Reconstructing activity patterns and locomotion based on fossil skeletal evidence is an important goal for understanding hominin evolution. However, the relationship between physical activity and bone structure is not fully understood, and such reconstructions require reference data from modern species. This project will investigate relationships between physical activity and bone structure, taking into consideration complicating factors such as age, sex, diet, and individual differences. The project will result in a mammalian reference dataset that will be relevant not only in biological anthropology but also in other research areas such as bone biology and sports medicine. The project will also provide valuable hands-on STEM research and training opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, as well as public outreach activities involving local schools.
This project will investigate differences in habitual posture and range of motion in major limb joints, using micro CT data and finite-element models of subchondral and trabecular structures and whole epiphyses in an ovid model. The investigators will define parameters of the hip, knee and ankle joints that are most indicative of exercise-induced changes in joint loading patterns, and evaluate how bony response changes with distance from the joint surface. They will assess age-related differences and also test whether short-term exercise leads to significant changes in subchondral and trabecular stiffness and force transmission. The goal is to be able to reconstruct individual and group differences in joint and whole-limb posture and range of motion, which will provide the experimental basis for making functional inferences about joint loading conditions and movement patterns used by extinct hominins and other primates.
