| Publications [#50231] of Todd R. Yokley
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- Miller, S.F., Yokley, T.R., Churchill, S.E., Franciscus, R.G., Hublin, J.J., & Eaves-Johnson, K.L. "A new technique for reconstructing the vocal anatomy of fossil humans." (2003). Paper presented at the 72nd meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, April 26, 2003, Tempe, AZ (Abstract: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. Suppl. 36, 151-152).
(last updated on 2006/11/09)
Abstract: Previous reconstructions of fossil human
vocal tract (VT) anatomy have primarily
been based on single skeletal indicators
such as basicranial flexion or hyoid
morphology. These studies have produced
conflicting results. A few reconstructions
have used combinations of indicators to
predict VT morphology, but these have
employed relatively subjective methods. In
an attempt to better understand fossil
human VT anatomy, we developed a new
predictive technique that uses
relationships between VT landmarks and
associated skeletal landmarks of living
humans as the basis for reconstruction. We
believe that the use of these landmarks is
more likely to produce reliable results
than any single indicator, and that our
method of analyzing relationships between
skeletal and soft-tissue anatomy is less
subjective than previous techniques. Using
the software package C2000cépha v.2.1.B, we
collected two large sets of landmark data
from a sample of human clinical CT scans
provided by the Clinique Pasteur in
Toulouse, France. The first consisted of
skeletal landmarks located on the
basicranium, vertebral column, dentition,
mandible, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, and
nasal aperture. The second consisted of
soft-tissue landmarks located along the
VT. Through the combined use of
generalized procrustes analysis, principal
component analysis, and multiple
regression, we derived multiple formulae
that allow us to predict the position of
soft-tissue VT landmarks based on
associated skeletal landmarks. Preliminary
work indicates that this technique
facilitates a working 3-D approximation of
the supralaryngeal VT from skeletal
landmarks, and that it holds promise for
the reconstruction of VT soft-tissue
anatomy in Neandertal and other fossil
specimens.
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