BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The brain-bone connections shaping skeletal form and function: can
  we use bone structure to study neural development in human evolution? - D
 r Jaap Saers\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20220209T163000Z
DTEND:20220209T173000Z
UID:TALK170147@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ashleigh Wiseman
DESCRIPTION:This talk covers recent work on the development of locomotion 
 and the skeletal system of primates\, arguing that\, perhaps counterintuit
 ively\, bone structure can be used to study neural development and life hi
 story in human evolution.\n\nMammalian locomotion develops in a species-sp
 ecific\, stereotypical sequence of events that dramatically changes locomo
 tor kinetics and kinematics throughout ontogeny. These developmental chang
 es in loading conditions are generated by neural circuits that develop in 
 parallel to increases in physical size and weight of a growing animal. Bon
 es dynamically adapt to their changing mechanical environment by altering 
 the structure of trabecular bone\, the internal 3D mesh-like structure fou
 nd underneath joint surfaces. Trabecular structure\, then\, can hypothetic
 ally be used to track developmental shifts in locomotor behaviour and neur
 omuscular development. This could significantly expand our knowledge of th
 e biology and behavior of fossil species.\n\nTo test this hypothesis\, I e
 xamined the growth and development of the internal trabecular bone structu
 re of upper and lower limb bones of humans\, chimpanzees\, gorillas\, and 
 Japanese macaques. I used micro-CT scanning to create high resolution 3D m
 odels of each bone. I then calculated and mapped the biomechanical propert
 ies of the internal trabecular structure throughout whole bones in each sp
 ecies. The results indicate an intimate relationship between locomotor dev
 elopment\, and the development of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems o
 f these primates\, as well as aspects of their life-history. The talk will
  finish with a discussion of some exciting applications of these findings 
 to address old and new questions in hominin evolution and development.\n\n
  \n\nRegister here for the talk: Meeting Registration - Zoom
LOCATION:Live on Zoom\, link circulated by email
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR