Abigail Nishimura

I've always been curious about humanity's place in the natural world. How are we related to other species, and what makes humans so unique? I am lucky to be able to answer just these sorts of questions as a physical anthropology Ph.D. student. I spend my days studying human and primate skeletons because I want to learn how different species adapt their anatomy to match their particular behaviors. I am most interested in the bones of the spine, which are called vertebrae, because these bones contain a lot of information about locomotion. I am also interested in vertebrae because humans have very unique spines!

Uncovering the links between behavior and vertebral shape can help us to understand the fossil record; when we know how to interpret behavioral information from the bones of living species, we can look at fossils and piece together how the extinct animals behaved in life. This kind of work can help us to understand our own ancestors, and it is also applicable to modern medical issues. If we want to understand why the human neck is so prone to injury, we must first understand how the behaviors of our ancestors shaped its evolution.

December 2016