Functional morphology of the primate vertebral musculoskeletal system

My specialization in this research area began with a particular interest in the evolution of upright posture and bipedalism in humans. The only way to identify uniquely human morphological features of the spine that are functionally related to bipedalism is with a broad comparative perspective. Therefore, one of my main research objectives is to use morphometrics in conjunction with biomechanical principles to explore vertebral functional and morphological diversity across the entire primate order. I am particularly interested in the vertebral anatomy of primates that frequently engage in upright postures, since their morphology can clarify the distinction between adaptations to upright posture in general from those related to bipedalism in particular. I use form-function relationships established for living primates in order to reconstruct the positional behavior of fossil primates as well. In addition to morphometric analysis, a crucial component of my work is the analysis of locomotion in the laboratory. For example, I have used electromyographic and kinematic analyses of the spine in primates in order to facilitate my functional interpretations of vertebral morphological features.
My work in this area was highlighted in the “Great Transformations” segment of the PBS documentary series “Evolution” (2001). See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/3/l_073_08.html.