new paper in journal of anatomy

We’re excited to share our new study published in the Journal of Anatomy, where we explored how microscopic structures of human bone scale with femoral cross-sectional size. Using midshaft femur microradiographs from 73 individuals in the Melbourne Femur Research Collection, we set out to test whether cortical thickness and biomechanical properties influence the size and density of secondary osteons produced during remodelling.

In our analysis, we measured cortical‑to‑total area (CA/TA), femoral rigidity (Imax/Imin), osteon area, the ratio of Haversian canal to osteon area (H.Ar/On.Ar), and osteon population density across the anterior, posterior, medial and lateral quadrants. We found strong negative correlations between CA/TA and H.Ar/On.Ar in the full sample, in males, and in a subgroup of sedentary but well‑nourished individuals. In these groups, thicker cortices were associated with less porous osteons, meaning smaller Haversian canals relative to surrounding lamellar bone. Notably, this pattern did not appear in females or in other age and lifestyle categories.

Our findings highlight that bone microstructure does not vary independently of bone size. We argue that allometric effects, particularly cortical thickness, should be incorporated into future assessments of bone remodelling and lifestyle reconstruction to avoid confounding histological interpretations.

Link to our paper: ​https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.70143