The Ontogeny of Holocene and Late Pleistocene Human Postcranial Strength

    Authors

    L. W. Cowgill

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

    Keywords

    growth; Neandertal; humerus; femur; BONE-MINERAL DENSITY; CROSS-SECTIONAL PROPERTIES; MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC; HUMANS; BATN-EL-HAJAR; PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY; BODY-SIZE; MUSCLE STRENGTH; LONG BONES; LOWER-LIMB; MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES; Anthropology; Evolutionary Biology

    Abstract

    While a wide variety of studies have focused on population variation in adult cross-sectional properties, relatively little is known about population variation in postcranial robusticity in immature individuals. Furthermore, the age at which the population differences readily detected in adults manifest during growth is also unknown. This research addresses these gaps in our current understanding through the analysis of immature humeral and femoral long bone strength. Cross-sectional geometry was used to compare the developmental trajectories of diaphyseal strength in Late Pleistocene Neandertal and modern human subadults to a sample of immature humans from seven geographically diverse Holocene populations. Population differences in size-standardized cross-sectional properties appear to be systemic and develop very early in ontogeny in the Holocene sample. In many cases, these differences are present before one year of age. In general, the Late Pleistocene fossil samples fit within the range of recent human variation in long bone strength. Population differences detected here are likely related to a combination of factors including activity patterns, genetic propensities, and nutritional status. These results highlight the complex mosaic of processes that result in adult postcranial robusticity, and suggest that further exploration of the developmental interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic influences on skeletal robusticity will likely enhance our understanding of adult postcranial morphology. Am J Phys Anthropol 141:16-37, 2010. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

    Journal Title

    American Journal of Physical Anthropology

    Volume

    141

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2010

    Document Type

    Review

    Language

    English

    First Page

    16

    Last Page

    37

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000272918100004

    ISSN

    0002-9483

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