Foramen magnum position has traditionally been used as an indicator of bipedality because it has been thought to favor a more "balanced" skull position. Here, we analyzed foramen magnum angle (FMA) in relation to locomotion in three mammalian orders that include bipedal or orthograde species in addition to quadrupedal or pronograde species. In marsupials and strepsirrhine primates, we found that there is no relationship between locomotor pattern and FMA. In rodents, we found that there is a significant difference in FMA between bipedal and quadrupedal rodents. However, when these species are analyzed in the context of enlarged auditory bullae, this relationship is no longer significant. Additionally, we find a significant relationship between relative brain size and FMA in strepsirrhine primates. Taken together, these data indicate that several developmental modules of the cranium influence FMA, but that locomotion does not. We caution that basicranial evolution is a complex phenomenon that must be explored in the context of each taxon's unique evolutionary and developmental history.

Anatomy laboratories can provide rich opportunities for outreach to K‐12 and college students interested in pursuing careers in health, medicine, or science. At the University of Missouri, the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences has designed flexible, one‐hour interactive sessions that typically cover basic anatomical concepts using whole‐body donors. In order to evaluate whether short‐duration programs were impactful in increasing enthusiasm for anatomy and the health professions sciences, we used mixed methods to study participant experience covering three topics: (1) enthusiasm for anatomy, (2) interest in pursuing a career in healthcare professions, and (3) perception of the importance of whole‐body donation. The same questions were asked pre‐ and post‐session, and the post‐session survey had additional questions related to student satisfaction. Quantitative analyses showed an increased interest in anatomy and appreciation for whole‐body donation following the session. Students also perceived that they had a better understanding of the body and what it would be like to attend a health professions school. Thematic analysis revealed an appreciation for contextualizing the size, position, and hands‐on feel of anatomical structures, and emphasized that students felt that they understood the body better after having seen a donor's anatomy. This work shows that short‐duration, flexible outreach sessions involving whole‐body donors can provide students with a rare opportunity to confirm their contextual understanding of anatomy, and provide students with an authentic, and humanistic experience.

Postmortem investigations into material and structural properties of bone have great potential for use in medicolegal investigations when assessing whether skeletal trauma might be the result of metabolically compromised bone. Current imaging technologies used to evaluate bone quality, including dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT), are expensive, large, and produce ionizing radiation (IR). Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a portable, less expensive alternative to these technologies that does not produce IR. However, the specific physical properties of bone quantified by QUS remains unresolved and few studies have explored its practical capacity for assessing the skeleton after death. This study sought to explore the utility of QUS for postmortem assessment of the human skeleton by quantifying the effects of: (1) embalming, (2) skeletal site, (3) biological sex, and (4) relative bone mineral density (BMD), on speed of sound (SOS), the chief output of QUS. We also compared SOS to traditional measures of bone quality (DXA and micro‐CT), and evaluated SOS for its ability to discriminate individuals based on BMD status. Our sample comprised 9 male and 9 female cadavers aged 57 – 84 years. Our sample sites included the distal radius (DR) and midshaft tibia (MT), sites commonly used in QUS with different weight bearing demands. Results indicated that SOS does not vary significantly between unembalmed tissue and tissue embalmed with an ethylene glycol‐based fixative at both the DR (Z = ‐1.428; p = 0.153) and MT (Z = 0.459; p = 0.646). Males exhibited significantly higher SOS values than females at the MT (U = 66.00; p = 0.002) but not the DR (U = 138.00; p = 0.462). Individuals with normal BMD exhibited significantly higher SOS values than individuals with low BMD at both sites (DR: U = 69.00; p = 0.005; MT: U = 47.00; p < 0.000). While limb side was not shown to have a significant effect on SOS values (DR: U = 151.00; p = 0.743; MT: U = 153.00; p = 0.791), the DR was found to exhibit significantly higher SOS values than the MT in the same individual (U = 50.00; p < 0.000). When using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, SOS values from both locations were found to correctly discriminate individuals with normal BMD from individuals with low BMD better than random chance (DR: AUC = 0.766; p = 0.032; MT: AUC = 0.844; p < 0.000). Finally, results from the ROC analyses demonstrated that a SOS value of 4022.17 m/s at the MT was the optimal cutoff point within the sample for distinguishing normal BMD from low BMD individuals. The discriminatory capability of SOS at both skeletal sites supports the idea that QUS could be applied in clinical or postmortem settings for the assessment of relative BMD status, representing a potentially useful tool for researchers, clinicians, and forensic scientists. Future studies should attempt to replicate this research with a larger and more diverse sample size in order to confirm these findings and create more robust reference threshold values and c...

As a land‐grant, state‐run institution, one of the outreach efforts offered by the University of Missouri ‐ Columbia Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences includes private, hour‐long outreach sessions to local area groups in a human dissection anatomy laboratory. One of the primary goals of the Human Anatomy Lab Outreach (HALO) sessions is to nurture the curiosity and interest of students interested in a career in medicine or allied health professions. Prosected donor‐based outreach programs have been shown to enhance learning and inspire students to consider careers in health and medicine, but are typically longer in duration or include guided activities. The HALO program is designed as a flexible, interactive session with students where one instructor demonstrates topics of his or her interest to a maximum of 15 students. Topics typically cover basic anatomical concepts as well as unique aspects of a particular donor such as the anatomy of pacemakers, or other topics the group may ask about. We sought to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the experiences of the students invited to the anatomy lab by giving a pre‐ and post‐session assessment for four topics: 1) performance on anatomy content, 2) enthusiasm for anatomy, 3) interest in pursuing a career in healthcare professions, and 4) perception of the importance of whole body donation for education and research. The same questions were asked for both the pre‐ and post‐assessment, with the post‐test having additional questions related to student satisfaction and open‐ended, free form questions. Seven groups composed of 163 students from 5 public high schools, a private religious college and a vocational school participated in the study. Results of paired‐samples t‐tests conducted for each of five “anatomical learning” questions showed consistency in performance before and after the session, and for the one question with a significant change, performance decreased (59% to 40%). Despite the lack of improvement in their answers, 93% of the student visitors answered that they had a “much” (51%) or “somewhat” (42%) better understanding of the human body after their session in the lab which is likely due to a number of factors, including the observation that more students completed the post‐assessment than the pre‐assessment. After the session, students found anatomy more interesting and whole‐body donation important. 94% of our visitors reported that they had a better understanding of what it would be like to study a health profession, and 69% were “extremely likely” to recommend this experience to a friend. Additionally, responses to open‐ended questions revealed an appreciation for contextualizing the size, position, and hands‐on feel of anatomical structures. This work shows that the primary strength of the HALO program is in increasing excitement for anatomy and health education and appreciation for whole‐body donors. Support or Funding Information Support provided by the University of Missouri Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences.