Occipital bun 1755553 219295258 2008-06-14T15:11:08Z Jeff3000 170884 Disambiguate [[Basque]] to [[Basque people]] using [[:en:Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation_popups|popups]] '''Occipital bun''' is a [[Comparative anatomy|morphological]] term used to describe a prominent bulge, or projection, of the [[occipital bone]] at the back of the [[skull]]. The term is most often used in connection with scientific descriptions of classic [[Neanderthal]] crania. While common among many of mankind's ancestors, primarily [[robust]] relatives rather than gracile, the protrusion is relatively rare in modern [[Homo sapiens]]. Some scientists suspect occipital buns might correlate with the [[biomechanics]] of running. Another theory attributes them to enlargement of the [[cerebellum]], a region of the [[brain]] which mediates spatial reasoning, motor function, and many aspects of brain wave patterns, including [[gamma wave]]s. There are still many human populations which often exhibit occipital buns. A greater proportion of early modern [[European ethnic groups|European]]s had them, but prominent occipital buns even among Europeans are now relatively infrequent. They are still found fairly often among [[Basque people|Basque]], [[Lapp]] and [[Finns|Finn]] individuals. [[Bushmen]] from [[South Africa]] and [[indigenous Australians|Australian aborigines]] often have occipital buns also. A rare occurrence is found in the north of England where the occipital bun is widespread in south [[Lancashire]]. A study conducted by Lieberman, Pearson and Mowbray provides evidence that individuals with narrow heads ([[dolicocephalic]]) or narrow cranial bases and relatively large brains are more likely to have occipital buns as a means of resolving a spatial packing problem. <ref name="pmid10656780">{{cite journal |author=Lieberman DE, Pearson OM, Mowbray KM |title=Basicranial influence on overall cranial shape |journal=[[J. Hum. Evol.]] |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=291–315 |year=2000 |pmid=10656780 |doi=10.1006/jhev.1999.0335 |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0047-2484(99)90335-4}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Bone#Terminology|Bone terminology]] * [[Terms for anatomical location]] ==External links== * [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2902neanderthals.html PBS.org] - 'Neanderthals on Trial' (January 22, 2002) [[Category:Skeletal system]] [[Category:Skull]] [[es:Moño occipital]]