Lozano-Bendicho Cristina, Sánchez-Andrés Ángeles, Martínez Ignacio, Conde-Valverde Mercedes, Carretero José-Miguel, Rodríguez Laura, Cirotto Nico, García-González Rebeca
Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-Universidad de Alcalá), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, New York, USA.
J Anat. 2025 Sep-Oct;247(3-4):885-896. doi: 10.1111/joa.14206. Epub 2025 Jan 21.
Studies of modeling processes have provided important insights in human evolutionary discipline. Most of these studies are based on facial bones and in much lesser extent on other bones such as those from the cranial vault. Thus, this study fills a gap in research by examining occipital bone modeling in subadults, adding individuals under 2 years old and expanding the sample size available to date. The sample comprise 14 subadults occipitals (4 months to 5 years) from archeological sites spanning the thirteenth to the eighteenth century. Resin replicas coated with gold were elaborated to examine the modeling patterns using scanning electron microscopy and the results of this analysis are illustrated in the modeling maps. The percentages of deposition and resorption were calculated to enable the comparison of the modeling patterns between individuals. The analysis unveiled a pattern of resorption predominance in younger individuals, shifting to deposition around 3 years old before reverting to resorption in older individuals. Symmetry in modeling processes between left and right halves of the occipital was observed, suggesting stability in bone modeling. Comparisons with previous studies showed variations in modeling patterns influenced by factors like age. Overall, this study sheds light on occipital bone modeling processes, highlighting the importance of sample size and quantitative analysis in the interpretation of modeling maps. Further research is justified to comprehensively explore occipital modeling patterns, particularly during the early stages of development.
建模过程的研究为人类进化学科提供了重要的见解。这些研究大多基于面部骨骼，而基于其他骨骼（如颅顶骨骼）的研究则少得多。因此，本研究通过检查亚成年人的枕骨建模、纳入2岁以下个体并扩大现有样本量，填补了研究空白。样本包括来自13至18世纪考古遗址的14个亚成年人枕骨（4个月至5岁）。制作了涂有金的树脂复制品，以使用扫描电子显微镜检查建模模式，并在建模图中展示了该分析的结果。计算沉积和吸收的百分比，以便比较个体之间的建模模式。分析揭示了在较年轻个体中吸收占主导的模式，在3岁左右转变为沉积，然后在较年长个体中又恢复为吸收。观察到枕骨左右两半建模过程中的对称性，表明骨骼建模具有稳定性。与先前研究的比较显示，建模模式受年龄等因素影响而有所变化。总体而言，本研究揭示了枕骨建模过程，强调了样本量和定量分析在解释建模图中的重要性。有必要进行进一步研究，以全面探索枕骨建模模式，特别是在发育早期阶段。
