We used to think that, barring injury or illness, the way our bones grow is determined by genetics. But scientists have determined that our living skeletons respond to not only environmental stresses, but the way we use them. In other words, our everyday activities can change our bodies' underlying structure.
This has led to a discipline known as “osteobiography" – literally “the biography of bones” – which involves looking at a skeleton to find out how its owner lived. It relies on the fact that certain activities, such as walking on two legs, leave a predictable signature behind, such as sturdier hip bones.
And from the discovery of a curious spiky growth on the back of many people’s skulls to the realisation that our jaws are getting smaller, to the enigmatic finding that German youths currently have narrower elbows than ever before, it’s clear that modern life is having an impact on our bones.
One example is that strong men who do plenty of heavy lifting are building not only their muscles, but their bones as well. Scientists have also discovered some traits that are becoming more common and may be caused by modern activities like using a smartphone constantly, as in the case of spikes on the back of the skull, which were once rare, but now are found relatively often in the skulls of 18- to 30-year-olds. Read about more ways that modern life is changing our bones at BBC Future. -via Metafilter
(Image credit: Ankitshilu)