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.
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.
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.
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.
Keywords:
biological anthropology; human auxology; growth and development; environmental factors; secular trend; physical activity; Lomonosov Moscow State University
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).
Keywords:
anthropological variability; sexual somatic dimorphism; level of urbanization and latitude of the residence place; second childhood; adolescence; quantitative level of anthropoecological correlations
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.
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).
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.
Introduction. The article presents the preliminary results of the anthropological expedition to Barnaul, Altai Krai (Siberian Federal District), conducted in September 2023 in order to study long-term (over the past 70 years) changes in body sizes among modern youth in this region. One of the main practical tasks of the study was the development of relevant standards (reference tables) for assessing the level of physical development of students in Altai Krai.
Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 295 young men and women aged 17–23, mainly (more than 92%) Russians by nationality. Subjects were examined according to a comprehensive anthropometric program including measurement of total body sizes, shoulder and pelvic breadths, trunk and limb circumferences, five skinfolds, and grip strength on right hand.
Results. The average height of young males born in Barnaul increased by 10,5 cm across birth cohorts from the 1930s to the 2000-2006s. The rate of secular increase in height is about 1,5 cm per decade. Intergroup comparisons of body height in female samples from Barnaul demonstrated an increase in height in modern women by 5 cm compared with the cohorts born in the 1940s (about 0,8 cm per decade). Long-term changes in anthropometric parameters in Barnaul are comparable with the general secular trend in Russia and consistent with the hypothesis of the dominant influence of socio-economic factors on intergenerational transformation of the physique of children, adolescents, and young adults.
Introduction.
Primates living in groups in the laboratory can exhibit a wide range of behaviors consistent with their natural behavioral repertoire. The study of adolescent macaques’ behavior grouped together in new social group is of interest for understanding the social organization of preschool children, as well as for anthropology in general. The goal of the work is to reveal the individual and sex differences of behavioral activity of unrelated adolescent rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), grouped in new laboratory conditions.
Materials and methods. We conducted focal observations recording the behavior activity of each macaque in the first two months of their cohabitation. We analyzed individual and sex differences in the manifestation of locomotor, exploratory and social behavior.
Results.
Individual characteristics of macaques for each type of behavior were identified. The group turned out to be the most heterogeneous in the degree of manifestation of exploratory behavior. The exploratory activity of females was significantly higher than that of males. Social activity was significantly higher in males due to the predominance of friendly reactions, although aggression was equally demonstrated in both sexes. However, females were significantly more often exposed to aggression from other individuals than they showed it themselves. As for males, aggression towards other individuals and aggression from other individuals did not differ significantly. Most individuals in the group demonstrated more friendliness reactions than aggression, but two macaques showed these types of behavior equally. There were no differences in the number of locomotor reactions between males and females.
Introduction. Paleoanthropological studies of Medieval North African materials are extremely few. Despite the large number of international expeditions working in the region, very few results of craniometric and osteometric data are presented. This is partly due to the loss of practical measurement skills in European anthropological schools in the second half of the 20th century, partly due to the difficulties of studying the graves of the Islamic period. Several seasons of work of the Nubian Archaeological and Anthropological Expedition of the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University on the Southern Necropolis of the medieval site Derakheyb (Republic of Sudan) were devoted to the study of this population. The purpose of the publication is characteristics of the medieval population buried in the Southern Necropolis of the Derakheyb site due to osteological features and introducing the new data.
Materials and methods. The material is the bones of the postcranial skeleton of adult individuals (14 men and 9 women). The technique corresponds to the classical program in the modification of V.P. Alekseev (a total of 74 signs and 16 pointers). The reconstruction of the body length was carried out, the total body dimensions were described, and the proportion indicators were calculated. For intra-group analysis, the principal component method was used, which was carried out using individual data using the R language.
Results and discussion. The male population is characterized by average total body size and shoulder width, while the female series is relatively narrow-shouldered. In the male series, the distal parts of the arms and legs are elongated relative to the proximal ones, and the lower limbs are elongated relative to the upper ones. The women's series featured a more graceful physique. The distal part of the leg is elongated relative to the proximal one, as in the male group; there is also some shortening of the upper limbs relative to the lower ones. Body length varies between 166 cm for men and 156 cm for women.
Introduction. The purpose of the study is to characterize and to compare the indicators of fat deposition and body composition in groups of urban children and adolescents of the Republic of Mongolia in various living conditions.
Materials and methods. The material for this study was the results of a comprehensive survey of 5 612 Mongolian children and adolescents aged 9-17 years (born and permanently residing in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar). In accordance with the objectives of the study, the body circumferences, the skinfolds, as well as the body mass components evaluated by bioimpedance technique were analyzed.
Results. Based on the obtained statistical parameters of the studied features, as well as on the results of their comparison in the studied groups, it can be concluded that the value of most of the considered indicators in children and adolescents living in apartments is higher than in their peers living in yurts.
Discussion. The increase in body weight in boys living in the apartments, recorded according to the results of our previous work, is associated with an increase in active cell mass, and, as a result, – lean body mass. To a lesser extent, judging by the existing differences, its value is influenced by the fat component. While the parameters of fat deposition show a small number of significant differences, unlike circumferences, it can also be concluded that the variability of the girths is more associated with the development of the muscular component. Similar patterns were obtained for girls. However, in this case they are less pronounced, but also correspond to the previously obtained results.
Introduction. In 2023, Russian science celebrated the 140th anniversary of the birth of D.N. Anuchin, a scientist-encyclopedist and prominent specialist in the fields of anthropology, ethnology, geography, archaeology, and a promoter and popularizer of science.
Materials and methods. Literary sources were used. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study.
Introduction. The formation of the gene pool of modern Khakas people occurred through the interaction of various groups of ancient inhabitants of the Minusinsk Basin. This article is focused on the inter-group analysis of craniological series representing different Khakassian subethnic groups.
Materials and Methods. The cranial series of the Kachins, Koibals, Sagais, and Beltirs was studied using the battery of 36 cranial non-metric characteristics. The obtained data was compared with data on other populations of Southern and Western Siberia: Shors, Tuvans, Telengits, Selkups, Khants, and Mansis. The analysis of the biological diversity of populations was carried out using Smith's mean measure of divergence (MMD) followed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis.
Results. The Kachins are the most distant from the other Khakas subethnic groups, forming a cluster with the Telengits and Tuvans. The Koibals and Beltirs were positioned quite close to the Shors. The Sagais occupied a separate position in the Khakas cluster, presumably due to a greater proportion of Europoid admixture compared to other Khakas groups. The pooled Khakas sample shares similar cranial non-metric characteristics with Turkic-speaking ethnic groups of Southern Siberia: Shors, Telengits, and Tuvans.
Discussion. The nature of phenetic differentiation of the Khakas sub-ethnic groups presumably reveals their complex population history. The position of the Kachins outside the Khakas cluster based on non-metric traits resulted from specificity of their phenofund, which is also supported by molecular genetic data. The similarity in the phenofund of the Khakas groups to those of the Tuvans and Telengits may result from gene flow between Khakas populations and the peoples of Southern Siberia or/and from their common episodes in their ethnogenesis. The similarity between pooled Khakassian sample and the Shors presumably suggests involvement of common genetic components in the gene pools of these peoples, which is consistent with molecular genetic data.
