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crania from three groups (Norway, China, U.S.) to obtain cross-sectional contours defined by
a geometric plane using three standard craniometric landmarks: nasion, and right and left
zygomaxillare. The contours were then subjected to elliptic Fourier analysis and Fourier coef-
ficients were extracted for statistical analysis, in this case discriminant analysis. The classifi-
cation results are similar to other methods, with crania classifying correctly 86% of the time.
This finding, although based on a small sample size, is promising considering the range of
geographic provenience for remains found in places like the Western United States (see
DiGangi and Hefner [Chapter 5], this volume).
CONCLUSION AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
This short review of current geometric research in human skeletal biology clearly illus-
trates the wide range of applications available with this approach to quantification and
analysis of morphological variation. Research is expanding into the use of semilandmarks
from curves and surfaces and the application of these methods to the morphology of postcra-
nial elements. So the revolution continues as these new approaches expand the range of
research questions that can be investigated with coordinate data and we expect to see rapid
changes in the tool kit for geometric morphometrics.
There are some excellent resources online for anyone interested in geometric morphomet-
rics. The most comprehensive of these is the SUNY Stony Brook Morphometrics site ( http://
life.bio.sunysb.edu/morph/ ) that contains a wide range of resources for both novice and
experienced researchers. Arguably the most important components of this site include a Soft-
ware page, which provides a compilation of analytical programs for geometric morphomet-
rics that can be downloaded directly from the site and links to other sites where programs can
be accessed, and the Glossary ( Slice et al., 2009 ), which contains a wide-ranging list of terms,
concepts, and methods with definitions. The site also provides information on workshops
and conferences, hardware for data collection, available datasets, a list of researchers from
around the world interested in geometric morphometrics with areas of specialization and
contact
information, and bibliographies with important publications
in geometric
morphometrics.
Another excellent resource is MORPHMET ( http://morphometrics.org/morphmet.
html ) , a morphometrics mailing list moderated by Dennis Slice. Subscribers can post ques-
tions about any aspect of morphometric research and the MORPHMETcommunity provides
answers to the best of their ability. Several senior geometric morphometric researchers and
software designers subscribe to MORPHMET and often provide feedback to questions
posed. Overall the list provides an opportunity to get answers to specific questions as
well as learn from the questions asked by others. Workshops for learning about geometric
morphometric are often advertised through this list so it is an excellent way to get exposed
to the field.
Students interested in further exploration of geometric morphometrics should explore
online resources such as Morphometrics at SUNY Stony Brook and Morphometrics.org .
Then move into the literature (this chapter's bibliography is a great place to start) and explore
the wide range of methods and research designs being implemented in studies that use
geometric morphometrics. We urge you to remember that this is an area that has seen
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