Adam van Casteren
Group leader
Department of Human Origins
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
phone: +49 (0) 341 3550 857
e-mail:
adam_van_casteren@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Research Interests
Adam’s research is focused on evolutionary and ecological biomechanics. He is fascinated by how the physical world has influenced the evolutionary trajectory of humans and our closest primate relatives. Adam is an enquiry driven scientist who has used experimental biomechanics in both the laboratory and the field to investigate a diverse array of topics including: primate locomotion, primate feeding biomechanics, the mechanics of dental microwear and masticatory energetics.
Curriculum Vita
Academic Positions
| 2023– Present | Group Leader – Human and Ape Biomechanics Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany. |
| 2022 – 2023 | Research Associate The School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, UK. |
| 2018 – 2020 | Lecturer Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, USA |
| 2014 – 2018 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany. |
| 2013 – 2014 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dental Faculty, Kuwait University, Kuwait. |
Education
| 2008 – 2012 | PhD, University of Manchester, UK, Thesis title: “The mechanical behaviour of trees in relation to Orangutan locomotion and nest building”. |
| 2007 – 2008 | Biomechanics MSc, University of Manchester, UK. |
| 2004 – 2007 | Zoology BSc (Hons), University of Manchester, UK. |
Publications
2022
van Casteren, A., Codd, J. R., Kupczik, K., Plasqui, G., Sellers, W. I., & Henry, A. G. (2022). The cost of chewing: The energetics and evolutionary significance of mastication in humans. Science Advances, 8: eabn8351. |
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Baumgarten, S. E., Laird, M. F., Wright, K. A., Wright, B. W., Scott, R. S., Ross, C. F., van Casteren, A., Fogaca, M. D., & Strait, D. S. (2022). Don't bite off more than you can chew: A behavioral analysis of premolar use in capuchins during feeding. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 177(S73), 12-12. |
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Wright, K. A., Punjani, Z., Oshay, R. R., Wright, B. W., Dutra Fogaça, M., van Casteren, A., Izar, P., Visalbergh, E., Fragaszy, D., Strait, D. S., Ross, C. F., & Laird, M. F. (2022). The influence of food geometry and material properties on feeding posture in bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus). American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 177(S73), 199-200. |
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Laird, M. F., Punjani, Z., Oshay, R. R., Wright, B. W., Fogaça, M. D., van Casteren, A., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Fragazy, D., Strait, D. S., Ross, C. F., & Wright, K. A. (2022). Feeding postural behaviors and food geometric and material properties in bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus). American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 178, 3-16. |
Open Access2021
Sinet-Mathiot, V., Martisius, N., Schulz-Kornas, E., van Casteren, A., Tsanova, T., Sirakov, N., Spasov, R., Welker, F., Smith, G. M., & Hublin, J.-J. (2021). The effect of eraser sampling for proteomic analysis on Palaeolithic bone surface microtopography. Scientific Reports, 11: 23611. |
2019
van Casteren, A., Wright, E., Kupczik, K., & Robbins, M. M. (2019). Unexpected hard-object feeding in Western lowland gorillas. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 170(3), 433-438. |
2018
van Casteren, A., Oelze, V. M., Angedakin, S., Kalan, A. K., Kambi, M., Boesch, C., Kühl, H. S., Langergraber, K. E., Piel, A. K., Stewart, F. A., & Kupczik, K. (2018). Food mechanical properties and isotopic signatures in forest versus savannah dwelling eastern chimpanzees. Communications Biology, 1(1): 109. |
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van Casteren, A., Lucas, P. W., Strait, D. S., Michael, S., Bierwisch, N., Schwarzer, N., Al-Fadhalah, K. J., Almusallam, A. S., Thai, L. A., Saji, S., Shekeban, A., & Swain, M. V. (2018). Evidence that metallic proxies are unsuitable for assessing the mechanics of microwear formation and a new theory of the meaning of microwear. Royal Society Open Science, 5: 171699. |
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Wright, K. A., Rivera, A. O., Wright, B. W., Fogaca, M., van Casteren, A., Fragaszy, D., Scott, R. S., Strait, D. S., Ross, C. F., & Laird, M. F. (2018). How do food material properties affect ingestive behavior? American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 165(S66), 305-305. |
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Pierantoni, M., Tenne, R., Rephael, B., Brumfeld, V., van Casteren, A., Kupczik, K., Oron, D., Addadi, L., & Weiner, S. (2018). Mineral deposits in ficus leaves: Morphologies and locations in relation to function. Plant Physiology, 176(2), 1751-1763. |
2017
van Casteren, A. (2017). Tool use: Crows craft the right tool for the job. Current Biology, 27(24), R1314-R1316. |
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Johannsen, L., Coward, S. R. L., Martin, G. R., Wing, A. M., van Casteren, A., Sellers, W. I., Ennos, A. R., Crompton, R. H., & Thorpe, S. K. S. (2017). Human bipedal instability in tree canopy environments is reduced by “light touch” fingertip support. Scientific Reports, 7(1): 1135. |
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Kane, E. E., van Casteren, A., Wilkins, M. A., Traff, J. N., Lad, S. E., Daegling, D. J., & McGraw, W. S. (2017). Diana monkeys (Cercopithecus diana) experience fewer mechanical challenges during periods of low fruit availability. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 162(S64), 237-237. |
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Scott, R. S., Wright, B. W., Wright, K. A., Ross, C., van Casteren, A., Fogaça, M., Fragaszy, D. M., Marcil, C., & Strait, D. S. (2017). Food toughness and dental microwear anisotropy. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 162(S64), 352-352. |
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van Casteren, A., & Kupczik, K. (2017). From forest to savannah: Exploring the mechanical properties of eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) foods. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 162(S64), 391-391. |
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Lucas, P. W., Omar, R., Al-Fadhalah, K., Almusallam, A. S., Henry, A. G., Michael, S., Arockia Thai, L., Watzke, J., Strait, D. S., van Casteren, A., & Atkins, A. G. (2017). Tooth wear: A response to "Scratching the surface: A critique of Lucas et al. (2013)'s conclusion that phytoliths do not abrade enamel" [J. Hum. Evol. 74 (2014) 130–133]. Journal of Human Evolution, 102, 75-77. |
2016
McGraw, W. S., van Casteren, A., Kane, E., Geissler, E., Burrows, B., & Daegling, D. J. (2016). Feeding and oral processing behaviors of two colobine monkeys in Tai Forest, Ivory Coast. Journal of Human Evolution, 98, 90-102. |
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van Casteren, A., Venkataraman, V., Ennos, A. R., & Lucas, P. W. (2016). Novel developments in field mechanics. Journal of Human Evolution, 98, 5-17. |
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Lucas, P. W., Wagner, M., Al-Fadhalah, K., Almusallam, A. S., Michael, S., Thai, L. A., Strait, D. S., Swain, M. V., van Casteren, A., Renno, W. M., Shekeban, A., Philip, S. M., Saji, S., & Atkins, A. G. (2016). Dental abrasion as a cutting process. Interface Focus, 6(3): 20160008. |
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Lucas, P. W., Philip, S. M., Al-Qeoud, D., Al-Draihim, N., Saji, S., & van Casteren, A. (2016). Structure and scale of the mechanics of mammalian dental enamel viewed from an evolutionary perspective. Evolution and Development, 18(1), 54-61. |
2015
Smith, A. L., Benazzi, S., Ledogar, J. A., Tamvada, K., Smith, L. C. P., Weber, G. W., Spencer, M. A., Lucas, P. W., Michael, S., Shekeban, A., Al-Fadhalah, K., Almusallam, A. S., Dechow, P. C., Grosse, I. R., Ross, C. F., Madden, R. H., Richmond, B. G., Wright, B. W., Wang, Q., Byron, C., Slice, D. E., Wood, S., Dzialo, C., Berthaume, M. A., van Casteren, A., & Strait, D. S. (2015). The feeding biomechanics and dietary ecology of Paranthropus boisei. The Anatomical Record, 298(1), 145-167. |
2014
Ziscovici, C., Lucas, P. W., Constantino, P. J., Bromage, T. G., & van Casteren, A. (2014). Sea otter dental enamel is highly resistant to chipping due to its microstructure. Biology Letters, 10(10): 20140484. |