Articles

Introduction. The article deals with the science achievements of talanted biometrician of the second half of the XX century, the employee of the Institute and Museum of Moscow State University, doctor of biology Yuliya Sergeevna Kurshakova, wnich science activity has never been regarded comprehensively.

Material and methods. The source of constructing the article is archive documents of the Institute and Museum of Anthropologty, science articles by Yu.S.Rurshakova and literary data.

Results and discussion. Yu.S.Kurshakova was the head of the laboratory of applied studies of the Institue and Nuseum of anthropology for two decedes.She was engaged in developing the problems of anthropological standardization, the research of fundamental conformities and factors of somatic variability, age variability of children, ethnoterritorial, social and professional variability of adult males and females.

In 1962 Yu.S.Kurshakova defended PhD thesis «Statistical correlations as the means of expression of morphological integrity during the process of growth and development», in 1987 — Doctor of Biology thesis in the form of science report «Theoretical and methodological basis of construction of anthropometric standards of wide and prolonged action».

From the end of 1950s and on to solve State problems of development of size typology of construction of products of Light Industry for child’ and adult population of the country and compilation of size scales, the employees of the Institute of anthropology of MSU conducted wide research of population of the USSR, embracing 120 000 persons, and further analysis of conformities of age/sex and territorial variability of anthropometric traits and their correlations. The research culminated in developing and practical implementation of a number of State Standards, Yu.Kurshakova was one of the authors.

In 1964 the team of the Institute of Anthropology started one more State task — the development of combined size standards for countries-member of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. This task demanded theoretical investigations in the field of anthropo;ogical stardardization, which became the basis of the principles of construction of CoMEA standard and are in fact the exceptional merit of Yuliya Sergeevna Kurshakova.

Conclusion. Works on standardization in 1960s-1980s in the Institute of Anthropology of MSU, which most important «engine» was Yu.S.Kurshakova, are no exaggeration the era of anthropological standardization in the history of Moscow school of anthropology. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The 2023 was the anniversary year for anthropology, when 180 years were celebrated since the birth of D.N. Anuchin (1843–1923) and 140 years since the founding of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow University. The jubilee year is the best time tо remember those, who without sparing their strength and health, contributed to the development of education in Russia. In the article, for the first time in literature, an attempt was made to recreate images of people who took the most active part in the formation of the ethnographic collection of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow University.

Materials and methods. The article is based on the materials of the Museum's Book of Acquisitions, information from collection inventories and the scientific archive of the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology, as well as data from literature and other open sources. The chronological method was used in the work.

Results and discussion. The article presents information on 17 collectors, whose names are arranged in chronological order. The article presents data on the following collectors and donors: anthropologist and public figure N.L. Gondatti (1861–1946); publicist, archaeologist, and ethnographer N.M. Yadrintsev (1842–1894); Ambassador Extraordinary to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay A.S. Ionin (1837–1900); military man and diplomat V.F. Mashkov (1858–1932); military man, linguist, and ethnographer S.G. Leontovich (1862–?); geographer and anthropologist E.I. Lutsenko (1876–1931); revolutionary and public figure F.Ya. Kon (1864–1941); entomologist and genealogist N.F. Ikonnikov (1885–1970); ethnographer and museologist D.T. Yanovich (1879–1940); zoologist and zoogeographer I.I. Puzanov (1885–1971); poet K.D. Balmont (1867–1942); anthropologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.V. Troitsky (1885–– 1952); as well as members of the Second Russian Expedition to South America (1914–1915): G.G. Manizer (1889–1917); F. Fielstrup (1889–1933); I.D. Strelnikov (1887–1981); N.P. Tanasiychuk (1890–1960) and S.V. Gaiman (1887–). Unfortunately, the size of the article allows only brief information about these people, while each of them is worthy of a separate study.

Conclusion. Many people took part in staffing the ethnographic department of the Anthropological Museum during the «Anuchin» times, but unfortunately, to date, it has not been possible to find any information about all of them. The author intends to continue the research. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. There are several standardized methods for estimating the age of a skull. Most of these methods are based on the analysis of suture obliteration and the tooth wear scoring. However, many anthropologists prefer a more subjective approach, relying on general impressions without using a set of standardized criteria. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a visual method for age estimation and reconstruction of age-at-death structure in a skeletal sample.

Materials and methods. The study was based on a series of 116 skulls from the early 20th century collected by the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera). These specimens had documented sex and age information. Two researchers independently assessed the age of the skull specimens and recorded the degree of suture fusion on the cranial vault as well as the level of tooth wear on the occlusal surfaces. The correlation between age and estimated scores was calculated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The discrepancy between estimated and actual ages was measured by calculating the mean absolute error (MAE) and systematic error (SE) as the average difference between documented and estimated ages for the entire sample as well as for each age group. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to assess the consistency of the authors’ estimates.

Results. The authors' estimates showed moderately high agreement among themselves and a moderate positive correlation with actual age. The accuracy of the visual assessments was found to be comparable with that of more formalized methods for assessing the degree of suture obliteration. The estimates also exhibited the phenomenon of regression to the mean, with individuals in younger cohorts being systematically overestimated in terms of age and those in older cohorts being underestimated. The accuracy of determining the age-at-death distribution depends to some extent on the actual characteristics of the sample structure. Averaging estimates from different authors or several estimates from the same author, repeated over a large time interval, makes it possible to bring estimates closer to real data.

Conclusion. Increasing interobserver agreement of age estimates can be achieved by fixing traits on the same point scales, as well as by increasing age intervals. The accuracy of estimates can be improved by repeated age estimation as well as the “wisdom of the crowd” effect. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Russian population genetics arose in the depths of anthropology. Over time, the rapid development of genetic technologies created a tension between these two fields of science. In hope to strengthen the long-standing alliance between anthropology and genetics, this work attempts to describe some aspects of genetic characteristics that genetics deals with, discuss the problem of sample representativeness for so diverse genetic features, and explain how methods harnessed by both sciences are used in genetics. The main focus of the article is on ADMIXTURE, a method of ancestry estimation which makes use of paleogenetic data and is well known to paleoanthropologists.

Results and discussion. Our study shows how this method can benefit the ethnic anthropology of modern populations. We provide examples of PCA and ancestral component analysis for different regions (the Russian North, the Far East, Northern Eurasia) and for different tasks. ADMIXTURE can quantitatively estimate the contributions of racial and anthropologic components on different hierarchical levels; its estimates are based on huge arrays of independent genetic markers.

Conclusion. Only a small part of the extensive research field that both anthropology and genetics deal with is discussed in this paper. But if our attempt boosts collaboration between geneticists and anthropologists, the mission of this paper can be considered accomplished. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

The article is devoted to a brief overview of the achievements of anthropologists of Moscow State University over the past quarter of a century in honor of the anniversary of MSU (270^th anniversary of its foundation). The review is divided into several subsections devoted to the main scientific activities of the employees of the Institute of Anthropology, in which current scientific areas are discussed.

The work of anthropologists in the scientific funds of the Museum of Anthropology, as well as the achievements and results obtained in the course of studying materials from anthropological and archaeological expeditions of the Institute of Anthropology of Moscow State University are presented. The work of the weekly scientific seminar "Anthropological Environment" is described. Since 2020, it has been broadcast online, which has significantly expanded the audience for participation not only by specialists from Moscow, but also for anthropologists and scientists of related specialties from other regions. Thematic master classes, approbation of reports of young applicants, meetings of the Anthropology section of the annual International Scientific Conference of Students, Postgraduates and Young Scientists "Lomonosov" are held on the platform of the seminar. The unity of anthropologists is promoted by a professional journal. Anthropologists can defend their scientific research in the Thematic Dissertation Council of Moscow State University, which has been functioning since 1958. The review discusses the features of the educational process at the Department of Anthropology of the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University - the only one in the Russian Federation that provides professional education in the field of human biology. The article presents a list of thematic exhibitions organized on the basis of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University over the past 5 years, and discusses events to promote anthropology at the Museum. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. This paper discusses the results of the analysis of intra- and inter-population variability in spatial and temporal aspects among the indigenous population of the Republic of Tuva, who have preserved to a certain extent the traditional way of life.

Materials and methods. The material for the article is the results of complex anthropological expeditions of the Anuchin Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology to the Republic of Tuva, implemented in the period from 2016 to 2022 in cooperation with Tuva State University and the Medical Genetic Research Center.

Results and discussion. According to the results of the conducted research, the existing ideas about the structure of intergroup variability of related Altai-Sayan peoples (Tuvans, Tuvans-Todzhins, Tsaatans, Altaians) have been expanded, the anthropological and genetic community of Tsaatans and the indigenous population of Tuva has been confirmed. Also, for the population of the republic over the past 40 years, the detected maladaptive changes caused by socio-cultural changes and violation of the traditional way of life have been described for the first time. Among other things, a significant (2.5-3 years) acceleration of ontogenesis in the younger generation was shown in both urban and rural conditions, an increase in total body size (secular trend), acceleration of puberty, changes in body composition, which confirms a violation of adaptation in the populations of the indigenous Tuvan population. Based on the latest data obtained, data on changes in the structure of intra-population variability and manifestations of the secular trend in most regions of the Republic have been confirmed and supplemented.

Conclusion. The further task of anthropological research of an ethnogenetic orientation is to assess as many aspects as possible that fall under the influence of the described factors, both in Tuvan and in other groups. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article is devoted to a review of the results of anthropological research of European populations based on visual art, which is conducted in the laboratory of racial studies of the Anuchin Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University.

Results and discussion. The study of morphological variability of population based on the visual arts is a relatively new interdisciplinary area of physical anthropology. Research is being carried out in two directions: 1) European portraiture of the 15th-19th centuries and Russian portraiture of the 18th - 19th centuries, 2) Mediterranean ancient sculpture and painting. Descriptions of materials and methodology are detailed in the main articles of the team cited in the bibliography. The image series were studied from a population approach to the analysis of variability. About one and a half thousand Western European and Russian portraits were studied, anthropological characteristics and estimates of homogeneity of the population were obtained by descriptive method and the composite portrait method. An anthropological description of the ancient population of the Mediterranean was obtained from samples: Fayum pictorial portraits, Roman sculptural portraits, Etruscan pictorial and sculptural portraits, Greek sculptural and pictorial portraits.

Conclusion. The iconography of the physical features of the populations in various monuments of material culture and art allows us to obtain anthropological information about the variability of ancient and modern populations. The research potential of visual art resources for anthropology is evident and varied, but has not yet been sufficiently studied in terms of estimating and verifying of anthropological information that can become research applications for future researchers. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. One of the central tasks of ethnic anthropology is to describe the phenotypic variability in modern human populations. In recent years, the number of publications visualizing the morphological features of a human face at the population level has increased significantly. The purpose of the article is to show the latest achievements of Lomonosov Moscow State University’s anthropologists, made by using the composite photo portrait (CPP) method.

Materials and methods. The material for the article was the works of the Moscow University’s anthropological scientific school in recent years (from 2009 to 2024), made using the composite photo portrait method.

Results and discussion. Recently, several innovations have been introduced: it has become possible to create CPP in profile and ¾ norms; a transition has been made in creating a photo portrait from combining individual images at 2 points to pulling them together at more points; the optimal number of photographic images for creating CPP has been mathematically determined; it has become possible to characterize human populations with a series of ontogenetic portraits. The gallery of composite photo portraits has been replenished with photographs of the peoples of the Volga-Ural region, the Caucasus, North, Central, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, as well as countries of Africa and Latin America. The application of the CPP method in paleoanthropology has begun.

Conclusion. A qualitative leap has been made in the Lomonosov Moscow State University’s Research Institute of Anthropology in the research and development of photographic materials with the help of CPP: a software application for the CPP formation has been created and significantly improved; the gallery of photo portraits of ethnic groups around the globe has been seriously expanded. For the first time a series of photo generalizations characterizing human populations at different stages of ontogenesis were created. The composite photo portrait method remains a promising scientific tool that opens up wide opportunities for studying various aspects of the phenotypic variability of ancient and modern human populations. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. According to the concept of adaptive types proposed about 50 years ago [Alekseeva, 1972, 1977], representatives of different groups and races in similar living conditions independently (convergently) develop close adaptive norms of morpho-physiological complexes that ensure stability in given ecological environment. Today, this concept is widely used in anthropology and human ecology although its important applied and predictive aspects are often underestimated.

This review examines the history of the formation and development of the concept of adaptive types in the context of other views on human ecology, its connection with modern scientific views, and the prospects for implementation in fundamental and applied research.

Results. Over the past 50 years, the concept of adaptive types has been enriched and strengthened through interactions with related scientific fields. The use of ethnographic data on the way of life, physical loads, food availability and composition in groups with different variants of traditional natural resource use demonstrated the importance of an integrated assessment of the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors. The application of ideas and methods from population and molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis allowed the supplementation of phenotypic morpho-functional indices with data on the specificity of the distribution of genetic determinants of metabolism in groups adapted to different environmental conditions. This allows us to consider the formation of adaptive types as a microevolutionary process in which the habitat and the population adapting to it at the biological and cultural-technological level mutually influence each other. This approach, based on the position of the modern theory of niche construction, in particular, allows us to identify an adaptive type of urbanized environment characterized by ranges of adaptive norm of morpho-physiological, auxological, biochemical, and endocrine complexes specific to megapolis populations. Comparison of data obtained from studies of groups with different levels of modernization showed that the damaging effect of the anthropogenic environment decreases as the population enters the range of a new adaptive norm that meets the requirements of an emerging urban niche.

Conclusion. The concept of adaptive types, in its modern interpretation, is productive when considering a number of fundamental and applied issues in the field of human ecology, theoretical, and evolutionary medicine, including the problem of the spread of metabolic disorders. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The history of the development of human auxology at Lomonosov Moscow State University as one of the areas of biological anthropology is discussed.

Results and discussion. The main achievements of the university auxological school in the 21st century are analyzed against the background of similar research carried out by foreign scientists. The main attention is paid to the influence of climatic, socio-economic, psycho-emotional factors on the processes of growth and development. A special place in the works of the MSU auxologists is occupied by the problems of secular changes in morphofunctional characteristics. Russian scientists have obtained new original results regarding the direction and rates of these changes at different stages of the human life cycle. In particular, unlike previous decades, the transformation of the vector of these changes towards macrosomic physique in children, adolescents and young adults, an increase in fat mass, a decrease in skeletal mass and physical strength of the body was demonstrated. These results generally corresponds to global trends observed in other countries. The data on secular changes in body composition components, the effect of different diseases on physical characteristics, the development of reference graphs, tables and other means of assessing and diagnosing individual and group growth patterns are analyzed. Another important aspect of the MSU auxological studies deals with the impact of physical activity on the somatic status of children and adolescents, as well as some vectors of the secular trend in athletes.

Conclusion. Russian auxologists have obtained new original results regarding the direction and rates of secular changes at different stages of the human life cycle. Auxological investigations at Lomonosov Moscow State University include also applied research aspects of significant practical importance, in particular for a number of branches of medicine and sports science. Possible prospects for future auxological research are presented, including continuation of secular trend studies, the impact of psychoemotional factors on growth and development, expanding research in the field of sports anthropology, improving methodological support, and working with archival materials. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

The article discusses the main directions, achievements and future prospects for the development of Human morphology at Lomonosov Moscow State University at the beginning of the third millennium. The development of a morphological typology of physique for children and adults by V.E. Deryabin can be regarded as one of the great achievements of Russian morphological research. Deryabin’s typology has become widespread and takes a leading place in Russian anthropological studies of intra- and intergroup features of physique in modern populations. Anthropologists of Lomonosov Moscow State University have obtained new data on the main directions of the secular trend (intergenerational changes) in the body sizes of Moscow youth over the past 50 years. Modern trends in changes of physique in the early twenty-first century include the continued increase in body weight and fat deposition (with differentrates in young males and females), a slight decrease of massiveness of the skeleton common to both sexes, and the tendency to increase andromorphism (masculinity) of physique in girls. A new contribution to the development of modern Human morphology could be the construction of predictive models of the microevolutionary transformations of the human physique in the third millennium based on fluctuating changes in socio-economic, demographic and socio-cultural factors. One of the actual practical tasks of Sports morphology is to identify anthropometric markers of sports success in various specializations for using at different stages of sports selection and correction of training process. Implementation of new digital technologies – 3D body scanners – into the practice of morphological research will allow storing information as digital copies of the human body and get a wide range of body composition indicators for different groups of the modern population. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Analysis of correlations of sexual somatic dimorphism (SD) with the degree of urbanization (quantity of population) and geographic latitude of the residence place is carried out using the material of monitoring of Russian children and adolescents.

Material and methods. The study embraces the wide specter of ethno-territorial samples of children and adolescents from Russia and neighboring countries (literary data), examined through the historic interval 1930-2010 years. To estimate the direction and degree of associations of anthropometric traits (height, weight, chest girth) and ecological factors the classic correlation analysis for pairwise combinations of variables was implemented for age groups of 9-year-old children and 13-year-old adolescents. The quantitative estimation of SD was carried out using Kullback divergence, the analogue of Makhalanobis distance.

Results. Significant correlations of SD of height with both ecological factors for 13-year-old adolescents and SD of weight for 9-year-old children with the quantity of population were fixed on base of the whole data massive. The more homogeneous data base (only Slavonic groups examined in 1960s-1970s) shows significant correlations of latitude with SD of height for 13-year-old adolescents only in combination with the quantity of population of the residence place up to 500 thousands of people; and latitude with SD of weight for 9-year-old children only for million-plus cities. Significant correlations of quantity of population were fixed for SD of height of 13-year-old adolescents in more southern ranges of latitude (37-50degrees), for SD of weight for 9-year-old children in more northern ranges of latitude (50 degrees and more).

Conclusion. The study shows complex superposition of ecological factors, which influence somatic variability of children through growth process. High degree of urbanization conceal anthropoecological correlations SD-latitude for ecosensitive age 13 years, but reveal them for “neutral” age, 9 years, with the opposite vector. The most southern range of latitudes (about 40 degrees) reveal positive associations of SD with the degree of urbanization for 13-year-olds, which are not fixed in more northern latitudes. More frequent anthropoecological correlations of SD of height, as genetic marker, of 13-year-olds, and SD of weight as the marker of nutrition status and life style of 9-year-olds reflect the physiological essence of age periods - increase of intersex differences for adolescents and decrease of intersex differences for second childhood children. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In recent years, laser-based rangefinders have been considered as a possible alternative to mechanical anthropometers. One of these instruments is the KAFA-Laser anthropometer (KAFA, Russia). Our aim was to test the accuracy and reproducibility of the KAFA-Laser anthropometer when measuring height of anthropometric points.

Materials and methods. Using anthropometers GPM (DKSH, Switzerland) and KAFA-Laser, paired measurements of the height of 9 anthropometric points were carried out on 10 males aged 18-47 years. The measurements were performed by 3 researchers having different experience, 3 times in succession. The accuracy of measurements with the KAFA-Laser instrument was assessed by comparison with the GPM data. Intergroup differences were assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Technical measurement errors and reliability coefficients were assessed.

Results and discussion. The difference in the height of anthropometric points when measured with the KAFA-Laser and GPM anthropometers significantly depended on the qualification of the measurers and was minimal (+0.0-0.5 cm) for researcher 1, a more experienced user of the KAFA-Laser anthropometer (absence of significant differences for 7 out of 9 points). The mean standard deviations for researcher 1 were lower than those for researchers 2 and 3 and were consistent with traditional anthropometry. Measurements with the GPM anthropometer showed lower individual, inter-individual, and total technical errors. Measurements of the vertex point were characterized by low values of technical measurement errors and high coefficients of reliability (0.94 and 0.95, respectively), and for the remaining points varied widely, which indicates the relevance of implementing objective quality control of anthropometric measurements.

Conclusion. The results of testing KAFA-Laser anthropometer suggest the possibility of obtaining comparable results of measurements of the height of anthropometric points in terms of accuracy and reproducibility to that of the conventional anthropometry with the proper level of mastery of the measurement techniques. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The problem of human adaptation to modern realities, including living in cities, changing the traditional diet, and significantly reducing physical stress on the body in everyday life is becoming increasingly relevant all over the world. In this vein, experts from various fields of science pay attention to the study of general secular trends and a more detailed analysis of individual components of this phenomenon, including body composition and other somatic characteristics of specific social and/or gender and age groups of the population. Of particular interest are data on urban populations that have recently migrated from rural areas, against the background of significant socio-economic transformations in the countries of the Global South, as well as a comparison of data from different regions of the world to identify common and population-specific indicators of adaptation.

Materials and methods. The paper presents data on students from three populations (684 individuals, 343 of them men and 341 women): Tanzanian (natives of the Bantu peoples from Dodoma), Russian (residents of Tula) and Buryat (residents of Ulan-Ude). The age ranges from 17 to 30 years, the average age was 21.28±2.75 y. A number of anthropometric characteristics and body composition were measured.

Results. Our data indicate the presence of sexual dimorphism in each of the studied populations according to the complex of morphological characteristics and body composition. It is noteworthy that Russian students (Caucasians) had more pronounced sexual dimorphism compared to Tanzanians (Negroids) and Buryats (Mongoloids).

Conclusion. Summing up, data on three populations representing samples of young people who are similar in social status and level of education, but differ in their racial and ethnic origin, as well as the environmental characteristics of the regions of residence, indicate the presence of distinct differences between the sexes in body size and its component composition. These differences were unidirectional in the three samples studied, and may reflect the generalized outcome of natural and sexual selection for Homo sapiens. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Greek sculpture and vase painting, despite the comprehensive study of specialists in many fields of science, can represent a source of information for historical and biological anthropology. The vase painting and sculpture of the ancient Greeks has been studied in the context of ethnic and biological continuity with the modern Greek population.

Materials and methods. A total of 1020 vases (2379 people) and 174 reliefs (300 people) were studied. Two characteristics were studied – the development of tertiary hair growth (beard growth) and the nature of the head hair of ancient and modern Greeks. The material was collected from online sources and relevant literature, and processed according to anthropological methods. The composite portrait according to F. Galton method in digital format has been used to visualize morphological variability.

Results and discussion. Modern Greeks (the middle total type of the population) are characterized by straight or lightly wavy head hair (middle score 1.41) and most often above middle or heavy beard growth (middle score 3.38). The proportion of straight and wavy hair in all vase painting samples is approximately the same, with wavy hair significantly predominant. The middle scores for hair nature and beard growth based on relief funeral images of ancient Greeks in our samples turned out to be significantly higher than for modern Greeks and amounted to: for nature of the hair – 2,62 points for classical time and 2,81 points for late classical and hellenistic times, for beard growth – 4,38 points and 4,30 points, respectively.

Conclusion. Despite the change in artistic forms of conveying morphological features during the transition from archaic to classical times, in Greek vase painting and sculpture the representation of the heavy beard growth and the wavy nature of head hair was preserved, which, according to the authors, may be a real reflection of the typical morphological characteristics of the group. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license