Building Bones: Bone Formation and Development in Anthropology

Christopher J. Percival, Joan T. Richtsmeier

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781107122789
• eBook ISBN:
  9781108216029
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Physical Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

Bone is the tissue most frequently recovered archaeologically and is the material most commonly studied by biological anthropologists, who are interested in how skeletons change shape during growth and across evolutionary time. This volume brings together a range of contemporary studies of bone growth and development to highlight how cross-disciplinary research and new methods can enhance our anthropological understanding of skeletal variation. The novel use of imaging techniques from developmental biology, advanced sequencing methods from genetics, and perspectives from evolutionary developmental biology improve our ability to understand the bases of modern human and primate variation. Animal models can also be used to provide a broad biological perspective to the systematic study of humans. This volume is a testament to the drive of anthropologists to understand biological and evolutionary processes that underlie changes in bone morphology and illustrates the continued value of incorporating multiple perspectives within anthropological inquiry.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Series information
• Title page
• Copyright information
• Table of contents
• List of contributors
• Introduction
• 1 What Is a Biological ‘Trait’?
• 2 The Contribution of Angiogenesis to Variation in Bone Development and Evolution
• 3 Association of the Chondrocranium and Dermatocranium in Early Skull Formation
• 4 Unique Ontogenetic Patterns of Postorbital Septation in Tarsiers and the Issue of Trait Homology
• 5 Exploring Modern Human Facial Growth at the Micro- and Macroscopic Levels
• 6 Changes in Mandibular Cortical Bone Density and Elastic Properties during Growth
• 7 Postcranial Skeletal Development and Its Evolutionary Implications
• 8 Combining Genetic and Developmental Methods to Study Musculoskeletal Evolution in Primates
• 9 Using Comparisons between Species and Anatomical Locations...
• 10 Ontogenetic and Genetic Influences on Bone’s Responsiveness to Mechanical Signals
• 11 The Havers–Halberg Oscillation and Bone Metabolism
• 12 Structural and Mechanical Changes in Trabecular Bone during Early Development in the Human Femur and Humerus
• References (not included in citations for Chapter 3)
• Appendix to Chapter 3: Detailed Anatomical Description of Developing Chondrocranium and Dermatocranium in the Mouse
• References (not included in citations for Chapter 3)
• Index
• Plates