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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum
Published on: March 19, 2017
Eco-geographic and sexual variation of the ribcage in Homo sapiens
José M López-Rey1,2, Manuel D D'Angelo Del Campo2,3,4,5, Verónica Seldes3,6
1Department of Paleobiology, Paleoanthropology Group, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
Up to now, Allen and Bergmann's rules have been studied in modern humans by analyzing differences in limb length, height, or body mass. However, there are no publications studying the effects of latitude in the 3D configuration of the ribcage. To assess this issue, we digitally reconstructed the ribcages of a balanced sample of 109 adult individuals of global distribution. Shape and size of the ribcage was quantified using geometric morphometrics. Our results show that the ribcage belonging to tropical individuals is smaller and slenderer compared to others living in higher latitudes, which is in line with Allen and Bergmann's rules and suggests an allometric relationship between size and shape. Although sexual dimorphism was observed in the whole sample, significant differences were only found in tropical populations. Our proposal is that, apart from potential sexual selection, avoiding heat loss might be the limiting factor for sexual dimorphism in cold-adapted populations.
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