New methods and techniques in anthropology

Since the discovery of the Tyrolean Iceman in 1991, advanced imaging and po st-processing techniques have been successfully applied to anthropological research. Among the specific techniques are spiral computed tomography and 3-dimensional reconstructions, which include stereolithographic and fused d eposition modeling of volume data sets. The Iceman's skull was the first to be produced using stereolithography; subsequently, it has been, successful ly applied in preoperative planning. With the advent of high-end performanc e graphics workstations and biomedical image processing software packages, 9-dimensional reconstructions have become established as routine tools for analyzing volume data sets. These techniques enabled dramatically new insig hts to be gained in the field of physical anthropology. Computed tomography became the ideal research tool to access the internal structures of variou s precious fossils without even touching - let alone damaging - them. Among the most precious are specimens from the genus Australopithecus (1.8 Myr-3 .5 Myr), as well as representatives of Homo heidelbergensis (200 kyr-600 ky r) and Homo neanderthalensis (40 kyr-100 kyr); such fossils have been CT-sc anned during the last five years. The fossils often. are filled with a ston e matrix or other encrustations. During the post-processing routines, highl y advanced algorithms were used to remove these encrustations virtually (th e concrete fossils remain untouched). Thus it has been possible to visualiz e the morphological structures that are hidden by the matrix layer. Some sp ecimens have been partially destroyed, but it has been. possible for the mi ssing parts were reconstructed on the computer screen in order to get estim ations of brain volume and endocranial morphology, both major fields of int erest in physical anthropology. Moreover, the data in computerized form all ows new descriptions of morphological structures using geometric morphometr ics. Some of the results may change aspects and interpretations in human ev olution and approaches to long-standing questions in this field. We subsume the introduction of these new imaging and post-processing techniques into a new field of research: Virtual Anthropology.