bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Craniofacial variation in Australasian and pacific populations
Authors: Pietrusewsky Michael
Published: February 2006

Stepwise discriminant function analysis and Mahalanobis's generalized distance are applied to 36 measurements recorded in crania from Australasia and Oceania for assessing biological relationships and possible origins of these populations. Craniofacial variation in Australia is found to be clinal. There is extreme diversity in the Murray River Valley and southern Queensland cranial series. Multiple origins of the Australians are not supported by these results. Although selection and other processes cannot be completely ruled out, gene flow and restrictions to the exchange of genes can explain most of the morphological patterning observed. Breadth and length dimensions of the vault, interorbital breadth, biorbital breadth, palate length, and upper facial height are among the most important discriminators. Viewed within the broader context of Asia and the Pacific, Australians represent a biologically distinct population, one sharing ancestral ties with Melanesians but not with the recent populations of Asia and the rest of the Pacific. The latter represent a second major population complex.
A nonracial craniofacial perspective on human variation: A(ustralia) to Z(uni)
Authors: Brace C. Loring , Hunt Kevin D.
Published: February 2006

Dental and craniofacial measurements were collected for 57 samples from Asia, the Pacific, the aboriginal western hemisphere, and Europe. The craniofacial dimensions include many that are not obviously under the control of specific selective forces. Similar configurations for these in different samples should yield indications of recency of common ancestry according to the logic expressed by Darwin and evident in the relationships indicated by nuclear DNA comparisons. Dental dimensions, however, vary according to the length of time that different intensities in selective forces have been in operation. The craniofacial measurements were transformed into C scores and used to generate Euclidean distance dendrograms. When all the material was used to generate a single dendrogram, the European and Amerindian samples sorted into two regionally identifiable clusters, and the Asian and Pacific material sorted into the three clusters identified in separate previous studies: a Mainland Asian cluster, a Jōmon‐Pacific cluster and an Australo‐Melanesian cluster. Since these clusters are based on variation in traits that are basically nonadaptive in nature, no hierarchical ranking is possible. The clusters simply reflect degree of relationship. This technique holds forth the promise of producing a nonracial assessment of the relationships of all the peoples of the world, past and present.
Periodontal defects of pulpal origin: Evidence in early man
Authors: Clarke N. G.
Published: February 2006

False assumptions have led to the widespread opinion that periodontitis of gingival origin is a ubiquitous disease and a common cause of tooth loss among ancient populations. Evaluation of dry skulls reveals that horizontal loss of crestal alveolar bone was unusual and of minor severity. Localized vertical bone defects of pulpal etiology were common and severe, often resulting in tooth mortality. The present paper identifies a number of factors that have contributed to the development of some important misconceptions about the nature of periodontal disease, its incidence, and its etiology.
Dental arch shape and tooth wear variability
Authors: Molnar Stephen , Molnar Iva M.
Published: February 2006

The rapid rate of tooth wear frequently reported among certain contemporary aboriginal populations has often been attributed to dietary form and abrasives. Several investigators have reported a close correlation between food bulk and the wear planes formed over the dental arches, i.e., steep oblique wear vs. flat horizontal planes. In this investigation we demonstrate that arch shape is an additional and a significant factor influencing the distribution of wear facets and exposed dentin over occlusal surfaces. We examined 64 dental stone casts of Aboriginals from Yuendumu, Central Australia, born between 1900 and 1940. These casts offer a record of the variety of tooth wear and arch forms and their interrelationships. This group of individuals, some subsisting on abrasive and some on soft diets, have dentition which exhibit various wear rates and wear patterns probably due to the diversity of arch shape, size, and occlusal relationships. Hypsiloid or U‐shaped maxillas had a more buccally directed wear in contrast to the parabolic or hyperbolic forms, which exhibit a heavier lingual loading. Varying occlusal conditions also contribute to differing wear patterns over the arches. Individuals with alternate intercuspation, for example, have a more horizontally directed wear. These and other conditions of shape, size, and occlusion emphasize the importance of morphological factors in the production of tooth wear rates and patterns in addition to dietary abrasives.
The capitular joint of the first rib in primates: A re‐evaluation of the proposed link to locomotion
Authors: Stern Jack T. , Jungers W. L.
Published: February 2006

Evidence exists that in Australopithecus afarensis the head of the first rib articulated with the body of the first thoracic vertebra but not with the body of the seventh cervical vertebra (Ohman, 1983, 1986). Thus, the Hadar hominid would have differed from most primates, in which both these vertebrae are involved in formation of the first costal capitular joint. Indeed, Ohman (1986) has claimed that a univertebral pattern is unique to modern and fossil hominids among primates. He offered various theories on the adaptive significance of this trait, chief among which was a link to freeing the upper limb from any role in locomotion. Believing that Ohman's statement about the distribution of the univertebral pattern in living forms was based on inadequate samples, we have compiled data on the first costal capitular joint in a wider range of primate genera. Our observations demonstrate that the univertebral pattern, rather than being unique to hominids, is common among siamangs, occurs in an occasional gibbon, and is typical of the larger indriids. Consequently, one can no longer accept any contention that the univertebral first costal capitular joint of A. afarensis implies that it did not use its upper limbs for locomotion. Rather, the formation of this joint is correlated with orthogrady and body size. We discuss a possible explanation of this correlation in terms of movement of the first rib during breathing in an orthograde primate, be it one that stands on two legs, swings by two arms, or clings to trunks using all four appendages.
Positional behavior in Saimiri boliviensis and Ateles geoffroyi
Authors: Fontaine Roy
Published: February 2006

Positional behavior, associated context, and substrate use in Ateles geoffroyi and Saimiri boliviensis were quantified using instantaneous focal animal sampling and a hierarchically organized nomenclature to describe posture and locomotion. This paper then examines behavioral predictions derived from pseudo‐behavioral locomotor classifications, multivariate morphometric studies, and studies of the behavioral consequences of body size.

The principal interspecific contrasts include (1) the superiority of Ateles with respect to locomotor and postural use of the forelimbs in tension, brachiation, arm swinging, dropping, quadrupedal climbing, forelimb dominated leaping/dropping take‐offs and landings, suspensory posture, forelimb suspension, and use of larger and more complex supports; and (2) the superiority of Saimiri with respect to most forms of quadrupedal‐cursorial locomotion and leaping, quadrupedal leaping/dropping take‐off and landing patterns, locomotor and postural use of the limbs under compression, nonsuspensory postures, sitting, quadrupedal standing, and the use of twigs and single supports. In both animals, however, nonsuspensory postures and quadrupedal locomotion prevailed.

Although behavioral findings were generally consistent with predictions derived from morphological accounts, the fit was loose. Discrepancies arose, especially concerning climbing and leaping. These were attributed to inadequacies in current nomenclature descriptive of positional behavior arising from the indiscriminate use of overinclusive vernacular and pseudo‐behavioral terms.
Morphology of the pubis and preauricular area in relation to parity and age at death in Macaca mulatta
Authors: Tague Robert G.
Published: February 2006

Some adult human females show bone resorption (pitting) at the dorsal aspect of the pubis and preauricular area of the ilium. The etiology of pelvic bone resorption is attributed alternatively to reproduction and to pelvic anatomy. While most researchers infer that pelvic pitting is related to reproduction, only a few studies are based on women of known parity. Degree of pubic resorption is directly associated with both parity (Suchey et al.: Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 51:517–539, 1979; Bergfelder and Hermann: J. Hum. Evol. 9:611–613, 1980) and age (Suchey et al.: Am. J Phys. Anthropol. 51:517–539, 1979). The relationship between parity and degree of resorption of the preauricular area is equivocal, found to be significant by Dunlap (A Study of the Preauricular Sulcus in a Cadaver Population. Ph.D. dissertation, East Lansing, Michigan State University, 1981) but not by Spring et al. (Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 79:247–252, 1989); both studies report that age is not associated with resorption of the preauricular area. Other mammals evidence pubic resorption, but the morphology of the preauricular area is less well known. This study addresses the issue on the etiology of pelvic bone resorption using a sample of Macaca mulatta (the free‐ranging population from Cayo Santiago) for which parity and age at death are known for all specimens.

The following results are reported. Resorption of the pubis is common among females but infrequent among males. Contrary to Rawlins (Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 42:477–488, 1975), the degree of pubic resorption in female macaques is significantly related to both parity and age at death. Importantly, not one female or male shows resorption of the preauricular area. The results suggest that there may be different etiologies for resorption of the pubis and preauricular are in humans. The proposed explanation for resorption of the pubis in macaques is that resorption inhibits synostosis of the symphysis pubis and allows for increased pelvic joint mobility during parturition; elevated levels of estrogen during pregnancy promote resorption of the pubis.
Deconstructing reconstruction: The OH 62 humerofemoral index
Authors: Korey Kenneth A.
Published: February 2006

The humerus and femur of the fossil hominid OH 62 are badly damaged and their lengths are not directly measurable (Johanson et al., 1987). Nevertheless, using relatively intact reference materials from another early hominid, AL 288‐1, Johanson et al. (1987) reconstructed the bones to estimate the humerofemoral index, which falls well above the range for modern Homo, above the estimate for AL 288‐1, and within the range for Pan paniscus. The reconstruction of missing bone by the method originally employed for OH 62 is broadly reproducible in a representative modern sample of Homo, making possible the estimation of an associated error term intrinsic to this method. Using the approximate variance of the ratio mean (Kish, 1965), shown here to be a good estimator of the sample variance of the humerofemoral index, the analysis of this modern sample extrapolated to other living hominoids gives quite acceptable results. Applied to OH 62, it suggests an error term associated with the estimated humerofemoral index so substantial that it is only possible to situate the index somewhere between the distributions for Homo and Gorilla, and quite possibly not above the index for AL 288‐1. On the other hand, the predicted distribution for the humerofemoral index of AL 288‐1 is more securely placed between the distributions for Homo and Pan paniscus.
Uralic genes in Europe
Authors: Guglielmino C. R. , Piazza A. , Menozzi P. , Cavalli‐Sforza L. L.
Published: February 2006

We have analysed data of three European populations speaking non‐Indoeuropean languages: Hungarians, Lapps, and Finns. Principal coordinate analysis shows that Lapps are almost exactly intermediate between people located geographically near the Ural mountains and speaking Uralic languages, and central and northern Europeans. Hungarians and Finns are definitely closer to Europeans. An analysis of genetic admixture between Uralic and European ancestors shows that Lapps are slightly more than 50% European, Hungarians are 87% European, and Finns are 90% European. There is basic agreement between these conclusions and historical data on Hungary. Less is known about Finns and very little about Lapps.
Differences between the hand–wrist and the knee in assigned skeletal ages
Authors: Xi Huanjiu , Roche Alex F.
Published: February 2006

Skeletal ages were assessed for 4,902 pairs of hand–wrist and knee radiographs of children aged 2–17 years. The FELS method was used to assess the hand–wrist, and the RWT method was used to asses the knee. These methods have the same conceptual and statistical basis. The mean absolute differences, within age‐ and sex‐specific groups, ranged from 0.34 to 0.87 years. The SD of the differences ranged from 0.31 to 0.68 years and, like the means, tended to increase with age until about 8–11 years. The means and SD were generally larger for the boys than for the girls, except after 14 years. Within age‐ and sex‐specific groups, the maximum absolute differences were from 1.45 to 2.99 years. These maximum differences changed irregularly with age but tended to increase until 11 years in the boys and 9 years in the girls. These large absolute differences between the skeletal ages of the hand–wrist and the knee cannot be explained completely by the effects of observer errors. The means of the relative (signed) differences between the skeletal ages of the hand–wrist and the knee were all close to zero, but there was a wide range within age‐ and sex‐specific groups. These skeletal ages of the hand–wrist and the knee are not interchangeable. The 95th percentiles of the absolute differences show that, in at least 5% of children, the choice of the area for skeletal age assessment will markedly influence the evaluation of individuals. They also demonstrate that descriptions of populations based on distributions of skeletal ages from one part of the skeleton may be misleading.
An epidemiologic study of sacroiliac fusion in some human skeletal remains
Authors: Waldron Tony , Rogers Juliet
Published: February 2006

A case‐control study was undertaken to generate some hypotheses concerning the etiology of sacroiliac fusion in a group of skeletons dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Forty‐one skeletons with fusion of the sacroiliac joint were compared with eighty‐two adult skeletons without the condition. The sacroiliac joints were most frequently fused with bridging osteophytes and no preference for site or side of fusion could be detected. Except where there were other features in the skeleton suggestive of a sero‐negative arthropathy, radiography demonstrated that there was no intra‐articular ankylosis.

We were able to confirm earlier observations that the condition is more prevalent in males and in older age‐groups. The study also showed a significant association between sacroiliac fusion and the presence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and osteoarthritis of the spine but not for osteoarthritis at any other site. There was a highly significant association between sacroiliac fusion and the phenomenon that we refer to as “bone forming.” We devised a series of bone‐former scores and were able to show a significant excess of cases with high scores compared with the controls. This association persisted when allowance had been made for potential confounding factors such as DISH, osteoarthritis of the spine, and age.
A reappraisal of the anatomical basis for speech in Middle Palaeolithic hominids
Authors: Arensburg B. , Schepartz L. A. , Tillier A. M. , Vandermeersch B. , Rak Y.
Published: February 2006

The recovery of a fossil hominid skeleton with a complete hyoid bone from Mousterian deposits in Kebara Cave, Israel, provides new evidence pertaining to the evolution of speech. Previous studies of speech in the Middle Palaeolithic (most notably those on Neandertals) have focused on the basicranium as an indicator of speech capabilities. This work critiques the use of the basicranium and instead presents the anatomical relations of the hyoid and adjacent structures in living humans as a basis for understanding the form of the vocal tract. The size and morphology of the hyoid from Kebara and its relations to other anatomical components are almost identical to those in modern humans, suggesting that Middle Palaeolithic populations were anatomically capable of fully modern speech.
Neandertal scapular glenoid morphology
Authors: Churchill Steven E. , Trinkaus Erik
Published: February 2006

Analysis of Neandertal and recent human scapular glenoid fossae reveals that the former had long, narrow, and flat glenoid articular surfaces relative to those of modern humans. Comparison of glenoid length, breadth, and curvature to humeral articular dimensions demonstrates that Neandertal glenoid length and curvature scale to proximal and distal humeral articular dimensions in the same manner as those of modern humans. The remaining contrast is in the relatively greater glenoid fossa width seen in modern humans. This difference in morphology implies differences in the habitual degree of dorsoventral glenohumeral movement between Neandertals and modern humans. This in turn may be related to contrasts in tool use, especially with respect to throwing and projectile use.
Birth spacing patterns in humans and apes
Authors: Galdikas Biruté M. F. , Wood James W.
Published: February 2006

Comparative studies of birth interval dynamics in wild primates suffer from several problems of analysis and interpretation: (1) the data are always right‐censored, (2) sample sizes are usually small, (3) the distribution of birth intervals is expected to be non‐normal, (4) early offspring mortality is a confounding variable, and (5) differences in life history (e.g., presence or absence of menopause) can complicate interpretation of the results. A survival analysis designed to minimize these problems is applied to published data on wild chimpanzees and gorillas from Gombe and Virunga Parks, respectively, and to new data on wild orangutans from Tanjung Puting National Park and on a human population, the Gainj of highland Papua New Guinea. According to this analysis, the estimated median birth interval (when the offspring whose birth opens the interval does not die within the interval) is 43.3 ± 1.0 months for the Gainj, 45.5 ± 1.2 months for gorillas, 66.6 ± 1.3 months for chimpanzees, and 92.6 ± 2.4 months for orangutans.
Age‐ and sex‐associated variations in the directional asymmetry of rhesus macaque forelimb bones
Authors: Helmkamp R. Criss , Falk Dean
Published: February 2006

Several investigators have questioned the significance of handedness as an explanation of directional forelimb asymmetries, yet little has been done to isolate other explanatory factors. In this investigation, we analyze 61 female and 76 male rhesus macaque skeletons for evidence of age‐and/or sex‐associated variations in ten forelimb bone measurements. All significant directional asymmetries are found to favor the right side. Although some of these asymmetries are found to favor the right side. Although some of these asymmetries are compatible with the interpretation of muscle hypertrophy associated with preferential use of the right forelimb, the overall pattern suggests that age‐ and sex‐related ontogenetic factors deserve equal consideration. Significant sex differences in asymmetry means are present within and across age groups (juveniles, subadults, and adults), and numerous changes in asymmetry with age are also found. A pattern of decreasing asymmetry with age was found in males, with 40% of the ten measures being asymmetrical in juveniles, 30% in subadults, and 20% in adults. Among females, this pattern is reversed. No significant asymmetries were found for juvenile or subadult females, whereas 40% of the measures were asymmetrical in adult females. We conclude that greater consideration of age‐ and sex‐related factors is necessary when drawing samples for the purpose of investigating asymmetries, and an awareness of trait‐specific age and sex patterns of variation is necessary when citing forelimb asymmetries in demographically nonrepresentative populations as evidence of handedness or other behavioral asymmetries.
Postnatal protein deprivation in rhesus monkeys
Authors: Riopelle Arthur J.
Published: February 2006

We studied the growth of 97 rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta) that from birth until 120 days of age were fed a diet containing 13.4%, 6.7%, 3.35% protein or a commercial simulated human‐milk formula (SMA) affording 9% protein. After 120 days, all animals were fed SMA. Females fed the diet lowest in protein, but not the other diets, were moderately affected, gaining less weight than their well‐fed counterparts did, but they recovered their deficit during the repletion period, so that at 240 days no group differences remained. Males fed the two lowest‐protein diets were severely and profoundly affected, in keeping with the depth of their protein deficiency. Moreover, unlike the females, they recovered none of their weight deficit during the repletion period. Food intake during deprivation was lower in the animals eating the low‐protein diets. During SMA repletion, intakes followed no simple rule, but they did not converge. Except for the males fed the 3.35% protein diet, relative food intake (ml formula/kg body weight) did not differ substantially between diets or sexes at any time during the deprivation and diminished as the animals got older. Those males' relative intakes did not decline. During repletion, the SMA females ate the most in proportion to weight and the 13.4% group the least. The lowest‐protein males, in contrast, ate the most in proportion to their weight during both deprivation and repletion. Males fed the lowest‐protein diet gained little for what they ate; those fed the highest‐protein diet gained much. Females were more efficient than males were when eating the low‐protein diet and less efficient when eating the high‐protein diet. When fed SMA during repletion, males' food efficiencies (grams gained/liter of diet) were nearly equal; females still differed: the SMA group was the least efficient and the low‐protein group most efficient. Its counterpart, protein efficiency, was greatest (during deprivation) for females eating the low‐protein diet and least (among females) for those eating the high‐protein diet. Males were least protein efficient if eating the low‐protein diet. Evidently, a 4 month bout of protein deprivation had prolonged effects on the amount of food the animals needed to produce a given gain in weight.
Aging and reproductive performance in langur monkeys (Presbytis entellus)
Authors: Harley Diane
Published: February 2006

Analysis of data on age and reproductive performance in 16 captive female Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus) shows that adult females under the age of 6 years and over the age of 19 years had the lowest rates of reproductive success as measured by the production of viable young that survived beyond 30 days of age. With the possible exception of one female, females over the age of 19 years experienced a variety of idiosyncratic reproductive problems but did not experience a true menopause as defined by total cessation of menstrual cycles. There was no support for the hypothesis that langur monkey females have evolved a lengthy postreproductive period.
Efficiency of cranial bilateral measurements in separating human populations
Authors: Hershkovitz I. , Ring B. , Kobyliansky E.
Published: February 2006

A set of 31 nonconventional paired cranial measurements, as well as six conventional nonpaired measures, were taken on 266 skulls, representing two related populations: Bedouins of the Israeli Negev Desert and Bedouins of the Sinai. The data were subjected to univariate and discriminant analyses to determine the relative efficacy of paired vs. conventional measures in sorting individuals according to tribal and sex affiliation. It was found that paired measures have greater discriminatory power (87%) than conventional ones (47%) in terms of classifying individuals belonging to human isolates derived from a common ancestor and sharing similar environmental conditions. This greater discrimination attests to the value of the level of “developmental noise” (a measure provided by fluctuating asymmetry) in sorting human populations. Possible explanations are proffered for the above finding.
Femur/stature ratio and estimates of stature in mid‐ and late‐pleistocene fossil hominids
Authors: Feldesman Marc R. , Kleckner J. Geoffrey , Lundy John K.
Published: February 2006

In previous limited investigations of the human femur/stature ratio we (Feldesman and Lundy: Journal of Human Evolution 17:583–596, 1988; Feldesman et al.: American Journal of Physical Anthropology 79:219–220, 1989) have shown it to be remarkably stable across ethnic and gender boundaries. In this study we evaluate the femur/stature ratio in 51 different “populations” of contemporary humans (n = 13,149) sampled from all over the world. We find that the mean ratio of femur length to stature in these populations is 26.74%, with a very restricted range of variation. When we compare mean femur/stature ratios of males and females, there are no statistically significant differences. ANOVA performed on a naive grouping of samples into “whites,” “blacks,” and “Asians” indicates that there are significant racial differences (P < 0.001). When we subject these groups to Tukey's HSD procedure (a post‐hoc test), we find that “blacks” are responsible for the significant ANOVA, being significantly (P < 0.005) different from the other ethnic groups. “Whites” and “Asians” are not significantly different (P = 0.067) under the conditions of this analysis, although all these racial comparisons may be suspect given the small sample sizes. We tested the efficacy of the ratio in three situations: predicting stature of repatriated white Vietnam veterans; predicting stature in a random sample of South African blacks (of known stature), and predicting the stature of a single Akka pygmy. In the first and third cases, the femur/stature ratio does better than the traditionally recommended regression equation, while in the second case the predictions from the femur/stature ratio are less accurate than from the appropriate regression equation.

These results encouraged us to apply this ratio to mid‐ and late‐Pleistocene fossil hominids, where the choice of reference population for stature estimates continues to trouble workers. We estimated stature for a sizeable number of Homo erectus (HE), early Neanderthal (EN), Near Eastern Neanderthal (NEN), and early anatomically modern Homo sapiens (EAMHS) by using the simple relationship: stature (cm) = femur length (cm) * 100 / 26.74. Our results show that HE fossils are slightly taller on average than either EN or NEN samples, which do not differ significantly in stature, while EAMHS fossils are significantly taller than all three earlier groups.

While these results are not surprising, our stature estimates for these fossils differ from currently published estimates based on sample‐specific regression‐based formulae. We compare the results, discuss the differences, and highlight potential sources of error in both regression and ratio‐based estimates of stature. We conclude that in estimating stature of hominid fossils the femur/stature ratio, which is gender‐ and ethnic‐group neutral and simpler to calculate, may provide more satisfactory results than the group‐specific regression formulae.
Differential diagnosis of rib lesions: A case study from middle woodland southern Ontario Circa 230 A.D.
Authors: Molto J. E.
Published: February 2006

The right ribs of an adult male (#18) from the LeVesconte Burial Mound in southern Ontario show extensive osteolytic and/or osteoblastic lesions, some with bone thickening, interpreted herein as evidence of a chronic actinomycotic infection. In the alveolus, the presence of periapical abscesses and periodonitis with secondary inflammation may be associated with the pathogenesis of this bacterial disease by providing the normally commensurate Actinomyces israelii with the necessary conditions for their reproduction. This presumptive diagnosis, if correct, appears to represent the first case of actinomycosis in human palaeopathology. Recent literature reviews suggest that actinomycosis was not uncommon in preantibiotic populations, and that it has a high predilection for bone. Though actinomycosis can be associated with any subsistence strategy, such as, in this case, hunting and gathering, hypothetically it is most likely to occur in agricultural populations where general disease stress and age‐adjusted dental pathology are highest. It is argued that in the differential diagnosis of archaeological specimens, as much attention should be given to the documentation of the natural range of variation of lesions produced by less well‐known diseases, such as actinomycosis, since the disease ecology of pre‐western populations differed significantly from our own.
Test of socioeconomic causation of secular trend: Stature changes among favored and oppressed South Africans are parallel
Authors: Henneberg M. , van den Berg E. R.
Published: February 2006

Secular trends in body height, however common, run at different rates and even in opposite directions in various populations. The standard explanation is that direction and tempo of the trend are reflections of changes in the socioeconomic situation. The aim of this work is to test this hypothesis by examining trends in different socioeconomic groups living in the same country.

Our observations on affluent South Africans of European extraction (AE) and on Polish medical students are compared with the data on statures of other affluent and poor peoples from the two countries measured at various dates during the 19th and 20th centuries. The trend among native Southern Africans is erratic (Tobias: South African Journal of Medical Science 40:145–164, 1975), but the overall direction is positive with a slow rate (0.24 cm/decade for 72 Negroid male groups and 0.48 cm/d for 28 Khoisan male samples). Magnitude of the trend among adult AE (0.41 cm/d for females, 0.59 for males) does not differ significantly from that among natives. The trend was absent in the data for 10‐year‐old AE boys and girls. The rate of trend among AE is much lower than that in their countries of origin (mainly Holland and Britain). The trend among AE medical students is markedly weaker than the trend among Polish medical students (1.21 cm/d), who in turn parallel Polish general conscripts (1.24 cm/d). It follows that the explanation of the secular trend as being an ecosensitive response of individuals to changing levels of well‐being is insufficient.
Possible congenital hemolytic anemia in prehistoric coastal inhabitants of Israel
Authors: Hershkovitz I. , Ring B. , Speirs M. , Galili E. , Kislev M. , Edelson G. , Hershkovitz A.
Published: February 2006

The spread of thalassemia among prehistoric populations of the Mediterranean Basin has been linked to the increased risk to early agriculturalists posed by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. The diagnosis of the disease in human skeletal remains, however, has usually been based on a single pathological criterion, porotic hyperostosis. This paper reports on what we believe to be the earliest case of thalassemia yet identified in the prehistoric record. Our diagnosis of the disease in an individual from the submerged Prepottery Neolithic B village of Atlit‐Yam off the Israeli coast is based on a pathological humerus demonstrating a pattern of deformation characteristic of clinical thalassemia. The implications of these findings for our understanding of human societies undergoing the transition from foraging to agriculture in the Near East are discussed.
Root dentine transparency: Age determination of human teeth using computerized densitometric analysis
Authors: Drusini Andrea , Calliari Irene , Volpe Antonina
Published: February 2006

Root dentine transparency (RDT) was used to estimate the ages of human subjects from 152 intact teeth. Teeth were from 134 subjects, both historical and recent, of known age and sex. The aims of this work are 1) to compare two methods of using RDT to estimate age; 2) to test the applicability of the regression formulae for estimating age obtained from a recent sample on an historical sample; and 3) to estimate the suitability of RDT to determine age at death of 100‐year‐old skeletons. RDT was measured by two techniques: 1) computerized densitometric analysis and 2) vernier caliper. Age estimations based on computerized densitometric analysis were no more accurate than were those determined by caliper measurement; both give a predictive success of ± 5 years in about 45–48% of cases for premolars. The television‐based digitization system has some disadvantages: It is expensive, not portable, and requires some training to use. However, it furnishes a more standardized method, a rapid graphic illustration of the results, and an immediate storage of statistical information for future use.
Trivers‐Willard effect in contemporary North American society
Authors: Gaulin Steven J. C. , Robbins Carole J.
Published: February 2006

The Trivers‐Willard hypothesis joins the ideas of R.A. Fisher and A.J. Bateman to model parental investment strategies. Trivers and Willard argue that any overall investment bias favoring either daughters or sons would be maladaptive. Nevertheless, they suggest that, in effectively polygynous species, more complex, conditional sex biases could be adaptive. In particular, they predict that parents in good condition will bias their investment toward sons and that parents in poor condition will bias their investment toward daughters. Among a sample of approximately 900 U.S. mothers we examined several measures of maternal investment including birth weight, interbirth interval and lactational commitment. Maternal condition was assessed by income and by the presence or absence of a coresident adult male. Some measures of investment (five of 14 statistical tests) showed marked and significant sex‐by‐condition interactions of the type and in the direction predicted by Trivers and Willard; none showed significant effects in the opposite direction. No conscious mediation is required to produce the observed investment patterns.
Stature in an early mid‐19th century poorhouse population: Highland park, Rochester, New York
Authors: Steegmann A. Theodore
Published: February 2006

If the early 19th century United States was a developing country, then it may be expected that the lowest economic stratum would show some biological consequences of poverty. This report examines that question by estimating stature on 90 male and 64 female adult skeletons from an unmarked cemetery dating between 1826 and 1863. The Highland Park burial ground was adjacent to institutions which interned unfortunates of Rochester, Monroe County, in western New York.

The best estimate of male stature (N = 84) is 172.6 cm. A review of other 18th and 19th century height data shows this value not to be relatively stunted, but rather exactly on the predicted mean of its time. If this was a poor population, stunting was not a consequence of poverty. Females (N = 59) showed a best height estimate of 160.0 cm. Less comparative data are available, but this too seems average for the time.

A brief discussion of secular trends, changing income inequity and fluctuating stature from the 18th through 20th centuries puts this finding in context.
Dimensions of face in Asia in the perspective of geography and prehistory
Authors: Yongyi Li , Brace C. Loring , Qiang Gao , Tracer David P.
Published: February 2006

Data from 24 craniofacial dimensions were compiled for samples representing all the human populations of the world. These were converted into C scores and used to construct Euclidean Distance dendrograms. The populations of the world are best depicted as 8 major regional clusters representing: Africa, Amerind, Asia‐Mainland, Australo‐Melanesia, Eskimo‐Siberia, Europe, India, and Jömon‐Pacific. The mainland Asian cluster divided into northern and southern components. The Neolithic in both areas is less clearly associated with the northern or southern components and may represent the form of their undifferentiated precursors. This needs to be tested by the addition of further specimens and an adequate sample from South China. Mongols are peripheral members of the Asia‐Mainland cluster and should not be thought of as typifying the region as a whole. The use of the term “Mongoloid” is inappropriate in both theory and practice.
Population variation in molecular polymorphisms of the short arm of the human X chromosome
Authors: Papiha S. S. , Mastana S. S. , Roberts D. F. , Onyemelukwe G. C. , Bhattacharya S. S.
Published: February 2006

Five DNA probes (RC8, 754, XJ 1‐1, pert 87.8, and L1.28) from the short arm of the human X chromosome were investigated in samples from five populations (English, Nigerian, Chinese, Muslim, and Hindu from India). The variation in the allele frequencies of several probes between different groups was significant. The average heterozygosity in females of the five populations ranged from 32% to 51%. The genetic distance between the five groups was compatible with that using traditional polymorphic systems. There is an interesting suggestion of longitudinal cline for allele *2 (9 kb) detected with probe L1.28. The X‐linked RFLPs are useful genetic markers for anthropological studies.
Immunoglobulin (Gm and Km) allotypes in two populations of Catalonia (Spain)
Authors: Moreno Pascual , Matsumoto Hideo
Published: February 2006

Serum samples from two populations of Catalonia, Spain, 208 from Olot (Gerona) and 209 from Tortosa (Tarragona), were typed for G1m (1, 2, 3, 17), G3m (5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 26), and Km (1). The Gm patterns of the Catalonian populations are characterized by the presence of four haplotypes, Gm 1, 17;21, 26 Gm 1, 2, 17;21, 26 Gm 1, 3;5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 26 and Gm 3;5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 26. The homogeneity for haplotype Gm 1, 17;21, 26 among our data and other European populations suggests the existence of an isofrequency line which starts from the Mediterranean zone of Iberian Peninsula and continues through the northwestern part of Europe. From this line a decreasing cline towards the south can be observed. For the haplotype Gm 1, 2, 17;21, 26, affinities are observed between Catalonian populations and other populations from central Europe. This confirms the existence of a gradient towards low values from NW to SE. The presence of the typical Mongoloid haplotype Gm 1, 3;5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 26 is discussed in this paper. No significant differences in the frequencies of the Km1 allele were observed among the European populations.
Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in a British skeletal population
Authors: Hodges Denise C.
Published: February 2006

The potential role of dental function in TMJ osteoarthritis is examined in an ancient British population. Human skeletal remains from five archaeological sites in England (n = 369) were studied to assess the associations between the presence of osteoarthritis and dental function variables, in particular antemortem tooth loss and dental attrition. Individuals aged over 17 years with at least a portion of either the left or right TMJ were included in the study. Each individual was scored for the occurrence of arthritic lesions on the mandibular condyle and glenoid fossa, the level of dental attrition, and antemortem tooth loss. A loglinear analysis was performed with osteoarthritis as the dependent variable and tooth loss, attrition, sex, and age as the independent variables. Tooth loss and sex are not significantly associated with TMJ osteoarthritis when attrition and age are included in the analysis. Attrition is significantly associated with osteoarthritis even when the analysis corrects for age. The significant association of attrition with osteoarthritis suggests that dental functions may have an influence, separate from ageing, on the development of TMJ osteoarthritis.
Degenerative joint disease in hunter–gatherers and agriculturalists from the Southeastern United States
Authors: Bridges Patricia S.
Published: February 2006

This study examines degenerative joint disease of the major appendicular joints in hunter‐gatherers and agriculturalists from northwestern Alabama. Arthritis is highest at the shoulder, elbow, and knee and lower at the hip and ankle. There are virtually no sex differences in the hunter‐gatherer group, but in the agriculturalists, males have more severe osteoarthritis than females. The hunters‐gatherers have a somewhat greater prevalence of arthritis than the agriculturalists, but the differences are rarely significant. The similarity in osteoarthritis levels over time conflicts with biomechanical evidence, which indicates an increase in usual activities in the agricultural period. Several possible reasons for this are explored, including the suggestion that arthritis is a response to intensive or infrequent activities. Whatever the cause, it is clear that biomechanical data and osteoarthritis are responding to different factors and do not equally represent the level of usual activities.
Fertility‐related changes in maternal body composition among the au of Papua New Guinea
Authors: Tracer David P.
Published: February 2006

Evolutionary theory predicts that organisms make trade‐offs between their somatic and reproductive energy budgets. Thus every round of reproduction should result in a concomitant decline in the parents' total energy reserves. Among humans this prediction was corroborated more than 25 years ago when fertility‐related nutritional depletion was reported among mothers in the Highlands of New Guinea (Jelliffe and Maddocks, 1964). More recently, however, a number of studies of fertility and maternal nutritional status in both developed and developing nations have reported fertility‐related increases in various indices of adiposity and lean body mass. Such findings have called the so‐called “maternal depletion syndrome” into question, and have raised serious doubts as to whether the phenomenon is widely generalizable to all populations. In light of this recent controversy, data are presented here on fertility‐related changes in maternal adiposity and lean body mass among the Au, a lowland forager—horticulturalist population in Papua New Guinea. While both a short‐term decline in adiposity following childbirth, and a long‐term fertility‐related decline are seen among more traditional Au, individuals with a regular source of wage‐income show only the former. There are no significant changes in lean body mass with increasing fertility in either group. The finding of significant socioeconomic variation in the capacity to withstand the stress of repeated reproduction even within this one extremely rural area of Papua New Guinea may lend insight into why previous studies have been unable to find evidence of maternal depletion. The fertility‐related decline in adiposity that is reported for the more traditional Au is consistent with the predictions of evolutionary theory.
Some comments on coordinate‐free and scale‐invariant methods in morphometrics
Authors: Lele Subhash
Published: February 2006

The usual strategy for comparing biological shapes is to use some kind of superimposition of the two forms under study and then look at the “residuals” as the shape change. In this paper, I take a careful look at this general strategy and point out some subtle but inherent and important pitfalls. Additionally an alternative approach based on Euclidean Distance Matrix representation is presented. It is applicable to two‐ as well as threedimensional objects.
Dental development and the evolution of life history in Hominidae
Authors: Smith B. Holly
Published: February 2006

Development of the dentition is critically integrated into the life cycle in living mammals. Recent work on dental development has given rise to three separate lines of evidence on the evolution of human growth and aging; these three, based on several independent studies, are reviewed and integrated here. First, comparative study of living primate species demonstrates that measures of development (e.g., age of emergence of the first permanent molar) are highly correlated with the morphological attributes brain and body weight (as highly as r = 0.98, N = 21 species). These data predict that small‐bodied, small‐brained Australopithecus erupted M1 at 3–3.5 years and possessed a life span comparable to that of a chimpanzee. Second, chronological age at death for three australopithecines who died at or near emergence of M1 is now estimated as ∼3.25 years based on incremental lines in teeth; this differs substantially from expectations based on human growth schedules (5.5–6 years). Third, developmental sequences (assessed by the coefficient of variation of human dental age) observed in gracile Australopithecus and great apes diverge from those of humans to a comparable degree; sequences become more like modern humans after the appearance of the genus Homo. These three lines of evidence agree that the unique rate and pattern of human life history did not exist at the australopithecine stage of human evolution. It is proposed that the life history of early Homo matched no living model precisely and that growth and aging evolved substantially in the Hominidae during the last 2 million years.
Histological study on the chronology of the developing dentition in gorilla and orangutan
Authors: Beynon A. D. , Dean M. C. , Reid D. J.
Published: February 2006

The single previous study on tooth development in great apes (Dean and Wood: Folia Primatol. (Basel) 36:111–127, 1981) is of limited value because it is based on cross‐sectional radiographic data. This study considers problems in defining stages of tooth development in radiographs of developing ape dentitions and provides data on tooth chronology in Pongo pygmaeus and Gorilla gorilla by using histological methods of analysis. Crown formation times were estimated in individual teeth, and an overall chronology of dental development was found by registering teeth forming at the same time by using incremental growth lines. The earlier radiographic study correctly identified the molar and second premolar chronology and sequence in great apes, but significantly underestimated crown formation times in incisors, first premolars, and canine teeth in particular. Ape anterior tooth crowns take longer to form than the equivalent human teeth, but the overall dental developmental period in great apes is substantially shorter than in humans. Gorilla root extension rates appear to be fast, up to approximately 13 μm/day. This rapid root growth, associated with early tooth eruption, appears to be the developmental basis for the observed differences in timing between developing dentitions in great apes and humans.
Enamel incremental periodicity in the pig‐tailed macaque: A polychrome fluorescent labeling study of dental hard tissues
Authors: Bromage Timothy G.
Published: February 2006

Bromage and Dean originally outlined a nondestructive method for the study of enamel formation and concluded that early hominids resembled the extant apes more closely than they did modern humans in their rates of growth and maturation. The method used assumed that an enamel circadian rhythmicity was referable to a longer near‐weekly period represented by perikymata (periodic surface growth features). This assumption became a matter of debate and discussion. In this study, developing teeth in Macaca nemestrina were labeled with polychrome fluorescent dyes. Examination of the distribution of these dyes in two sectioned teeth provides experimental confirmation of enamel circadian periodicity.