The Human Morphometrics Laboratory (HML) at the University of California, Santa Barbara is a research facility dedicated to the quantitative analysis of human skeletal morphology. Current HML projects analyze point data from 3D models of bones in order to develop mathematical and statistical methods for identifying and describing morphological variation in the human skeleton. Computers in the HML are equipped with 3D laser scanners and numerous 3D data analysis software programs for creating and analyzing our growing database of 3D models, which represent the skeletal remains of human populations from varying geographical and temporal contexts. The HML is directed by Dr. Phillip Walker, a professor of Anthropology at UCSB and a leader in the field of biologial anthropology.
Click here to access the content of our presentation at the18th International Symposium on Human Identification in Hollywood, California: The application of three-dimensional midfacial profiling in the identification of human skeletal remains.pdf
UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS OF RESEARCH FROM THE HML:
Non-destructive analysis of Native American human remains: establishing cultural affiliation using 3D computer models. Sabrina B. Sholts, Susan Kuzminsky, Phillip L. Walker.
Age-related changes in the pubic symphysis: a topographical approach. Sabrina B. Sholts, Phillip L. Walker, Sebastian Warmlander.
Graduate student Sabrina Sholts scans human bones with a NextEngine Desktop Laser Scanner at the Anatomical Institute at the University of Oslo in Norway (top) and at the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office (bottom right). Undergraduate student Louise Flores measures human crania at the Museum of Man in San Diego, California.
A recent cover of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology illustrates the 3D imaging techniques used by resarchers at the HML (cover designed by Phillip Walker and Sabrina Sholts).