Current Projects
Dental Morphology
One question we address is: how reliable are teeth for determining the evolutionary relationships among human ancestors? Digital morphometric techniques are used to study patterns of speciation and genetic diversification in the dentition of living and fossil apes. How dental morphology changes in response to evolutionary processes is important for determining whether teeth can be used to recount the story of human evolution.
1. Population systematics of the present-day apes. Chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and gibbons share a high proportion of genetic material with humans. Their evolutionary history and present day patterns of geographic distribution are of relevance for understanding the diversification of human ancestors. Large samples of dental specimens from museums in the USA and Europe are being used to study the taxonomy of the apes. These provide the background for addressing questions regarding species designations and distribution patterns of fossil hominins.
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Dental morphometrics of great ape molars from British Museum of Natural History, London and Museum of Zoology, Berlin |
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2. Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Miocene apes. From about 22 million years to nearly 8 million years in the Miocene period, apes ancestral to humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and gibbons were widespread through Africa, Europe and Asia. Their fossil evidence is mostly in the form of teeth. The dental sample of present-day apes provides the comparative material to study species distribution patterns and evolutionary inter-relationships of the Miocene apes.
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Miocene ape teeth from Kenya National Museum |
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3. Discrete dental traits. Non-metric or discretely occurring dental traits play an important role in understanding gene flow patterns and genetic admixture in recent humans and reconstructing the systematics and evolutionary relationships of fossil humans. The Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) is a set of dental tablets documenting variation in discrete dental traits of recent humans. These are being used to document dental traits in recent human archaeological populations with the aim of determining their genetic affinity and migration patterns. Dental plaques similar to the ASUDAS are being constructed for the great apes. Ape dental morphology differs in several ways from modern humans and will provide a wider comparative perspective for studying fossil hominin dental morphology.
Skeletal Morphology
Another question our research addresses is: how does the human skeleton change in response to genetic drift, mutation and adaptation to the environment? Craniometric and geometric morphometric techniques are used to study the life history details and genetic affinities of skeletal populations from archaeological sites.
1. Physical anthropology of archaeological populations.The skeleton, in particular, the cranium, limb bones and pelvis provide important evidence for reconstructing age, sex and stature of an individual. These are important life-history details that are relevant for understanding the physical, behavioural and cultural history of ancient populations. New techniques are being used to study these aspects of the skeleton from archaeological sites in the Republic of Georgia.
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Excavating human remains from Chalcolithic locality, India |
2. Paleopathology and paleoepidemiology. To determine environmental stress factors and document trends in population health in prehistoric populations we are studying hypoplasias – macroscopically observable lines on the outer enamel of teeth linked to events of stress or insult in an individual’s life. We are also looking at other pathologies and traumas such as tuberculosis, osteoma, osteoarthritis and rickets that leave distinct skeletal signatures
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Excavating and studying human remains from Samtavro, Georgia |
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3. Intentional cranial modification.
Intentional cranial deformation was practised in several parts of the world. We have several modified crania in our osteological collection and at the archaeological site in Georgia. We aim to use geometric morphometric techniques to study cranial shape modification in a comparative context in order to understand the behavioural practices of the people with modified crania and the cultural origin of the practice.
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Artificially modified cranium from ACB Collections |