Scott Maddux
Background:
I am a biological anthropology graduate student with a specific focus in paleoanthropology. I received my B.A. at Texas A&M University in 2003, and my M.A. from the University of Iowa in May 2006. My research focuses primarily on craniofacial evolution within the genus Homo during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. I am particularly interested in the evolutionary significance of the infraorbital region, and its utility in determining systematic relationships in the fossil record. My recent research using 3-dimensional computer modeling of the infraorbital region has questioned the derived status of both the Homo sapiens “canine fossa” and the Homo neanderthalensis “inflated maxilla”. I’ve also begun research comparing the degree of variation in the Homo sapiens splanchnocranium to that found in the neurocranium. Additionally, I have also recently become involved with experimental research using Sus scrofa as a model for exploring evolutionary changes in facial morphology in human evolution.
