robusticity and histology data were compared between groups of 'Migrant' (n = 8), 'Admixed' (n = 4), and 'Local' (n = 5). RESULTS Local individuals had more robust femoral diaphyses with greater secondary osteon densities, and relatively large secondary osteon and Haversian canal parameters than the migrants. The Migrant group showed gracile femoral shafts with the least dense bone made up of small secondary osteons and Haversian canals. The Admixed individuals fell between the Migrant and Local categories in terms of their femoral data. However, we also found that measures of how densely bone is remodelled per unit area were in a tight range across all three ancestries. CONCLUSIONS Bone modelling and remodelling markers varied with ancestral histories in our sample. This suggests that there is an ancestry related predisposition to bone optimising its metabolic expenditure likely in relation to the MES. Our results stress the need to incorporate population genetic history into hierarchical bone analyses. Understanding ancestry effects on bone morphology has implications for interpreting biomechanical loading history in past and modern human populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meg M Walker
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, 0200 Canberra, ACT, Australia.
| | - Marc F Oxenham
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, 0200 Canberra, ACT, Australia; Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3FX Aberdeen, UK
| | - Melandri Vlok
- Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2050, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Nguyen Thi Mai Huong
- Anthropological and Palaeoenvironmental Department, The Institute of Archaeology of Vietnam, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Hoang Hiep Trinh
- Institute of Archaeology, Vietnam Academy of Social Science, 61 Phan Chu Trinh, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Tran T Minh
- Anthropological and Palaeoenvironmental Department, The Institute of Archaeology of Vietnam, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Justyna J Miszkiewicz
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, 0200 Canberra, ACT, Australia; School of Social Science, University of Queensland, 4072 St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pomeroy E. Review: The different adaptive trajectories in Neanderthals and Homo sapiens and their implications for contemporary human physiological variation. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2023; 280:111420. [PMID: 37001690 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Neanderthals are our one of our closest evolutionary cousins, but while they evolved in Eurasia, we (anatomically modern humans, AMH) originated in Africa. This contrasting evolutionary history has led to morphological and genetic distinctions between our species. Neanderthals are characterised by a relatively stocky build, high body mass, proportionally wide bodies and shorter limbs, a bell-shaped ribcage with a wide pelvis, and a long, low cranial vault compared with AMH. Classic readings of Neanderthal morphology link many of these traits to cold climate adaptations, however these interpretations have been questioned and alternative hypotheses including behavioural factors, dietary adaptations, locomotor specialisations, evolutionary history and neutral evolutionary processes have been invoked. Compared with AMH, Neanderthals may have been adapted for strength and power rather than endurance and may have consumed a diet high in animal products. However, reviewing these hypotheses highlights a number of limitations in our understanding of contemporary human physiology and metabolism, including the relationship between climate and morphology in AMH and Neanderthals, physiological limits on protein consumption, and the relationship between gut morphology and diet. As various relevant factors are clearly linked (e.g. diet, behaviour, metabolism, morphology, activity), ultimately a more integrated approach may be needed to fully understand Neanderthal biology. Variation among contemporary AMHs may offer, with caveats, a useful model for understanding the evolution of both Neanderthal and modern human characteristics, which in turn may further deepen our understanding of variability within and between contemporary humans. Neanderthals; Anatomically modern humans; morphology; climate adaptation; power adaptations; metabolism; diet; physiology; endurance running.
Collapse
|
8
|
Dittmar JM, Mulder B, Tran A, Mitchell PD, Jones PM, Inskip SA, Cessford C, Robb JE. Caring for the injured: Exploring the immediate and long-term consequences of injury in medieval Cambridge, England. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2023; 40:7-19. [PMID: 36401904 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To combine paleopathological and biomechanical analysis to reconstruct the impact that a severe skeletal injury had on an individual's ability to function and participate in medieval society. MATERIALS Three medieval individuals from Cambridge, England with ante-mortem fractures to the lower limb were analyzed. METHODS Plain X-rays were used to determine the degree of malunion, rotation and overlap of each fracture. Cortical bone architecture of the injured individuals and 28 uninjured controls were analyzed using micro-computed tomography (µCT). Clinical and functional consequences were examined using the Bioarcheology of Care framework. RESULTS The mechanism of injury, the secondary complications, and the extent of the care received was reconstructed for each individual. Bilateral asymmetry in the cortical bone architecture revealed the long-term alterations to each individual's gait. CONCLUSION Each of these individuals survived a severe injury resulting in chronic physical impairment, though not all would have been considered 'disabled'. SIGNIFICANCE This research contributes to the discussion about medieval care provision and social constructions of disability by illustrating how an interdisciplinary approach provides insight into the experiences of those with physical impairments. The integration of µCT imaging within the Bioarcheology of Care model is a novel approach with great potential for application across the field. LIMITATIONS Biomechanical analysis was restricted to cortical geometry. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH Further study of bilateral asymmetry in trabecular architecture could complement our understanding of altered loading modalities in past societies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Dittmar
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, UK; McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, UK.
| | - Bram Mulder
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anna Tran
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Sarah A Inskip
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, UK; School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, UK
| | - Craig Cessford
- Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, UK; Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - John E Robb
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kinkopf KM, Agarwal SC, Giuffra V, Minozzi S, Campana S, Caramella D, Riccomi G. Contextualizing bilateral asymmetry and gender: A multivariate approach to femoral cross-sectional geometry at rural Medieval Pieve di Pava, Italy. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:173-195. [PMID: 36790747 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Our objective was to identify the relationship between biocultural factors of sex-gender and age and patterns of femoral cross-sectional geometry with historical evidence about labor and activity from an archeological skeletal sample excavated from the rural Medieval site Pieve di Pava. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study site, Pieve di Pava, was a rural parish cemetery in Tuscany with osteoarcheological remains from the 7th to 12th centuries. Cross-sectional geometric analysis of femora from 110 individuals dated to the 10th-12th centuries were used to examine trends in bone quantity, shape, and bending strength between age and sex groups, as well as in clusters identified through Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). RESULTS Overall, our study sample showed remarkable heterogeneity and our cluster analysis revealed a complex underlying structure, indicating that divisions of labor did not follow a strict gender binary in our sample. We found high levels of bilateral asymmetry in our sample in multiple cross-sectional areas for a significant proportion of the population. We found minimal differences between age groups or sex. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that males and females had varied experiences of labor and work during their lives that did not reflect the strict binary gender roles sometimes documented for medieval Europe. One important axis of difference is the direction and magnitude of bilateral asymmetry observed in our femur sample, which is associated with divergent trends in section moduli and bone area measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Kinkopf
- Department of Geography and Anthropology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA
| | - Sabrina C Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | | | - Simona Minozzi
- Paleopathology Division, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Campana
- Department of History and Cultural Heritage, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | | | - Giulia Riccomi
- Paleopathology Division, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Devlin MJ, Eick GN, Snodgrass JJ. The utility of dried blood spot measurement of bone turnover markers in biological anthropology. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23816. [PMID: 36214251 PMCID: PMC9787861 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Bone is a dynamic organ under continual turnover influenced by life history stage, energy dynamics, diet, climate, and disease. Bone turnover data have enormous potential in biological anthropology for testing evolutionary and biocultural hypotheses, yet few studies have integrated these biomarkers. In the present article we systematically review the current availability, future viability, and applicability of measuring bone turnover markers (BTMs) in dried blood spot (DBS) samples obtained from finger prick whole blood. METHODS Our review considers clinical and public health relevance, biomarker stability in DBS, assay availability, and cost. We consider biomarkers of bone formation such as osteocalcin (bone matrix protein), PINP (N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen), and alkaline phosphatase (osteoblast enzyme), as well as biomarkers of bone resorption such as CTX (marker of collagen breakdown) and TRACP5b (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b; osteoclast enzyme). RESULTS Two BTMs have been validated for DBS: osteocalcin (formation) and TRACP5b (resorption). Prime candidates for future development are CTX and PINP, the formation and resorption markers used for clinical monitoring of response to osteoporosis treatment. CONCLUSION BTMs are a field-friendly technique for longitudinal monitoring of skeletal biology during growth, reproduction and aging, combining minimized risk to study participants with maximized ease of sample storage and transport. This combination allows new insights into the effects of energy availability, disease, and physical activity level on bone, and questions about bone gain and loss across life history and in response to environmental factors; these issues are important in human biology, paleoanthropology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maureen J. Devlin
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Geeta N. Eick
- Global Health Biomarker Laboratory, Department of AnthropologyUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA
| | - J. Josh Snodgrass
- Global Health Biomarker Laboratory, Department of AnthropologyUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA,Center for Global HealthUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA,Invited Faculty, Global Station for Indigenous Studies & Cultural DiversityHokkaido UniversitySapparoHokkaidoJapan
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Guerriere KI, Castellani CM, Popp KL, Bouxsein ML, Hughes JM. Unraveling the physiologic paradoxes that underlie exercise prescription for stress fracture prevention. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2022; 247:1833-1839. [PMID: 35983839 PMCID: PMC9679355 DOI: 10.1177/15353702221112108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of exercise on stress fracture risk are paradoxical. Exercise can promote both bone formation and resorption, which in turn, can reduce and increase risk of stress fractures, respectively. We review classic and current literature that suggests that the processes that underlie these responses to exercise are distinct. Bone remodeling involves osteoclastic resorption of fatigue-damaged bone, coupled with subsequent bone deposition to replace the damaged tissue. Bone modeling involves the independent action of osteoblasts and osteoclasts forming or resorbing bone, respectively, on a surface. In the formation mode, modeling results in increased bone stiffness, strength, and resistance to fatigue. Both the remodeling and modeling responses to exercise require significant time for newly deposited bone to fully mineralize. We propose that recognizing these two distinct physiologic pathways and their related time courses reveals the theoretical basis to guide exercise prescription to promote bone health during periods of heightened stress fracture risk. Such guidance may include minimizing rapid increases in the duration of repetitive exercises that may cause fatigue damage accrual, such as long-distance running and marching. Rather, limiting initial exercise characteristics to those known to stimulate bone formation, such as short-duration, moderate-to-high impact, dynamic, and multidirectional activities with rest insertion, may increase the fatigue resistance of bone and consequently minimize stress fracture risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn I Guerriere
- Military Performance Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760, USA
| | - Colleen M Castellani
- Military Performance Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760, USA
| | - Kristin L Popp
- Military Performance Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760, USA,Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mary L Bouxsein
- Military Performance Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760, USA,Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA,Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02210, USA,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Julie M Hughes
- Military Performance Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760, USA,Julie M Hughes.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Variation in cross-sectional indicator of femoral robusticity in Homo sapiens and Neandertals. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4739. [PMID: 35304879 PMCID: PMC8933494 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08405-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Variations in the cross-sectional properties of long bones are used to reconstruct the activity of human groups and differences in their respective habitual behaviors. Knowledge of what factors influence bone structure in Homo sapiens and Neandertals is still insufficient thus, this study investigated which biological and environmental variables influence variations in the femoral robusticity indicator of these two species. The sample consisted of 13 adult Neandertals from the Middle Paleolithic and 1959 adult individuals of H. sapiens ranging chronologically from the Upper Paleolithic to recent times. The femoral biomechanical properties were derived from the European data set, the subject literature, and new CT scans. The material was tested using a Mantel test and statistical models. In the models, the polar moment of area (J) was the dependent variable; sex, age, chronological period, type of lifestyle, percentage of the cortical area (%CA), the ratio of second moment areas of inertia about the X and Y axes (Ix/Iy), and maximum slope of the terrain were independent covariates. The Mantel tests revealed spatial autocorrelation of the femoral index in H. sapiens but not in Neandertals. A generalized additive mixed model showed that sex, %CA, Ix/Iy, chronological period, and terrain significantly influenced variation in the robusticity indicator of H. sapiens femora. A linear mixed model revealed that none of the analyzed variables correlated with the femoral robusticity indicator of Neandertals. We did not confirm that the gradual decline in the femoral robusticity indicator of H. sapiens from the Middle Paleolithic to recent times is related to the type of lifestyle; however, it may be associated with lower levels of mechanical loading during adolescence. The lack of correlation between the analysed variables and the indicator of femoral robusticity in Neandertals may suggest that they needed a different level of mechanical stimulus to produce a morphological response in the long bone than H. sapiens.
Collapse
|
13
|
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103093. [PMID: 34749003 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Neanderthal foot bone proportions and morphology are mostly indistinguishable from those of Homo sapiens, with the exception of several distinct Neanderthal features in the talus. The biomechanical implications of these distinct talar features remain contentious, fueling debate around the adaptive meaning of this distinctiveness. With the aim of clarifying this controversy, we test phylogenetic and behavioral factors as possible contributors, comparing tali of 10 Neanderthals and 81 H. sapiens (Upper Paleolithic and Holocene hunter-gatherers, agriculturalists, and postindustrial group) along with the Clark Howell talus (Omo, Ethiopia). Variation in external talar structures was assessed through geometric morphometric methods, while bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy were quantified in a subsample (n = 45). Finally, covariation between point clouds of site-specific trabecular variables and surface landmark coordinates was assessed. Our results show that although Neanderthal talar external and internal morphologies were distinct from those of H. sapiens groups, shape did not significantly covary with either bone volume fraction or degree of anisotropy, suggesting limited covariation between external and internal talar structures. Neanderthal external talar morphology reflects ancestral retentions, along with various adaptations to high levels of mobility correlated to their presumably unshod hunter-gatherer lifestyle. This pairs with their high site-specific trabecular bone volume fraction and anisotropy, suggesting intense and consistently oriented locomotor loading, respectively. Relative to H.sapiens, Neanderthals exhibit differences in the talocrural joint that are potentially attributable to cultural and locomotor behavior dissimilarity, a talonavicular joint that mixes ancestral and functional traits, and a derived subtalar joint that suggests a predisposition for a pronated foot during stance phase. Overall, Neanderthal talar variation is attributable to mobility strategy and phylogenesis, while H. sapiens talar variation results from the same factors plus footwear. Our results suggest that greater Neanderthal body mass and/or higher mechanical stress uniquely led to their habitually pronated foot posture.
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
We are interested here in the central organ of our thoughts: the brain. Advances in neuroscience have made it possible to obtain increasing information on the anatomy of this organ, at ever-higher resolutions, with different imaging techniques, on ever-larger samples. At the same time, paleoanthropology has to deal with partial reflections on the shape of the brain, on fragmentary specimens and small samples in an attempt to approach the morphology of the brain of past human species. It undeniably emerges from the perspective we propose here that paleoanthropology has much to gain from interacting more with the field of neuroimaging. Improving our understanding of the morphology of the endocast necessarily involves studying the external surface of the brain and the link it maintains with the internal surface of the skull. The contribution of neuroimaging will allow us to better define the relationship between brain and endocast. Models of intra- and inter-species variability in brain morphology inferred from large neuroimaging databases will help make the most of the rare endocasts of extinct species. We also conclude that exchanges between these two disciplines will also be beneficial to our knowledge of the Homo sapiens brain. Documenting the anatomy among other human species and including the variation over time within our own species are approaches that offer us a new perspective through which to appreciate what really characterizes the brain of humanity today.
Collapse
|
15
|
Biomechanical Evaluation on the Bilateral Asymmetry of Complete Humeral Diaphysis in Chinese Archaeological Populations. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13101843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Diaphyseal cross-sectional geometry (CSG) is an effective indicator of humeral bilateral asymmetry. However, previous studies primarily focused on CSG properties from limited locations to represent the overall bilateral biomechanical performance of humeral diaphysis. In this study, the complete humeral diaphyses of 40 pairs of humeri from three Chinese archaeological populations were scanned using high-resolution micro-CT, and their biomechanical asymmetries were quantified by morphometric mapping. Patterns of humeral asymmetry were compared between sub-groups defined by sex and population, and the representativeness of torsional rigidity asymmetry at the 35% and 50% cross-sections (J35 and J50 asymmetry) was testified. Inter-group differences were observed on the mean morphometric maps, but were not statistically significant. Analogous distribution patterns of highly asymmetrical regions, which correspond to major muscle attachments, were observed across nearly all the sexes and populations. The diaphyseal regions with high variability of bilateral asymmetry tended to present a low asymmetrical level. The J35 and J50 asymmetry were related to the overall humeral asymmetry, but the correlation was moderate and they could not reflect localized asymmetrical features across the diaphysis. This study suggests that the overall asymmetry pattern of humeral diaphysis is more complicated than previously revealed by individual sections.
Collapse
|
16
|
Struška M, Hora M, Rocek TR, Sládek V. Influence of upper limb training and analyzed muscles on estimate of physical activity during cereal grinding using saddle quern and rotary quern. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0243669. [PMID: 34464409 PMCID: PMC8407586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental grinding has been used to study the relationship between human humeral robusticity and cereal grinding in the early Holocene. However, such replication studies raise two questions regarding the robusticity of the results: whether female nonathletes used in previous research are sufficiently comparable to early agricultural females, and whether previous analysis of muscle activation of only four upper limb muscles is sufficient to capture the stress of cereal grinding on upper limb bones. We test the influence of both of these factors. Electromyographic activity of eight upper limb muscles was recorded during cereal grinding in an athletic sample of 10 female rowers and in 25 female nonathletes and analyzed using both an eight- and four-muscle model. Athletes had lower activation than nonathletes in the majority of measured muscles, but except for posterior deltoid these differences were non-significant. Furthermore, both athletes and nonathletes had lower muscle activation during saddle quern grinding than rotary quern grinding suggesting that the nonathletes can be used to model early agricultural females during saddle and rotary quern grinding. Similarly, in both eight- and four-muscle models, upper limb loading was lower during saddle quern grinding than during rotary quern grinding, suggesting that the upper limb muscles may be reduced to the previously used four-muscle model for evaluation of the upper limb loading during cereal grinding. Another implication of our measurements is to question the assumption that skeletal indicators of high involvement of the biceps brachii muscle can be interpreted as specifically indicative of saddle quern grinding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michal Struška
- Faculty of Science, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Martin Hora
- Faculty of Science, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas R. Rocek
- Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Vladimír Sládek
- Faculty of Science, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Vidal-Cordasco M, Rodríguez J, Prado-Nóvoa O, Zorrilla-Revilla G, Mateos A. Locomotor Economy and Foraging Ecology in Hominins. JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/715402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
18
|
Agarwal SC. What is normal bone health? A bioarchaeological perspective on meaningful measures and interpretations of bone strength, loss, and aging. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23647. [PMID: 34272787 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioarchaeological (the study of archeological human remains together with contextual and documentary evidence) offers a unique vantage point to examine variation in skeletal morphology related to influences such as activity, disease, and nutrition. The human skeleton is composed of a dynamic tissue that is forged by biocultural factors over the entire life course, providing a record of individual, and community history. Various aspects of adult bone health, particularly bone maintenance and loss and the associated skeletal disease osteoporosis, have been examined in numerous past populations. The anthropological study of bone loss has traditionally focused on the signature of postmenopausal aging, costs of reproduction, and fragility in females. The a priori expectation of normative sex-related bone loss/fragility in bioanthropological studies illustrates the wider gender-ideological bias that continues in research design and data analysis in the field. Contextualized data on bone maintenance and aging in the archeological record show that patterns of bone loss do not constitute predictable consequences of aging or biological sex. Instead, the critical examination of bioarchaeological data highlights the complex and changing processes that craft the human body over the life course, and calls for us to question the ideal or "normal" range of bone quantity and quality in the human skeleton, and to critically reflect on what measures are actually biologically and/or socially meaningful.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina C Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hölzchen E, Hertler C, Mateos A, Rodríguez J, Berndt JO, Timm IJ. Discovering the opposite shore: How did hominins cross sea straits? PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252885. [PMID: 34191820 PMCID: PMC8244915 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding hominin expansions requires the comprehension of movement processes at different scales. In many models of hominin expansion these processes are viewed as being determined by large-scale effects, such as changes in climate and vegetation spanning continents and thousands or even millions of years. However, these large-scale patterns of expansions also need to be considered as possibly resulting from the accumulation of small-scale decisions of individual hominins. Moving on a continental scale may for instance involve crossing a water barrier. We present a generalized agent-based model for simulating the crossing of a water barrier where the agents represent the hominin individuals. The model can be configured to represent a variety of movement modes across water. Here, we compare four different behavioral scenarios in conjunction with a set of water barrier configurations, in which agents move in water by either paddling, drifting, swimming or rafting. We introduce the crossing-success-rate (CSR) to quantify the performance in water crossing. Our study suggests that more focus should be directed towards the exploration of behavioral models for hominins, as directionality may be a more powerful factor for crossing a barrier than environmental opportunities alone. A prerequisite for this is to perceive the opposite shore. Furthermore, to provide a comprehensive understanding of hominin expansions, the CSR allows for the integration of results obtained from small-scale simulations into large-scale models for hominin expansion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ericson Hölzchen
- Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Paleobiology and Environment, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansion of Humans (ROCEEH), Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansion of Humans (ROCEEH), Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, Heidelberg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Christine Hertler
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansion of Humans (ROCEEH), Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- The Role of Culture in Early Expansion of Humans (ROCEEH), Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ana Mateos
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Jesús Rodríguez
- National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain
| | - Jan Ole Berndt
- Chair for Business Informatics I Trier Lab for Social Simulation (TRILABS), Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | - Ingo J. Timm
- Chair for Business Informatics I Trier Lab for Social Simulation (TRILABS), Trier University, Trier, Germany
- German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) Cognitive Social Simulation (Branch Trier), Trier University, Trier, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Saers JPP, DeMars LJ, Stephens NB, Jashashvili T, Carlson KJ, Gordon AD, Shaw CN, Ryan TM, Stock JT. Combinations of trabecular and cortical bone properties distinguish various loading modalities between athletes and controls. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:434-450. [PMID: 33244746 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Variation in trabecular and cortical bone properties is often used to infer habitual behavior in the past. However, the structures of both types of bone are rarely considered together and may even contradict each other in functional interpretations. We examine trabecular and cortical bone properties in various athletes and sedentary controls to clarify the associations between combinations of cortical and trabecular bone properties and various loading modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS We compare trabecular and cortical bone properties using peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans of the tibia between groups of 83 male athletes (running, hockey, swimming, cricket) and sedentary controls using Bayesian multilevel models. We quantify midshaft cortical bone rigidity and area (J, CA), midshaft shape index (Imax/Imin), and mean trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) in the distal tibia. RESULTS All groups show unique combinations of biomechanical properties. Cortical bone rigidity is high in sports that involve impact loading (cricket, running, hockey) and low in nonimpact loaded swimmers and controls. Runners have more anteroposteriorly elliptical midshafts compared to other groups. Interestingly, all athletes have greater trabecular BMD compared to controls, but do not differ credibly among each other. DISCUSSION Results suggest that cortical midshaft hypertrophy is associated with impact loading while trabecular BMD is positively associated with both impact and nonimpact loading. Midshaft shape is associated with directionality of loading. Individuals from the different categories overlap substantially, but group means differ credibly, suggesting that nuanced group-level inferences of habitual behavior are possible when combinations of trabecular and cortical bone are analyzed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaap P P Saers
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Lily J DeMars
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicholas B Stephens
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Department of Geology and Paleontology, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Kristian J Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adam D Gordon
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, USA
| | | | - Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.,Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Saers JPP, DeMars LJ, Stephens NB, Jashashvili T, Carlson KJ, Gordon AD, Ryan TM, Stock JT. Automated resolution independent method for comparing in vivo and dry trabecular bone. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:822-831. [PMID: 33244765 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Variation in human trabecular bone morphology can be linked to habitual behavior, but it is difficult to investigate in vivo due to the radiation required at high resolution. Consequently, functional interpretations of trabecular morphology remain inferential. Here we introduce a method to link low- and high-resolution CT data from dry and fresh bone, enabling bone functional adaptation to be studied in vivo and results compared to the fossil and archaeological record. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examine 51 human dry bone distal tibiae from Nile Valley and UK and two pig tibiae containing soft tissues. We compare low-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) parameters and high-resolution micro CT (μCT) in homologous single slices at 4% bone length and compare results to our novel Bone Ratio Predictor (BRP) method. RESULTS Regression slopes between linear attenuation coefficients of low-resolution pQCT images and bone area/total area (BA/TA) of high-resolution μCT scans differ substantially between geographical subsamples, presumably due to diagenesis. BRP accurately predicts BA/TA (R2 = .97) and eliminates the geographic clustering. BRP accurately estimates BA/TA in pigs containing soft tissues (R2 = 0.98) without requiring knowledge of true density or phantom calibration of the scans. DISCUSSION BRP allows automated comparison of image data from different image modalities (pQCT, μCT) using different energy settings, in archeological bone and wet specimens. The method enables low-resolution data generated in vivo to be compared with the fossil and archaeological record. Such experimental approaches would substantially improve behavioral inferences based on trabecular bone microstructure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaap P P Saers
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lily J DeMars
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicholas B Stephens
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Department of Geology and Paleontology, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Kristian J Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Adam D Gordon
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Profico A, Bondioli L, Raia P, O'Higgins P, Marchi D. morphomap: An R package for long bone landmarking, cortical thickness, and cross‐sectional geometry mapping. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 174:129-139. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Profico
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology University of York York UK
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Service of Bioarchaeology Service Museo delle Civiltà Rome Italy
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse Università di Napoli Federico II Naples Italy
| | - Paul O'Higgins
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology University of York York UK
- Hull York Medical School University of York York UK
- Centre for Forensic Anthropology University of Western Australia Perth Australia
| | - Damiano Marchi
- Department of Biology University of Pisa Pisa Italy
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg‐Braamfontein South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Galeta P, Lázničková-Galetová M, Sablin M, Germonpré M. Morphological evidence for early dog domestication in the European Pleistocene: New evidence from a randomization approach to group differences. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 304:42-62. [PMID: 32869467 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The antiquity of the wolf/dog domestication has been recently pushed back in time from the Late Upper Paleolithic (~14,000 years ago) to the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP; ~36,000 years ago). Some authors questioned this early dog domestication claiming that the putative (EUP) Paleolithic dogs fall within the morphological range of recent wolves. In this study, we reanalyzed a data set of large canid skulls using unbalanced- and balanced-randomized discriminant analyses to assess whether the putative Paleolithic dogs are morphologically unique or whether they represent a subsample of the wolf morpho-population. We evaluated morphological differences between 96 specimens of the 4 a priori reference groups (8 putative Paleolithic dogs, 41 recent northern dogs, 7 Pleistocene wolves, and 40 recent northern wolves) using discriminant analysis based on 5 ln-transformed raw and allometrically size-adjusted cranial measurements. Putative Paleolithic dogs are classified with high accuracies (87.5 and 100.0%, cross-validated) and randomization experiment suggests that these classification rates cannot be exclusively explained by the small and uneven sample sizes of reference groups. It indicates that putative Upper Paleolithic dogs may represent a discrete canid group with morphological signs of domestication (a relatively shorter skull and wider palate and braincase) that distinguish them from sympatric Pleistocene wolves. The present results add evidence to the view that these specimens could represent incipient Paleolithic dogs that were involved in daily activities of European Upper Paleolithic forager groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Galeta
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Lázničková-Galetová
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic.,The Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Mikhail Sablin
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Mietje Germonpré
- Operational Direction "Earth and History of Life", Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
DeMars LJD, Stephens NB, Saers JPP, Gordon A, Stock JT, Ryan TM. Using point clouds to investigate the relationship between trabecular bone phenotype and behavior: An example utilizing the human calcaneus. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 33:e23468. [PMID: 32790125 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to demonstrate a new method for analyzing trabecular bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy in three dimensions. METHODS We use a combination of automatic mesh registration, point-cloud correspondence registration, and P-value corrected univariate statistical tests to compare bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy on a point by point basis across the entire calcaneus of two human groups with different subsistence strategies. RESULTS We found that the patterns of high and low bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy distribution between the Black Earth (hunter-gatherers) and Norris Farms (mixed-strategy agriculturalists) are very similar, but differ in magnitude. The hunter-gatherers exhibit higher levels of bone volume fraction and less anisotropic trabecular bone organization. Additionally, patterns of bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy in the calcaneus correspond well with biomechanical expectations of relative forces experienced during walking and running. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that comparing site-specific, localized differences in trabecular bone variables such as bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy in three-dimensions is a powerful analytical tool. This method makes it possible to determine where similarities and differences between groups are located within the whole skeletal element of interest. The visualization of multiple variables also provides a way for researchers to see how the trabecular bone variables interact within the morphology, and allows for a more nuanced understanding of how they relate to one another and the broader mechanical environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lily J D DeMars
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicholas B Stephens
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jaap P P Saers
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Adam Gordon
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Longman DP, Wells JCK, Stock JT. Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171 Suppl 70:42-59. [PMID: 31957878 PMCID: PMC7217212 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The use of sport as a conceptual framework offers unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of what the body does, shedding new light on our evolutionary trajectory, our capacity for adaptation, and the underlying biological mechanisms. This approach has gained traction over recent years. To date, sport has facilitated exploration not only of the evolutionary history of our species as a whole, but also of human variation and adaptation at the interindividual and intraindividual levels. At the species level, analysis of lower and upper limb biomechanics and energetics with respect to walking, running and throwing have led to significant advances in the understanding of human adaptations relative to other hominins. From an interindividual perspective, investigation of physical activity patterns and endurance running performance is affording greater understanding of evolved constraints of energy expenditure, thermoregulatory energetics, signaling theory, and morphological variation. Furthermore, ultra-endurance challenges provoke functional trade-offs, allowing new ground to be broken in the study of life history trade-offs and human adaptability. Human athletic paleobiology-the recruitment of athletes as study participants and the use of contemporary sports as a model for studying evolutionary theory-has great potential. Here, we draw from examples in the literature to provide a review of how the use of athletes as a model system is enhancing understanding of human evolutionary adaptation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Longman
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health SciencesLoughborough UniversityLoughboroughUK
| | | | - Jay T. Stock
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of ArchaeologyMax Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryJenaGermany
- Department of ArchaeologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Osipov B, Alaica AK, Pickard C, Garcia‐Donas JG, Márquez‐Grant N, Kranioti EF. The effect of diet and sociopolitical change on physiological stress and behavior in late
Roman‐Early
Byzantine (300–700
AD
) and Islamic (902–1,235
AD
) populations from Ibiza, Spain. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:189-213. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Osipov
- Lawrence J. Ellison Musculoskeletal Research Center, Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryUniversity of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento California USA
| | - Aleksa K Alaica
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- School of History, Classics and ArchaeologyUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Catriona Pickard
- School of History, Classics and ArchaeologyUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Julieta G Garcia‐Donas
- School of Science and Engineering, Center for Anatomy and Human IdentificationUniversity of Dundee Dundee UK
| | - Nicholas Márquez‐Grant
- Cranfield Forensic InstituteCranfield University, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom UK
| | - Elena F. Kranioti
- School of History, Classics and ArchaeologyUniversity of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
- Department of Forensic Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of Crete Crete Greece
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Mulder B, Stock JT, Saers JPP, Inskip SA, Cessford C, Robb JE. Intrapopulation variation in lower limb trabecular architecture. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:112-129. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bram Mulder
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge UK
| | - Jay T. Stock
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge UK
- Department of Anthropology University of Western Ontario London Canada
- Department of Archaeology Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
| | - Jaap P. P. Saers
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge UK
| | - Sarah A. Inskip
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge UK
| | - Craig Cessford
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge UK
| | - John E. Robb
- University of Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge UK
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Variation and Correlations in Departures from Symmetry of Brain Torque, Humeral Morphology and Handedness in an Archaeological Sample of Homo sapiens. Symmetry (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sym12030432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The anatomical asymmetries of the human brain are the subject of a great deal of scientific interest because of their links with handedness and lateralized cognitive functions. Information about lateralization in humans is also available from the post-cranial skeleton, particularly the arm bones, in which differences in size and shape are related to hand/arm preference. Our objective here is to characterize the possible correlations between the endocranial and post-cranial asymmetries of an archaeological sample. This, in turn, will allow us to try to identify and interpret prospective functional traits in the archaeological and fossil records. We observe that directional asymmetry (DA) is present both for some endocranial and humeral traits because of brain lateralization and lateralized behaviors, while patterns of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) vary. The combined study of these anatomical elements and of their asymmetries can shed light on the ways in which the body responds to dependent asymmetrical stimuli across biologically independent anatomical areas. Variations in FA are, in this context, indicators of differences in answers to lateralized factors. Humeri tend to show a much larger range of variation than the endocast. We show that important but complex information may be extracted from the combined study of the endocast and the arms in an archaeological sample of Homo sapiens.
Collapse
|
29
|
Sawchuk EA, Pfeiffer S, Klehm CE, Cameron ME, Hill AC, Janzen A, Grillo KM, Hildebrand EA. The bioarchaeology of mid-Holocene pastoralist cemeteries west of Lake Turkana, Kenya. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2019; 11:6221-6241. [PMID: 31956376 PMCID: PMC6941650 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-019-00914-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Early herders in eastern Africa built elaborate megalithic cemeteries ~ 5000 BP overlooking what is now Lake Turkana in northwestern Kenya. At least six 'pillar sites' were constructed during a time of rapid change: cattle, sheep, and goats were introduced to the basin as the lake was shrinking at the end of the African Humid Period. Cultural changes at this time include new lithic and ceramic technologies and the earliest monumentality in eastern Africa. Isolated human remains previously excavated from pillar sites east of Lake Turkana seemed to indicate that pillar site platforms were ossuaries for secondary burials. Recent bioarchaeological excavations at four pillar sites west of the lake have now yielded ≥49 individuals, most from primary and some from secondary interments, challenging earlier interpretations. Here we describe the mortuary cavities, and burial contexts, and included items such as adornments from Lothagam North, Lothagam West, Manemanya, and Kalokol pillar sites. In doing so, we reassess previous hypotheses regarding pillar site construction, use, and inter-site variability. We also present the first osteological analyses of skeletons buried at these sites. Although the human remains are fragmentary, they are nevertheless informative about the sex, age, and body size of the deceased and give evidence for health and disease processes. Periosteal moulds of long bone midshafts (n = 34 elements) suggest patterns of terrestrial mobility. Pillar site deposits provide important new insights into early herder lifeways in eastern Africa and the impact of the transition to pastoralism on past human populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Sawchuk
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364 USA
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Susan Pfeiffer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2S2 Canada
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC USA
| | - Carla E. Klehm
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
| | - Michelle E. Cameron
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2S2 Canada
| | - Austin C. Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 USA
| | - Anneke Janzen
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Katherine M. Grillo
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Elisabeth A. Hildebrand
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364 USA
- Turkana Basin Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Komza K, Skinner MM. First metatarsal trabecular bone structure in extant hominoids and Swartkrans hominins. J Hum Evol 2019; 131:1-21. [PMID: 31182196 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Changes in first metatarsal (MT1) morphology within the hominin clade are crucial for reconstructing the evolution of a forefoot adapted for human-like gait. Studies of the external morphology of the MT1 in humans, non-human apes, and fossil hominins have documented changes in its robusticity, epiphyseal shape and its articulation with the medial cuneiform. Here, we test whether trabecular structure in the MT1 reflects different loading patterns in the forefoot across extant large apes and humans, and within this comparative context, infer locomotor behavior in two fossil hominins from Swartkrans, South Africa. Microtomographic scans were collected from the MT1 of Pongo sp. (n = 6), Gorilla gorilla (n = 10), Pan troglodytes (n = 10), Homo sapiens (n = 11), as well as SKX 5017 (Paranthropus robustus), and SK 1813 (Hominin gen. sp. indet.). Trabecular structure was quantified within the head and base using a 'whole-epiphysis' approach with medtool 4.2. We found that modern humans displayed relatively higher bone volume fraction (BV/TV) in the dorsal region of each epiphysis and a higher overall degree of anisotropy (DA), whereas great apes showed higher BV/TV in the plantar regions, reflecting dorsiflexion at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint in the former and plantarflexion in the latter. Both fossils displayed low DA, with SKX 5017 showing a hyper-dorsal concentration of trabecular bone in the head (similar to humans), while SK 1813 showed a more central trabecular distribution not seen in either humans or non-human apes. Additionally, we found differences between non-human apes, modern humans, and the fossil taxa in trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp.), number (Tb.N.), and thickness (Tb.th.). While low DA in both fossils suggests increased mobility of the MT1, differences in their trabecular distributions could indicate variable locomotion in these Pleistocene hominins (recognizing that the juvenile status of SK 1813 is a potential confounding factor). In particular, evidence for consistent loading in hyper-dorsiflexion in SKX 5017 would suggest locomotor behaviors beyond human-like toe off during terrestrial locomotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Klara Komza
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Doershuk LJ, Saers JPP, Shaw CN, Jashashvili T, Carlson KJ, Stock JT, Ryan TM. Complex variation of trabecular bone structure in the proximal humerus and femur of five modern human populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168:104-118. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lily J. Doershuk
- Department of Anthropology The Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| | - Jaap P. P. Saers
- Department of Archaeology University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Colin N. Shaw
- Department of Archaeology University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Geology and Paleontology Georgian National Museum Tbilisi Georgia
- Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Radiology Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles California
| | - Kristian J. Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine University of Southern California Los Angeles California
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Jay T. Stock
- Department of Archaeology University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology Western University London Ontario Canada
| | - Timothy M. Ryan
- Department of Anthropology The Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Chirchir H. Trabecular Bone Fraction Variation in Modern Humans, Fossil Hominins and Other Primates. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 302:288-305. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Habiba Chirchir
- Department of Biological SciencesMarshall University Huntington West Virginia
- Human Origins ProgramNational Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C
- Department of AnthropologyNew York University New York New York
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Saers JPP, Ryan TM, Stock JT. Trabecular bone functional adaptation and sexual dimorphism in the human foot. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 168:154-169. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jaap P. P. Saers
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Timothy M. Ryan
- Department of Anthropology Pennsylvania State University State College Pennsylvania
| | - Jay T. Stock
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Cambridge United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology University of Western Ontario London Ontario Canada
- Department of Archaeology Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Berenbaum F, Wallace IJ, Lieberman DE, Felson DT. Modern-day environmental factors in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2018; 14:674-681. [DOI: 10.1038/s41584-018-0073-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
|
35
|
Miller MJ, Agarwal SC, Aristizabal L, Langebaek C. The daily grind: Sex- and age-related activity patterns inferred from cross-sectional geometry of long bones in a pre-Columbian muisca population from Tibanica, Colombia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:311-326. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie J. Miller
- Department of Anatomy; University of Otago; Dunedin Otago 9016 New Zealand
- Department of Anthropology; University of California; Berkeley California
| | - Sabrina C. Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology; University of California; Berkeley California
| | | | - Carl Langebaek
- Department of Antropología; Universidad de los Andes; Bogotá Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Tsegai ZJ, Skinner MM, Pahr DH, Hublin JJ, Kivell TL. Ontogeny and variability of trabecular bone in the chimpanzee humerus, femur and tibia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:713-736. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zewdi J. Tsegai
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Center; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent; Canterbury United Kingdom
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Dieter H. Pahr
- Institute for Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics; Vienna University of Technology; Wien Austria
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Center; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent; Canterbury United Kingdom
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Peacock SJ, Coats BR, Kirkland JK, Tanner CA, Garland T, Middleton KM. Predicting the bending properties of long bones: Insights from an experimental mouse model. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:457-470. [PMID: 29154456 PMCID: PMC5823733 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Analyses of bone cross-sectional geometry are frequently used by anthropologists and paleontologists to infer the loading histories of past populations. To address some underlying assumptions, we investigated the relative roles of genetics and exercise on bone cross-sectional geometry and bending mechanics in three mouse strains: high bone density (C3H/He), low bone density (C57BL/6), and a high-runner strain homozygous for the Myh4Minimsc allele (MM). METHODS AND MATERIALS Weanlings of each strain were divided into exercise (wheel) or control (sedentary) treatment groups for a 7-week experimental period. Morphometrics of the femoral mid-diaphysis and mechanical testing were used to assess both theoretical and ex vivo bending mechanics. RESULTS Across all measured morphological and bending traits, we found relatively small effects of exercise treatment compared to larger and more frequent interstrain differences. In the exercised group, total distance run over the experimental period was not a predictor of any morphological or bending traits. Cross-sectional geometry did not accurately predict bone response to loading. DISCUSSION Results from this experimental model do not support hypothesized associations among extreme exercise, cross-sectional geometry, and bending mechanics. Our results suggest that analysis of cross-sectional geometry alone is insufficient to predict loading response, and questions the common assumption that cross-sectional geometry differences are indicative of differential loading history.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Peacock
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | | | - J Kyle Kirkland
- Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | | | - Theodore Garland
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, California
| | - Kevin M Middleton
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Uomini NT, Ruck L. Manual laterality and cognition through evolution: An archeological perspective. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 238:295-323. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
39
|
Best A, Holt B, Troy K, Hamill J. Trabecular bone in the calcaneus of runners. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188200. [PMID: 29141022 PMCID: PMC5687755 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Trabecular bone of the human calcaneus is subjected to extreme repetitive forces during endurance running and should adapt in response to this strain. To assess possible bone functional adaptation in the posterior region of the calcaneus, we recruited forefoot-striking runners (n = 6), rearfoot-striking runners (n = 6), and non-runners (n = 6), all males aged 20-41 for this institutionally approved study. Foot strike pattern was confirmed for each runner using a motion capture system. We obtained high resolution peripheral computed tomography scans of the posterior calcaneus for both runners and non-runners. No statistically significant differences were found between runners and nonrunners or forefoot strikers and rearfoot strikers. Mean trabecular thickness and mineral density were greatest in forefoot runners with strong effect sizes (<0.80). Trabecular thickness was positively correlated with weekly running distance (r2 = 0.417, p<0.05) and years running (r2 = 0.339, p<0.05) and negatively correlated with age at onset of running (r2 = 0.515, p<0.01) Trabecular thickness, mineral density and bone volume ratio of nonrunners were highly correlated with body mass (r2 = 0.824, p<0.05) and nonrunners were significantly heavier than runners (p<0.05). Adjusting for body mass revealed significantly thicker trabeculae in the posterior calcaneus of forefoot strikers, likely an artifact of greater running volume and earlier onset of running in this subgroup; thus, individuals with the greatest summative loading stimulus had, after body mass adjustment, the thickest trabeculae. Further study with larger sample sizes is necessary to elucidate the role of footstrike on calcaneal trabecular structure. To our knowledge, intraspecific body mass correlations with measures of trabecular robusticity have not been reported elsewhere. We hypothesize that early adoption of running and years of sustained moderate volume running stimulate bone modeling in trabeculae of the posterior calcaneus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Best
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Brigitte Holt
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Karen Troy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Joseph Hamill
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Macintosh AA, Pinhasi R, Stock JT. Prehistoric women's manual labor exceeded that of athletes through the first 5500 years of farming in Central Europe. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:eaao3893. [PMID: 29209662 PMCID: PMC5710185 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao3893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The intensification of agriculture is often associated with declining mobility and bone strength through time, although women often exhibit less pronounced trends than men. For example, previous studies of prehistoric Central European agriculturalists (~5300 calibrated years BC to 850 AD) demonstrated a significant reduction in tibial rigidity among men, whereas women were characterized by low tibial rigidity, little temporal change, and high variability. Because of the potential for sex-specific skeletal responses to mechanical loading and a lack of modern comparative data, women's activity in prehistory remains difficult to interpret. This study compares humeral and tibial cross-sectional rigidity, shape, and interlimb loading among prehistoric Central European women agriculturalists and living European women of known behavior (athletes and controls). Prehistoric female tibial rigidity at all time periods was highly variable, but differed little from living sedentary women on average, and was significantly lower than that of living runners and football players. However, humeral rigidity exceeded that of living athletes for the first ~5500 years of farming, with loading intensity biased heavily toward the upper limb. Interlimb strength proportions among Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age women were most similar to those of living semi-elite rowers. These results suggest that, in contrast to men, rigorous manual labor was a more important component of prehistoric women's behavior than was terrestrial mobility through thousands of years of European agriculture, at levels far exceeding those of modern women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alison A. Macintosh
- PAVE (Phenotypic Adaptability, Variation and Evolution) Research Group, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jay T. Stock
- PAVE (Phenotypic Adaptability, Variation and Evolution) Research Group, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
- Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Vidal-Cordasco M, Mateos A, Zorrilla-Revilla G, Prado-Nóvoa O, Rodríguez J. Energetic cost of walking in fossil hominins. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:609-622. [PMID: 28832938 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Many biomechanical studies consistently show that a broader pelvis increases the reaction forces and bending moments across the femoral shaft, increasing the energetic costs of unloaded locomotion. However, a biomechanical model does not provide the real amount of metabolic energy expended in walking. The aim of this study is to test the influence of pelvis breadth on locomotion cost and to evaluate the locomotion efficiency of extinct Pleistocene hominins. MATERIAL AND METHODS The current study measures in vivo the influence of pelvis width on the caloric cost of locomotion, integrating anthropometry, body composition and indirect calorimetry protocols in a sample of 46 subjects of both sexes. RESULTS We show that a broader false pelvis is substantially more efficient for locomotion than a narrower one and that the influence of false pelvis width on the energetic cost is similar to the influence of leg length. Two models integrating body mass, femur length and bi-iliac breadth are used to estimate the net and gross energetic costs of locomotion in a number of extinct hominins. The results presented here show that the locomotion of Homo was not energetically more efficient than that of Australopithecus and that the locomotion of extinct Homo species was not less efficient than that of modern Homo sapiens. DISCUSSION The changes in the anatomy of the pelvis and lower limb observed with the appearance of Homo ergaster probably did not fully offset the increased expenditure resulting from a larger body mass. Moreover, the narrow pelvis in modern humans does not contribute to greater efficiency of locomotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Vidal-Cordasco
- Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca, National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), 3, Burgos 09002, Spain
| | - A Mateos
- Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca, National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), 3, Burgos 09002, Spain
| | - G Zorrilla-Revilla
- Escuela Interuniversitaria de Posgrado en Evolucion Humana, Universidad de Burgos, Pza. Misael Bañuelos s/n, Burgos 09001, Spain
| | - O Prado-Nóvoa
- Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca, National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), 3, Burgos 09002, Spain
| | - J Rodríguez
- Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca, National Research Center on Human Evolution (CENIEH), 3, Burgos 09002, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Hagihara Y, Nara T. The characteristic mid-shaft cross-sectional shape of the ulna in Jomon hunter-gatherers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:598-608. [PMID: 28832931 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The Jomon people were hunter-gatherers who inhabited the Japanese archipelago between 10,000 BC and 300 BC. Here, we focus on the mid-shaft cross-sectional shape of the ulna in the Jomon population and compare it with modern Japanese people. MATERIALS AND METHODS Jomon specimens, including 32 males and 22 females, were excavated from shell mound sites in the Pacific and Seto inland coastal area of Honshu island in the Japanese archipelago dated to the Late-to-Final Jomon phase (between 2,000 BC and 300 BC). Mid-shaft ulna cross-sectional shapes were compared with modern Japanese specimens (25 males, 21 females) using standard linear measurements and elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA). Differences from both sides of this element were compared using predicted handedness. RESULTS Linear measurements and EFA results show that ulna shape of both sexes within the Jomon population are relatively larger in the antero-posterior direction and have more developed posterior borders than modern Japanese males and females. No significant differences were observed between Jomon sexes based on the predicted dominant side, but differences were evident in the predicted nondominant side. At the same time, bilateral differences were recognized in Jomon females, because of a lower level of posterior border development in the predicted nondominant side compared to the dominant side. DISCUSSION Shape differences between Jomon people and modern Japanese can be explained by variation in the habitual loading of the ulna. Sexual dimorphism in ulna shape within the Jomon population suggests division of labor differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuo Hagihara
- Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takashi Nara
- Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Stieglitz J, Trumble BC, Kaplan H, Gurven M. Horticultural activity predicts later localized limb status in a contemporary pre-industrial population. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:425-436. [PMID: 28345788 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Modern humans may have gracile skeletons due to low physical activity levels and mechanical loading. Tests using pre-historic skeletons are limited by the inability to assess behavior directly, while modern industrialized societies possess few socio-ecological features typical of human evolutionary history. Among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists, we test whether greater activity levels and, thus, increased loading earlier in life are associated with greater later-life bone status and diminished age-related bone loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used quantitative ultrasonography to assess radial and tibial status among adults aged 20+ years (mean ± SD age = 49 ± 15; 52% female). We conducted systematic behavioral observations to assess earlier-life activity patterns (mean time lag between behavioural observation and ultrasound = 12 years). For a subset of participants, physical activity was again measured later in life, via accelerometry, to determine whether earlier-life time use is associated with later-life activity levels. Anthropometric and demographic data were collected during medical exams. RESULTS Structural decline with age is reduced for the tibia (female: -0.25 SDs/decade; male: 0.05 SDs/decade) versus radius (female: -0.56 SDs/decade; male: -0.20 SDs/decade), which is expected if greater loading mitigates bone loss. Time allocation to horticulture, but not hunting, positively predicts later-life radial status (βHorticulture = 0.48, p = 0.01), whereas tibial status is not significantly predicted by subsistence or sedentary leisure participation. DISCUSSION Patterns of activity- and age-related change in bone status indicate localized osteogenic responses to loading, and are generally consistent with the logic of bone functional adaptation. Nonmechanical factors related to subsistence lifestyle moderate the association between activity patterns and bone structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, France.,Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Wallace IJ, Winchester JM, Su A, Boyer DM, Konow N. Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology. J Hum Evol 2017; 107:14-18. [PMID: 28526286 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Studies of ancient human skeletal remains frequently proceed from the assumption that individuals with robust limb bones and/or rugose, hypertrophic entheses can be inferred to have been highly physically active during life. Here, we experimentally test this assumption by measuring the effects of exercise on limb bone structure and entheseal morphology in turkeys. Growing females were either treated with a treadmill-running regimen for 10 weeks or served as controls. After the experiment, femoral cortical and trabecular bone structure were quantified with μCT in the mid-diaphysis and distal epiphysis, respectively, and entheseal morphology was quantified in the lateral epicondyle. The results indicate that elevated levels of physical activity affect limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology. Specifically, animals subjected to exercise displayed enhanced diaphyseal and trabecular bone architecture relative to controls, but no significant difference was detected between experimental groups in entheseal surface topography. These findings suggest that diaphyseal and trabecular structure are more reliable proxies than entheseal morphology for inferring ancient human physical activity levels from skeletal remains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Wallace
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Julia M Winchester
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Anne Su
- School of Health Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Nicolai Konow
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Niinimäki S, Narra N, Härkönen L, Abe S, Nikander R, Hyttinen J, Knüsel C, Sievänen H. The relationship between loading history and proximal femoral diaphysis cross-sectional geometry. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 29. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sirpa Niinimäki
- Archaeology; P.O. Box 1000, University of Oulu; Oulu 90014 Finland
| | - Nathaniel Narra
- Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering; BioMediTech, Tampere University of Technology; Tampere Finland
| | - Laura Härkönen
- Department of Ecology; P.O. Box 3000, University of Oulu; Oulu 90014 Finland
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences; P.O. 111, University of Eastern Finland; Joensuu 80101 Finland
| | - Shinya Abe
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Systems; P.O. Box 589, Tampere University of Technology; Tampere 33101 Finland
| | - Riku Nikander
- Unit of Health Sciences, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences; P.O. Box 35, (L328); 40014 University of Jyväskylä Finland
- GeroCenter Foundation for Aging Research and Development; Rautpohjankatu 8 Jyväskylä 40700 Finland
- Unit of Research & Education, Central Hospital of Central Finland; Keskussairaalantie 19 Jyväskylä 40620 Finland
| | - Jari Hyttinen
- Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering; BioMediTech, Tampere University of Technology; Tampere Finland
| | - Christopher Knüsel
- UMR5199, De la Prehistoire a l?Actuel: Culture, Environnement, et Anthropologie (PACEA); Bâtiment B8, Allée Géoffroy Saint Hilaire, CS 50023 Pessac Cedex 33615 France
| | - Harri Sievänen
- The UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research; P.O. Box 30, Kaupinpuistonkatu 1 Tampere 33501 Finland
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Saers JPP, Cazorla-Bak Y, Shaw CN, Stock JT, Ryan TM. Trabecular bone structural variation throughout the human lower limb. J Hum Evol 2016; 97:97-108. [PMID: 27457548 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Trabecular bone is responsive to mechanical loading, and thus may be a useful tool for interpreting past behaviour from fossil morphology. However, the ability to meaningfully interpret variation in archaeological and hominin trabecular morphology depends on the extent to which trabecular bone properties are integrated throughout the postcranium or are locally variable in response to joint specific loading. We investigate both of these factors by comparing trabecular bone throughout the lower limb between a group of highly mobile foragers and two groups of sedentary agriculturalists. Trabecular bone structure is quantified in four volumes of interest placed within the proximal and distal joints of the femur and tibia. We determine how trabecular structures correspond to inferred behavioural differences between populations and whether the patterns are consistent throughout the limb. A significant correlation was found between inferred mobility level and trabecular bone structure in all volumes of interest along the lower limb. The greater terrestrial mobility of foragers is associated with higher bone volume fraction, and thicker and fewer trabeculae (lower connectivity density). In all populations, bone volume fraction decreases while anisotropy increases proximodistally throughout the lower limb. This observation mirrors reductions in cortical bone mass resulting from proximodistal limb tapering. The reduction in strength associated with reduced bone volume fraction may be compensated for by the increased anisotropy in the distal tibia. A similar pattern of trabecular structure is found throughout the lower limb in all populations, upon which a signal of terrestrial mobility appears to be superimposed. These results support the validity of using lower limb trabecular bone microstructure to reconstruct terrestrial mobility levels from the archaeological and fossil records. The results further indicate that care should be taken to appreciate variation resulting from differences in habitual activity when inferring behaviour from the trabecular structure of hominin fossils through comparisons with modern humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaap P P Saers
- PAVE Research Group, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Yasmin Cazorla-Bak
- PAVE Research Group, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Colin N Shaw
- PAVE Research Group, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jay T Stock
- PAVE Research Group, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy M Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College PA, 322 Carpenter Building, United States; Center for Quantitative Imaging, EMS Energy Institute, Pennsylvania State University, State College PA, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Crevecoeur I, Brooks A, Ribot I, Cornelissen E, Semal P. Late Stone Age human remains from Ishango (Democratic Republic of Congo): New insights on Late Pleistocene modern human diversity in Africa. J Hum Evol 2016; 96:35-57. [PMID: 27343771 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Although questions of modern human origins and dispersal are subject to intense research within and outside Africa, the processes of modern human diversification during the Late Pleistocene are most often discussed within the context of recent human genetic data. This situation is due largely to the dearth of human fossil remains dating to the final Pleistocene in Africa and their almost total absence from West and Central Africa, thus limiting our perception of modern human diversification within Africa before the Holocene. Here, we present a morphometric comparative analysis of the earliest Late Pleistocene modern human remains from the Central African site of Ishango in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The early Late Stone Age layer (eLSA) of this site, dated to the Last Glacial Maximum (25-20 Ky), contains more than one hundred fragmentary human remains. The exceptional associated archaeological context suggests these remains derived from a community of hunter-fisher-gatherers exhibiting complex social and cognitive behaviors including substantial reliance on aquatic resources, development of fishing technology, possible mathematical notations and repetitive use of space, likely on a seasonal basis. Comparisons with large samples of Late Pleistocene and early Holocene modern human fossils from Africa and Eurasia show that the Ishango human remains exhibit distinctive characteristics and a higher phenotypic diversity in contrast to recent African populations. In many aspects, as is true for the inner ear conformation, these eLSA human remains have more affinities with Middle to early Late Pleistocene fossils worldwide than with extant local African populations. In addition, cross-sectional geometric properties of the long bones are consistent with archaeological evidence suggesting reduced terrestrial mobility resulting from greater investment in and use of aquatic resources. Our results on the Ishango human remains provide insights into past African modern human diversity and adaptation that are consistent with genetic theories about the deep sub-structure of Late Pleistocene African populations and their complex evolutionary history of isolation and diversification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Crevecoeur
- UMR 5199 PACEA, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
| | - A Brooks
- Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
| | - I Ribot
- Département d'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - E Cornelissen
- Culturele Antropologie/Prehistorie en Archeologie, Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika (KMMA), Tervuren, Belgium
| | - P Semal
- Scientific Service of Heritage, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Hagihara Y, Nara T. Morphological features of the fibula in Jomon hunter-gatherers from the shell mounds of the Pacific coastal area. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 160:708-18. [PMID: 27143195 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Jomon, one of the ancestral populations of modern Japanese, were hunter-gatherers inhabiting the Japanese archipelago from 11,000 to 300 BC. We evaluated changes in the diaphyseal morphology of the fibula from the middle to the final phase of the Jomon period, compared to the morphology of other historical and modern populations from the Japanese archipelago, to elucidate temporal changes in habitual activities and possible division of labor among males and females. MATERIAL AND METHOD Jomon specimens of 107 males and 97 females were obtained from the shell mounds of the Pacific coastal area of East Japan, distinguishing between middle (3,000-2,000 BC) and late-final (2,000-300 BC) phases of the Jomon period. Mid-shaft morphology of the fibula and tibia were compared to morphological measurements of specimens from Yayoi (37 males, 28 females), medieval (56 males, 56 females), early modern (51 males, 50 females), and modern (125 males, 68 females) periods. RESULT Largest values of fibular areas and relative fibular-to-tibial areas were identified in males from the late-final Jomon phase, compared to the middle Jomon phase and after the Yayoi period. These period-specific differences in fibular area were smaller in females, with the largest between-sex difference identified in the late-final Jomon phase. DISCUSSION Results confirm a change in the habitual activity pattern of males in the late-final phase. Males of the late-final Jomon phase likely did more long-distance traveling to the inland/mountainous region, as part of an ecological change that occurred during the middle to the late-final Jomon phase. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:708-718, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuo Hagihara
- Department of Health and Welfare, Graduate School of Health and Welfare, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-Cho, Kita-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan.,Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-Cho, Kita-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takashi Nara
- Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-Cho, Kita-Ku, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Kivell TL. A review of trabecular bone functional adaptation: what have we learned from trabecular analyses in extant hominoids and what can we apply to fossils? J Anat 2016; 228:569-94. [PMID: 26879841 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of the unresolved debates in palaeoanthropology regarding evolution of particular locomotor or manipulative behaviours are founded in differing opinions about the functional significance of the preserved external fossil morphology. However, the plasticity of internal bone morphology, and particularly trabecular bone, allowing it to respond to mechanical loading during life means that it can reveal greater insight into how a bone or joint was used during an individual's lifetime. Analyses of trabecular bone have been commonplace for several decades in a human clinical context. In contrast, the study of trabecular bone as a method for reconstructing joint position, joint loading and ultimately behaviour in extant and fossil non-human primates is comparatively new. Since the initial 2D studies in the late 1970s and 3D analyses in the 1990 s, the utility of trabecular bone to reconstruct behaviour in primates has grown to incorporate experimental studies, expanded taxonomic samples and skeletal elements, and improved methodologies. However, this work, in conjunction with research on humans and non-primate mammals, has also revealed the substantial complexity inherent in making functional inferences from variation in trabecular architecture. This review addresses the current understanding of trabecular bone functional adaptation, how it has been applied to hominoids, as well as other primates and, ultimately, how this can be used to better interpret fossil hominoid and hominin morphology. Because the fossil record constrains us to interpreting function largely from bony morphology alone, and typically from isolated bones, analyses of trabecular structure, ideally in conjunction with that of cortical structure and external morphology, can offer the best resource for reconstructing behaviour in the past.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution Laboratory, Skeletal Biological Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
MIZUSHIMA SOICHIRO, SUWA GEN, HIRATA KAZUAKI. A comparative analysis of fetal to subadult femoral midshaft bone distribution of prehistoric Jomon hunter-gatherers and modern Japanese. ANTHROPOL SCI 2016. [DOI: 10.1537/ase.151104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- SOICHIRO MIZUSHIMA
- Department of Anatomy, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki-shi
| | - GEN SUWA
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
| | - KAZUAKI HIRATA
- Department of Anatomy, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki-shi
| |
Collapse
|