Download or read book Evolution and Development of Hominoid Vertebral Transitions written by Allison Machnicki and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The thoracolumbar spine is crucial for understanding primate evolution and the origins and unique adoption of human bipedalism. Both great apes and humans have stabilized their spine with the posterior shift of the transitional vertebra and reduction of non-ribbed lumbar vertebra. There is debate regarding whether these features are homologous or homoplasious, and thus whether bipedalism evolved from a short stiff back like great apes or a longer lumbar column more similar to monkeys and Miocene hominoids. Genetic modification of Hox9 in mice results in the independent modification of rib count and transitional vertebra placemen and genetic modification of Hox11 in mice results in a cranial homeotic shift at the lumbosacral border and position of the sacrum. These transitions mimic the shift of the transitional vertebra and lumbosacral boundary in hominoids. The proposed study addresses important questions that will influence interpretation of differences between extant primates, as well as fossil specimens, by providing a basic understanding for the role of developmental influences on functionally important vertebral features. Since skeletal development is a highly conserved process across tetrapods, conclusions about the development of vertebrae in mice will be broadly applicable to interpretations across mammals. In this analysis, I compare the morphology of the primate transitional vertebra in museum collections and experimentally modified mice. Quantitative, qualitative, and geometric morphometric analyses were conducted on Hox9 and Hox11 modified mice and primate museum specimen thoracic and lumbar columns using micro-CT and 3D surface scanning and a large osteological dataset. In the first part of this dissertation, I analyzed Hox9 and Hox11 modified mice to investigate developmental association or independence of vertebral characters including articular facets, spinous processes, transverse processes, and costal processes. The results of this study indicated that the different Hox clusters have distinct roles on different morphology and in different areas of the vertebral column. Hoxa9, -b9, -c9 and -d9 paralogs had specific and largely separate roles in specifying vertebral identity. Hoxa9 mutations in mice impacted rib placement and count. Hoxb9 and Hoxc9 modifications in isolation affected the placement of the transitional vertebra and the position of spinous process orientation change. Hoxd9 modifications instead affected the sacrocaudal boundary and the number of laterally fused segments contributing of the sacrum. Hoxd11 and combined modifications of Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 resulted in a partial or complete lumbosacral transformation and an anterior shift of the placement of the sacrum within the pelvis. The results of this study indicate that articular facet orientation can be altered independent of costal identity and that articular facet orientation and spinous process orientation shift together whereas transverse process orientation shifts once with the transitional vertebra and a second time over the rib boundary. In the second part of this dissertation, I analyzed a 3D dataset of primate vertebrae to identify characters associated with vertebral column mobility and stiffening. I scanned primate vertebral columns from the 8th thoracic to the 3rd lumbar using either a NextEngine 3D surface scanner or an Artec Space Spider Surface Scanner. From the scans, the vertebrae were scored for thoracic and lumbar characteristics and the angles of the spinous processes were measured to assess spinous process shape to determine which vertebral characters are linked over the articular facet and costal transitions. Additionally, I investigated whether lumbar and sacral count affects sacral position and vertebral entrapment. These data were compared to the Hox mouse models to assess the developmental independence of transitional and costal characters in primates. The results of this study showed that like the Hox mice, articular facet orientation and spinous process orientation were correlated and that there was a shift in transverse process orientation both at the articular facet transition and the costal transition, when they were not in unison. This demonstrates that classic Schultz definitions may not correspond to the developmental boundaries that determine vertebral morphology. Furthermore, humans and chimpanzees displayed a similar cranial shift in sacrum placement to the mice when lumbar count was increased. This has implications for spinal mobility and demonstrates an additional method for either reducing or increasing lumbar entrapment and changing the number of lumbar vertebra contributing to locomotion. In the third part of this dissertation, I analyzed the 3D primate dataset using geometric morphometrics to assess differences between pre- and post-transitional vertebrae within the context of hominoid evolution. The dataset is divided into analyses of the entire section of the vertebral column sampled (T8L2), individual analyses of the transitional vertebra and first two post-transitional vertebrae, individual species analyses of the vertebral column, and finally individual species analyses of individual articular facet surfaces independent of orientation. Overall, differences were seen in shape and orientation across the transitional vertebra between species and this often correlated with locomotor pattern and where mobility or stiffening was needed in the spine. These projects address two important questions: 1) whether patterns of the thoracolumbar and lumbosacral transitions are similar across apes, and 2) the developmental independence of various thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebral features. Throughout hominid evolution there has been a posterior shift in the position of the transitional vertebra and there has been an alteration in the placement of the sacrum relative to the iliac crest. The results of these studies show that alteration of Hox genes in mice can result in similar patterns seen in primates and may underlie the anatomical trajectory seen in hominid evolution. Furthermore, the differences in the transition of vertebral characters among great apes suggests that reduction and stiffening of the lumbar column may have evolved independently.
Download or read book Spinal Evolution written by Ella Been and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-08-07 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The vertebral spine is a key element of the human anatomy. Its main role is to protect the spinal cord and the main blood vessels. The axial skeleton, with its muscles and joints, provides stability for the attachment of the head, tail and limbs and, at the same time, enables the mobility required for breathing and for locomotion. Despite its great importance, the vertebral spine is often over looked by researchers because: a) vertebrae are fragile in nature, which makes their fossilization a rare event; b) they are metameric (seriated and repeated elements) that make their anatomical determination and, thus, their subsequent study difficult; and c) the plethora of bones and joints involved in every movement or function of the axial skeleton makes the reconstruction of posture, breathing mechanics and locomotion extremely difficult. It is well established that the spine has changed dramatically during human evolution. Spinal curvatures, spinal load transmission, and thoracic shape of bipedal humans are derived among hominoids. Yet, there are many debates as to how and when these changes occurred and to their phylogenetic, functional, and pathological implications. In recent years, renewed interest arose in the axial skeleton. New and exciting finds, mostly from Europe and Africa, as well as new methods for reconstructing the spine, have been introduced to the research community. New methodologies such as Finite Element Analysis, trabecular bone analysis, Geometric Morphometric analysis, and gait analysis have been applied to the spines of primates and humans. These provide a new and refreshing look into the evolution of the spine. Advanced biomechanical research regarding posture, range of motion, stability, and attenuation of the human spine has interesting evolutionary implications. Until now, no book that summarizes the updated research and knowledge regarding spinal evolution in hominoids has been available. The present book explores both these new methodologies and new data, including recent fossil, morphological, biomechanical, and theoretical advances regarding vertebral column evolution. In order to cover all of that data, we divide the book into four parts: 1) the spine of hominoids; 2) the vertebral spine of extinct hominins; 3) ontogeny, biomechanics and pathology of the human spine; and 4) new methodologies of spinal research. These parts complement each other and provide a wide and comprehensive examination of spinal evolution.
Download or read book Vertebral Column and Thorax written by A. H. SCHULTZ and published by Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. This book was released on 1960-10-31 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Skeletal Anatomy of the Newborn Primate written by Timothy D. Smith and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-05-28 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first clearly-illustrated, comparative book on developmental primate skeletal anatomy, focused on the highly informative newborn stage.
Download or read book The Evolutionary Biology of the Human Pelvis written by Cara M. Wall-Scheffler and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-01-16 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Synthesizes and re-examines the evolution of the human pelvis, which sits at the interface between locomotion and childbirth.
Download or read book The First Humans written by Frederick E. Grine and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-05-24 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are some issues in human paleontology that seem to be timeless. Most deal with the origin and early evolution of our own genus – something about which we should care. Some of these issues pertain to taxonomy and systematics. How many species of Homo were there in the Pliocene and Pleistocene? How do we identify the earliest members the genus Homo? If there is more than one Plio-Pleistocene species, how do they relate to one another, and where and when did they evolve? Other issues relate to questions about body size, proportions and the functional adaptations of the locomotor skeleton. When did the human postcranial “Bauplan” evolve, and for what reasons? What behaviors (and what behavioral limitations) can be inferred from the postcranial bones that have been attributed to Homo habilis and Homo erectus? Still other issues relate to growth, development and life history strategies, and the biological and archeological evidence for diet and behavior in early Homo. It is often argued that dietary change played an important role in the origin and early evolution of our genus, with stone tools opening up scavenging and hunting opportunities that would have added meat protein to the diet of Homo. Still other issues relate to the environmental and climatic context in which this genus evolved.
Download or read book The Paleobiology of Australopithecus written by Kaye E. Reed and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-15 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Australopithecus species have been the topic of much debate in palaeoanthropology since Raymond Dart described the first species, Australopithecus africanus, in 1925. This volume synthesizes the geological and paleontological context of the species in East and South Africa; covers individual sites, such as Dikika, Hadar, Sterkfontein, and Malapa; debates the alpha taxonomy of some of the species; and addresses questions regarding the movements of the species across the continent. Additional chapters discuss the genus in terms of sexual dimorphism, diet reconstruction using microwear and isotopic methodologies, postural and locomotor behavior, and ontogeny.
Download or read book Evolution by Gene Duplication written by Susumu Ohno and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-12-11 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is said that "necessity is the mother of invention". To be sure, wheels and pulleys were invented out of necessity by the tenacious minds of upright citi zens. Looking at the history of mankind, however, one has to add that "Ieisure is the mother of cultural improvement". Man's creative genius flourished only when his mind, freed from the worry of daily toils, was permitted to entertain apparently useless thoughts. In the same manner, one might say with regard to evolution that "natural selection mere(y tnodifted, while redundanry created". Natural selection has been extremely effective in policing alleHe mutations which arise in already existing gene loci. Because of natural selection, organisms have been able to adapt to changing environments, and by adaptive radiation many new species were created from a common ancestral form. Y et, being an effective policeman, natural selection is extremely conservative by nature. Had evolution been entirely dependent upon natural selection, from a bacterium only numerous forms of bacteria would have emerged. The creation of metazoans, vertebrates and finally mammals from unicellular organisms would have been quite impos sible, for such big leaps in evolution required the creation of new gene loci with previously nonexistent functions. Only the cistron which became redun dant was able to escape from the relentless pressure of natural selection, and by escaping, it accumulated formerly forbidden mutations to emerge as a new gene locus.
Download or read book The Symbolic Species The Co evolution of Language and the Brain written by Terrence W. Deacon and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 1998-04-17 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A work of enormous breadth, likely to pleasantly surprise both general readers and experts."—New York Times Book Review This revolutionary book provides fresh answers to long-standing questions of human origins and consciousness. Drawing on his breakthrough research in comparative neuroscience, Terrence Deacon offers a wealth of insights into the significance of symbolic thinking: from the co-evolutionary exchange between language and brains over two million years of hominid evolution to the ethical repercussions that followed man's newfound access to other people's thoughts and emotions. Informing these insights is a new understanding of how Darwinian processes underlie the brain's development and function as well as its evolution. In contrast to much contemporary neuroscience that treats the brain as no more or less than a computer, Deacon provides a new clarity of vision into the mechanism of mind. It injects a renewed sense of adventure into the experience of being human.
Download or read book The Human Advantage written by Suzana Herculano-Houzel and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2016-03-18 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why our human brains are awesome, and how we left our cousins, the great apes, behind: a tale of neurons and calories, and cooking. Humans are awesome. Our brains are gigantic, seven times larger than they should be for the size of our bodies. The human brain uses 25% of all the energy the body requires each day. And it became enormous in a very short amount of time in evolution, allowing us to leave our cousins, the great apes, behind. So the human brain is special, right? Wrong, according to Suzana Herculano-Houzel. Humans have developed cognitive abilities that outstrip those of all other animals, but not because we are evolutionary outliers. The human brain was not singled out to become amazing in its own exclusive way, and it never stopped being a primate brain. If we are not an exception to the rules of evolution, then what is the source of the human advantage? Herculano-Houzel shows that it is not the size of our brain that matters but the fact that we have more neurons in the cerebral cortex than any other animal, thanks to our ancestors' invention, some 1.5 million years ago, of a more efficient way to obtain calories: cooking. Because we are primates, ingesting more calories in less time made possible the rapid acquisition of a huge number of neurons in the still fairly small cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for finding patterns, reasoning, developing technology, and passing it on through culture. Herculano-Houzel shows us how she came to these conclusions—making “brain soup” to determine the number of neurons in the brain, for example, and bringing animal brains in a suitcase through customs. The Human Advantage is an engaging and original look at how we became remarkable without ever being special.
Download or read book Human Evolution Beyond Biology and Culture written by Jeroen C. J. M. van den Bergh and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-18 with total page 575 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A complete account of evolutionary thought in the social, environmental and policy sciences, creating bridges with biology.
Download or read book Evolution and Development of Fishes written by Zerina Johanson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-10 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World-class palaeontologists and biologists summarise the state-of-the-art on fish evolution and development.
Download or read book Biomechanics of the Locomotor Apparatus written by Friedrich Pauwels and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contents of this book are based almost exclusively on purely anatomical researches. These were stimulated by questions posed in clinical practice. The results are directed to practicing surgeons. Their chronological sequence leads to a step by step development of theoretical bases and to a progressive rejection of old conceptions. Especially in the field of orthopaedic surgery, a responsible attitude is possible neither without solid anatomical knowledge, nor without an idea of functional relationships. W. Roux had already demonstrated this and he wanted his works of functional anatomy to be considered from this point of view. He above all preoccupied himself with a uniform theory of functional adaptation. Thus it is understandable that the theories ofRoux formed the basis from which to start. Our own researches seemed at first to corroborate the ideas of Roux, at least in part. This is still evident in the monograph concerning fractures of the femoral neck. Later it appeared that ST. KROMPECHER had made a step forwards in the matter of chondrogenesis when he abandoned the shear theory postulated by Roux and held that compression was the only effective stimulus for the forma tion of cartilage. The research concerning the healing of fractures relies partly on the theory of KROMPECHER which was new at that time. But ultimately more and more discoveries could no longer be explained by this conception which was only slightly different from the older theories (1. WOLF, W. Roux, W.
Download or read book Handbook of Paleoanthropology written by Winfried Henke and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-10 with total page 2057 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 3-volume handbook brings together contributions by the world ́s leading specialists that reflect the broad spectrum of modern palaeoanthropology, thus presenting an indispensable resource for professionals and students alike. Vol. 1 reviews principles, methods, and approaches, recounting recent advances and state-of-the-art knowledge in phylogenetic analysis, palaeoecology and evolutionary theory and philosophy. Vol. 2 examines primate origins, evolution, behaviour, and adaptive variety, emphasizing integration of fossil data with contemporary knowledge of the behaviour and ecology of living primates in natural environments. Vol. 3 deals with fossil and molecular evidence for the evolution of Homo sapiens and its fossil relatives.
Download or read book Your Inner Fish written by Neil Shubin and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2008-01-15 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paleontologist and professor of anatomy who co-discovered Tiktaalik, the “fish with hands,” tells a “compelling scientific adventure story that will change forever how you understand what it means to be human” (Oliver Sacks). By examining fossils and DNA, he shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our heads are organized like long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genomes look and function like those of worms and bacteria. Your Inner Fish makes us look at ourselves and our world in an illuminating new light. This is science writing at its finest—enlightening, accessible and told with irresistible enthusiasm.
Download or read book Patterns of Human Growth written by Barry Bogin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1999-05-06 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revised edition of an established text on human growth and development from an anthropological and evolutionary perspective.
Download or read book From Neurons to Neighborhoods written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-11-13 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.
