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，尼安德特人的股骨具有更大的坚固性和强度，这是由于在觅食和狩猎时长期使用。 这被称为流动性假说。 这项研究通过检查大量活灵长类动物样本的骨骼特征和范围行为来检验这一假设，以确定使用是否等同于更强的鲁棒性。 结果将为人类学、灵长类动物学、骨科、工程学和定量遗传学领域提供信息。 该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肢的开发。 此外，这项研究提高了对遗传学和股骨形态之间相关性的理解，并促进了工程学和社会科学之间的跨学科性。尼安德特人的股骨与近代现代人类的股骨有四个不同之处，这表明它更坚固，或者在生物力学上更强：更弯曲，骨头更厚，轴是圆形而不是椭圆形，颈轴角更小。 这些差异可以通过流动性假说来解释。 由于生存策略严重依赖对动物资源的开发，尼安德特人为了寻找食物可能比现代人走得更远，因此他们的下肢承受了更大的负荷。 本研究使用三阶段方法检验流动性假设。 第一阶段建立了一个比较基础，将活动性与 35 种现存灵长类动物的股骨骨骼特征相关联，并记录了测距行为，使用的方法将生成和传播数百个计算机化 3D 表面模型。 第二阶段使用 21 种近交实验室小鼠（总计 413 只）分析关键骨骼特征的遗传程度或环境产生程度。 最后阶段利用工程技术（有限元分析）探索完整的尼安德特人和现代人类股骨在每个物种特定解剖学背景下的强度，旨在研究复杂结构如何响应负载，并包括真实肌肉和髋关节的影响反作用力。