The purpose of this project was to explore the relationship between culture and biology through the analysis of human skeletal remains. Particularly, I seek to investigate how economic changes can affect the presence of childhood and adulthood stress indicators. After the end of World War II, Thailand experienced many economic changes, which led to increased access to healthcare and agricultural technology. Because of these post-war changes, I predicted that: 1) there would be less evidence of childhood stress after WWII, 2) there would not be a difference in childhood stress between males and females due to equal access to resources, 3) there would be no difference in adult stress (in the form of joint degeneration) after the war because of slow agricultural change, and 4) there would not be a difference between sexes in joint degeneration because of shared work activities. Assessment of these hypotheses involved the analysis of 172 individuals housed in the Human Skeleton Research Centre at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Each individual was observed for the presence of childhood stress indicators (linear enamel hypoplasias, cribra orbitalia/porotic hyperostosis, and comparatively short statures) and adult stress indicators (degenerative joint disease). Comparisons where then made between the birth year groups (pre-WWII and post-WWII) and sexes to assess the effect of post-WWII changes. Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in the frequencies of childhood stress indicators for both birth-year group and sex. The significant differences between joint degeneration and birth-year groups were significant in the shoulder, elbow, knee, and hip, but they were confounded by the unexpected age difference between the birth-year groups. In the comparisons between joint degeneration and sex, there were significant differences in the knee, which were attributed to biological differences, and temporomandibular joint. The temporomandibular joint difference between post-WWII males and females is of particular interest because ethnographic records of Thai village life do not suggest a reason for why males have more degeneration in their temporomandibular joint than females. These findings provide new information about the individuals in the collection and supply a stepping-stone for understanding how economic changes affect the experience of stress within a population.

Eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) are a ubiquitous member of eastern North America’s caudate fauna. Unlike the typical amphibian, their life cycle is split into three phases instead of two, commonly called a triphasic life cycle. The larvae of N. viridescens are fully aquatic, eventually metamorphosing to become terrestrial juveniles called efts. Upon sexual maturity, the eft will metamorphose into a semi-aquatic adult whose external morphology resembles other aquatic salamander species. The eastern newt has predominantly been described by its external traits, namely color changes and lateral tail compression, rather than the musculoskeletal system and anatomy. Since these salamanders occupy different ecological niches (aquatic vs. terrestrial) throughout their lives and likely experience different forces acting on their skeletons, they provide a unique opportunity to study internal changes across ontogeny and ecology. We hypothesize that differences in buoyancy, torsion, and locomotion are expected to result in morphological shape changes across the life stages of the eastern newt’s skeleton. Using image data generated on a SkyScan 1273 micro-computed tomography (µCT) scanner (Bruker), 3D shape analyses will quantify shape differences between individual bones and test the hypothesis. Three-dimensional digital models of each bone of interest will be rendered from the scans in Dragonfly (Object Research Systems). Each 3D model is loaded into SlicerMorph (3DSlicer), where 3D geometric morphometrics is conducted for each bone to test for potential shape differences between each life stage. Our results support a shape difference between eft and adult in particular bones and conserved shape across ontogeny in other bones. Differences in shape are associated with a difference in functional demand across ecological niches.

Lepidosirenidae is a clade of freshwater lungfishes that comprise the South American Lepidosiren paradoxa and four African species of the genus Protopterus. These two genera have been geographically separated since the Early Cretaceous break-up of Gondwana, but they share similar biology and skeletal morphology. The lepidosirenid species traditionally were distinguished by a combination of features such as head-to-body ratios, the number of pairs of vertebral ribs, and the presence or absence of external gills, but there are no published discrete skeletal characteristics and no published comparative studies including all extant species. I used High Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT), X-Ray photography, and alcohol-preserved, cleared-and-stained, and dry skeletal specimens from museum collections to describe the skeletal morphology of all species of lepidosirenid lungfishes in a comparative context. I digitally disarticulated the bones in each CT scan to compile a comprehensive comparative atlas of the cranial and pectoral elements of all extant lungfish. I discovered that the anocleithrum in Lepidosiren paradoxa, which was previously thought to be lacking, is actually present. I also identified skeletal differences between species in the frontoparietal, parasphenoid, supraorbital, and suboperculum. I incorporated those characters into the first morphological phylogenetic analysis to determine the interrelationships of the lepidosirenids. I also used previously published molecular sequence data from the ribosomal RNA gene 16s to run combined morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. To generate phylogenetic hypotheses using different types of data and different methods of determining phylogeny, I employed the maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference methods. Lepidosirenidae is monophyletic in almost all analyses, Protopterus is monophyletic in each analysis, and Protopterus annectens and Protopterus aethiopicus are sister taxa in every analysis. The phylogenetic positions of Protopterus dolloi and Protopterus amphibius are incongruent in many of the analyses, which indicates that further examination of the skeletal variation and addition of molecular sequences of different genes is needed. Based on the comparative morphological atlas and the phylogenetic analyses, questions of lepidosirenid biogeography, morphological variation within lungfish, and better identification of lungfish fossils can now be investigated in a more rigorous context. / text

No description available.

The family Pegasidae is found composed of 5 species in two genera, Eurypegasus Bleeker and Pegasus Linnaeus. They contain two (E. draconis (Linnaeus) and E. papilio (Gilbert)) and. three species (P. laternarius Cuvier, P. volitans Linnaeus and P. Lancifer Kaup) , respectively these species are all small, benthic, and covered with plastron from head to tail. Three species have been recorded in Taiwan, but there are many differences between the species names and the specimen illustrations in other foreign publication studies. Recision on the records in Taiwan indicated that three species occur in this region , namely, E. draconis, P. laternarius and P. volitans. According to some osteological and external characters, a hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationship was arrived : P. laternarius is not the sister group of P. volitans and P. lancifer, but the sister group of Eurypegasus species. It is suggested that these five species should be classified in only genus, the Pegasus. Bottom-trawl samplings were made between April 2001 to April 2002 in area of the Kaohsiung coastal at depth around 30 meters. 32 specimens of P. volitans were captured. P. volitans captured its prey by means of oral suction. Guts of the majority of the preserved specimens, including those died right after landed, were empty. Besides some fine granules of sand, one specimen¡¦s gut included caprellideans (Crustacea, Amphoipoda). Skin-shedding was observed numerous times in the aquarium. Unlike other seamoths, only part of the skin was shedded at one time; no regular cycle of skin-sheding was noticed. No social pairing of the sexes and reproductive activity during this study was not noticed. Specimens collected in November tended to be largerin size. The smallest specimens with large ovary was 55mm in length, whereas the largest dry female specimens with a 1.2mm egg was 70mm.. Histological evidence (individual female had eggs in various developmental stages at the same time) indicates that this species is a multiple spawner.

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The osteological material under study consists of 510 skeletal remains dating from the Early Neolithic (6000 BC) to the Early Iron Age (1100-700 BC). It comes from nine different cemeteries and burial locations extending from the coastal to the inland areas of the study region. The current thesis attempts to explore two major issues: 1) the reconstruction of aspects of life history and 2) the treatment and manipulation of the deceased as revealed by the human skeletal remains. With regard to the former, the investigation of demographic parameters, patterns of health and oral status as well as diet have been considered. In short, local conditions defined by environmental and social constraints probably affected the general quality of life reconstructed for the study populations. There is an overall tendency however, towards declining levels of health and oral status in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age populations, while certain assemblages provide high levels of infant and child mortality, possibly associated with a type of anaemia. There is also a substantial involvement of the upper skeleton in work patterns, possibly related to activities such as food acquisition, processing and preparation. Meanwhile, the evidence for dietary patterns from the Neolithic-Early Bronze Ages to the Late Bronze-Early Iron Ages is consistent with an overall shift from a high reliance on meat consumption to a diet based on carbohydrate foodstuffs. The evaluation of the manipulation of the deceased, alongside the evidence for mortuary differentiation through time, reveals a striking transformation from the practice of single inhumations in the Early Bronze Age to multiple/secondary burials in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age assemblages, suggesting a shift in emphasis from individual to lineage-group identity. Furthermore, the integration of biological inferences with the evidence of mortuary behaviour provides further insights into sex roles and the position of subadults, otherwise invisible, in the living community.

Trauma is arguably the most comparative and least ambiguous of palaeopathological lesions. As such, it is an ideal vehicle for exploring the respective contributions and differences between historical and osteological approaches to health in the past. A direct comparison between historical and osteological assemblages is often impossible due to the lack of comparable data, or complicated by the very different perceptions, motivations and pre-occupations of past writers and present researchers. Nevertheless, where genuine opportunities exist to compare and contrast the alternative strands of evidence, it may lead to a much richer and more nuanced understanding of the past. This study uses trauma in the late 18^th- to early 19^th century British Royal Navy (R.N.) to explore the differences between the two disciplines, and through this process to come to a deeper understanding of the physical effects of a maritime lifestyle on the health of late 18th- to early 19th century R.N. seamen and marines. The 18^th- and early 19^th century R.N. is one of the best documented institutions of its day, with a large corpus of records accessible in the National Archives in Kew. Recent archaeological excavations in the burial grounds of the three R.N. hospitals of the 18^th century in Britain- the Royal Hospitals Haslar in Gosport, Stonehouse in Plymouth and Greenwich Hospital in South-East London- have made available over 300 skeletons of seamen and marines, who were treated but died in these institutions. This study explores the osteological evidence for fractures and joint trauma patterning in 300 of these skeletons. Eighteenth century accounts of the privations and dangers of sailing a fighting ship are well supported osteologically by the presence of 926 fractures and 14 joint dislocations. Osteological trauma patterning was compared with historical data collated from the Haslar and Plymouth Hospital musters (1792-1824) and Entry Books of Greenwich Hospital (1749-1765). The most probable aetiology of injuries was explored using insights from modern medical and forensic research, and 18^th century sea surgeons' journals. Falls accounted for a very high proportion of injuries in both datasets, as did crush injuries, and to a much lesser extent, battle trauma. Extremely high rates of nasal fractures, Bennett's fractures of the first metacarpal, and anterior rib fractures in the skeletal assemblages strongly suggest very high rates of casual interpersonal violence. Interestingly, these injuries were very seldom recorded in either sea surgeon or hospital records, possibly due to seamen's fear of punishment for transgressing official naval regulations against fighting. Several unusual fractures (such as Shepherd's fractures of the talus, and third metacarpal avulsion fractures) and bony modifications (such as shallow and unstable hip and shoulder joints, os acromiale and Eagle's syndrome) appear to be the consequences of engaging in a maritime lifestyle, often beginning in childhood or adolescence. Trauma is arguably the most comparative and least ambiguous of palaeopathological lesions. As such, it is an ideal vehicle for exploring the respective contributions and differences between historical and osteological approaches to health in the past. A direct comparison between historical and osteological assemblages is often impossible due to the lack of comparable data, or complicated by the very different perceptions, motivations and pre-occupations of past writers and present researchers. Nevertheless, where genuine opportunities exist to compare and contrast the alternative strands of evidence, it may lead to a much richer and more nuanced understanding of the past. This study uses trauma in the late 18th- to early 19th century British Royal Navy (R.N.) to explore the differences between the two disciplines, and through this process to come to a deeper understanding of the physical effects of a maritime lifestyle on the health of late 18th- to early 19th century R.N. seamen and marines. The 18th- and early 19th century R.N. is one of the best documented institutions of its day, with a large corpus of records accessible in the National Archives in Kew. Recent archaeological excavations in the burial grounds of the three R.N. hospitals of the 18th century in Britain- the Royal Hospitals Haslar in Gosport, Stonehouse in Plymouth and Greenwich Hospital in South-East London- have made available over 300 skeletons of seamen and marines, who were treated but died in these institutions. This study explores the osteological evidence for fractures and joint trauma patterning in 300 of these skeletons. Eighteenth century accounts of the privations and dangers of sailing a fighting ship are well supported osteologically by the presence of 926 fractures and 14 joint dislocations. Osteological trauma patterning was compared with historical data collated from the Haslar and Plymouth Hospital musters (1792-1824) and Entry Books of Greenwich Hospital (1749-1765). The most probable aetiology of injuries was explored using insights from modern medical and forensic research, and 18th century sea surgeons’ journals. Falls accounted for a very high proportion of injuries in both datasets, as did crush injuries, and to a much lesser extent, battle trauma. Extremely high rates of nasal fractures, Bennett’s fractures of the first metacarpal, and anterior rib fractures in the skeletal assemblages strongly suggest very high rates of casual interpersonal violence. Interestingly, these injuries were very seldom recorded in either sea surgeon or hospital records, possibly due to seamen’s fear of punishment for transgressing official naval regulations against fighting. Several unusual fractures (such as Shepherd’s fractures of the talus, and third metacarpal avulsion fractures) and bony modifications (such as shallow and unstable hip and shoulder joints, os acromiale and Eagle’s syndrome) appear to be the consequences of engaging in a maritime lifestyle, often beginning in childhood or adolescence.

Denna kandidatuppsats är ämnad att ligga som grund för framtida osteologisk dokumentation ochanalys av de skeletala kvarlevorna från skeppet Mars, och är utförd i samarbete med projektet SkeppetMars (1564).Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och problematisera möjligheterna att analyseradigitalt dokumenterade skeletala kvarlevor i en marin miljö. För att utvärdera möjligheterna ochbegränsningarna med att utföra en digital osteologisk analys utfördes en mindre studie av det digitaltdokumenterade material som hittills insamlats från skeppet Mars. Analysen visade att en osteologiskanalys kan utföras på digitalt dokumenterade skeletala kvarlevor men att det finns begränsningar medatt utföra en analys av ett två dimensionellt källmaterial. Syftet med denna uppsats är även attdiskutera och lyfta fram hur skeletala kvarlevor påverkas under längre tid i marina sediment* samtbräckt/salt vatten. Syftet med denna uppsats är även att diskutera hur en hypotetisk inhämtning och konservering av de skeletala kvarlevorna från skeppet Mars bör utföras. / This bachelor's thesis is intended to lay the ground for future osteological documentation and analysisof the skeletal remains from the naval ship Mars, and is conducted with the project Skeppet Mars(1564). The main purpose of this thesis is to examine and problematise the possibility to analysedigitally documented skeletal remains in a marine context. In order to evaluate the possibilities andlimitations of performing an osteological analysis, a small analysis was conducted on the digitallydocumented skeletal remains collected from the naval ship Mars so far. The analysis showed that anosteological analysis can be performed on digitally documented skeletal remains, there are, however,limitations of performing an analysis on a two dimensional documentation. The secondary purpose ofthis thesis is to discuss and highlight how skeletal remains are affected by marine sediment* andbrackish/saltwater over a long period of time. An additional goal for this thesis is to discuss how ahypothetical retrieval and conservation of the skeletal remains of the naval ship Mars shouldpreferably be performed.

Accurately distinguishing species in the fossil record is difficult when the extent of osteological variation in many modern animals is unknown. Research into intraspecific variation has been conducted in a number of groups, but has not been conducted for systematics use in most modern artiodactyls. In this dissertation I quantify intraspecific variation of teeth in 14 species of modern artiodactyl, then test how accurately cranial characters diagnose modern, sympatric species of duikers, and use this information to reassess the artiodactyl diversity of a fossil group: the superfamily Merycoidodontoidea in the John Day Fossil Beds. Ultimately, variation is not constant between orders or different size classes, is influenced by morphology, size, and dimorphism, and this variation should be incorporated into fossil diagnoses to avoid both overconfidence of diagnosis and under-recognition of possible intraspecific variation.