Nicholas B Stephens
Biographic Data
| ID | 138422 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nicholas B Stephens |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nicholas B |
| FAMILY NAME | Stephens |
| SIGNATURE | STEPHENS N B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2838-5606 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 86 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1972 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
The talar morphology of a hypochondroplasic dwarf: A case study from the Italian Late Antique period
This project aims to test whether geometric morphometric (GM) and trabecular analyses may be useful tools in identifying talar characteristics related to hypochondroplasia. We quantified the external and internal talar morphology of a hypochondroplasic dwarf (T17) from Modena (northern Italy) dated to the sixth century AD. External talar morphology of T17 was compared with a broad sample of modern human tali (n = 159) using GM methods. Additional…
Using point clouds to investigate the relationship between trabecular bone phenotype and behavior: An example utilizing the human calcaneus
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to demonstrate a new method for analyzing trabecular bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy in three dimensions. METHODS: We use a combination of automatic mesh registration, point-cloud correspondence registration, and P-value corrected univariate statistical tests to compare bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy on a point by point basis across the entire calcaneus of two human groups wi…
Combinations of trabecular and cortical bone properties distinguish various loading modalities between athletes and controls
OBJECTIVES: Variation in trabecular and cortical bone properties is often used to infer habitual behavior in the past. However, the structures of both types of bone are rarely considered together and may even contradict each other in functional interpretations. We examine trabecular and cortical bone properties in various athletes and sedentary controls to clarify the associations between combinations of cortical and trabecular bone properties an…
Automated resolution independent method for comparing in vivo and dry trabecular bone
Objectives Variation in human trabecular bone morphology can be linked to habitual behavior, but it is difficult to investigate in vivo due to the radiation required at high resolution. Consequently, functional interpretations of trabecular morphology remain inferential. Here we introduce a method to link low‐ and high‐resolution CT data from dry and fresh bone, enabling bone functional adaptation to be studied in vivo and results compared to the…
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress
The influence of mobility strategy on the modern human talus
OBJECTIVES: The primate talus is known to have a shape that varies according to differences in locomotion and substrate use. While the modern human talus is morphologically specialized for bipedal walking, relatively little is known on how its morphology varies in relation to cultural and environmental differences across time. Here we compare tali of modern human populations with different subsistence economies and lifestyles to explore how cultu…
Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the first metacarpal distal articular surface in humans, great apes and fossil hominins
Trabecular Analysis of the Distal Radial Metaphysis during the Acquisition of Crawling and Bipedal Walking in Childhood: A Preliminary Study
In modern day populations, children following a normal pattern of development acquire independent bipedal locomotion between the ages of 9 and 18 months. Variability in the timing of this psychomotor developmental milestone depends on various factors, including cultural influences. It is well known that trabecular bone adapts to changes in biomechanical loading and that this can be influenced by alternative locomotor modes, such as crawling, whic…
Homo sapiens in Arabia by 85,000 years ago
Trabecular bone patterning across the human hand
Trabecular architecture in the thumb of Pan and Homo: Implications for investigating hand use, loading, and hand preference in the fossil record
OBJECTIVES: Humans display an 85-95% cross-cultural right-hand bias in skilled tasks, which is considered a derived behavior because such a high frequency is not reported in wild non-human primates. Handedness is generally considered to be an evolutionary byproduct of selection for manual dexterity and augmented visuo-cognitive capabilities within the context of complex stone tool manufacture/use. Testing this hypothesis requires an understanding…
Human-like hand use in Australopithecus africanus
Getting a grip The evolution of the hand—particularly the opposable thumb—was key to the success of early humans. Without a precise grip, involving forceful opposition of thumb with fingers, tool technology could not have emerged. Skinner et al. analyzed the internal bone structure of Pliocene Australopithecus hands, dated at 3.2 million years old. Internal bone structure reveals the patterns and directions of forces operating on the hand, provid…
The Pre-Glacial Pleistocene of the Norfolk and Suffolk Coasts
Irish Geographical Studies in Honour of E. Estyn Evans
Irish Geographical Studies in Honour of E. Estyn Evans
Trabecular bone patterning across the human hand
Trabecular architecture in the thumb of Pan and Homo: Implications for investigating hand use, loading, and hand preference in the fossil record
OBJECTIVES: Humans display an 85-95% cross-cultural right-hand bias in skilled tasks, which is considered a derived behavior because such a high frequency is not reported in wild non-human primates. Handedness is generally considered to be an evolutionary byproduct of selection for manual dexterity and augmented visuo-cognitive capabilities within the context of complex stone tool manufacture/use. Testing this hypothesis requires an understanding…
Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the first metacarpal distal articular surface in humans, great apes and fossil hominins
The influence of mobility strategy on the modern human talus
OBJECTIVES: The primate talus is known to have a shape that varies according to differences in locomotion and substrate use. While the modern human talus is morphologically specialized for bipedal walking, relatively little is known on how its morphology varies in relation to cultural and environmental differences across time. Here we compare tali of modern human populations with different subsistence economies and lifestyles to explore how cultu…
Trabecular Analysis of the Distal Radial Metaphysis during the Acquisition of Crawling and Bipedal Walking in Childhood: A Preliminary Study
In modern day populations, children following a normal pattern of development acquire independent bipedal locomotion between the ages of 9 and 18 months. Variability in the timing of this psychomotor developmental milestone depends on various factors, including cultural influences. It is well known that trabecular bone adapts to changes in biomechanical loading and that this can be influenced by alternative locomotor modes, such as crawling, whic…
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress
The talar morphology of a hypochondroplasic dwarf: A case study from the Italian Late Antique period
This project aims to test whether geometric morphometric (GM) and trabecular analyses may be useful tools in identifying talar characteristics related to hypochondroplasia. We quantified the external and internal talar morphology of a hypochondroplasic dwarf (T17) from Modena (northern Italy) dated to the sixth century AD. External talar morphology of T17 was compared with a broad sample of modern human tali (n = 159) using GM methods. Additional…
Combinations of trabecular and cortical bone properties distinguish various loading modalities between athletes and controls
OBJECTIVES: Variation in trabecular and cortical bone properties is often used to infer habitual behavior in the past. However, the structures of both types of bone are rarely considered together and may even contradict each other in functional interpretations. We examine trabecular and cortical bone properties in various athletes and sedentary controls to clarify the associations between combinations of cortical and trabecular bone properties an…
Irish Geographical Studies in Honour of E. Estyn Evans
The Pre-Glacial Pleistocene of the Norfolk and Suffolk Coasts
Human-like hand use in Australopithecus africanus
Getting a grip The evolution of the hand—particularly the opposable thumb—was key to the success of early humans. Without a precise grip, involving forceful opposition of thumb with fingers, tool technology could not have emerged. Skinner et al. analyzed the internal bone structure of Pliocene Australopithecus hands, dated at 3.2 million years old. Internal bone structure reveals the patterns and directions of forces operating on the hand, provid…
Trabecular architecture in the thumb of Pan and Homo: Implications for investigating hand use, loading, and hand preference in the fossil record
OBJECTIVES: Humans display an 85-95% cross-cultural right-hand bias in skilled tasks, which is considered a derived behavior because such a high frequency is not reported in wild non-human primates. Handedness is generally considered to be an evolutionary byproduct of selection for manual dexterity and augmented visuo-cognitive capabilities within the context of complex stone tool manufacture/use. Testing this hypothesis requires an understanding…
Homo sapiens in Arabia by 85,000 years ago
Trabecular bone patterning across the human hand
Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the first metacarpal distal articular surface in humans, great apes and fossil hominins
Trabecular Analysis of the Distal Radial Metaphysis during the Acquisition of Crawling and Bipedal Walking in Childhood: A Preliminary Study
In modern day populations, children following a normal pattern of development acquire independent bipedal locomotion between the ages of 9 and 18 months. Variability in the timing of this psychomotor developmental milestone depends on various factors, including cultural influences. It is well known that trabecular bone adapts to changes in biomechanical loading and that this can be influenced by alternative locomotor modes, such as crawling, whic…
The influence of mobility strategy on the modern human talus
OBJECTIVES: The primate talus is known to have a shape that varies according to differences in locomotion and substrate use. While the modern human talus is morphologically specialized for bipedal walking, relatively little is known on how its morphology varies in relation to cultural and environmental differences across time. Here we compare tali of modern human populations with different subsistence economies and lifestyles to explore how cultu…
Using point clouds to investigate the relationship between trabecular bone phenotype and behavior: An example utilizing the human calcaneus
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to demonstrate a new method for analyzing trabecular bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy in three dimensions. METHODS: We use a combination of automatic mesh registration, point-cloud correspondence registration, and P-value corrected univariate statistical tests to compare bone volume fraction and degree of anisotropy on a point by point basis across the entire calcaneus of two human groups wi…
Combinations of trabecular and cortical bone properties distinguish various loading modalities between athletes and controls
OBJECTIVES: Variation in trabecular and cortical bone properties is often used to infer habitual behavior in the past. However, the structures of both types of bone are rarely considered together and may even contradict each other in functional interpretations. We examine trabecular and cortical bone properties in various athletes and sedentary controls to clarify the associations between combinations of cortical and trabecular bone properties an…
Automated resolution independent method for comparing in vivo and dry trabecular bone
Objectives Variation in human trabecular bone morphology can be linked to habitual behavior, but it is difficult to investigate in vivo due to the radiation required at high resolution. Consequently, functional interpretations of trabecular morphology remain inferential. Here we introduce a method to link low‐ and high‐resolution CT data from dry and fresh bone, enabling bone functional adaptation to be studied in vivo and results compared to the…
Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress
The talar morphology of a hypochondroplasic dwarf: A case study from the Italian Late Antique period
This project aims to test whether geometric morphometric (GM) and trabecular analyses may be useful tools in identifying talar characteristics related to hypochondroplasia. We quantified the external and internal talar morphology of a hypochondroplasic dwarf (T17) from Modena (northern Italy) dated to the sixth century AD. External talar morphology of T17 was compared with a broad sample of modern human tali (n = 159) using GM methods. Additional…
Biology (11 works) · Anatomy (9 works) · Anatomy (7 works) · Geography (7 works) · Paleontology (7 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (7 works) · Paleontology (6 works) · Archaeology (5 works) · Evolutionary biology (5 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (5 works)