Published and Student Plantar Measurements rev.03-04-3023.6_Updated.xlsx

NB: Not for peer review, student collaboration project. Measurement of fossil hominin footprints are of high value in the interpretation of the evolution of bipedality1,2. However, due to the variable nature of such fossilized imprints created within diverse soil features, interpretations of footprints are uncertain3–5. We demonstrate that a simple paper walkway and water-based paint imprints of feet and gait characteristics of students enables scientific competency on par with published observations of hominin fossil imprints with established landmarks of the plantar foot6. While the walkway approach is limited to two-dimensions, features of evolving hominin foot can be measured with low cost and high volume. In addition, two approaches for the determination of foot arch volume including an air-drying clay imprint and a 3D iPhone scan7 are also described that are consistent with published data8. We emphasize the uncertainty in analysis methods for fossil footprints, typically not reported in the literature for features of the plantar foot4,9.

注：本内容不用于同行评审，为学生协作项目成果。古人类化石脚印的测量，对于阐释两足行走的演化历程具有极高价值1,2。然而，由于这类保存在不同土壤基质中的化石印迹本身具有多变性，对脚印的解读往往存在不确定性3–5。本研究证明，通过搭建简易纸质步道、使用水性颜料采集学生足部印迹与步态特征，可获得与已发表的、基于既定足底（plantar foot）解剖标志点的古人类化石印迹观测结果相当的科学分析能力6。尽管该步道方法仅能获取二维信息，但仍可低成本、大样本量地测量演化中古人类足部的相关特征。此外，本研究还介绍了两种测量足弓体积的方法——风干黏土印迹法与iPhone三维扫描法7，其结果与已发表的数据8相符。本研究同时强调，化石脚印分析方法本身存在不确定性，而这类不确定性在既往针对足底特征的相关文献中通常未被提及4,9。