DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) Center for Advanced Studies "Words, Bones, Genes, Tools," Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Evol Anthropol. 2021 May;30(3):185-198. doi: 10.1002/evan.21892. Epub 2021 Mar 25.
An accurate reconstruction of habitual activities in past populations and extinct hominin species is a paramount goal of paleoanthropological research, as it can elucidate the evolution of human behavior and the relationship between culture and biology. Variation in muscle attachment (entheseal) morphology has been considered an indicator of habitual activity, and many attempts have been made to use it for this purpose. However, its interpretation remains equivocal due to methodological shortcomings and a paucity of supportive experimental data. Through a series of studies, we have introduced a novel and precise methodology that focuses on reconstructing muscle synergies based on three-dimensional and multivariate analyses among entheses. This approach was validated using uniquely documented anthropological samples, experimental animal studies, histological observations, and geometric morphometrics. Here, we detail, synthesize, and critically discuss the findings of these studies, which overall point to the great potential of entheses in elucidating aspects of past human behavior.
准确重建过去人群和已灭绝原始人类物种的习惯性活动是古人类学研究的首要目标，因为它可以阐明人类行为的演变以及文化与生物学之间的关系。肌肉附着（肌腱附着处）形态的变化一直被认为是习惯性活动的一个指标，并且已经有很多尝试使用它来达到这个目的。然而，由于方法上的缺陷和缺乏支持性的实验数据，其解释仍然存在争议。通过一系列研究，我们引入了一种新颖而精确的方法，该方法侧重于基于肌腱附着处的三维和多变量分析来重建肌肉协同作用。该方法使用独特记录的人类学样本、实验动物研究、组织学观察和几何形态计量学进行了验证。在这里，我们详细、综合并批判性地讨论了这些研究的结果，总体上指出了肌腱在阐明过去人类行为方面的巨大潜力。
