The craniomandibular mechanics of being human.

نویسندگان

  • Stephen Wroe
  • Toni L Ferrara
  • Colin R McHenry
  • Darren Curnoe
  • Uphar Chamoli
چکیده

Diminished bite force has been considered a defining feature of modern Homo sapiens, an interpretation inferred from the application of two-dimensional lever mechanics and the relative gracility of the human masticatory musculature and skull. This conclusion has various implications with regard to the evolution of human feeding behaviour. However, human dental anatomy suggests a capacity to withstand high loads and two-dimensional lever models greatly simplify muscle architecture, yielding less accurate results than three-dimensional modelling using multiple lines of action. Here, to our knowledge, in the most comprehensive three-dimensional finite element analysis performed to date for any taxon, we ask whether the traditional view that the bite of H. sapiens is weak and the skull too gracile to sustain high bite forces is supported. We further introduce a new method for reconstructing incomplete fossil material. Our findings show that the human masticatory apparatus is highly efficient, capable of producing a relatively powerful bite using low muscle forces. Thus, relative to other members of the superfamily Hominoidea, humans can achieve relatively high bite forces, while overall stresses are reduced. Our findings resolve apparently discordant lines of evidence, i.e. the presence of teeth well adapted to sustain high loads within a lightweight cranium and mandible.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Impaired health status, sleep disorders, and pain in the craniomandibular and cervical spinal regions.

This study investigated the relationship between health status (i.e., physical well-being and quality of life), sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia, sleep-related depression and anxiety), and musculoskeletal pain in the craniomandibular and cervical spinal regions. The number of painful body areas below the cervical spine (i.e., widespread pain) was also taken into account. Two questionnaires, viz....

متن کامل

Quantum Mechanics and the Mechanism of Sexual Reproduction

There are many claims that quantum mechanics plays a key role in the origin and/or operation of biological organisms. The mechanism of the meiosis, mitosis and gametes life cycle from the view-point of quantum for human has been represented. The quantum gates have been used to simulate these processes for the first time. The reason of several hundred sperms has been explained in the male too

متن کامل

Quantum Mechanics and the Mechanism of Sexual Reproduction

There are many claims that quantum mechanics plays a key role in the origin and/or operation of biological organisms. The mechanism of the meiosis, mitosis and gametes life cycle from the view-point of quantum for human has been represented. The quantum gates have been used to simulate these processes for the first time. The reason of several hundred sperms has been explained in the male too

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Proceedings. Biological sciences

دوره 277 1700  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2010