New study on the modern human talus published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Luca Fiorenza
December 12, 2019

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 adapted to walk, run or jump on uneven terrains. Therefore, the morphology of the talus in modern humans was most likely shaped by locomotor and cultural behaviours.

Luca Fiorenza

Luca is Head of the Palaeodiet Research Lab and he received his Bachelor/Master degree in Natural Sciences in 2003 at La Sapienza University in Rome (Italy), and completed his PhD in Biological Sciences between the Goethe University and the Senckenberg Research Institute (Frankfurt, Germany) at the end of 2009. During his doctoral degree he was part of an outstanding multidisciplinary network called EVAN (European Virtual Anthropology Network), where he mastered cutting-edge techniques for the study of anatomical variability, including medical imaging, 3D digitisation, display, modelling and programming. Luca’s research interests mostly focus on functional morphology of the masticatory apparatus in human and non-human primates, and on the importance of the role of diet in human evolution.