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、遗传和行为上不同的人类群体之间的骨骼结构。为了了解行为和流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。这项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，以研究骨骼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的一项突出费用;该项目将从人类学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使用公开的3D图像数据，以课堂为基础的研究项目。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坚固的皮质骨和骨小梁结构。然而，这项研究的大部分依赖于比较地理和遗传上不同的人类群体。该项目研究了人类群体内部和之间的几个颅后元素之间的皮质骨和骨小梁结构变化之间的关系，这些群体在遗传和地理上相似，但行为上不同，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，和环境在成人骨骼表型的形成中起着比以前认为的更大的作用。将收集肱骨、颈椎、股骨、胫骨、距骨和跟骨的微计算机断层扫描数据。皮质骨和骨小梁结构的变化将被量化，并与不同的生存策略，包括觅食，园艺和集约农业组之间进行比较。此外，还将研究个体和骨骼元素内部和之间的皮质骨和松质骨的变化量，以了解不同水平的骨结构组织如何对生存策略和机械负荷的变化做出反应。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力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.