The controversy over the reliability of ectocranial suture status (open vs. closed) as an age estimation stimulated the pursuit of Meindl and Lovejoy's suggestion (Meindl and Lovejoy [1985]Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 68:57-66) for large scale analysis.…
Spondyloarthropathy is a painful arthritic affliction of humans that also occurs in wild mammals. Important questions remain concerning the underlying causes of spondyloarthropathy in mammals, particularly regarding whether it is infectious in origin…
Several bony and soft tissue structures of the callitrichid masticatory apparatus have been studied to understand how gouging behavior in marmosets is facilitated by specific morphologies. While marmoset craniofacial anatomy indicates features that…
The relationship between mandibular form and biomechanical function is a topic of significant interest to morphologists and paleontologists alike. Several previous studies have examined the morphology of the mandible in gouging and nongouging…
Temporal bone morphology, as part of the basicranium, is commonly used in systematic evaluation of early hominid fossils. When an isolated right temporal bone, KNM-BC 1 (the Chemeron temporal) was discovered in the Baringo Basin, Kenya, Tobias…
The jaw-closing muscles are responsible for generating many of the forces and movements associated with feeding. Muscle physiologic cross-sectional area (PCSA) and fiber length are two architectural parameters that heavily influence muscle function.…
Feeding and diet played key roles in human evolution. It is well known that modern humans have a small masticatory apparatus for their body size among primates. However, identifying gracility does not necessarily tell us about the relative functional…
Even though in vivo studies of mastication in living primates are often used to test functional and adaptive hypotheses explaining primate masticatory behavior, we currently have little data addressing how experimental procedures performed in the…
Common (Callithrix jacchus) and pygmy (Cebuella pygmaea) marmosets and cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) share broadly similar diets of fruits, insects, and tree exudates. Marmosets, however, differ from tamarins in actively gouging trees with…
In the present study, 1,869 skulls from the Hamann-Todd Collection were examined (macroscopically and by radiographs) for closure of the petroexoccipital articulation (jugular synchondrosis). The results demonstrated that the petroexoccipital…
Diploic veins (Canales diploicae), which were identified in dogs by Dupuytren more than 200 years ago (Hecker [1845] Die anatomische Verhaltnisse und Krankheiten der Venae diploicae und Vasa emissaria, Erfahrungen und Abhandlungen im Gebiete der…
The origin and early evolution of Cetacea (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) is one of the best examples of macroevolution as documented by fossils. Early whales are divided into six families that differ greatly in their habitats, which varied from…
A premaxillary fragment of Sivapithecus parvada preserving the germs of the right central and lateral incisors is described. The specimen was recovered in situ during excavation at locality Y311 in the upper Nagri Formation (ca. 9.2 m.y.a.) of the…
The major purpose of this study is to analyze anterior and posterior temporalis muscle force recruitment and firing patterns in various anthropoid and strepsirrhine primates. There are two specific goals for this project. First, we test the…
