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

人类具有独特的直立身体姿势和相关的解剖学，但古生物学家不确定这些特征何时首次出现在人类谱系中。这个博士研究项目的目的是从功能上描述灵长类动物颈部的解剖结构，以了解颈部的差异如何与灵长类动物的头部姿势，身体姿势和运动有关。该项目将提供数据，可用于推断何时首次出现类似人类的颈部，以及这种解剖学变化如何与环境，行为和生物因素相关。这项研究将采用3D解剖学方法的组合，包括CT扫描，数字肌束跟踪和生物力学建模，这将作为未来研究人员和医疗保健专业人员的培训工具。本研究所产生的3D模型将用于K-12科学教育和推广活动，讨论人体解剖学和灵长类动物保护。本研究的目的是描述和量化具有不同习惯性身体姿势和运动行为的灵长类动物的颈部肌肉解剖结构。使用生物力学框架，该项目将比较颈部肌肉组织的功能差异，这些肌肉组织是行为的关键，例如在悬挂期间举起头部和手臂运动。包括对比度增强计算机断层扫描，肌肉束跟踪软件和3D杠杆力学在内的新技术将用于开发肌肉大小，形状和分布的变化如何与灵长类动物的姿势和运动行为相关的生物力学模型。这些生物力学模型将应用于化石人类（南方古猿sediba和尼安德特人），以解释他们的颈部解剖和姿势，从而更准确地理解和重建他们的行为。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

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.