Homo : Internationale Zeitschrift Für die Vergleichende Forschung Am Menschen

In 1996, Grün and coworkers provided an ESR age determination for a hominin molar from Florisbad, South Africa, at 259 ± 35 ka. The most anatomically informative hominin specimen from Florisbad is a fragmentary craniofacial specimen, attributed by many to early Homo sapiens , which has been assumed to derive from the same individual as this tooth. Since 1996, evidence about the evolutionary context for the later Middle Pleistocene and its associated hominins in Africa had markedly changed. If the Florisbad date is accurate and if the molar is associated with the craniofacial specimen, this evidence may suggest that Homo naledi coexisted in time and geography with H...

Five cranial nonmetric traits for sex estimation for sex estimation are classified by score according to geometry. The population of origin is one of the factors influencing cranial nonmetric traits. Moreover, among the five cranial traits, the robust traits for estimating sex varied across population. The aim of this study is to suggest the most useful method for sex estimation and demonstrate the need of a suitable method for each population. One-hundred thirty-five three-dimensional skull images from 21st century Korean autopsy cadavers were evaluated using the ordinal scoring system of five cranial nonmetric traits as outlined in Buikstra & Ubelaker (1994)...

With the implementation of the three-child policy in China, the debate between fertility and health and longevity has again become a hot topic in the era of increasing ageing. This study aimed to explore the association between reproductive behaviour and longevity of older women and men in China. Based on data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) from 2014 to 2018, a total of 1428 deceased older people were enrolled in the study, including 421 centenarians and 1007 non-centenarians...

As modern populations are living longer, age-related health issues have become more common. One growing concern is the age-related bone density loss that increases the individual's risk for fractures, which unfortunately seems to disproportionately afflict women. These fractures are not only detrimental to the individuals' lives but also come with a great economic burden to the societies. Although age-related bone loss is a normal phenomenon, studies on archaeological individuals have demonstrated that the pattern how this occurs has experienced changes due to our changing lifestyles...

Discussions of the evolution of sexual dimorphism in torso shape and the pectoral region assume that this dimorphism exists independently of body size. We test this assumption in two human populations and further examine what is needed to understand sexual dimorphism in the pectoral region. Modern human males have broad shoulders and narrow hips relative to females, lending males a more triangular torso. The wider female pelvis is commonly attributed to obstetric pressures while the broader male pectoral girdle has been argued to be an adaptation that improves hunting or intrasexual competition...

Sex determination is one of the first biological attribute to be assessed when unidentified remains surface. In material of forensic interest, being able to use every skeletal element available for identification purposes is of paramount importance. The osteometric method from the sternal rib end has been found to generate accurate sex estimates, but as various studies have proved, all osteometric methods should be population-specific, as one equation does not fit all. The aim of this study is to assess sexual dimorphism in a contemporary Greek population sample of 68 males and 43 females, with the use of discriminant function analysis...

Dental macrowear is the non-pathological loss of hard tissues on the occlusal surface of the teeth. In archaeological contexts, the loss of tooth tissues is often correlated with lifestyles, habits, and with the physical properties of the consumed food - including preparation techniques. We report the first semiquantitative and quantitative assessment on dentine exposure of permanent second molars (M2) using the scale scoring technique, image analysis, and regression analysis on human teeth from Chalcolithic and Bronze Age archaeological populations discovered in North-Eastern Romania...

This paper presents the changes caused by macroabrasion of teeth on skeletal remains found in tomb No 4 in the west necropolis of the archeological site Kopila near Blato on the island of Korčula. The site archeologically dates back to the Late Iron Age, when the island was inhabited by the Illyrians. The aim of this study was to assess the dental age of the buried individuals at death and determine the type of their diet, which could give us a preliminary insight into the socio-economic standard of the inhabitants of the settlement...

The paper presents the skeletal remains of an adult male of 30-40 years with bone lesions and deformity on the left hip, recovered during the archaeological excavation below the former Basilica of San Dionigi, dated to Late Antiquity (3rd - 5th century AD) Milan. Biological profile and paleopathological analysis were performed following standard references and the bones underwent radiological examination. Differential diagnosis included congenital anomaly, active rickets, infectious diseases, femoral neck trauma, Legg-Carvé-Perthes disease, Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SFCE), osteogenesis imperfecta and osteoporosis...

The Medieval-Post-Medieval transition in England was an important shift in the human biocultural environment. With urbanization and industrialization came resultant changes in living and working conditions and subsequent effects on the skeleton. In addition, the Post-Medieval period ushered in changes in footwear and activity patterns, with potential consequences on foot bone morphology. The objective of this study is to compare calcaneal and talar lengths between the Medieval and Post-Medieval periods to determine whether there are quantifiable differences that correspond to shifting footwear and activity patterns...

Background: There are indications that the occurrence of metabolic diseases in children may be conditioned by factors experienced already in the utero. Aim of the study: The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the studies that examined the effects of stress experienced by a pregnant woman on the child's adiposity rates in postnatal life. Methods: The review includes 20 articles published before March 2020 in Scopus and Medline databases with the use of following keyword combinations: /maternal or mother/, /prenatal or pregnant/, /stress or distress/ and /BMI, body mass index or overweight or obesity or body composition/...

This study tests the hypothesis that the incorporation of cultigens about ca. 2000 years BP substantially changed hunter-gatherer subsistence and mobility in the Atuel River valley (Central-Western Argentina), where the frontier of pre-Hispanic domesticated resource dispersion was defined. Degenerative joint disease and entheseal change markers were analyzed on skeletal remains from Cañada Seca-1, a burial archaeological site with commingled skeletal remains dated about ca . 1500 years BP (MNI = 24). The results show lower mobility in comparison with hunter-gatherer remains from the neighboring Pampa region and quite different manual activities compared to low-level producers...

Taurodontism is a continuous anatomical variation of permanent and primary posterior teeth represented by an enlargement of the pulp cavity. A high prevalence of the trait is reported in Homo neanderthalensis remains. Exploring and refining epidemiology of taurodontism in actual populations could strengthen the hypothesis of a selective advantage for a high attrition diet (as heavy tooth wear in Homo sapiens evolution changed little until recently) or favour pleiotropic or genetic drift effects to explain the high frequency of the trait in Neandertal remains...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Morphometric data is inherently linked to size; however, there is no consensus for how to account for this. Some researchers adjust for size, whereas others do not, which can affect the results of a study. This study examines this problem using sexual dimorphism of the pelvis. Twenty-two pelvic measures were collected from 119 individuals from the Hamann-Todd Collection. Measures included dimensions of the false pelvis and the pelvic canal. After all the data was collected, it was compiled into 3 data sets; the first set included unadjusted data, the second set was adjusted for body size, and the third set was adjusted for pelvic size...

Purpose: Osteoporosis is the most widespread systemic disease of the skeleton. According to estimated data for Poland, it affects ca. 3 million people. Although the disease is multifactorial, with significant influence of environmental factors on the increase of the risk of its occurrence, genetic factors play an important role in its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was an analysis of the relation of the ApaI , BsmI and TaqI polymorphisms of the VDR gene, with bone mineral density measured in lumbar spine and/or in proximal femur in a group of polish women...

The objective of this study is the comparison of the size and shape of the sella turcica in subjects with different vertical patterns in the skeletal class I in adults, as well as to determine sex differences within examined groups. Lateral cephalograms were used to examine parametars: shape of sella, angulation, length, diameter, index of the depth and cross-sectional area of the sella turcica in 155 adult Caucasian subjects (79 male and 76 female) from the central Balkan area. Subjects were divided into three groups according to the ANB angle, Wit's appraisal and SN/GoGn angle into normodivergent (angle value between 26° and 38° in 28 male, 27 female subjects), hypodivergent (angle value less than 26° in 26 male, 25 female subjects) and hyperdivergent (angle value higher than 38° in 25 male, 24 female subjects)...

Introduction: Discoveries concerning the role of connective tissue and myofascial chains require a change in thinking about the functioning of the human body and verification of the approach to correcting posture defects. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the shape of the spine in the sagittal plane and longitudinal arching of the feet. Material and methods: 271 girls and 241 boys aged 10-12 years were examined. Height and body weight were measured. The BMI was calculated and the status of body weight was estimated...

Commingled human remains were discovered in TT110 (Djehuty tomb; Dynasty XVIII), located in El Sheikh Abd el Qurna, Luxor, Egypt. The tomb had been reused over a long period of time (1570-332 BCE). In a small area distinct from the comingled remains, an incomplete skull and two os coxae fragments, consistent with that of a young adult female, between 25 and 40 years of age were found. A detailed macroscopic and radiologic analysis was performed at the tomb site. The three bone fragments showed abundant small to medium sized osteolytic lesions compatible with a diagnosis of late stage metastatic carcinoma or, less likely, multiple myeloma...

Qafzeh 9 is an almost complete skeleton commonly employed as representative of the population of the eponymous site. However, its biological profile is still largely based on the age at death and sex estimation methods in use at the time of its discovery. Moreover, post-mortem damage to the skeleton has made difficult the observation of some morphoscopic features, particularly pelvic ones currently used in sex estimation. Here, we apply recent methods and paleoimaging to re-evaluate the biological profile of Qafzeh 9, taking into account post-mortem damage...