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we ask to what extent evolution and
​social stRuctures explain biological bone loss mechanisms

This interdisciplinary 4-year project combines bone chemical and histological data and contextualises them socially and temporally to generate the first comprehensive understanding of cell mechanisms responsible for bone destruction and deposition known as bone remodelling.

pipeline 1

Histology

We examine bone remodelling parameters in femur histology sections from historical and modern populations in England and Australia to determine rates of bone resorption.

pipeline 2

Chemistry

We examine thin femur slices for mineral and organic content at the microscopic level to determine how its composition varies with variation in remodelling and other histology parameters.

pipeline 3

Past & Present

We examine bone histology and chemistry change over the last millennium and within and between different social and economic structures to test the extent to which modern bone might reflect bone loss patterns in the past.

What is bone remodelling and why does it matter?