Dr. Alon Barash

Dr. Alon Barash is a physical anthropologist who studies paleoanthropology, human anatomy and skeletal biomechanics. Alon has finished his MSc and PhD studies with professor Yoel Rak, at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, working on early fossil hominins. He is currently one of few active human anatomists and physical anthropologist in Israel. As a “classical” physical anthropologist, he is involved in several archeological and prehistorical excavations in Israel, working in the field and in the lab. These studies include the earliest skeletal remains ever found in Israel, in ‘Ubeydiah, at the southern tip of the sea of galilee, the first skeletal remains found in a dolmen (early burial megalithic structure) within the Shamir Dolmen Field, and skeletal remains from Herodion, Abel-Beit-Ma’acha and Tiberias. As a paleoanthropologist he explores the connection between osteological structure and function, such as the virtual reconstruction and biomechanical properties of spinal morphology in recent humans and Neanderthals. With extensive use of advance 3D virtual reconstruction techniques, he was able to accurately reconstruct the shape of the Neanderthal vertebral column, using mathematical tools and deep knowledge of human spinal anatomy. He is also working on early human taxonomy, and correlation between closely related species, such modern humans, and Neanderthals. Altogether, Alon’s work has deepen our understanding of the structure and function of the human body in health and disease.

Alon is also an avid anatomist who is among very few throughout the world who teach the entire human body, brain-to-toe, and received numerous teaching awards. Alon is the IDF northern command physical anthropologist, actively searching for MIA soldiers and volunteers in civilian missing persons cases.