The secret life of bone cells.

The primatologist, Clarence Ray Carpenter, was my teacher, my inspiration and a downright hero to me. Many consider him the father of modern primatology. Whatever! What is certain is that he had an extraordinary career. One of his lifetime interests was in how animals (and people) communicated. One of his many innovations was so simple it was revolutionary. He studied primates in their natural environment. Through the efforts of National Geographic, we are all familiar with Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey and others. And, their work is important. But, they would have been the first to admit that it was Carpenter’s careful observations of the black howler of Central America, the gibbon of Southeast Asia, and orangutan of Indonesia, that set the standard. No, he wasn’t against technology; it was all about how it was applicated. He pioneered the innovative use of technology, including motion picture and sound recording in the field. He convinced the world that understanding natural behavior in an artificial setting (e.g., laboratory or zoo) revealed little about normal behavior. The concept of natural environment is equally relevant to bone biology. The thesis of this presentation is that careful observation of the cells that produce and destroy bone tissue in their natural surroundings and their interactions with neighboring cells can lead to a greater understanding of how the intricate architecture of bone is created and maintained, and in addition, is fun. Tools for accomplishing this goal are numerous and becoming even more powerful, but are incredibly under-utilized. It is a sad fact that very few scientists in our field bother to observe bone cells in their natural context. Looking through a microscope at skeletal tissue is pure delight. Visible light, fluorescence, electron, they are all wonderful. The more you look, the more you see. The more you see, the more you realize some of our cherished concepts about how bone grows, organizes itself and responds to its physical and chemical environment are, at best, first order approximations. There are a great many important relationships that need to be investigated. Here are a few: