Microscopic research on Fossil Human Bone

Abstract

The methods and techniques of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are briefly described, and the advantages of polarization microscopy are discussed. Particularly, light microscopy is a useful tool to diagnose fossil bone at the micro-level. Selected samples of fossilized human bones (e.g., Australopithecus, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and Paleolithic Homo sapiens) were examined using plain and polarized light. The histomorphological findings show that microscopic research adds much to what can be found by macroscopic examination or by X-ray techniques. In particular, emphasis is placed on morphological structures that give clues to the taxonomy and the functional anatomy of early hominids. Furthermore, morphological structures which originated during the lifetime of the individual (e.g., individual age at death, physical strain, diseases) are explicable. Future perspectives of microscopic analyses are discussed.