Doctoral Dissertation Research: Variation in human bone structure across subsistence strategy transitions

与非人类灵长类动物和已灭绝的人类祖先相比，人类的骨骼较轻。大多数关于人类骨骼变异的研究都集中在比较地理、遗传和行为不同的人类群体之间的骨骼结构。为了了解行为和移动性对人类骨骼结构的影响，本博士论文项目将量化遗传和地理相似但行为不同的人类群体之间的骨骼变异。本研究整合了人类行为的考古证据和微计算机断层扫描数据，以研究骨结构作为行为和生物学之间的交叉点。低骨量相关的健康并发症是美国医疗保健系统中一项突出的费用；该项目将从人类学的角度深入了解可能导致低骨量相关健康问题风险的因素。该项目还将有助于发展教育工作者研讨会，将公开的3D图像数据用于基于课堂的研究项目。最近的研究发现，与活动水平相对较低的人群相比，活动水平较高的人群往往具有更强健的皮质和骨小梁结构。然而，这些研究大多依赖于比较地理上和基因上不同的人类群体。该项目研究了在遗传和地理上相似但行为上不同的人类群体内部和之间的几个颅后元素中皮质和小梁骨结构变化之间的关系，以测试行为和骨结构之间的关系是否保持，或者其他因素如饮食、遗传背景和环境在形成成人骨骼表型方面是否发挥了比以前认为的更大的作用。收集肱骨、颈椎、股骨、胫骨、距骨和跟骨的微电脑断层扫描数据。皮层和骨小梁结构的变化将被量化，并在不同生存策略的群体之间进行比较，包括觅食者、园艺师和集约化农业者。此外，为了了解不同水平的骨结构组织如何响应生存策略和机械负荷的变化，将研究个体和骨骼元件内部和之间皮质骨和小梁骨的变异量。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Humans have lightly built skeletons compared to both non-human primates and extinct human ancestors. Most research on human skeletal variation has focused on comparing bone structure among geographically, genetically, and behaviorally diverse human groups. In order to understand the influence of behavior and mobility on human bone structure, this doctoral dissertation project will quantify skeletal variation among human groups that are genetically and geographically similar, but behaviorally distinct. This research integrates archaeological evidence of human behavior and microcomputed tomography data to investigate bone structure as an intersection between behavior and biology. Low bone mass related health complications are a prominent expense within the U.S. healthcare system; this project will provide insights into the factors that may contribute to the risk of low bone mass related health issues from an anthropological perspective. The project will also contribute to the development educator workshops for using publicly available 3D image data for classroom-based research projects. Recent work has found that human groups with higher levels of activity tend to have more robust cortical and trabecular bone structure compared to groups with relatively lower activity levels. However, much of this research has relied on comparing geographically and genetically distinct human groups. This project investigates the relationship between cortical and trabecular bone structural variation across several post-cranial elements within and between human groups that are genetically and geographically similar, but behaviorally distinct in order to test whether the relationship between behavior and bone structure is maintained, or if other factors such as diet, genetic background, and environment play a larger role in forming adult skeletal phenotype than previously considered. Microcomputed tomography scan data of the humerus, cervical vertebra, femur, tibia, talus, and calcaneus will be collected. Cortical and trabecular bone structural variation will be quantified and compared between groups with different subsistence strategies including foragers, horticulturalists, and intensive agriculturalists. Additionally, the amount of variation in cortical and trabecular bone will be investigated within and between both individuals and skeletal elements in order to understand how different levels of bone structural organization respond to variation in subsistence strategy and mechanical loading.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.