Paper short abstract:

Scanning techniques are meant for daily challenges. It usage in the study of human origins is really exciting which can give a glimpse on handedness, neuronal development and activated brain parts. This paper ascertains its advantages, discoveries and disadvantages.

Paper long abstract:

We are aware of various scanning techniques and its usage in our daily life. As a scholar in anthropology we study human in every spheres and therefore we can use this to study human origins dealing with the evolving brain, ecto and endo morphology. The scanning techniques first came into existence around the 18th century but sooner the study of various types of fossils emerged, the interest began among the paleontologists, anthropologists to place them within the evolutionary tree. The imaging techniques are of two types: structural (ComputerizedTomography) and functional (Positron Emission Tomography and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The computational methods in paleoanthropology are known as "reverse engineering" meaning data acquisition from physical objects (Zollikofer et al., Evol. Anthro., 41-56, 1998). The CT scan helps in determining fossil tissue and endocast which helps to transform 2D images to 3D conceptualizing virtual reality to real virtuality. But this study limits in fossil portion destruction and therefore there is a high priority of fossil decay. Secondly, PET helps an experimenter to understand the neuroanatomical correlation of the living brain function and its behavior. Therefore, this technique helps a Paleoanthropologist to determine the cognitive and perception-action skills as the activity changes reflecting the activated brain parts. But the PET scan limits its importance for scanning one at a time. Thus FMRI is unique which is meant for non-ionizing radiation and scanning the subject is unlimited. Through this technique a biological anthropologist can determine the handedness, neural connectivity for the study on brain development.