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Using diagnostic radiology in human evolutionary studies
Author(s) -
SPOOR FRED,
JEFFERY NATHAN,
ZONNEVELD FRANS
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1469-7580
pISSN - 0021-8782
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2000.19710061.x
Subject(s) - computer science , data science , radiology , medical physics , medicine
This paper reviews the application of medical imaging and associated computer graphics techniques to the study of human evolutionary history, with an emphasis on basic concepts and on the advantages and limitations of each method. Following a short discussion of plain film radiography and pluridirectional tomography, the principles of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their role in the investigation of extant and fossil morphology are considered in more detail. The second half of the paper deals with techniques of 3‐dimensional visualisation based on CT and MRI and with quantitative analysis of digital images.