Application of computed tomography in paleoanthropological research

Hominin fossils are the most important materials for exploring questions about human origins and evolution. Because human fossils are very rare, it is impossible to use highly destructive techniques in order to study their morphology. Traditional analyses can only rely on the information gained from the study of the external morphology of specimens, and these approaches limited the study of human evolution. The application of computed tomography (CT) has facilitated major developments in paleoanthropology. To date, few studies on Chinese hominin fossils have used CT scanning methodology, but this is rapidly changing. In order to better understand the application of CT methodology in paleoanthropology, we review the applications of CT scanning on hominin fossils throughout the world. Studies examined include virtual fossil reconstruction, the use of endocasts to elucidate brain morphology, biomechanical analyses of bone distribution, imaging of mummies and research on early human health, and skeletal and dental microanatomical research.