Drapeau, Michelle

Biography

Michelle is an Associate Professor Contact : T elephone 514-343-6490 Pav. PAV.M.CARON-L.GROULX-3200 JB \ bur. C3048, at University of Montreal, Canada.

Research Interest

I am interested in understanding the processes of hominization, and more specifically in understanding how the first hominines developed bipedalism. Although it is generally accepted that they are bipedal, the degree of retention of an arboreal locomotion is still debated. I favor morphofunctional analysis of the skeleton and fossils and comparative anatomy studies of hominoids. I also try to better understand how the skeleton adapts to the load variations imposed on it (eg muscle contractions, differences between running and walking). I am interested in macroscopic adaptations (ie how the general shape of the bone changes) and microscopic (ie the intensity and location of bone remodeling) and the interaction between the two. Since 2006, I'm running a field project in southern Ethiopia, in the lower valley of the Omo River. This project aims to study the Mursi Formation, a palaeontological site dating back more than 4 million years. Biological anthropology Studies.