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The analysis of prehistoric human dietary habits is key for understanding the effects of paleoenvironmental changes on the evolution of cultural and social human behaviors. In this study, we compare results from zooarchaeological, stable isotope and dental calculus analyses as well as lower second molar macrowear patterns to gain a broader understanding of the diet of three individuals who lived between the end of the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene (ca., 17–8 ky cal BP) in the Eastern Alpine region

The Carabelli trait is a small dental feature found on the lingual surface of deciduous and permanent maxillary molars. It is variably expressed, ranging from a small pit or furrow to a large cusp, and its development seems to be associated with crown size and molar cusp spatial configuration. The degree of expression and frequency of this accessory trait in modern humans and in our extinct ancestors can vary within the same individual and across populations. However, the functional implications

The adoption of bipedalism is a key benchmark in human evolution that has impacted talar morphology. We analysed the talus of different hominin species applying geometric morphometric methods. Our results suggest that a more everted foot and stiffer medial midtarsal region are adaptations that coincide with the emergence of bipedalism, whereas a high medial longitudinal arch emerges later in time, within Homo. This study provides novel insights into the emergence of talar morphological traits linked to bipedalism and its transition

Our new work lead by Rita Sorrentino from Prof. Stefano Benazzi research lab, titled “The influence of mobility strategy on the modern human talus” published today in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, shows that constraining footwear in post-industrial society influenced the morphology of the talus, the bone that makes up part of the ankle joint. This seems to have reduced the range of motion at our ankle joint. In contrast, barefoot hunter-gatherers were characterised by more flexible feet, better

During the past few weeks, we had the pleasure to have with us Waseem Habashi, a Ph.D student from Tel Aviv University, who came here to learn bout the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method. This research visit was part of a research cooperative program between Monash and Tel Aviv universities. His project titled “A real-time biomechanical study of human dentition during the Neolithic Revolution” will be part of the AFTAM (Australian Friends of Tel Aviv University – Monash University) framework. Waseem

Our latest work on Diet and cultural diversity in Neanderthals and modern humans from dental macrowear analyses is finally available at Elsevier: https://www.elsevier.com/books/dental-wear-in-evolutionary-and-biocultural-contexts/schmidt/978-0-12-815599-8 It is part of a book titled Dental Wear in Evolutionay and Biocultural Contexts edited by Christopher Schmidt and James Watson. Dental Wear in Evolutionary and Biocultural Contexts provides a single source for disseminating the current state-of-the-art research regarding dental wear across a variety of hominoid species under a number of temporal and spatial contexts. The volume

Together with A/Prof. Alistair Evans and Dr. Justin Adams we have been recently successful with the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) Interdisciplinary Research Seed Funding grants. The last three million years have been characterised by strong climatic instability that drove many species to extinction. However, how climate change over this timescale has affected the growth and development of mammals cannot currently be assessed. In this project we will use a highly innovative approach,

Our new study on two-million-year-old teeth from Australopithecus africanus fossils, published in Nature, reveals the impact of seasonal climatic changes on the survival of this species. Together with Dr. Renaud Joannes-Boyau from Souther Cross University and Dr. Justin W. Adams, we have analysed the chemical composition of fossilised teeth. Australopithecus africanus mothers breastfed their infants for the first 12 months after birth, and continued to supplement their diets with breastmilk during periods of food shortage. This finding demonstrates why early

Our latest work titled “Dental macrowear and cortical bone distribution of the Neanderthal mandible from Regourdou (Dordogne, Southwestern France)” has been recently published in the Journal of Human Evolution. It is probably one of the most detailed study on a single Neanderthal individual showing the level of details that can be reconstructed from the analyses of dental macrowear and cortical bone distribution. The skeletal remains of Regourdou 1 were discovered in 1957, and belonged to a young adult, probably around

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