Using diagnostic radiology in human evolutionary studies

This paper reviews the application of medical imaging and associated comput er graphics techniques to the study of human evolutionary history, with an emphasis on basic concepts and on the advantages and limitations of each me thod. Following a short discussion of plain film radiography and pluridirec tional tomography, the principles of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their role in the investigation of extant and f ossil morphology are considered in more detail. The second half of the pape r deals with techniques of 3-dimensional visualisation based on CT and MRI and with quantitative analysis of digital images.