The primary objective of this project is to study the growth and development of the temporal bone in humans and non-human primates. This will provide the background for interpreting the data from the hominid fossil record thereby allowing for further understanding of the evolutionary history of humans. The temporal bone, the bone of the skull housing the ear, is important to anthropologists for two reasons: 1) It is a highly complex structure and thus has a high information density. Aside from containing the organs for hearing and balance, the temporal bone serves as the portion of the skull that articulates with the mandible and thus plays a major role in chewing and diet. This complexity leads to a high degree of variability among species. Therefore the temporal bone is crucial to our understanding of the relationships of fossil specimens. 2) The petrous portion of the temporal bone is one of the densest areas of the body. This part of the skeleton is thus one of the likliest to fossilize and thereby be represented in the fossil record. The examination of development of this bone and its concomitant structures will provide an additional dimension of information to the hominid fossil record beyond that provided by examination of the adult forms.
