Bones are more than structural support for the body — they are living records of growth, stress, and survival. For PNWU Assistant Professor of Anatomy Dr. Christian Heck and his co-authors, that hidden history was illuminated by the most unusual of characters: a small antelope species called a springbok.
Famous across southern Africa, springbok are known for their gravity-defying leaps — a behavior called pronking, where they bound high into the air with stiffened legs, seemingly just for the joy of it. Beyond that spectacle, the animals offered Dr. Heck a rare opportunity: to study bone microstructure in individuals of known age and compare visible growth marks to real-life events like birth, weaning, and maturity.
“This project came about because these three springbok were captive-raised,” Dr. Heck explained. “That gave us a unique opportunity to directly compare their known life histories with the features we could see in bone at the microstructural level. Even though they had year-round access to food, we still found annual growth lines — just like wild animals. It shows that factors driving bone growth run deeper than simple resource availability.”
The team’s findings, published in The Anatomical Record, revealed that springbok bones carry a detailed life history written in layers of tissue and growth lines. These marks — indicators of stress, nutrition, and development — mirror the very processes that healthcare providers monitor in human patients.
In essence, each bone preserved a complete growth history, much like rings in a tree trunk.
The study revealed three key insights:
- Springbok bones contain a mix of tissue types, including both fast- and slow-growing structures that record how the animal adapted to periods of stress.
- Cortical growth marks act as “biological timestamps,” recording milestones such as birth and weaning, as well as seasonal stresses.
- The outer layer of bone tissue signals the attainment of adult-sized maturity, marking the end of growth.
“The same cells and mechanisms driving bone growth in humans are driving bone growth in all animals — from springbok all the way back to dinosaurs,” said Dr. Heck. “By surveying both modern and extinct animals, we expand our understanding of the influences on bone formation and healing, knowledge that can ultimately inform human health.”
For PNWU, this research shows how anatomy and physiology extend beyond the classroom. By decoding how bones record life’s stresses and rhythms, Dr. Heck’s work deepens our understanding of growth, adaptation, and resilience — with implications not only for paleontology and zoology, but also for human health and medicine.
Engaging in this kind of scholarship, Dr. Heck added, also models the value of research for students.
“Research pushes future physicians to think differently, refine their skills, and learn how to translate complex science into everyday language — much like they’ll do in patient care.”
“Even when the subject is outside their comfort zone, research pushes future physicians to think differently, refine their skills, and learn how to translate complex science into everyday language — much like they’ll do in patient care.”
Healthcare providers regularly confront questions of growth, development, and how stress shapes the body. Studies like this remind us that bones preserve a record of life’s journey — and by learning to interpret those records, PNWU’s students and graduates are better prepared to deliver care rooted in science, compassion, and discovery. Dr. Kathaleen Briggs Early, PNWU’s Interim Vice President of Research, sees this as vital to the institution’s mission.
“Participation in research keeps faculty on the cutting edge.”
“Participation in research keeps faculty on the cutting edge and helps them mentor students with a growth mindset,” she explained. “Being involved in research teaches us how much we still have to learn — and how to admit we don’t have all the answers.”
She added that Dr. Heck’s work demonstrates the practical reach of this science.
“Translating bone growth research into human development is valuable from both a basic science and medical standpoint,” said Dr. Briggs Early. “Think of your favorite crime drama, where the pathologist determines a victim’s age from teeth or bone — that’s just one example of the kinds of insights this work makes possible.”