Functional morphology, morphometrics, primate evolution, paleoanthropology Dr. Jungers' research is concerned with functional, mechanical and ontogenetic aspects of musculoskeletal design in living and fossil primates, ranging from subfossil lemurs to early hominids. Quantitative methods are essential tools in comparative analyses of form and function, and experimental approaches provide crucial in vivo, neontological sources of information. The present remains the key to understanding the past. Analyses of biomechanical scaling and relative growth continue on different aspects of the locomotor skeleton, including limb proportions, articular shape and cross-sectional geometry in prosimians, monkeys and hominoids. Growth-related changes in bone shape and positional behavior provide valuable clues for understanding the functional significance of adult form.
Fieldwork continues in Madagascar.
New species continue to be discovered and diagnosed, and improved reconstructions of paleo-communities are now possible. A temporal framework is also emerging that is relevant to the extinction of Malagasy, large-bodied primates. Functional analyses focus on the dental microwear, cross-sectional geometry, and the biomechanics of hands and feet. Jungers, W. L., ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.