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

与非人类灵长类动物和灭绝的人类祖先相比，人类的骨骼建造得很轻。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结构。为了了解行为和流动性对人类骨骼结构的影响，这个博士论文项目将量化在遗传和地理上相似但行为上不同的人类群体中的骨骼差异。这项研究结合了人类行为的考古证据和微型计算机断层扫描数据，作为行为和生物学的交叉点来研究骨骼结构。与低骨量相关的健康并发症是美国医疗保健系统中的一项突出费用；该项目将从人类学的角度提供对可能导致低骨量相关健康问题风险的因素的见解。该项目还将促进发展教育工作者讲习班，为课堂研究项目使用可公开获得的三维图像数据。最近的研究发现，与相对活动水平较低的人群相比，活动水平较高的人群往往具有更坚固的皮质和松质骨结构。然而，这项研究在很大程度上依赖于对地理和基因上不同的人类群体进行比较。这个项目调查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几个颅后元素的皮质和骨小梁结构差异的关系，以测试行为和骨结构之间的关系是否保持，或者是否其他因素，如饮食，遗传背景和环境，在形成成人骨骼表型方面发挥了比先前认为的更大的作用。微电脑断层扫描数据的肱骨，颈椎，股骨，胫骨，距骨和跟骨将被收集。皮质骨和骨小梁结构的差异将被量化，并在不同生存策略的群体之间进行比较，这些群体包括觅食者、园艺师和集约化农学家。此外，皮质骨和松质骨的变异量将在个人和骨骼元素内部和之间进行调查，以了解不同水平的骨结构组织如何应对生存策略和机械负荷的变化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.