Collaborative Research: On the Verge of Modernity: Post-Pleistocene Evolution of the European Skeleton

这项研究将提供欧洲全新世(10000年前至今)大样本(n=3700人)骨骼粗壮程度和身体大小的时间和地理变化信息。这是第一次在如此广泛的时间和地理范围内系统地研究这些模式，并将使我们能够测试与环境(物理和文化)变化对人体的影响有关的一些假设。在博物馆标本上收集的数据将包括传统的米制测量，用于重建身体的大小和形状，以及长骨的横截面测量，用于重建生命中骨骼上的机械载荷(力)。样本分布在欧洲的六个地理区域和从中石器时代(晚期狩猎采集者)到最近工业时期的六个时间段。这扩展了一个可以追溯到3万多年前的早期欧洲人口的数据库。骨骼结构数据将与考古数据相结合，详细追踪这段时间内与环境影响有关的变化。了解人类骨骼的最新进化和适应情况很重要，原因有很多。骨质疏松症(与年龄相关的骨丢失导致骨折风险增加)是一个具有重大医学和社会影响的现代问题。有证据表明，最近西方社会骨质疏松症增加的至少部分原因可能是体力活动减少，导致骨骼发育不那么健壮，随着年龄的增长，骨质流失加速。然而，几乎没有历史背景来评估这一假设。对早期、但基因相关、生活方式更活跃的人群的分析将有助于确定这种现代疾病发生的时间和原因。此外，与饮食、疾病或气候有关的体型(身高和体重)的最新趋势可以用更长期的历史和史前数据更准确地解释。最后，对考古骨骼遗骸的分析是重建过去行为和生物学的重要因素，例如农业革命或日益城市化对人类健康和行为的影响。这项研究涉及两名美国调查人员和两名来自芬兰和捷克的欧洲调查人员的密切合作。此外，欧洲各地的其他一些调查人员将在更本地化的基础上参与该项目。该项目将在这些关系的基础上加强国际联系和合作网络，既为调查人员本身，也为未来的研究人员。该项目还将涉及对四个主要机构的研究生进行培训，包括学生进行国际旅行以收集数据。研究产生的大型数据库将在项目结束时免费提供，这将促进进一步的研究，并作为今后项目的模板。

This study will provide information on temporal and geographic variation in skeletal robusticity and body size in a large sample (n=3700 individuals) from across Europe during the Holocene (10,000 years ago to the present). This is the first such study to systematically investigate these patterns over such a broad temporal and geographic range, and will allow us to test a number of hypotheses related to the impact of environmental (physical and cultural) change on the human body. The data collected, on museum specimens, will include traditional metric measurements, used to reconstruct body size and shape, as well as cross-sectional measurements of long bones, used to reconstruct the mechanical loadings (forces) on the bones during life. Samples are distributed among six geographic regions within Europe and six time periods from the Mesolithic (late hunter-gatherers) through to the recent industrial period. This extends a database for earlier European populations stretching back to more than 30,000 years ago. The bone structural data will be combined with archaeological data to trace in detail the changes that have occurred in relation to environmental influences over this time period. Understanding the recent evolution and adaptation of the human skeleton is important for a number of reasons. Osteoporosis (age-related bone loss leading to an increased risk of fracture) is a modern problem with significant medical and social implications. There is evidence that at least part of the recent increase in osteoporosis in Western societies may be attributable to decreased physical activity leading to the development of less robust bones and accelerated bone loss with aging. However, there is very little historical context within which to evaluate this hypothesis. Analysis of earlier, but genetically related populations with more physically active lifestyles will help to determine when and why this modern condition arose. In addition, more recent trends in physical size (stature and body weight) in relation to diet, disease, or climate, can be more accurately interpreted with longer-term historic and prehistoric data. Finally, analysis of archaeological skeletal remains is an important element in reconstructing past behavior and biology, for example, the impact of the agricultural revolution or increasing urbanization on human health and behavior.The study involves close collaboration between two US investigators and two European investigators from Finland and the Czech Republic. In addition, a number of other investigators throughout Europe will be involved in the project on a more local basis. The project will build upon these relationships to strengthen international ties and collaborative networks, both for the investigators themselves as well as future researchers. The project will also involve the training of graduate students at each of the four main institutions, including international travel by students to collect data. The large data base generated by the study will be made freely available at the end of the project, which should stimulate further research and serve as a template for future projects.