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Sedia del Diavolo is an archaeological site located in the low valley of the Aniene river (Rome, Latium) that, despite being known since the end of the 19th century, has been thoroughly investigated since the 1930’s. The site yielded a lithic assemblage referrable to the Middle Palaeolithic as well as numerous fossil remains, including two human specimens: a fragment of a femoral diaphysis (SdD1) and a complete second metatarsal (SdD2). Initially the site was dated to the end of the Middle Pleistocene and, coherently with the intended chronology, the first anthropological analysis attributed the remains to Homo neanderthalensis. Recently, a reappraisal of the geochronology of the sites of the low valley of the Aniene river redated Sedia del Diavolo to MIS 7, between 295-290 ka, making the site one of the oldest occurrences of the Levallois technology ever found in Europe. This contribution presents new advanced morphological analyses of SdD2, which shows signs of a probable stress fracture on the distal portion of the diaphysis. We obtained high resolution images of SdD2 by means of laboratory-based X-ray computed micrortomography at the FAITH station of the Elettra synchrotron in Trieste (Italy). We used cross-sectional geometry to investigate the robustness of the diaphysis and geometric morphometric approach to analyse the shape of the epiphyses. Results were compared to a series of modern human and fossil hominin second metatarsals. SdD2 is characterized by thicker cortical bone than H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis. This suggests that the individual likely experienced high levels of mechanical loading and mobility. Moreover, the distribution of the bone around the longitudinal axis as well as the morphology of the proximal epiphysis make it more similar to H. sapiens than to H. neanderthalensis. Although results may be influenced by the presence of the stress fracture, the analyses suggest that the metatarsal belonged to an individual whose morphology was less derived than the more recent Neandertal comparative specimens.

OBJECTIVES: The statistical analysis of fossil remains is essential to understand the evolution of the genus Homo. Unfortunately, the human fossil record is straight away scarce and plagued with severe loss of information caused by taphonomic processes. The recently developed field of Virtual Anthropology helps to ameliorate this situation by using digital techniques to restore damaged and incomplete fossils. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present the package Arothron, an R software suite meant to process and analyze digital models of skeletal elements. Arothron includes tools to digitally extract virtual cavities such as cranial endocasts, to statistically align disarticulated or broken bony elements, and to visualize local variations between surface meshes and landmark configurations. RESULTS: We describe the main functionalities of Arothron and illustrate their usage through reproducible case studies. We describe a tool for segmentation of skeletal cavities by showing its application on a malleus bone, a Neanderthal tooth, and a modern human cranium, reproducing their shape and calculating their volume. We illustrate how to digitally align a disarticulated model of a modern human cranium, and how to combine piecemeal shape information on individual specimens into one. In addition, we present useful visualization tools by comparing the morphological differences between the right hemisphere of the Neanderthal and the modern human brain. CONCLUSIONS: The Arothron R package is designed to study digital models of fossil specimens. By using Arothron, scientists can handle digital models with ease, investigate the inner morphology of 3D skeletal models, gain a full representation of the original shapes of damaged specimens, and compare shapes across specimens.

Paper1 - morphomap - AJPA - Peer-reviewed article and supplementary data

Paper3 - Humerus asymmetry - SYMMETRY- Peer-reviewed article and supplementary data

Aging of the head and especially the face has been studied intensively, yet questions remain about the timing and rates of aging throughout adulthood and about the extent to which aging differs between men and women. Here we address these issues by developing statistical models of craniofacial aging to describe and compare aging through the life course in both sexes. We selected cranial surface meshes from 254 females and 252 males, aged from 20 to 90 years from the Headspace project, Liverpool, UK. Sixteen anatomical landmarks and 59 semilandmarks on curves and surfaces were used to parameterize these. Modes and degrees of aging throughout adulthood were assessed and compared among sexes using Procrustes-based geometric morphometric methods. Regression analyses of form through the whole age range indicate that age accounts for a small proportion of total variance in both sexes, but form is significantly related to age and males and females age in significantly different ways. Further analyses indicate that aging differs in character, timing, and rates in both sexes between early and later phases of adulthood. Sexual differences in aging are evident in the early and later phases of adulthood. The study adds to knowledge of the aging of adult craniofacial form and sexual dimorphism. It is based on a local population and so the findings are directly applicable to that population. Further studies are needed to assess generalizability and provide better data on population differences to facilitate clinical assessment and treatment planning.