Profile

Biography

Flora read Biological Anthropology, Archaeology and Psychology at the Universities of Durham and Hamburg, specialising in late human evolution and the application of virtual modelling techniques. After completing her M.A. at the University of Hamburg, she worked as a project manager and research associate at the Neanderthal Museum and contributed to the development of NESPOS, an interactive online archive for palaeoanthropologists and archaeologists. During her PhD project at the University of York she studied the mechanics of modern human and Neanderthal jaw morphology using a novel combination of virtual 3D reconstruction techniques, mechanical modelling and experiments. Flora is currently working as a post-doctoral fellow in the Medical and Biological Engineering Research Group, Hull.

Publications

Selected publications

Gröning, F., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2012). Modeling the human mandible under masticatory loads. Which input variables are important? Anatomical Record 295, 853-863. LINK

Gröning, F., Liu, J., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2011). Why do humans have chins? Testing the mechanical significance of anatomically modern human symphyseal morphology with finite element analysis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 144, 593-606. LINK

Higham, T., Compton, T., Stringer, C., Jacobi, R., Shapiro, B., Trinkaus, E., Chandler, B., Gröning, F., Collins, C., Hillson, S., O'Higgins, P., FitzGerald, C., Fagan, M. (2011). The earliest evidence for anatomically modern humans in northwestern Europe. Nature 479, 521-524. LINK

Full publications list

Gröning, F. (in press). Zusammenhänge zwischen der Morphologie des Kronenfortsatzes und der Funktion des Schläfenmuskels: ein Beispiel für den Einsatz der Finite-Elemente-Analyse in der Paläoanthropologie. Book chapter.

O’Higgins, P., Fitton, L.C., Phillips, R., Shi, J.F., Liu, J., Gröning, F., Cobb, S.N., Fagan, M.J. (in press). Virtual functional morphology: novel approaches to the study of craniofacial form and function. Evolutionary Biology. DOI: 10.1007/s11692-012-9173-8 LINK

Orschiedt, J., Gehlen, B., Schön, W., Gröning, F. (in press). Höhlenfunde in Westfalen und die Neuentdeckung der Blätterhöhle in Hagen/Westfalen. In: Valde-Nowak, P., Trnka, G. (eds.) Gedenkschrift für Wolfgang Weissmüller.

Orschiedt, J., Gehlen, B., Schön, W. Gröning, F. (in press). Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic cave sites in Westphalia and the discovery of the Blätterhöhle at Hagen, Germany. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, Santander 2010.

Gröning, F., Bright, J., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2012). Improving the validation of finite element models with quantitative full-field strain comparisons. Journal of Biomechanics 45, 1498-1506. LINK

Gröning, F., Fagan, M.J. (2012). Comment on "The effects of modelling simplifications on craniofacial finite element models: The alveoli (tooth sockets) and periodontal ligaments" (volume 44, issue 10, pages 1831-1838). Journal of Biomechanics 45, 1749-1751. LINK

Gröning, F., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2012). Modeling the human mandible under masticatory loads. Which input variables are important? Anatomical Record 295, 853-863. LINK

Bright, J., Gröning, F. (2011). Strain accommodation in the zygomatic arch of the pig: a validation study using digital speckle pattern interferometry and finite element analysis. Journal of Morphology 272: 1388-1398. LINK

Gröning, F., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2011). The effects of the periodontal ligament on mandibular stiffness: a study combining finite element analysis and geometric morphometrics. Journal of Biomechanics 44, 1304-1312. LINK

Gröning, F., Liu, J., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2011). Why do humans have chins? Testing the mechanical significance of anatomically modern human symphyseal morphology with finite element analysis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 144, 593-606. LINK 

Higham, T., Compton, T., Stringer, C., Jacobi, R., Shapiro, B., Trinkaus, E., Chandler, B., Gröning, F., Collins, C., Hillson, S., O'Higgins, P., FitzGerald, C., Fagan, M. (2011). The earliest evidence for anatomically modern humans in northwestern Europe. Nature 479, 521-524. LINK

O’Higgins, P., Cobb, S.N., Fitton, L.C., Gröning, F., Phillips, R., Liu, J., Fagan, M.J. (2011). Combining geometric morphometrics and functional simulation: an emerging toolkit for virtual functional analyses. Journal of Anatomy 218, 3-15. LINK

Orschiedt, J., Gehlen, B., Schön, W., Gröning, F. (2010). Die Blätterhöhle – Eine neu entdeckte steinzeitliche Fundstelle in Hagen/Westfalen. In: Otten, T. et al. (eds.) Fundgeschichten – Archäologie in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Mainz.

Orschiedt, J., Gehlen, B., Schön, W., Gröning, F. (2010). Die Blätterhöhle in Hagen. In: Baales, M. et al. (eds.). Archäologie in Hagen. Eine Geschichtslandschaft wird erforscht. Dortmund: Klartext Verlag, 127-149.

Gröning, F., Liu, J., Fagan, M.J., O’Higgins, P. (2009). Validating a voxel-based finite element model of a human mandible using digital speckle pattern interferometry. Journal of Biomechanics 42, 1224-1229. LINK

Orschiedt, J., Gehlen, B., Schön, W., Gröning, F. (2009). Die Blätterhöhle in Hagen. Interdisziplinäre Untersuchungen an einer neu entdeckten Höhlenfundstelle in Westfalen. Jahrbuch Westfalen 2010, 8-16.

Gröning, F. (2008). The Neanderthal mandible: comparative morphology and functional hypotheses. In: van Asperen et al. (eds.). Palaeo: interdisciplinary approaches to the past. York: University of York, 71-91.

Orschiedt, J., Kegler, J., Gehlen, B., Schön, W., Gröning, F. (2008). Die Blätterhöhle in Hagen-Holthausen (Westfalen). Vorbericht über die ersten archäologischen Untersuchungen. Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 38 (1), 13-32. LINK

Gröning, F., Kegler, J., Weniger, G.-C. (2007). Die digitale Welt der Neandertaler - NESPOS, ein Online-Archiv für die Neandertalerforschung. Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 37 (3), 321-333. LINK

Orschiedt, J., Gröning, F. (2007). Die menschlichen Skelettreste aus der Blätterhöhle, Stadt Hagen. In: Andraschko, F. M. et al. (eds.). Archäologie zwischen Befund und Rekonstruktion. Ansprache und Anschaulichkeit (Festschrift für Prof. Dr. Renate Rolle zum 65. Geburtstag), Hamburg: Dr. Kovač, 349-361.

Orschiedt, J., Gröning, F., Buzug, T. M. (2007). Virtuelle Rekonstruktion und stereolithographisches Modell eines jungneolithischen Schädelfundes aus der Blätterhöhle in Hagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen. Archäologische Informationen 30 (1), 35-41. PDF

Gröning, F., Kegler, J., Weniger, G.-C. (2006). TNT - The Neanderthal tools: providing an online database and collaboration platform for Neanderthal research. In: Magistrat der Stadt Wien (ed.). 10th International Congress "Cultural Heritage und New Technologies", 7 -10th November 2005, Vienna: Phoibos (CD-ROM), 1-7.

Bräuer, G., Groden, C., Gröning, F., Kroll, A., Kupczik, K., Mbua, E., Pommert, A., Schiemann, T. (2004). Virtual study on the endocranial morphology of the matrix-filled cranium from Eliye Springs, Kenya. Anatomical Record 276A, 113-133. LINK

Popular Science Articles

Gröning, F. (2006). Neanderthalers starkes Gebiss. Kiefer und Zähne der am besten erforschten fossilen Menschenform. Dental Magazin 3/2006, 116-119. PDF

Gröning, F. (2006). Neanderthaler. Wissenschaft via Internet. Archäologie in Deutschland 4/06, 10.

Research

Overview

I am primarily interested in the relationships between skull morphology and the mechanical function of the feeding apparatus. I try to understand how the shape of a skull determines the bite forces that can be generated and how the skull bones resist these forces.

Being a biological anthropologist by training most of my research to date has focused on hominin skulls, but I am now extending my studies to other mammals and lizards. Lizards are interesting because their skulls show cranial kinesis, i.e. the different components of the skull move relative to one another, while mammals have rigid skulls. Since this kinesis is difficult to measure, its relationship to feeding performance is largely unknown. Another part of my research focuses on how the internal morphology of jaw bones adapts to feeding loads.

I study these relationships between form and function with a combination of computer-based 3D reconstruction, geometric morphometrics (GMM) and different engineering techniques, such as finite element analysis (FEA), multibody dynamics analysis (MDA) and the measurement of bone strain with strain gauges and speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI or DSPI).

Selected past projects

• Reassessment of an early anatomically modern maxillary fragment from Kent’s Cavern, UK (part of the Leverhulme project “Ancient Human Occupation of Britain” and coordinated by Chris Stringer)
• Examination of the human remains from the Mesolithic and Neolithic cave site Blätterhöhle (Leaf Cave) in Westphalia, Germany (with Jörg Orschiedt)
• Digitisation of German Neanderthal finds and development of the online research platform NESPOS (with Gerd-Christian Weniger and Jan Kegler, Neanderthal Museum, and colleagues from 7 European partner institutions, funded by the EU-project “TNT – The Neanderthal Tools”)