Biography
I hold a Bachelor's degree in History, specializing in Prehistory and Archaeology. Afterward, I pursued a Master's degree in Quaternary and Prehistory with a specialization in Paleoanthropology at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.
I obtained a PhD, conducted jointly between the University of the Basque Country and the University of Bordeaux, focusing on the evolution of the cervical spine in hominoids. As a postdoctoral researcher, I worked at the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) on evolutionary trends in hands and feet.
Recently, I joined the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, thanks to a British Academy International Fellowship award. My research here will focus on the evolution of the cranial-cervical complex in the NEA lineage and explore to what extent biomechanical factors related to posture influenced this evolutionary process.
Research
My primary research focuses on the evolution of the vertebral column. Currently, I am engaged in a project that integrates geometric morphometrics, phylogenetic analysis, and biomechanical studies. This project aims to explore the evolution of the cranio-cervical complex and investigate the influence of functional factors on it in a broad range of extant primates and hominin fossils.
During my PhD, I specialised in the analysis of seriated skeletal structures, which I later applied to other anatomical elements besides the spine, such as the hands and feet.
Key Publications
Arlegi, M., Pablos, A., Lorenzo, C. 2023Evolutionaryselectionandmorphologicalintegrationinthefoot of modern humans. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 180(4), 655-672.
Arlegi, M., Pantoja-Pérez, A.,Veschambre-Couture, C., Gómez-Olivencia, A.2022. Covariation between the cranium and the cervical vertebrae in hominids. Journal of Human Evolution, 162,103112.
Arlegi, M., García-Sagastibelza, A., Couture, C., Gómez-Olivencia, A. 2022.Sexualdimorphisminthe first rib of Homo sapiens. Journal of Anatomy, 240(5), 959-971.
Arlegi, M., Couture, C., Gómez-Olivencia, A. 2020 Evolutionary selection and morphological integration in the vertebral column of modern humans. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 171(1), 17–36.
Arlegi, M., Gómez-Robles, A., Gómez-Olivencia, A. 2018. Morphological integration in the gorilla, chimpanzee, and human neck. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 166(2), 408–416.
Arlegi, M., Ríos-Garaizar, J., Rodríguez-Hidalgo, A., López-Horgue, M. A., Gómez-Olivencia, A. 2018. Koskobilo (Olazti, Nafarroa): nuevos hallazgos y revisión de las colecciones. Munibe Antropologia-Arkeologia 69, 21–41.
Arlegi, M., Gómez-Olivencia, A., Albessard, L., Martínez, I., Balzeau, A., Arsuaga, J. L., Been, E. 2017. The role of allometry and posture in the evolution of the hominine subaxial cervical spine. Journalof Human Evolution 104, 80–99.
