Doctoral Dissertation Research: Functional myology of the primate head and neck with implications for hominin evolution

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Humans have unique upright body posture and related anatomy, but paleontologists are not certain when these features first appeared in the hominin lineage. The aim of this doctoral research project is to functionally describe the anatomy of the primate neck to understand how differences in the neck are related to head posture, body posture, and locomotion in primates. The project will provide data that may be used for inferring when a human-like neck first appeared and how this anatomical change was associated with environmental, behavioral and biological factors. This study will employ a combination of 3D anatomical methods including CT scanning, digital muscle fascicle tracking, and biomechanical modeling, which will serve as training tools for future researchers and health care professionals. The 3D models generated in this study will be used in K-12 science education and outreach events for discussing human anatomy and primate conservation.The objective of this study is to both characterize and quantify neck muscle anatomy in primates with different habitual body postures and locomotor behaviors. Using a biomechanical framework, the project will compare functional differences in neck musculature that are key for behaviors such as holding up the head and movement of the arms during suspension. Novel techniques including contrast-enhanced computed tomography, muscle fascicle tracking software, and 3D lever mechanics will be used to develop biomechanical models of how variation in muscle size, shape, and distribution is related to postural and locomotor behavior across primates. These biomechanical models will be applied to fossil hominins (Australopithecus sediba and Homo neanderthalensis) to interpret their neck anatomy and posture to more accurately understand and reconstruct their behaviors.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.