Macro-micro Scaling of Bone in Bioarchaeology
Abstract
Lifestyle factors, such as exercise and diet, are key in determining bone strength and health. However, the mechanism that determines bone quality, known as remodelling, is also spatially limited by the anatomical form of bones. The extent to which these anatomical and lifestyle variables interact in humans is currently poorly understood. In this paper, I will discuss results from my recent study hypothesising that femur midshaft size and biomechanical properties would have a scaling effect on the size and density of microscopic products of remodelling, independently of age and sex, and that this effect would manifest under different lifestyle conditions. Together with collaborators from the University of Melbourne, we examined femur midshaft microradiographs in 73 human donors from the Melbourne Femur Research Collection. We found negative allometry in the relationship between femur cortical area and microscopic vascularity. Our findings suggest effects of allometry on gross and microscopic femur measures, which should improve our current understanding of how bone form reflects past human behaviour in bioarchaeology.
About the presenters
Dr. Justyna Miszkiewicz
Justyna has a PhD (2014) from the University of Kent (UK) and is currently an ARC Future Fellow in the UQ School of Social Science. She was previously a Martin & Temminck Fellow at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands, ARC DERA Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the ANU, Research Assistant at Imperial College London, and Lecturer at the University of Kent in the UK. She specialises in bone histology of humans and other mammals, and works with modern, archaeological, and palaeontological samples.
About Archaeology Working Papers
The Working Papers in Archaeology seminar series provides a forum for dissemination of archaeological research and ideas amongst UQ archaeology students and staff. All students are invited to attend the series and postgraduate students, from honours upwards, are invited to present their research. The aim is to provide opportunities for students, staff and those from outside UQ, to present and discuss their work in an informal environment. It is hoped that anyone interested in current archaeological directions, both within and outside the School and University, will be able to attend and contribute to the series.
