Pesent-day modern humans have relatively gracile, or lightly built, skeletons compared to fossil hominins and non-human primates. Most research on modern human bone structural variation has focused on comparing bone structure among geographically, genetically, and behaviorally distinct human groups within the context of changes in subsistence and activity patterns. However, this approach does not consider other factors known to influence bone structure, including population history and environmental context. In this presentation, high-resolution microcomputed tomography (μCT) image data of the tibial diaphysis, distal tibia, talus, and calcaneus are used to quantify bone structure variables in order to investigate variation in cortical bone cross-sectional geometry and trabecular bone microarchitecture of three human groups, which, based on archaeological evidence were environmentally and likely genetically similar, but behaviorally distinct. The results provide insight into the effects of variation in subsistence strategy, mobility, and physical activity on human skeletal morphology and help strengthen interpretations of human (and fossil hominin) behavior in the past. 

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