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A new docuseries on human evolution produced by WildBear Entertainment and titled “The Human Revolution” was broadcast last week on ABC TV. It consists of two episodes that focus on how the story of our species has been re-written by stunning discoveries of human remains, art and artefacts analysed by sophisticated dating, genetic and microscopic imaging techniques. The first episode traces the human story back through deep time to discover who our ancient cousins really were, and what they can

In the past few weeks we have published a couple of manuscript on the relationship between feeding ecology and dental macrowear in Asian and African apes. In the first study published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology we looked at tooth macrowear patterns in gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees finding differences linked to their feeding ecology. In particular the chimpanzee’s pattern looks significantly different from those of orangutans and gorillas, and this is probably related to their more frugivorous diet.

It is with great pleasure to announce that Laura Martín-Francés has been recently awarded the prestigious EU funded Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Fellowship with a project titled “Bite’s evolution: a biomechanical study of Pleistocene humans in Europe” (288,433€). This is a collaborative research project between Monash University, the Spanish National Research Centre on Human Evolution (CENIEH), and the Complutense University of Madrid. Laura will use advanced imaging and engineering techniques to better understand how the dentition of our oldest European ancestors from the

The aim of this study is to provide a set of longitudinal quantitative data within a functional context obtained from the analysis of molar macrowear patterns of children and young adults based on the Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis method. We examined the mixed dentition of Australian Aboriginal children taken from the Yuendumu longitudinal dental sample, which consists of measurements, radiographs, family data, and 1717 sets of dental casts representing 446 individuals, collected between 1951 and 1971. Our results suggest that the

Luca Fiorenza was recognised among Australia’s top researcher by the The Australian’s Research 2020 Magazine as Leader in the field of Anthropology. The Australian’s Research 2020 Magazine has recognised researchers, who have made a significant impact to Australia across 255 individual fields of research. Anthropology was listed under Social Sciences. Luca Fiorenza was one of the 30 Australia’s leading researchers in the social sciences – one selected from each of the 30 fields in this discipline.They are the researchers with

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