Rickets, Neanderthals, And Lubenow: Part Two

In the previous post in this series I looked at vitamin D metabolism and the effects of vitamin D deficiency on the skeleton. So, lets talk about Lubenow and Neanderthals. Lubenows discussion of Neanderthals and rickets occurs in chapter 14. He begins the chapter by invoking the Genesis flood to explain the ice ages, which […]

What You Can Learn From Bones: When Did We Start Wearing Shoes?

Bioarchaeologists and paleoanthropologists draw on a wide variety of methods in order to analyze bone. The exact technique depends upon the problem being addressed. One technique, associated mainly with Christopher Ruff, that has been around since the late 1970’s involves the use of beam model analysis. In beam model analysis cross sections of bone, perpendicular […]

Whales, Hominins and Semicircular Canals: Part Three

As I mentioned in the previous post in this series, Semicircular canals are fully formed by about age two. This makes them an interesting and useful object to study, but in depth studies did not become common until the creation of CT scanners. Previous techniques were highly invasive and destructive. Starting in the mid 1990’s […]