TY - JOUR
T1 - Reproducing the internal and external anatomy of fossil bones
T2 - Two new automatic digital tools
AU - Profico, Antonio
AU - Schlager, Stefan
AU - Valoriani, Veronica
AU - Buzi, Costantino
AU - Melchionna, Marina
AU - Veneziano, Alessio
AU - Raia, Pasquale
AU - Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo
AU - Manzi, Giorgio
PY - 2018/4/21
Y1 - 2018/4/21
N2 - Objectives: We present two new automatic tools, developed under the R environment, to reproduce the internal and external structures of bony elements. The first method, Computer-Aided Laser Scanner Emulator (CA-LSE), provides the reconstruction of the external portions of a 3D mesh by simulating the action of a laser scanner. The second method, Automatic Segmentation Tool for 3D objects (AST-3D), performs the digital reconstruction of anatomical cavities. Materials and methods: We present the application of CA-LSE and AST-3D methods to different anatomical remains, highly variable in terms of shape, size and structure: a modern human skull, a malleus bone, and a Neanderthal deciduous tooth. Both methods are developed in the R environment and embedded in the packages “Arothron” and “Morpho,” where both the codes and the data are fully available. Results: The application of CA-LSE and AST-3D allows the isolation and manipulation of the internal and external components of the 3D virtual representation of complex bony elements. In particular, we present the output of the four case studies: a complete modern human endocast and the right maxillary sinus, the dental pulp of the Neanderthal tooth and the inner network of blood vessels of the malleus. Discussion: Both methods demonstrated to be much faster, cheaper, and more accurate than other conventional approaches. The tools we presented are available as add-ons in existing software within the R platform. Because of ease of application, and unrestrained availability of the methods proposed, these tools can be widely used by paleoanthropologists, paleontologists and anatomists.
AB - Objectives: We present two new automatic tools, developed under the R environment, to reproduce the internal and external structures of bony elements. The first method, Computer-Aided Laser Scanner Emulator (CA-LSE), provides the reconstruction of the external portions of a 3D mesh by simulating the action of a laser scanner. The second method, Automatic Segmentation Tool for 3D objects (AST-3D), performs the digital reconstruction of anatomical cavities. Materials and methods: We present the application of CA-LSE and AST-3D methods to different anatomical remains, highly variable in terms of shape, size and structure: a modern human skull, a malleus bone, and a Neanderthal deciduous tooth. Both methods are developed in the R environment and embedded in the packages “Arothron” and “Morpho,” where both the codes and the data are fully available. Results: The application of CA-LSE and AST-3D allows the isolation and manipulation of the internal and external components of the 3D virtual representation of complex bony elements. In particular, we present the output of the four case studies: a complete modern human endocast and the right maxillary sinus, the dental pulp of the Neanderthal tooth and the inner network of blood vessels of the malleus. Discussion: Both methods demonstrated to be much faster, cheaper, and more accurate than other conventional approaches. The tools we presented are available as add-ons in existing software within the R platform. Because of ease of application, and unrestrained availability of the methods proposed, these tools can be widely used by paleoanthropologists, paleontologists and anatomists.
KW - endocast
KW - human evolution
KW - malleus bone
KW - maxillary sinuses
KW - virtual anthropology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049239205&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ajpa.23493
DO - 10.1002/ajpa.23493
M3 - Article
C2 - 29681055
AN - SCOPUS:85049239205
SN - 0002-9483
VL - 166
SP - 979
EP - 986
JO - American journal of physical anthropology
JF - American journal of physical anthropology
IS - 4
ER -