High Risk Exploratory Research: Exploring 3D-CT and Geometric Morphometric Analyses of Cortical Surfaces in Fossil Hominids

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Casts of the interiors of skulls (endocasts) of our early ancestors indicate the volume and shape of their brains, and reproduce features of the cerebral cortex that were imprinted on the walls of their braincases during life. These features include convolutions, sulcal patterns, and blood vessels, which are sometimes correlated with known functions such as speech and right-handedness in living people. Endocasts are therefore useful for addressing questions about the origins of certain behaviors. Skulls of important Pleistocene fossil hominids are currently being CAT-scanned by an international team, and the resulting three dimensional (3D) CT data are available for generating and measuring images of endocranial surfaces from a computer screen. In order to validate use of 3D-CT to investigate brain surface morphology, a set of measurements will be obtained and compared from 3D-CT images and the corresponding traditional endocasts of several key hominid skulls. Additionally, the application of 3D geometrical methods for analyzing endocasts will be explored in an ape and human skull series. Once validated, these methods can be applied to new specimens, leading to further insights about brain evolution.