Abstract

PASCHETTA, Carolina  and  GONZALEZ-JOSE, Rolando. Shape and size changes in the human skull:. Runa [online]. 2022, vol.43, n.2, pp.87-116.  Epub June 27, 2022. ISSN 1851-9628.  http://dx.doi.org/10.34096/runa.v43i2.10668.

We evaluated the effect of food consistency on cranial subregions, analyzed three population economic transitions (groups that inhabited the same geographic space and incorporated different foods and technologies associated with food processing) and three non-transitional populations (representing a particular type of diet). We digitized 3D landmarks in 459 skulls from skeletal collections, analyzed them by geometric morphometry and additionally estimated the bite force. Our results indicate differences in size and shape between dietary transitions for most cranial regions. Shape changes are mainly concentrated in the insertion of the temporalis and masseter muscles, while bite force is generally higher in the groups representing the hardest diets.

Keywords : Geometric morphometry; Size and shape variation; Economic transitions; Skull; Biomechanics.

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