Molecular and Cellular Processes of Pelage Growth and Pigmentation in Primate Evolution

Much of anthropology is built on the accumulation of evidence from material artifacts, both cultural and biological. Phylogenetic analysis of skeletal series of extant species rests on the identification of homologous traits assumed to be derived from an original structure that emerged once and was retained after species diverged. Advances in anthropology consisted primarily of the observation, and in many cases quantification, of the distribution and variation of traits across populations. Bone and some cartilages have been traditional targets for evolutionary studies because mineralized tissues are more likely to preserve and potentially fossilize. Mineralized bone matrix is permeated by an interconnected network of microscopic channels, which contain cellular processes of osteocytes, allowing neighboring osteocytes to communicate. The formation, development, modeling, and remodeling of bone are informed by genetic information but also depend on the mechanical environment and the associated mechanobiological responses at the cellular level.