What accounts for the size and shape of the head and face region of humans and our relatives continues to be a critical area of study for anatomists and paleoanthropologists. The approach of Hylander's group has been to characterize patterns of surface bone strain along the face bones of a monkey. Then, in combination with various sorts of anatomical and physiological data, the strain data are used to formulate and test different hyptheses about loading patterns in various facial bones. One of the primary goals is to determine whether, how much, and in which direction a given bone is bent, twisted and/ or sheared during different chewing and biting behaviors. These data the allow some insight as to whether certain aspects of the primate face are structural adaptations to dissipate chewing forces. This work will help explain why primate (including human) facial bones look the way they do. This is particularly important for formulating functional and adaptive interpretation of the fossil record of both human and nonhuman primates. Moreover, by characterizing the mechanical environment of facial bones, these data may provide insights into how and why facial bones respond to various sorts of altered mechanical stress, and thereby contribute to a better understanding of processes related to skeletal maintenance of mechanical strength.
