Type
Text
Type
Thesis
Advisor
Karen Baab | James Rossie. | Biren Patel.
Date
2011-05-01
Keywords
Physical Anthropology
Department
Department of Anthropology
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/71593
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
The hominoid wrist joint has changed substantially during the course of primate evolution. One of these changes is the retraction of the ulna from direct contact with the carpals and the insertion of a triangular fibrocartilaginous disc. This change permits a greater degree of mobility at the wrist in apes and is functionally linked to suspensory behaviors. However, the implications of this more mobile wrist joint on how loads are distributed from the hand to the forearm across the wrist joint remains unclear. The goal of this study is to investigate forearm loading by estimating how loads may be distributed into and between the radius and ulna in primates that have different wrist joints morphologies (i.e. | with and without ulnar-carpal contact). Cortical area was used as a proxy to estimate stress in several points throughout the length of the radius and ulna in both humans and non-human primates. Results indicate that although significant differences are found in the cortical area distribution of gibbons and humans, great apes and monkeys do not differ in initial values or trends. This suggests that the more mobile wrist joint evolved by great apes as a consequence of fully retracting the ulna from the carpals may not have significant effects on how these groups are loading their forearms.
Recommended Citation
Elmer, Molly, "Estimating load distribution across the radius and ulna in human and non-human primates" (2011). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 798.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/798