Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
parts of the skeleton? If so, would the markers imitate occupational markers of stress (see
Smith [Chapter 7] and Kroman and Symes [Chapter 8], this volume) or would the bones
themselves change shape? Do obese individuals have a specific pattern of skeletal pathology?
Is there a difference in locomotion patterns between people of different body masses (under-
weight, normal, and overweight)? This ultimately led to my dissertation: Body Mass Estima-
tion from the Human Skeleton (
Moore, 2008
).
To develop the necessary expertise for my dissertation, I took courses in the biomechanics
and nutrition departments. The connections I had made previously at the Radiology Depart-
ment of the University of Tennessee Medical Center also helped me to develop a research
collaboration with the biomedical engineering department. The engineers were interested
in designing joint prosthetics for an orthopedic company, for which they needed precise
anatomical models of human bones to design the prosthetics correctly. I was able to negotiate
a low price with the Radiology Department to conduct
computed tomographic
(
CT
)
scans
of
the entire William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection. CT scans provide essentially three-
dimensional X-rays of the skeleton. (For more information on medical imaging, see Moore
[Chapter 14], this volume.)
I personally handled all the logistics of transporting the entire collection (approximately
500 individuals) to the medical center and supervised a team of anthropologists with scan-
ning each skeleton in an assembly line fashion. The engineers were able to analyze the
three-dimensional surface models of the bones, serving their needs for precise prosthetic
creation; and I was able to use the data from the scans to look at shape changes in the femur
between normal weight and obese subjects. This was a perfect symbiotic relationship for col-
lecting massive amounts of data for multiple dissertations and publications in engineering
and anthropology. The engineers benefitted from my collaboration with the radiologists
and my access to the skeletal collection, and I did develop some expertise in bio-
mechanics and functional morphology, but it was not necessary for me to become an engineer
to write the computer code needed to complete the project.
The moral of this story is twofold. It can be valuable (and time consuming) to learn new
skills, but do not let the lack of a specialized skill prevent you from pursing a particular
research direction, especially if collaborating is a possibility. Collaborations can fulfill the
need for diverse skill sets and provide new funding opportunities. Secondly, sometimes
your project idea goes through several iterations before being finalized, so it is important
to be flexible and creative as circumstances warrant.
FINAL THOUGHTS
“I have come to know that a problem does not belong to me, or to my team,
or to my
.
country; it belongs to the world.”
(
Payne-Gaposchkin 1996
:162)
You will be better prepared to embark on your research project if you heed the advice pre-
sented in this chapter. Once you do so, you will be able to count yourself among those trying
to advance human knowledge of the natural world. Science indeed has noble goals, but never
disregard that while noble, its practitioners are, after all, human. Science's noble goals can
therefore be marred by the egos and personal ambitions of the scientists who practice it.
