Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Biomechanical and Behavioral Significance of the Neanderthal Femur

博士论文改进：尼安德特人股骨的生物力学和行为意义

• 批准号: 1060835
• 负责人: David Strait
• 金额: $ 2万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Albany
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-05-01 至 2012-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1060835&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Biomechanical; Behavioral

Many researchers have suggested that the greater robusticity and resultant strength of Neandertal femora, compared with those of modern humans, is due to extended use while foraging and hunting. This is known as the mobility hypothesis. This study examines that hypothesis by examining skeletal features and ranging behaviors in a large sample of living primates to determine if use equates with greater robusticity. Results will inform the fields of anthropology, primatology, orthopedics, engineering, and quantitative genetics. The study also impacts understanding of the femur's mechanical environment, which could aid the development of hip prosthetics. Furthermore, this study improves understanding of the correlation between genetics and femoral morphology, and promotes interdisciplinarity between engineering and social sciences.The Neanderthal femur differs from that of recent modern humans in four ways that suggest it is more robust, or biomechanically stronger: it is more curved, has thicker bone, a round rather than elliptical shaft, and a smaller neck-shaft angle. These differences may be explained by the mobility hypothesis. Due to subsistence strategies relying heavily on the exploitation of animal resources, Neanderthals may have been traveling farther than modern humans in search of food, and would thus be loading their lower limbs to a greater extent. This study tests the mobility hypothesis using a three phase approach. The first phase establishes a comparative basis relating mobility to femoral skeletal features in 35 species of living primates with documented ranging behavior, using a method that will produce and disseminate hundreds of computerized 3D surface models. The second phase analyzes the degree to which key skeletal features are heritable or environmentally produced using 21 strains of inbred laboratory mice totaling 413 individuals. The final phase explores the strength of complete Neanderthal and modern human femora within each species' particular anatomical context, using an engineering technique (finite element analysis) designed to investigate how complex structures respond to loads, and include the impact of realistic muscle and hip joint reaction forces.

许多研究人员认为，与现代人类相比，尼安德特股骨的鲁棒性和由此产生的强度归因于觅食和狩猎时的扩展使用。 这被称为流动性假设。 这项研究通过检查大量生物灵长类动物样本中的骨骼特征和范围行为来研究假设，以确定使用是否具有更大的鲁棒性。 结果将为人类学，灵长类动物学，骨科，工程和定量遗传学的领域提供信息。 这项研究还影响了对股骨机械环境的理解，这可能有助于髋关节假体的发展。 此外，这项研究提高了对遗传学与股骨形态之间的相关性的理解，并促进了工程和社会科学之间的跨学科性。尼安德特人的股骨与最近的现代人类的不同，以四种方式表明它更强大，或生物机械上更强大：它更强大：它更弯曲，弯曲的角度比圆形较小，而不是圆形的，而是圆形的，而不是圆形的，而不是往返。 这些差异可以通过流动性假设来解释。 由于依靠对动物资源的剥削的生存策略，尼安德特人可能比现代人类更远地旅行以寻找食物，因此将在更大程度上加载其下肢。 这项研究使用三相方法检验了迁移率假设。 第一阶段建立了与股骨骨骼特征相关的比较基础，其中35种具有记录范围行为的生物灵长类动物的股骨骨骼特征，该方法使用一种方法，该方法将产生并传播数百个计算机化的3D表面模型。 第二阶段分析了使用21种杂交实验室小鼠的主要骨骼特征可遗传或环境产生的程度，总计413个个体。 最后阶段使用工程技术（有限元分析）探讨了每个物种特定解剖环境中完全尼安德特人和现代人类股的强度，旨在研究复杂的结构对负载的响应，并包括现实的肌肉和髋关节关节反作用力的影响。