The Ontogeny of the Human Calcaneus: Insights From Morphological and Trabecular Changes During Postnatal Growth
Analysis of morphological changes in the growing calcaneus highlights the importance of an integrative methodology when exploring developmental bone plasticity. The changes in calcaneal internal and external morphologies reflect the different loading patterns experienced during growth, gradually shifting from a more generalized morphology to a more adult-like one, reflecting major locomotor achievement. Our research shows that although initially genetically driven, calcaneal plasticity may display mechanical influences and provide precious information on tracking the main locomotor milestones.
Authors
- Eugenio Bortolini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6751-5680)
- Kristian J. Carlson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5802-9680)
- Timothy M. Ryan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3088-0542)
- Stefano Benazzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4305-6920)
- Maria Giovanna Belcastro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8932-8509)
- Mario Novak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4567-8742)
- Francesca Seghi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3506-2717)
- Federico Bernardini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3282-8799)
- Jay T. Stock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0147-8631)
- Claudio Tuniz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6582-7568)
- Carla Figus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7405-2573)
- Jaap P. P. Saers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3209-2969)
- Rita Sorrentino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6529-7250)
- Antonino Vazzana
- Igor Erjavec
Institutions
- University of Southern California (US)
- University of Primorska (SI)
- The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) (IT)
- Western University (CA)
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice (IT)
- University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
- Institute for Anthropological Research (HR)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Biological Anthropology
- Published
- 2025-02-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70007
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 16.35
Funders
- Ministero della cultura
- European Commission
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
- H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions