Biomedical subjects

Horst Seidler

Publications and source records attributed to Horst Seidler.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Body size, body proportions, and mobility in the Tyrolean "Iceman".

Body mass and structural properties of the femoral and tibial midshafts of the "Iceman," a late Neolithic (5,200 BP) mummy found in the Tyrolean Alps, are determined from computed tomographic scans of his body, and compared with those of a sample of 139 males spanning the European early Upper Paleolithic through the Bronze Age. Two methods, based on femoral head breadth and estimated stature/bi-iliac (pelvic) breath, yield identical body-mass estimates of 61 kg for the Iceman. In combination with his estimated stature of 158 cm, this indicates a short but relatively wide or stocky body compared to our total sample. His femur is about average in strength compared to our late Neolithic (Eneolithic) males, but his tibia is well above average. His femur also shows adaptations for his relatively broad body (mediolateral strengthening), while his tibia shows adaptations for high mobility over rough terrain (anteroposterior strengthening). In many respects, his tibia more closely resembles those of European Mesolithic rather than Neolithic males, which may reflect a more mobile lifestyle than was characteristic of most Neolithic males, perhaps related to a pastoral subsistence strategy. There are indications that mobility in general declined between the European Mesolithic and late Neolithic, and that body size and shape may have become more variable throughout the continent following the Upper Paleolithic.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Early pliocene hominid tooth from Galili, Somali Region, Ethiopia.

A fossil hominid tooth was discovered during survey at Galili, Somali region, Ethiopia. The geological and faunal context indicate an Early Pliocene age. The specimen (GLL 33) consists of an almost complete lower right third molar likely representing a male individual of advanced age-at-death. Its comparative metrical, morphological and (micro)structural analysis (supported by a microtomographic record) suggests a tentative taxonomic allocation to Australopithecus cf A. afarensis.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

The iceman: discovery and imaging.

The anatomic features of a 5,300-year-old mummy, the iceman, were documented with conventional radiographic, portable computed radiographic, and conventional and spiral computed tomographic images obtained between September 1991 and June 2001. A team of scientists and radiologists from Austria, Italy, and the United States supervised the examinations and interpreted the images. The images demonstrated excellent preservation of the mineralized skeleton with profound dehydration of the soft tissues. The skeleton exhibited several types of trauma, including (a) healed rib fractures, (b) hairline skull fractures and a compression deformity of the thorax, probably acquired while encased in the glacier, and (c) damage acquired during the effort to recover the corpse. Skeletal variants were present, as was evidence of degenerative arthritis, frostbite, vascular calcification, and adaptation to cultural and geographic influences. In terms of anatomy and apparent health-related conditions, the iceman was very similar to modern humans. An arrowhead lodged between the rib cage and the left scapula was the probable cause of the iceman's death. Study of the images also provided insight regarding postmortem processes that led to the iceman's mummification.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Electronic removal of encrustations inside the Steinheim cranium reveals paranasal sinus features and deformations, and provides a revised endocranial volume estimate.

Features in the endocranium, as revealed by computed tomography (CT) scans of largely complete mid-Pleistocene crania, have helped elucidate unexpected affinities in the genus Homo. Because of its extensive encrustations and deformations, it has been difficult to repeat such analyses with the Steinheim cranium. Here, we present several advances in the analysis of this Homo heidelbergensis cranium by applying filter algorithms and image editing techniques to its CT scan. First, we show how the encrustations have been removed electronically, revealing interesting peculiarities, particularly the many directions of the deformations. Second, we point out similarities and differences between the frontal and sphenoidal sinuses of the Steinheim, Petralona, and Broken Hill (Kabwe) crania. Third, we assess the extent of the endocranial deformations and, fourth, their implications for our estimation of the braincase volume.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Cranial integration in Homo: singular warps analysis of the midsagittal plane in ontogeny and evolution.

This study addresses some enduring issues of ontogenetic and evolutionary integration in the form of the hominid cranium. Our sample consists of 38 crania: 20 modern adult Homo sapiens, 14 sub-adult H. sapiens, and four archaic Homo. All specimens were CT-scanned except for two infant H. sapiens, who were imaged by MR instead. For each specimen 84 landmarks and semi-landmarks were located on the midsagittal plane and converted to Procrustes shape coordinates. Integration was quantified by the method of singular warps, a new geometric-statistical approach to visualizing correlations among regions. The two classic patterns of integration, evolutionary and ontogenetic, were jointly explored by comparing analyses of overlapping subsamples that span ranges of different hypothetical factors. Evolutionary integration is expressed in the subsample of 24 adult Homo, and ontogenetic integration in the subsample of 34 H. sapiens. In this data set, vault, cranial base, and face show striking and localized patterns of covariation over ontogeny, similar but not identical to the patterns seen over evolution. The principal differences between ontogeny and phylogeny pertain to the cranial base. There is also a component of cranial length to height ratio not reducible to either process. Our methodology allows a separation of these independent processes (and their impact on cranial shape) that conventional methods have not found.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Fatty acid composition and preservation of the Tyrolean Iceman and other mummies.

In anthropology, objective parameters to adequately describe storage conditions and the preservation of mummies have yet to be identified. Considering that fatty acids degrade to stable products, we analysed their profile in human mummies and in control samples by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Originating from different epochs and civilizations, samples of the Tyrolean Iceman, other glacier corpses, a freeze dried mummy, corpses from a permafrost region, a corpse mummified immersed in water, and a desert mummy were evaluated. Chemometric analysis based on the concentrations of 16 fatty acids revealed the degree of similarity between anthropologic and fresh corpse samples, which was mainly influenced by the content of palmitic acid, oleic acid, and 10-hydroxystearic acid. The presence of 10-hydroxystearic acid was associated with immersion in water, whereas dry mummification was accompanied by high contents of oleic acid. Samples of the Tyrolean Iceman clustered between fresh tissue and those of other glacier corpses indicating the good preservation of this mummy. Thus, environmental post-mortem conditions were associated with characteristic fatty acid patterns suggesting that chemometric analysis of fatty acid contents may add to our knowledge about post-mortem storage conditions and the preservation of human corpses.

Fatty Acids↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Exploration of anthropological specimens by GC-MS and chemometrics.

Anthropological specimens combine a variety of unfavorable characteristics, rendering their evaluation an analytical challenge. Their remarkable status is primarily based on two characteristics: (i) these very rare samples of human origin are testimonies of human history and are, therefore, available only in minute amounts for analytical purposes, and (ii) the analysis of these samples is extremely limited by the decomposition of molecules, which are easily detected in living organisms, such as nucleic acids and proteins, but are subject to rapid post-mortem decay. In this article, we review the methods and results of archaeometry, emphasizing the role of MS combined with chemometrics. Focusing on experimental results for fatty acid profiles, specimens from mummies from different civilizations were compared. Considering in particular the Tyrolean Iceman, the application of chemometric methods to GC-MS data recovers essential information about the preservation and the storage conditions of mummies.

Anthropology↗