Geometric morphometric investigation of craniofacial morphological change in domesticated silver foxes.

To test the effects of domestication on craniofacial skeletal morphology, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) along with linear and endocranial measurements to compare selected (domesticated) and unselected foxes from the Russian Farm-Fox Experiment to wild foxes from the progenitor population from which the farmed foxes are derived. Contrary to previous findings, we find that domesticated and unselected foxes show minimal differences in craniofacial shape and size compared to the more substantial differences between the wild foxes and both populations of farmed foxes. GM analyses and linear measurements demonstrate that wild foxes differ from farmed foxes largely in terms of less cranial base flexion, relatively expanded cranial vaults, and increased endocranial volumes.

Impact of meat and Lower Palaeolithic food processing techniques on chewing in humans.

The origins of the genus Homo are murky, but by H. erectus, bigger brains and bodies had evolved that, along with larger foraging ranges, would have increased the daily energetic requirements of hominins. Yet H.

Food material properties and early hominin processing techniques.

Although early Homo is hypothesized to have used tools more than australopiths to process foods prior to consumption, it is unknown how much the food processing techniques they used altered the material properties of foods, and therefore the masticatory forces they generated, and how well they were able to comminute foods. This study presents experimental data on changes to food material properties caused by mechanical tenderization (pounding with a stone tool) and cooking (dry roasting) of two foods likely to have been important components of the hominin diet: meat and tubers. Mechanical tenderization significantly decreased tuber toughness by 42%, but had no effect on meat toughness.

Bite force and occlusal stress production in hominin evolution.

Maximum bite force affects craniofacial morphology and an organism's ability to break down foods with different material properties. Humans are generally believed to produce low bite forces and spend less time chewing compared with other apes because advances in mechanical and thermal food processing techniques alter food material properties in such a way as to reduce overall masticatory effort. However, when hominins began regularly consuming mechanically processed or cooked diets is not known.