Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face
Published on: January 7, 2019
Short communication: Traits unique to genus Homo within primates at the cervical spine (C2-C7)
Luis Rios1, Alexandra Muñoz2, Hugo Cardoso3
1Department of Physical Anthropology, Society of Sciences Aranzadi, Donostia 20014, Basque Country, Spain; Comisión Docente de Antropología Física, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain.
Abstract:
From a comparative study of 222 human and 261 nonhuman primates complete cervical spines, two bony variants associated to the course of the vertebral artery are proposed as unique to genus Homo within primates. First, the opening of the foramen transversarium at C2, a trait present at low frequency in humans (3 to 5.6%). Second, the presence of a bipartite foramen transversarium in the cervical segment C3-C6, a trait that can be observed fully formed in human fetal skeletons, with a clear frequency pattern along the cervical spine (C3>C4>C5>C6
Related Concept Videos
Articulations of the Vertebral Column
Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form...
Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy
Gray Matter and its Components
Central to the gray matter is...
General Structure of a Vertebra
Spinal Cord: Gross Anatomy
Spinal Nerves: Anatomy
There are 31 bilateral pairs of spinal nerves, each emerging from the spinal cord through the intervertebral foramina—openings between adjacent vertebrae. These nerves are...

