RUI: The evolution of circumorbital morphology in hominids

研究灵长类动物骨骼的变异有助于理解现代人类生物学的进化。头骨是身体的一个特别信息区域，因为它包含了大部分的主要感觉器官，嘴和大脑。同样，人类进化中一些最独特的变化，包括大脑体积的增大、颌骨长度的缩短和眉脊的减少，都发生在头骨上。关于大脑大小、气候、饮食、社会结构甚至交流的假设已经被提出来解释这些进化变化，但它们如何以及为什么发生仍然是人类进化研究中的关键问题。这项研究的重点是面部的眉脊和眶周区域，这与大脑和视觉都有联系。该项目建立的数据集为进化研究做出了重大贡献，提供了迄今为止现存灵长类动物颅骨变化的最详细的图片，并通过在线数字存储库公开提供这些数据。该项目支持早期职业研究人员，他们是美国主要本科院校中代表性不足的少数民族科学家，并为学生的研究和指导创造机会。通过该项目开发的新型课程框架将进化研究融入课堂，提供积极的学习机会和与健康科学职业相关的培训。这些活动，与美国的指导和培训相结合本科研究人员，硕士生和博士后学者，直接有助于科学教育的进步和多样化的科学劳动力的增长。本研究将3D形态测量学与系统发育比较方法相结合，以检验眶周形态在塑造人类颅骨进化中的作用的进化假设。该项目利用了n = 1700个现存的单形动物和n = 54个化石人类的头骨的3D表面扫描。这些数据用于解决三个主要目标：1）描述原始人类和其他灵长类动物的眶周形态，2）量化眶周形态和颅骨其他骨骼结构之间的整合水平，3）评估身体大小和性别在塑造灵长类动物眶周形态中的作用。通过建立在灵长类动物的基础形态学研究与功能知情的假设和新的系统发育和进化的方法，该项目有可能改变理论框架和实践方法，以研究原始人类的头骨evolution.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

Investigating variation in the primate skeleton advances understanding of the evolution of modern human biology. The skull is a particularly informative area of the body as it contains most of the primary sensory organs, the mouth, and the brain. Likewise, some of the most distinctive changes in human evolution, including increased brain size, reduced jaw length, and a reduced brow ridge, occurred in the skull. Hypotheses about brain size, climate, diet, social structure, and even communication, have been proposed to explain these evolutionary changes, but how and why they happened persist as key questions in human evolutionary studies. This study focuses on the brow ridge and circumorbital region of the face, which is linked to both the brain and vision. The dataset built by this project contributes significantly to evolutionary studies by providing the most detailed picture of extant primate cranial variation to date and making these data openly available through online digital repositories. The project supports early career researchers who are underrepresented minority scientists at a U.S. primarily undergraduate institution and creates opportunities for research and mentorship of students. Novel curricular frameworks developed through this project integrate evolutionary research into the classroom, providing active learning opportunities and training relevant for health sciences careers. These activities, combined with the mentorship and training of U.S. undergraduate researchers, a Masters student, and a postdoctoral scholar, directly contribute to the advancement of science education and the growth of a diverse scientific workforce. This study pairs 3D morphometrics with phylogenetic comparative methods to test evolutionary hypotheses about the role of circumorbital morphology in shaping human cranial evolution. The project leverages 3D surface scans of the cranium for n=1700 extant haplorrhines and n=54 fossil hominids. These data are used to address three major aims: 1) characterize circumorbital morphology in hominids and other primates, 2) quantify levels of integration between circumorbital morphology and other skeletal structures of the cranium, and 3) assess the roles of body size and sex in shaping primate circumorbital morphology. By building on foundational morphometric studies in primates with functionally-informed hypotheses and new phylogenetic and evolvability methods, this project has the potential to transform theoretical frameworks and practical approaches to studying hominid cranial evolution.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.