American journal of physical anthropology
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Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. · Jul 2015
Historical ArticleDoes the correlation between Schmorl's nodes and vertebral morphology extend into the lumbar spine?
Schmorl's nodes are depressions on vertebrae due to herniation of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc into the vertebral body. This study provides an extension of our previous study which analyzed the shape of the lower thoracic spine and found that vertebral morphology was associated with the presence of Schmorl's nodes. ⋯ The findings corroborate previous studies and suggest that vertebral shape may be an important factor in spinal health. It is hypothesized that the pedicle shape of affected vertebrae may not provide adequate structural support for the vertebral bodies, resulting in vertical disc herniation.
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Center of mass (CoM) oscillations were documented for 81 bipedal walking strides of three chimpanzees. Full-stride ground reaction forces were recorded as well as kinematic data to synchronize force to gait events and to determine speed. Despite being a bent-hip, bent-knee (BHBK) gait, chimpanzee walking uses pendulum-like motion with vertical oscillations of the CoM that are similar in pattern and relative magnitude to those of humans. ⋯ The pronounced side sway is not passive, but constitutes 10% of the total work of lifting and accelerating the CoM. CoM oscillations of bipedally walking chimpanzees are distinctly different from those of BHBK gait of humans with a flat trajectory, but this is often described as "chimpanzee-like" walking. Human BHBK gait is a poor model for chimpanzee bipedal walking and offers limited insights for reconstructing early hominin gait evolution.
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Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. · Feb 2014
Historical ArticleBiomolecular identification of ancient Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA in human remains from Britain and continental Europe.
Tuberculosis is known to have afflicted humans throughout history and re-emerged towards the end of the 20th century, to an extent that it was declared a global emergency in 1993. The aim of this study was to apply a rigorous analytical regime to the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) DNA in 77 bone and tooth samples from 70 individuals from Britain and continental Europe, spanning the 1st-19th centuries AD. ⋯ Instead, eight were from ribs displaying visceral new bone formation, one was a tooth from a skeleton with rib lesions, one was taken from a skeleton with endocranial lesions, one from an individual with lesions to the sacrum and sacroiliac joint and the last was from an individual with no lesions indicative of TB or possible TB. Our results add to information on the past temporal and geographical distribution of TB and affirm the suitability of ribs for studying ancient TB.
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Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. · Oct 2013
Ontogeny of the hominoid scapula: The influence of locomotion on morphology.
Primate shoulder morphology has been linked with locomotor habits, oftentimes irrespective of phylogenetic heritage. Among hominoids, juvenile African apes are known to climb more frequently than adults, while orangutans and gibbons maintain an arboreal lifestyle throughout ontogeny. This study examined if these ontogenetic locomotor differences carry a morphological signal, which should be evident in the scapulae of chimpanzees and gorillas but absent in taxa that do not display ontogenetic behavioral shifts. ⋯ The relative shape of the dorsal scapular fossae changed in Pan, Gorilla, and also Macaca in line with predictions based on reported ontogenetic changes in locomotor behavior. These morphological changes were mostly distinct from those seen in Pongo, Hylobates, and Homo and imply a unique developmental pattern, possibly related to ontogenetic locomotor shifts. Accordingly, features that sorted taxa by locomotor habits and changed in concert with ontogenetic behavioral patterns should be particularly useful for reconstructing the locomotor habits of fossil forms.
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Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. · Mar 2013
No skeletal dysplasia in the Nariokotome boy KNM-WT 15000 (Homo erectus)--a reassessment of congenital pathologies of the vertebral column.
The Nariokotome boy skeleton KNM-WT 15000 is the most complete Homo erectus fossil and therefore is key for understanding human evolution. Nevertheless, since Latimer and Ohman (2001) reported on severe congenital pathology in KNM-WT 15000, it is questionable whether this skeleton can still be used as reference for Homo erectus skeletal biology. The asserted pathologies include platyspondylic and diminutive vertebrae implying a disproportionately short stature; spina bifida; condylus tertius; spinal stenosis; and scoliosis. ⋯ Furthermore, we neither found evidence for spina bifida occulta nor manifesta, whereas the condylus tertius, a developmental anomaly of the cranial base, is not related to skeletal dysplasias. Other fossils indicate that the relatively small size of the vertebrae and the narrow spinal canal are characteristics of early hominins rather than congenital pathologies. Except for the recently described signs of traumatic lumbar disc herniation, the Nariokotome boy fossil therefore seems to belong to a normal Homo erectus youth without pathologies of the axial skeleton.