ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to show how the properties of bone material in a single individual are not fixed, but change during life. The first section deals with the development of bone, and the second with mechanical changes occurring at different stages in life. The third considers whether the changes occurring up to maturity are adaptive, the fourth considers possible causes for the decline in mechanical properties associated with aging, and the last section discusses the covariation of material properties and whole bone architecture that results in a mechanically effective bone.
