Maximilian v. Harling

I am currently working on my PhD dissertation under the supervision of Prof. G. Bräuer from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and Prof. J.-J. Hublin from the Department of Human Evolution at the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
The subject of my PhD thesis is the investigation of the variability of phylogenetically relevant endocranial features on modern humans. The primary tool for the research on the endocranial features is a medical imaging program called VOXELMAN, which allows the 3D-reconstruction and interactive presentation of computertomographic pictures. The aim of this project is to identify features of evolutionary significance, which are helpful to clarify questions on the origin and spread of modern humans as well as possible hybridizations between modern and archaic populations and to get a solid base for additional research of these features on modern humans and their ancestors. Furthermore it is planed to examine to what extent the modernity of the external skull is also present internally.