Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Elife. 2021 Mar 2;10:e64804. doi: 10.7554/eLife.64804.
Numerous aspects of early hominin biology remain debated or simply unknown. However, recent developments in high-resolution imaging techniques have opened new avenues in the field of paleoanthropology. More specifically, X-ray synchrotron-based analytical imaging techniques have the potential to provide crucial details on the ontogeny, physiology, biomechanics, and biological identity of fossil specimens. Here we present preliminary results of our X-ray synchrotron-based investigation of the skull of the 3.67-million-year-old specimen StW 573 ('Little Foot') at the I12 beamline of the Diamond Light Source (United Kingdom). Besides showing fine details of the enamel (i.e., hypoplasias) and cementum (i.e., incremental lines), as well as of the cranial bone microarchitecture (e.g., diploic channels), our synchrotron-based investigation reveals for the first time the 3D spatial organization of the Haversian systems in the mandibular symphysis of an early hominin.
早期人类生物学的许多方面仍然存在争议或根本未知。然而，最近高分辨率成像技术的发展为古人类学领域开辟了新的途径。更具体地说，基于同步加速器的 X 射线分析成像技术有可能提供有关化石标本的个体发生、生理学、生物力学和生物学身份的关键细节。在这里，我们展示了在英国钻石光源 I12 光束线上对 367 万岁的标本 StW 573（“小脚”）头骨进行基于同步加速器的研究的初步结果。除了显示出釉质（即发育不全）和牙骨质（即增量线）以及颅骨微观结构（例如，板障通道）的精细细节外，我们的基于同步加速器的研究还首次揭示了早期人类下颌联合处哈氏系统的 3D 空间组织。
