Anth 4593. The Living Machine
Biomechanics of Terrestrial Animals

Fall 2007

MWF 10:00 - 11:00am
Life Sciences 118

Herman Pontzer
McMillan 119
Phone: 935-5292
hpontzer@artsci.wustl.edu
Office Hours: M W 11:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00-2:00pm, or by appointment.

Required textbook
Animal Biomechanics (2003) by A.A. Biewener

You will also need to bring a scientific calculator to class each day.

Other Readings
See the course schedule and course website. Readings outside the main text will be on the course website. Changes to the reading list will be posted on the course website.

Scope of the Course
How do terrestrial animals move, see, breathe, and hear? In this course we will investigate how animals – particularly humans and other primates – interact with their physical world. We will examine the anatomy and mechanics involved in these and other behaviors, and will investigate their evolution.
Prerequisite: Anthro 150A or permission of instructor.

Grading
Labs (1-5) …………..30%
Presentation………….10%
Midterm 1 …………...20%
Midterm 2.. ………….20%
Final Exam …………..20%

Lecture and Reading Schedule

Date	Topic	Reading & Assignments
Wednesday 8/29	Introduction
Friday 8/31	Your friend Newton, and levers	Biewener 1-4, 14, 42 - 45; Kardong, 132-138 Handout Answers
Monday 9/3	Labor Day - no class
Wednesday 9/5	Muscle the Motor	Reading: Biewener 15 - 38
Friday 9/7	Mechanical versus Metabolic work	Reading: Biewener 15 - 38
Monday 9/10	LAB 1: Muscle Power
Wednesday 9/12	Climbing and Jumping	Biewener 163 - 186. LAB 1 Due!
Friday 9/14	Walking and Running	Biewener 46 - 77
Monday 9/17	LAB 2: Gait selection and Froude number
Wednesday 9/19	Locomotor energetics: Mechanical determinants	Biewener 207 - 229, Kram Taylor, 1990 LAB 2 Due!
Friday 9/21	Locomotor energetics: Endurance vs economy	Biewener 196-206; Roberts et al. 1997
Monday 9/24	LAB 3: Fossil trackways: speed and cost
Wednesday 9/26	Human locomotor mechanics and energetics	CEHE 78, 80-85
Friday 9/28	Size and Scaling	Biewener 10-14; Kardong 122-131; Pontzer, 2007
Monday 10/1	MIDTERM 1: 8/31 - 9/26
Wednesday 10/3	Bone basics	Biewener, 38-46; Kardong, 141-148
Friday 10/5	Scaling of support and EMA	review Biewener, 1-46, Biewener 1989
Monday 10/8	Skeletal optimization and interpretation	Lieberman et al 2003
Wednesday 10/10	Teeth and chewing	Aiello and Dean 94 – 102; Reilly et al. 2001
Friday 10/12	LAB 4: Human chewing
Monday 10/15	Tool use and manufacture	CEHE hand evolution LAB 4 Due!
Wednesday 10/17	Throwing	Dunsworth et al 2004
Friday 10/19	Fall Break - no class
Monday 10/22	LAB 5: Throwing and tool making
Wednesday 10/24	Speech	Lieberman 2007 (skip comments) LAB 5 Due!
Friday 10/26	Hearing	Silverthorn 337 – 347
Monday 10/29	Vision and orientation	Silverthorn 355-357 (Equilibrium), 358-369 (vision)
Wednesday 10/31	Smell/Taste/Touch	Silverthorn 337 – 347
Friday 11/2	Primate sensory evolution	Dominy & Lucas 2001; Gallistel & Cramer 1996
Monday 11/5	Flying and swimming	Biewener 78 – 95, 111 – 130
Wednesday 11/7	MIDTERM 2: 9/28 - 11/2
Friday 11/9	Circulation	Schmidt-Nielson 92-114
Monday 11/12	Breathing	Schmidt-Nielson 13-33
Wednesday 11/14	Ecomorphology	Futuyama, 519-537; Losos et al. 2006
Friday11/16	Primate biomechanics and evolution	Primate Origins, 775-798; Pontzer & Wrangham, 2004
Monday 11/19	LAB 6: Ecomorphology at St. Louis Zoo
Wednesday 11/21	Thanksgiving break - no class
Friday 11/23	Thanksgiving break - no class
Monday 11/26	Extreme locomotion	Autumn et al 2000; Huffard et al. 2005; Riskin et al. 2005
Wednesday 11/28	Ecomorph presentations	Presentations Due!
Friday 11/30	Ecomorph presentations	Presentations Due!
Monday 12/3	Human biomech evolution: Locomotion	Sockol et al. 2007, Bramble & Lieberman, 2004
Wednesday 12/5	Human evolution: The genus Homo & Beyond	Alexander 316 – 322
Friday 12/7	Review for Final
Monday 12/10	FINAL EXAM	Material: 11/9 - 12/7, and Major concepts from entire course