Research HighlightsFrom Enamel to Paleolithic BonesProf. Reiko KonoDivision of Archaeology and Ethnology, Department of HistoryApr. 1, 2024
Physical anthropology, my area of expertise, delves into understanding humans as part of nature and as biological organisms. It explores our evolution, adaptation, structure, function, growth, and variations from a biological perspective. Within this discipline, I specialize in bone and tooth morphology. When I first started graduate school, I chose a lab focused on human genetics. However, I soon felt that studying invisible DNA wasn’t quite my calling. As a result, I shifted to a neighboring lab specializing in morphological anthropology.
There, I embarked on a study of dental enamel thickness, working extensively on converting enamel shapes into three-dimensional digital data. At first, I utilized surface scanning techniques but eventually transitioned to X-ray computed tomography (CT). Although techniques like X-ray CT for digitizing three-dimensional forms are now commonplace across morphological studies, including anthropology, they weren’t as widely adopted at the time. This meant I had to learn everything from scratch, from the basics of scan principles and precision to digital image processing algorithms.
Equipped with these methodologies, I delved deep into the study of apes and early humans. My research subjects later spanned from the fossils of early humans in Indonesia and Gigantopithecus in China to Paleolithic human bones in Japan. Recently, my main research has revolved around Miocene hominoid primates from Myanmar and human remains from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins on Ishigaki Island.
At Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave, I was invited to digitally reconstruct Paleolithic skulls to better study the human fossils from the site. Before I knew it, I found myself in Ishigaki participating in field studies. Somewhat unexpectedly, I became a central figure in the research group, working diligently alongside students from my lab, my co-researchers, and other members. Having the honor to partake in excavations and subsequent research of some of the oldest examples of Paleolithic bones in Japan—a dream for any Japanese anthropologist—fills me with immense pride and a profound sense of responsibility.
(2024/4/1)
