The Maka femur and its bearing on the antiquity of human walking: Applying contemporary concepts of morphogenesis to the human fossil record

Lovejoy, C. Owen; Meindl, Richard S.; Ohman, James C.; Heiple, Kingsbury G.; White, Tim D.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.10111

Cited by 177 publications

(272 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…These baseline conditions are predominately driven by Hox gene expression, which current research postulates is responsible for canalized limb patterning, basic neuromuscular and physiologic anatomy, and the biologic machinery necessary for increasing bone strength following birth (Shubin et al, 1997;Capdevila and Belmonte, 2001;Chiu and Hamrick, 2002). Lovejoy (2002) also suggests that genetic precursors play a more significant role than environmental factors in the primary development of morphological indicators on bone. Earlier prenatal observations support these findings with the appearance of distinguishable hypotrochanteric fossa on the femoral diaphysis where a portion of the gluteus maximus inserts (Hrdlicka, 1934).…”

Section: Understanding Enthesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Entheses: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical and Anthropological Perspectives

Schlecht

2012

The Anatomical Record

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An enthesis is the interface where tendon meets bone, providing both muscle anchorage and stress dissipation. Previous anthropological research suggests size and complexity of entheses observable in osteological material, are indicative of the strain magnitude resulting from repetitive muscle contractions during the performance of daily routines. These proposed ''musculoskeletal stress markers'' are routinely incorporated into bioarcheological studies as evidence of general activity patterns past human populations participated in. However, much of how this complex osteotendinous interface develops and responds to mechanical strains is poorly understood. The following review seeks to shed light on this structural enigma by synthesizing current findings in both the clinical and anthropological literature, in the interest of generating new conversations in how entheses respond to contractual forces and the systemic influences (i.e., genetics, hormones), that surround their morphological development. Only once we truly understand the etiology of tendon insertion sites, will the value of enthesial research in reconstructing human behavior be determined. Anat Rec, 295:1239Rec, 295: -1251Rec, 295: , 2012. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Keywords: musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM); fibrocartilaginous; tendon anatomy; tendon insertion; bone morphology Anthropologists regularly implement bone remodeling principles in response to mechanical loads to infer a causal relationship between muscle tendon insertions and activity levels. Previous research suggests size and complexity of tendon insertions are indicative of strain magnitude resulting from habitual physical activity (Lane, 1887;Kennedy, 1989;Hawkey and Merbs, 1995;Churchill and Morris, 1998;Hawkey, 1998;Steen and Lane, 1998;Stirland, 1998;Wilczak and Kennedy, 1998;Capasso et al., 1999;Weiss, 2003Weiss, , 2004Weiss, , 2007 alOumaoui et al., 2004;Molnar, 2006;Cardoso and Henderson, 2010;Thara et al., 2010;Havelkova et al., 2011). Using both qualitative and quantitative data to assess the expression of insertion morphology along long bone diaphyses, inferences are frequently made regarding both generalized and specific activities past humans participated in throughout their daily lives. Recognition of this potential relationship between mechanical strain and the osteotendinous interface has led many to refer to tendon insertions sites as musculoskeletal stress markers (MSM). However, more empirical analyses exploring the factors responsible for these proposed MSM are needed before we can confidently begin to assess individual behavior and draw population-based inferences from series of skeletal remains. With this lack of understanding in the etiology of periosteal tendon insertion morphology, particularly in the mechanical and structural relationship between soft and hard tissues, this interface should be referred to by the clinical term, enthesis.

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Section: Understanding Enthesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Entheses: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical and Anthropological Perspectives

Schlecht

2012

The Anatomical Record

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“…Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF1) Growth hormone (GH) and its related factors are active during development and repair in order to generate bone morphological adaptation in a fully coordinated manner with the skeletal muscle (Lovejoy et al 2002). Concentrations of GH decline progressively with increasing age in men and women (so-called somatopause; Redman and Ravussin 2009).…”

Section: Biochemical and Endocrine Serum Markersmentioning

confidence: 99%

How pleiotropic genetics of the musculoskeletal system can inform genomics and phenomics of aging

Karasik

2010

AGE

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Genetic study can provide insight into the biologic mechanisms underlying inter-individual differences in susceptibility to (or resistance to) organisms' aging. Recent advances in molecular genetics and genetic epidemiology provide the necessary tools to perform a study of the genetic sources of biological aging. However, to be successful, the genetic study of a complex condition requires a heritable phenotype to be developed and validated. Genome-wide association studies offer an unbiased approach to identify new candidate genes for human diseases. It is hypothesized that convergent results from multiple aging-related traits will point out the genes responsible for the general aging of the organism. This perspective focuses on the musculoskeletal aging as an example of an approach to identify a downstream common pathway that summarizes aging processes. Since the musculoskeletal traits are linked to the state of many vital functions, disability, and ultimately survival rates, we postulate that there is significance in studying musculoskeletal aging. Construction of an integrated phenotype of aging can be achieved based on shared genetics among multiple musculoskeletal biomarkers. Valid biomarkers from other systems of the organism should be similarly explored. The new composite aging score needs to be validated by determining whether it predicts all-cause mortality, incidences of major chronic diseases, and disability late in life. Comprehensive databases on biomarkers of musculoskeletal aging in multiple large cohort studies, along with information on various health outcomes, are needed to validate the proposed measure of biological aging.

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“…Virtually all paleoanthropologists agree that there was a fundamental shift toward bipedality in this taxon (55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61) One of the pivotal traits in this argument is the length of the A. afarensis phalanges. As evidenced by modern arboreal hominoids, long digits can be advantageous for climbing (62), and A. afarensis phalanges are intermediate in length between long modern ape phalanges and derived, abbreviated modern human phalanges.…”

Section: Presumption 2: Most Anatomical Traits Are Adaptively Informamentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating the genotype and phenotype in hominid paleontology

Hlusko

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Competing interpretations of human origins and evolution have recently proliferated despite the accelerated pace of fossil discovery. These controversies parallel those involving other vertebrate families and result from the difficulty of studying evolution among closely related species. Recent advances in developmental and quantitative genetics show that some conventions routinely used by hominid and other mammalian paleontologists are unwarranted. These same advances provide ways to integrate knowledge of the genotype into the study of the phenotype. The result is an approach that promises to yield a fuller understanding of evolution below the family level.

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The Maka femur and its bearing on the antiquity of human walking: Applying contemporary concepts of morphogenesis to the human fossil record

Cited by 177 publications

References 99 publications

Understanding Entheses: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical and Anthropological Perspectives

Understanding Entheses: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical and Anthropological Perspectives

How pleiotropic genetics of the musculoskeletal system can inform genomics and phenomics of aging

Integrating the genotype and phenotype in hominid paleontology

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