Investigating the Origin and Evolution of Human Biomechanics

Dr. Brian G. Richmond
Nicole Griffin
Erin Marie Williams

Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology
Department of Anthropology
George Washington University

Abstract:

Human anatomy is unique among animals in many respects. While the fossil record provides us with information on the timing and pattern of the origin and evolution of our unique anatomy, these findings raise many questions about their biomechanical significance. This talk explores how biomechanical experiments can test hypotheses about the origins of human gait and manual dexterity. In our ongoing work, we are examining the link between gait kinematics, anatomical joint morphology, and the 3D architecture of trabecular bone to investigate whether or not our early ancestors walked with a gait essentially like ours today. Similarly, motion analysis experiments allow us to test hypotheses about the origins of human manual dexterity by identifying the specific roles of components of the hand and upper limb in making and using primitive stone tools. The evolutionary history of our anatomy can help us understand clinically-relevant aspects of human biomechanics.

[Talk Slides]

Brian Richmond
Biography:

Brian Richmond received his B.A. from Rice University in 1990, his PhD from Stony Brook University in 1998, and was a Henry R. Luce Postdoctoral Fellow at The George Washington University from 1998-2000. He joined the Anthropology Department at GWU in 2002. Richmond's research focuses on the evolution and function of human anatomy, specializing in the evolution of human gait and hand function. His search for ape and early human fossils has included work in Turkey and Ethiopia, and he is now conducting fieldwork in Plio-Pleistocene sediments in Kenya. In addition to paleontological fieldwork, his research includes laboratory analyses of gait and hand function, analyses of the relationship between functional activity and bone microstructure, and finite element analyses of biomechanical problems in human evolution.