Academic staff
Dr Marta Pina Miguel
pinamigm@lsbu.ac.uk
Mechanical Engineering and Design
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9762-6402
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I am a palaeoanthropologist interested in the evolution of the primate postcranium and the origin of the positional behaviours observed in living apes and humans. My background is in evolutionary biology and palaeontology. I completed my PhD in 2016, in the ICP Miquel Crusafont (Spain). After that, I was awarded two postdoctoral fellowships: a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship at Kyoto University (Japan) and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship in the University of Manchester (UK). I joined LSBU in 2022 as a Lecturer in Anthroengineering.
Read more in https://marta-pina.com/
Research interests overview:
· Evolution of primate locomotion
· Comparative functional morphology and biomechanics of the primate postcranium
· Skeletal adaptations in primate limbs
· Origin and evolution of the hominoid positional behaviours
· Extinct hominoid palaeobiology and evolution
· Palaeontological fieldwork and teaching
· Scientific (particularly palaeontological) outreach and education
My research seeks to identify the morphofunctional and biomechanical adaptations associated with the different orthograde locomotor types of extant hominoids and to reconstruct the evolution of their positional behaviours, including human bipedalism. I am particularly interested in the study of the fossil limb remains of the Eurasian and African Miocene apes by means of comparative anatomy, functional morphology and biomechanics.
My research includes palaeontological fieldwork and I regularly excavate in fossil sites of Spain and Kenya.
I am also committed to scientific outreach and public engagement through general audience talks and collaborations with local schools.
Courses taught
Anthroengineering - MSc
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Universitat de Barcelona-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| Proposal | Project | Role | Funder | Status | Status last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Exchanges 2023 Round 1 | International Exchanges 2023 Round 1 | Principal Investigator | Royal Society | OPEN Submitted | Mar 2023 |
Earliest Vallesian suid remains from Creu de Conill 20 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula)
McKenzie, S., Sorbelli, L., Cherin, M., Almécijaca, S., Pina, M., Abella, J., Luján, A.H., DeMiguel, D. and Alba, D.M. (2022). Earliest Vallesian suid remains from Creu de Conill 20 (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula). Journal of Mammalian Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-022-09643-3
Calcar femorale variation in extant and fossil hominids: Implications for identifying bipedal locomotion in fossil hominins
Cazenave, M., Kivell, T.L., Pina, M., Begun, D.R. and Skinner, M.M. (2022). Calcar femorale variation in extant and fossil hominids: Implications for identifying bipedal locomotion in fossil hominins. Journal of Human Evolution. 167, p. 103183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103183
New fossils of the early Miocene stem-cervid Acteocemas (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia) from the Iberian Peninsula shed light on the evolutionary origin of deer antler regeneration
Azanza, B., Pina, M., Quiralte, V., Sánchez, I.M. and DeMiguel, D. (2022). New fossils of the early Miocene stem-cervid Acteocemas (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia) from the Iberian Peninsula shed light on the evolutionary origin of deer antler regeneration. Historical Biology. 34 (8), pp. 1520-1533. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2022.2050720
Comparative anatomy of the carotid canal in the Miocene small-bodied catarrhine Pliobates cataloniae
Bouchet, F., Urciuoli, A., Beaudet, A., Pina, M., Moyà-Solà, S. and Alba, D.A. (2021). Comparative anatomy of the carotid canal in the Miocene small-bodied catarrhine Pliobates cataloniae. Journal of Human Evolution. 161, p. 103073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103073
New femoral remains of Nacholapithecus kerioi: Implications for intraspecific variation and Miocene hominoid evolution
Pina, M., Kikuchi, Y., Nakatsukasa, M., Nakano, Y., Kunimatsu, Y., Ogihara, N., Shimizu, D., Takano, T., Tsujikawa, H. and Ishida, H. (2021). New femoral remains of Nacholapithecus kerioi: Implications for intraspecific variation and Miocene hominoid evolution. Journal of Human Evolution. 155, p. 102982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102982
A comparative analysis of the vestibular apparatus in Epipliopithecus vindobonensis: Phylogenetic implications
Urciuoli, A., Zanolli, C., Beaudet, A., Pina, M., Almécija, S., Moyà-Solà, S. and Alba, D.A. (2021). A comparative analysis of the vestibular apparatus in Epipliopithecus vindobonensis: Phylogenetic implications. Journal of Human Evolution. 151, p. 102930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102930
Knee function through finite element analysis and the role of Miocene hominoids in our understanding of the origin of antipronograde behaviours: the Pierolapithecus catalaunicus patella as a case study
Pina, M., DeMiguel, D., Puigvert, F., Marcé‐Nogué, J. and Moyà‐Solà, S. (2020). Knee function through finite element analysis and the role of Miocene hominoids in our understanding of the origin of antipronograde behaviours: the Pierolapithecus catalaunicus patella as a case study. Palaeontology. 63 (3), pp. 459-475. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12466
Femoral neck cortical bone distribution of dryopithecin apes and the evolution of hominid locomotion
Pina, M., David M. Alba, Salvador Moyà-Solà and Sergio Almécija (2019). Femoral neck cortical bone distribution of dryopithecin apes and the evolution of hominid locomotion. Journal of Human Evolution. 136, p. 102651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102651
Miocene small-bodied ape from Eurasia sheds light on hominoid evolution
Alba, D.M., Almécija, S., DeMiguel, D., Fortuny, J., Pérez de los Ríos, M., Pina, M., Robles, J.M. and Moyà-Solà, S. (2015). Miocene small-bodied ape from Eurasia sheds light on hominoid evolution. Science. 350 (6260). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab2625
The middle Miocene ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus exhibits extant great ape-like morphometric affinities on its patella: Inferences on knee function and evolution
Pina, M., Almécija, S., Alba, D.M., O'Neill, M.C. and Moyà-Solà, S. (2014). The middle Miocene ape Pierolapithecus catalaunicus exhibits extant great ape-like morphometric affinities on its patella: Inferences on knee function and evolution. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0091944