Thickness distribution of the occipital bone - A new approach based on CT-data of modern humans and OH 9 (H. ergaster)

Gerhard Weber, Johann Kim

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

A new approach for the analysis of cranial bone thickness is introduced. The study focuses on the occipital bone of modern humans and of a 1.25 Myr-old H. Ergaster / erectus specimen from Olduvai Gorge (OH 9). A semiautomatic algorithm detects a multitude of thicknesses from CT-data of the investigated bones. We find that every bone is characterized by its own distribution pattern of cranial thickness, which is then analyzed statistically. The results demonstrate that the thickness distribution of the occipital bone of OH 9 is within the normal range of the H. sapiens sample (which itself shows a remarkably high variance). This contributes to a further analysis of phyletic differences of hominid morphology by including distribution patterns of thickness combined with aspects of functional anatomy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)333-343
Number of pages11
JournalCollegium Antropologicum
Volume23
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 1999

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 1060 Biology

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