About

Carrie S. Mongle is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Turkana Basin Institute at Stony Brook University. Her research focuses on reconstructing the major trends and transitions that characterize hominin diversity and evolution. Her ongoing work involves the discovery and description of new hominin fossils from the Turkana Basin in Kenya, quantification of morphological variation, and comprehensive phylogenetic analyses based on careful character assessment of both craniodental and postcranial features. She incorporates comparative anatomy, high-resolution computed tomography scanning, 3D geometric morphometrics, and various statistical modeling approaches in her research. Additionally, she uses phylogenetic comparative methods to evaluate the relationship between variation, evolvability, and macroevolution in primate dentition. Mongle's lab is affiliated with the Turkana Basin Institute, where she collaborates with Louise Leakey and the Koobi Fora Research Project to discover and describe new hominin fossil material from northern Kenya.

Research topics

• Biology
• Neuroscience
• Computer Science
• Evolutionary biology
• Physiology
• Computational biology
• Medicine
• Zoology
• Ecology
• Anatomy

Selected publications

• The Phylogenetic Relationships of Robust Australopiths

  Vertebrate paleobiology and paleoanthroplogy series/Vertebrate paleobiology and paleoanthropology series · 2026-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Comparability of <scp>CT</scp> and <scp>μCT</scp> ‐Extracted Femoral Diaphyseal Data in Primates

  American Journal of Biological Anthropology · 2026-05-01

  article

  OBJECTIVE: The increased use of medical CT and μCT for internal analyses of primate bones has led to studies combining both data types to maximize sample sizes. However, comparability of data between modalities has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we test whether CT and μCT data from the primate femoral diaphysis can be confidently combined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Femora from 17 specimens (Pan, Gorilla, Pongo, Hylobates, Ateles, Lagothrix, Mandrillus, Pithecia) were scanned using both CT modalities. Six segmentation methods were evaluated: Manual, 1/3 and 2/3 of maximum value, Full-Width-at-Half-Maximum, Kohler method, and Buie method in Dragonfly 3D World. The R package 'morphomap' was used to extract cortical bone thicknesses and calculate cross-sectional geometric (CSG) properties in cross sections from 80% (proximal) to 20% (distal) of femoral biomechanical length. Percent error was calculated by property and location. Linear regressions evaluated body mass as a predictor of error, and correction factors were developed using regression coefficients and location-specific mean errors. RESULTS: Medical CT consistently underestimated most properties relative to μCT, while cortical thickness and CA were generally overestimated. The greatest percent errors occurred at distal and proximal diaphyseal locations in most comparisons. Regressions showed significant associations between body mass and error at distal sites. Application of regression-based and mean percent corrections reduced error to acceptable ranges. DISCUSSION: Body size and segmentation method significantly impact comparability between medical CT and μCT in cortical thickness and CSG data. Applying location- and property-specific corrections improves measurement reliability in mixed-modality datasets and enhances comparisons across taxa.

  PublisherDOI

• New partial skeleton of <i>Homo habilis</i> from the upper Burgi Member, Koobi Fora Formation, Ileret, Kenya

  The Anatomical Record · 2026-01-13 · 1 citations

  article

  KNM-ER 64061 is a partial skeleton from the upper Burgi Member of the Koobi Fora Formation (2.02-2.06 Ma) associated taphonomically and geochemically with a nearly complete mandibular dentition (KNM-ER 64060) attributed to Homo habilis. The skeleton comprises the clavicle, scapular fragments, both humeri, both ulnae, both radii, and a fragmentary sacrum and os coxae, making this the most complete H. habilis skeleton recovered thus far. The upper limb elements are similar to those of other early Homo specimens. Notably, the humerus is slender with a weakly-projecting lateral epicondyle, a relatively wide capitulum and a narrow trochlea, and the ulna has a relatively large radial notch. Although KNM-ER 64061 does not preserve a lower limb, limited features of the ischium suggest lower limb mechanics more similar to Homo than to australopiths. Brachial index estimates support previous conclusions that H. habilis had a relatively long forearm compared to Homo erectus. All upper limb elements possess strikingly thick cortices, resembling the condition in australopiths and other early Homo fossils. The stature estimate of 160 cm based on humeral length is intermediate between those for H. habilis (OH 62, KNM-ER 3735) and H. erectus (KNM-ER 1808, KNM-WT 15000). The body mass estimate of 30.7-32.7 kg is slightly lower than other H. habilis specimens and noticeably lower than estimates for H. erectus. KNM-ER 64061 indicates that H. habilis retained more primitive proportions and was smaller in stature and mass than H. erectus.

  PublisherDOI

• New fossils reveal the hand of Paranthropus boisei

  Nature · 2025-10-15 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  When Mary Leakey discovered the OH 5 cranium of Paranthropus boisei alongside Oldowan stone artefacts, it was declared “the oldest yet discovered maker of stone tools”1. Whether Paranthropus made and used tools has been debated ever since2–4, largely because there are no known hand bones that can be definitively attributed to this genus. Here we report fossil hand and foot bones unambiguously associated with craniodental material of P. boisei. KNM-ER 101000 demonstrates that P. boisei shared key manipulative and bipedal adaptations with the genus Homo. Moreover, the hand morphology of KNM-ER 101000 converges on that of gorillas in ways that are consistent with manual food processing and would have facilitated powerful grasping, such as that used in climbing. These fossils suggest that P. boisei was capable of tool making and use in some capacity while also supporting the proposed dichotomy of distinct dietary adaptations between Paranthropus and Homo. In addition to offering insights into the poorly known postcranial functional anatomy of Paranthropus, this discovery illuminates broader patterns of hominin hand evolution and tool use. Analyses of newly discovered hand and foot bones of a Paranthropus boisei specimen provide insight into possible tool use and other palaeobiology characteristics among Plio-Pleistocene hominin species.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Late Pleistocene Human Pedal Phalanx From the Pinnacle Point <scp>PP5</scp>‐<scp>6N</scp> Rock‐Shelter, Western Cape Province, South Africa

  American Journal of Biological Anthropology · 2025-06-28 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: This study provides the description and comparative morphometric analysis of a non-hallucial distal pedal phalanx (PP 654270) excavated from near the base of the LBSR Stratigraphic Aggregate in the Pinnacle Point PP5-6N rock-shelter. It derives from a thin combustion feature (probably an in situ hearth) at the contact of two major stratigraphic aggregates, the transition of which has a modeled age range of 91.9-86.0 ka, which places this fossil in MIS 5b. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This phalanx (PP 654270) is assessed as representing a distal phalanx probably from the right side of Ray II or III. This bone adds to the very meager sample of pedal phalanges from the late Pleistocene of southern Africa. We compared the metric variables of this phalanx to several fossil and recent Homo samples. RESULTS: The bone has a comparatively thin cortex and a diffuse trabecular network in the proximal and especially the distal ends. The phalanx is long, narrow, and relatively gracile in comparison to Neandertal homologues. DISCUSSION: The phalanx PP 654270 displays similarities with penecontemporaneous Eurasian Middle Paleolithic and recent modern humans, although it tends to be comparatively long for Ray II and III homologues in these samples.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Variation, sexual dimorphism, and enlargement of the frontal sinus with age in adult South Africans

  American Journal of Biological Anthropology · 2024-01-25 · 1 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVES: To document frontal sinus volume (FSV) in a sample of sub-Saharan Africans with a view to evaluating claims that such populations exhibit comparatively small sinuses. This study also addresses questions related to sexual dimorphism, incidence of sinus aplasia, and the possibility that FSV continues to increase through adulthood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FSV was measured from CT scans of adult crania from the Dart Collection. Sex and age were known for each individual. Linear cranial dimensions were used to compute a geometric mean from which a scaled FSV was computed for each cranium. RESULTS: FSV does not differ significantly between sexes, but females exhibit a higher incidence of aplasia. There is considerable variation in FSV in this sample, with the average ranking among the higher means reported for other population samples. The incidence of FS aplasia falls within the range of values recorded for other population samples. Although our study is cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, there is strong evidence that FSV continues to increase with age throughout adulthood. DISCUSSION: The FSV mean of our sample contradicts the notion that sub-Saharan Africans possess small sinuses. In a global context, geography (climate and altitude) does not appear to be related to FSV. The absence of sexual dimorphism in our sample is unexpected, as significant dimorphism has been reported for most other population samples. Our results support other indications that the frontal sinus continues to expand throughout adulthood, especially in females, and that it is likely due to bone resorption.

  PublisherDOI

• Nondestructive geochemical characterization of fossil hominin taphonomy and burial history

  Quaternary Science Reviews · 2024-02-15 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Frontal sinus size in South African Later Stone Age Holocene Khoe‐San

  The Anatomical Record · 2024-08-08

  articleSenior author

  Frontal size variation is comparatively poorly sampled among sub-Saharan African populations. This study assessed frontal sinus size in a sample of Khoe-San skeletal remains from South African Later Stone Age contexts. Volumes were determined from CT scans of 102 adult crania; individual sex could be estimated in 82 cases. Sinus volume is not sexually dimorphic in this sample. The lack of frontal sinus aplasia is concordant with the low incidences recorded for other sub-Saharan African and most other global populations save those that inhabit high latitudes. There is considerable variation in frontal sinus size among global populations, and the Khoe-San possess among the smallest. The Khoe-San have rather diminutive sinuses compared to sub-Saharan Bantu-speaking populations but resemble a northern African (Sudanese) population. Genetic studies indicate the earliest population divergence within Homo sapiens to have been between the Khoe-San and all other living groups, and that this likely occurred in Africa during the span of Marine Isotope Stages 8-6. There is scant information on frontal sinus development among Late Quaternary African fossils that are likely either closely related or attributable to Homo sapiens. Among these, the MIS 3 cranium from Hofmeyr, South Africa, exhibits distinct Khoe-San cranial affinities and despite its large size has a very small frontal sinus. This raises the possibility that the small frontal sinuses of the Holocene South African Khoe-San might be a feature retained from an earlier MIS 3 population.

  PublisherDOI

• Metopism in adult South Africans and its relationship to frontal sinus size

  The Anatomical Record · 2023-11-13 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This study documents the incidences of complete and partial metopism and their possible relationship to frontal sinus volume (FSV) in a sample of modern adult black South Africans with a view to evaluating the hypothesis that metopism affects frontal sinus hypoplasia. FSV was measured from CT scans and the incidence of metopism was recorded from direct observations of dried cadaveric crania. The sex of each individual was known. Four linear cranial dimensions were used to compute a geometric mean by which to scale FSV. The incidence of partial metopism (38%) is comparable to that reported for other population samples, although there is considerable variation among these global sample frequencies. It is significantly more common in male than female South Africans. FSV in individuals with complete metopism is smaller than average but not inordinately so. On the other hand, FSV is significantly larger in individuals with partial metopism than in those that do not present with this sutural remnant. The data on FSV in individuals with and without partial metopism contradict the hypothesis that there is a relationship between partial metopism and frontal sinus hypoplasia. As such, the metopic remnant evinced by the Late Pleistocene cranium from Hofmeyr, South Africa is unlikely to be related to its very small FSV.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An updated analysis of hominin phylogeny with an emphasis on re-evaluating the phylogenetic relationships of Australopithecus sediba

  Journal of Human Evolution · 2023-01-25 · 27 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Frederick E. Grine

  Stony Brook School

  24 shared

• Christopher C. Gilbert

  20 shared

• Jeroen B. Smaers

  17 shared

• Ashley S. Hammond

  American Museum of Natural History

  12 shared

• Daniel T. Ksepka

  12 shared

• William L. Jungers

  9 shared

• Kelsey D. Pugh

  8 shared

• David S. Strait

  University of Tübingen

  8 shared

Labs

• Mongle LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences

  Stony Brook University

  2019