Articles

Introduction. During the fourth season of the Nubian Archaeological and Anthropological Expedition, organized by the Moscow State University Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology, research was conducted in the Deraheib site in Sudan, from February to March 2022. A 2×2 m test trench with a depth of 2.2 m was opened during the season underneath the opening in the wall in order to clarify the structural features of the northwestern wall and determine the construction phases of the Fortress.

Materials and methods. The excavated soil was meticulously sieved. The archaeological material consisted mainly of pottery and animal bones. Their analysis allows us to draw basic conclusions about the nature of the layer in which the trench was laid and to date the time of its formation. The light green soil was also analysed. Architectural analysis also allowed us to draw some important conclusions about the site.

Conclusions. Based on the results of studies in the test trench and the data from the engineering and architectural survey of the Northern Fortress, we are able to propose a chronology for the early stages of its usage. We believe that the northwestern and northeastern walls built in the first construction phase were weakened by mudflows, and more powerful walls were built to reinforce them during the second construction phase. The northwestern wall from the second construction period was built on a layer of debris left from the first stage of fortress’s usage. This layer, consisting of lustre ware fragments, dates back to the 10^th century. The space between the northwestern walls, which belonged to the first and second construction phases, respectively, i.e. the 10^th and 11^th centuries or possibly later, was used as a dump for household garbage, toilet waste, or even as an outhouse. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The publication continues the series of articles devoted to the description of the collection of photographs of representatives of the peoples of the Kuban region, and is devoted to the study of photographic images of the Abaza. The method of anthropological photography is not only a visual way to preserve information over time, but also plays a significant role in shaping scientific heritage.

Materials and methods. The work was based on a collection of photographs collected by E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903), presented by him at the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 in Moscow and stored in the collections of the D.N. Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Results. Describe and analyze the photographic images of the Abaza people who lived in the Batalpashinsky district of the Kuban region in the villages of Loovo-Kubansky and Dudarukovsky.

Discussion. The authorship of the studied Abaza photographs has been established: A.K. Engel, a famous photographer in the Caucasus in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made them. The article presents literary information on the problems of studying the origin, ethnic history, and cultural traditions of this nationality, as well as data on the study of the anthropological features of the Abaza.

Conclusion. The first published photographic images of Abaza, which are part of the collection provided by E.D. Felitsyn at the Anthropological Exhibition in 1879, are unique and have scientific, historical and documentary value and significance as visual material. With the development of modern society, photographs, along with museum exhibits, become the only witnesses of past times and events, an essential addition to the study of the indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus, which requires persistent joint efforts by anthropologists, ethnographers, geneticists, historians and linguists. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The research is devoted to the study of an archival photographs' collection of the Tungus and Orochons of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, stored in the collections of Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology. In this article some photographs from the collection are published for the first time. In the work examines the possibilities of using archival photographic materials of the Tungus and Orochons to obtain a composite photographic portrait, and its comparison with composite photographic portraits of the modern Evenks.

Materials and methods. The material for the study was a collection of photographs of the Tungus and Orochons, collected at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, which is currently stored in the funds of the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moreover, to the photographs examined in the collections of the Museum of Anthropology, supplementary sources of archival photographs were used to create a composite portrait. A composite portrait of increased clarity was obtained using the faceONface software (combining images at three reference points). A comparative analysis of composite portraits obtained from archival and modern photographs was carried out.

Results and discussion. As a result of a comparative analysis of composite portraits of young and mature Tungus, constructed from archival materials, their significant similarity was revealed. Similarities were also noted between the portrait of the Tungus, obtained from archival data, and the portrait of modern Amur Evenks.

Conclusion. As a result of the analysis of the archival photo collection, the places of origin of some photographs were clarified, and new persons who participated in the creation of the photo collection were discovered. Based on the results of this study, it was shown that the composite photographic portrait method turned out to be the most correct tool for extracting anthropological information from archival photographic materials. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Mahalanobis distances (D²) are used in craniological studies to provide a generalised assessment of differences between samples, taking into account trait variances and correlations. However, sample distances tend to be biased upwards compared to the true D² value, especially in the case of small sample sizes. An adjustment for the number of observations, proposed by D. Rightmire, is one way of compensating for this bias. However, the conditions for its application and even the methods for calculating the variables may vary according to the characteristics of the sample. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effective impact of the adjustment on Mahalanobis distances and to explore approaches to reduce bias in sample estimates.

Materials and methods. The analysis was based on three aggregated series of male skulls fr om Bashkirs, Chuvash and Latvians. D² was calculated using an averaged covariance matrix. Three methods of calculating Mahalanobis distances were considered: with no adjustment for the number of observations, with Rightmire's adjustment applied to all distances, and with an adjustment that considers only statistically significant distances. In addition, alternative approaches to adjustment were tested in cases wh ere there were large differences in the number of observations for individual traits: using the harmonic mean of the sample sizes and calculating D² separately for linear and angular traits, followed by summation.

Results. Rightmire's correction, when applied to all distances, generally provides accurate and unbiased estimates of D². When adjustments are applied, the D² value may approach zero or even become negative, even in cases where there are significant differences between populations. Since the medians of the sample D² values are closest to the true D² values, all negative D² values can be safely transformed to zero without compromising the calculations. A D² value of zero does not imply that there are no morphological differences between samples. To approximate the true distance between samples, confidence intervals can be calculated, e.g. using bootstrapping procedures.

Conclusion. Rightmire's correction allows for unbiased Mahalanobis distance estimates when using an averaged covariance matrix and small sample sizes. However, the choice of a specific correction method should take into account the sample size and the variability in the number of observations for different traits. When working with poorly preserved cranial series, it is advisable to use the harmonic mean of the sample sizes or separate distance calculations for angular and linear traits. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The reproductive parameters of the Tatar population of Siberia were studied, specifically: the Siberian Tatars, the Siberian Bukharans, and the Kolyon Tatars. A comparative analysis was conducted using a unified set of indicators to assess differences among these groups, and in relation to the Volga-Ural Tatars. The results are interpreted within the context of analyzing contribution of biological and non-biological factors to reproductive processes.

Materials and methods. The study encompassed seven ethno-territorial subgroups of the Tobol-Irtysh, Baraba, and Tomsk Siberian Tatars; the Bukharan Tatars, residing compactly in the Tyumen and Omsk regions; and the Kolyon Tatars, descendants of migrants from the Volga region. A total of 667 questionnaires filled out by women over the age of 45 were analyzed; the study examined age-related parameters and vital statistics, including the number of pregnancies and their outcomes.

Results and Discussion. The average number of children surviving to reproductive age enabled the classification of the reproductive type as expanded among the Tobol-Irtysh and Baraba Siberian Tatars, and simple among the Bukharan Tatars, Kolyon Tatars, and Tomsk Siberian Tatars. The ethnoterritorial subgroups of Tobol–Irtysh Siberian Tatars exhibited the lowest rate of prenatal losses compared with other Siberian Tatar groups – the Baraba, Tomsk, and Siberian Bukharan Tatars. The primary contributor to the structure of prenatal losses among the Siberian Tatars comes from medical abortions, with the highest average number observed among the Tomsk Tatars and Siberian Bukharan Tatars.

The Crow index and its components were as follows: for the Siberian Tatars – I_m = 0.040, I_f = 0.355, I_tot = 0.409; for the Bukharan Tatars – I_m = 0.013, I_f = 0.242, I_tot = 0.258; and for the Kolyon Tatars – I_m = 0.038, I_f = 0.184, I_tot = 0.229. And within the ethnoterritorial groups of the Siberian Tatars: Tobol-Irtysh Tatars: I_m = 0.031, I_f = 0.372, I_tot = 0.414; Baraba (Baraba-Turash) Tatars: I_m = 0.037, I_f = 0.327, I_tot = 0.377; Tomsk Tatars: I_m = 0.091, I_f = 0.303, I_tot = 0.421.

Conclusions. The analysis of the obtained data on the reproductive parameters of the Siberian Tatars revealed that, during the studied time period, reproductive processes in the Tatar population of the Siberian region are predominantly determined by non-biological factors. In the studied populations, a low level of natural selection pressure, operating through differential fertility, was observed. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. For the first time, we present the results of the odontoglyphics applied to the analysis of the upper molars of Homo erectus from the Zhoukoudian. In general, the odontoglyphical pattern of the studied molars demonstrates greater complexity compared to the known characteristics of modern human teeth.

Materials and methods. Copies of Homo erectus teeth from Zhoukoudian and fossil teeth of the Early and Middle Pleistocene from the localities of Hexian, Yiyuan, Meipu and Tongzi. Methodology of odontoglyphics according to the monographs of A.A. Zubov and N.I. Khaldeeva.

Results and discussion. On the teeth of Homo erectus, a large number of third-order furrows were observed, for example, the 5th groove of the paracone and protocone (5pa, 5pr) and the 3rd groove of the paracone (3pa); we consider the latter as a result of bifurcation of the main crest of the paracone near the central fossa on the upper molars. As a result of the analysis, a new odontoglyphical trait - “unifeather grooves” in the anterior fovea on the occlusal surface of the upper molars - was identified and described. The relationship between the pattern at the enamel-dentin junction (EDJ) and the occlusal enamel surface (OES) is discussed. A correlation between mesial marginal accessory tubercles and odontoglyphic features in this region of the teeth is addressed. In this context, we discussed the primitiveness of the accessory tubercles, in particular, the lingual paracone tubercle (LPT), which can be traced back to the late Early-Pleistocene of Asian Homo erectus.

Conclusion. The results may be useful for identifying and understanding the phylogenetic origin of additional cusps and grooves on the molars of early Homo. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of descriptive traits of indigenous peoples of Kyrgyzstan, Kalmykia, South Siberia and Western Mongolia.

Materials and methods. The data were collected during comprehensive anthropological expeditions in 2013-2017 in the populations of Sart-Kalmaks, Kalmyks, Mongols, Tuvinians, and Altaians. The program included following descriptive characteristics: the shape of legs was noted in the body structure, the pigmentation of skin, hair and eyes, the shape of hair and the development of tertiary hair on the face and chest in men were determined in the racial-diagnostic complex. Standard scales, point characteristics, and the method of generalized photographic portraits were used.

Results. It is shown that all studied groups are close to each other by the totality of descriptive features, while ethnic groups with the greatest Caucasoid admixture in their genesis deviate towards lighter shades of skin, eyes and hair. The occurrence of O-shaped legs, especially in men, correlates with genetic and historical data on the presence or absence of a Caucasoid component. Generalized photographic portraits of each sub-ethnic group confirm the general similarity of anthropological appearance due to the manifestation of a single racial component in all series.

Discussion. In general, according to descriptive features, all studied individuals are bright representatives of different anthropological types of the large mongoloid race and are characterized by darkly pigmented hair and eyes. New information for anthropological differentiation was introduced by the study of the shape of legs, associated with the frequency of occurrence of the O-shape. The application of the method of generalized photographic portraits allowed to make a more complete picture of the appearance of representatives of the studied ethnic groups. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The purpose of the study is to calculate the age–related reproduction parameters of the rural population of a number of ethnic groups in the North Caucasus (menarche, menopause, the onset of sexual activity, the birth of the first and last child, the age limits of childbearing, protogenetic and intergenetic intervals, physiological and real reproductive periods).

Materials and methods. The survey of post-reproductive age women (over 45 years old) was conducted by local health officials at our request during a comprehensive genetic and epidemiological survey of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia and North Ossetia-Alania. Representatives of the main ethnic groups of these republics (Karachay, Abaza, Nogai, Circassian, Kumyk, Ossetian, Ingush and Russians of both republics) were interviewed. The analysis included 2,921 rural population survey questionnaires. In the case of a sufficient number of questionnaires collected, an analysis of temporal changes in the parameters under consideration (by decades) was carried out. For the Kumyk, Ingush and Russians of North Ossetia, the questionnaires turned out to be insufficient for such a division.

Results. The age of menarche and menopause fall within physiological limits. The age of birth of the first child reveals statistically significant differences between Karachay women and Kumyk women. The physiological reproductive period is several times longer than the real one. The Russians of North Ossetia have the largest protogenetic interval. The intergenetic interval has undergone significant time changes.

Discussion. When comparing with the results of similar studies of Komi-Permians, Shorians, Tatars, Bashkirs and Russians from other regions, it is suggested that splitting into larger time periods (for example, by generations rather than decades) will illustrate more significant temporal changes in these parameters.

Conclusion. The conducted research contributes to the compilation of a complete population-genetic portrait of the studied region. It was found that despite the territorial proximity and similar household structure, there are differences in the reproductive behavior of women belonging to different ethnic groups. However, all are characterized by an increase in the intergenetic interval, indicating the transition of the rural population of the North Caucasus to family planning and conscious childbearing. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. This article is devoted to identifying the relationship between aspects of the physical development of the child's organism at an early age and the susceptibility to diseases in subsequent age periods.

Materials and methods. The material was the main anthropometric data of children in the first three years of life (longitudinal study). The method of analyzing outpatient records was used. The main anthropometric characteristics of children were taken into account: body weight, body length, head circumference (up to 1 year) and chest circumference, on the basis of which the body mass index and the Vervec-Vorontsov index were calculated. Diagnoses and health groups of the same children, whose age as of 2023–2024 was 10–11 years, were extracted from outpatient records.

Results. During the first year of life, the proportion of children with harmonious physical development decreased in both boys and girls due to an increase in the proportion of children with disharmonious and sharply disharmonious development relative to the neonatal period. Analysis of the health status of children revealed that majority of children aged 10–11 years had the 2nd health group, which indicates the presence of functional deviations, frequent diseases, or decrease resistance of the organism. According to the results of cluster analysis, two groups were identified: cluster 1 included children who were characterized by harmonious physical development at an early age, with anthropometric indicators and index values within the normal range. Cluster 2 included children with disharmonious physical development, with anthropometric and index values above or below the norm, and diagnosed with various diseases at the age of 10–11 years.

Conclusion. Assessing the harmony of physical development of children in the early stages of ontogenesis can help identify characteristic disorders in the health and adaptive capabilities of the child's organism, as well as prevent the development of diseases in subsequent age periods, which emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and monitoring of the physical development of the younger generation. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

The aim of this study was to assess the level of sexual dimorphism of somatic parameters and body proportions in urban samples of Kabardians and Balkars.

Materials and methods. All materials for this study were obtained during a survey of university students in Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria) in 2023. Anthropometric data on 317 individuals (135 males and 182 females), aged from 17 to 23 years (the average age was 18,81±1.49) are presented in this paper. The analysis included 19 somatic parameters and several indices characterizing body proportions. To evaluate the level of sex differences in somatic parameters, Student’s t-test was used. For each of the analyzed somatic characteristics, the coefficient of sexual dimorphism was calculated.

Results. The results of the study showed a comparable level of somatic sexual dimorphism in the samples of Kabardians and Balkars. In both studied groups, males are larger than females, as evidenced by the positive values of coefficients of sexual dimorphism of total body sizes (except body mass index). Maximum degree of sexual dimorphism was observed in the longitudinal and transverse parameters of the skeleton. Body height and limbs lengths, as well as skeletal robustness, are greater in males compared to females in both ethnic groups. The values of almost all circumferences were higher in men. For most of the studied somatic parameters, the coefficients of sexual dimorphism are lower in Balkarians, except body height and limbs length.

Conclusion. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean values of somatic parameters in the groups modern urban Balkars and Kabardians. Sexual dimorphism of the majority of the analyzed characteristics was similar in both studied samples. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In our recent publications, we have established the possibility of using bioimpedance measurements to assess the Heath-Carter somatotype in different age groups. We aimed to develop unified formulas for calculating the somatotype in children and adults, evaluate their accuracy based on age and body mass index, and improve the somatotyping protocol in bioimpedance analyzer software.

Materials and methods. Data from our previous studies on comprehensive anthropometry and related BIA measurements were considered. The main group consisted of ethnic Russians aged 7-59, who were examined in Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk Region, Elista, and Samara (N=4,296). The comparison group 1 included ethnic Russians aged 16-86 from the Krasnoyarsk Region (N=3,954). The comparison group 2 consisted of ethnic Kalmyks aged 8-25 from Elista (N=940). Using the data of the main group, bioimpedance predictive formulas for Endomorphy (ENDO_BIA) and Mesomorphy (MESO_BIA) ratings were obtained. We evaluated their accuracy in different subgroups of the main group and the comparison groups.

Results. The obtained formulas were as follows: ENDO_BIA = -3,411.8/R50 + 0.942´BMI – 0.00938´BMI² – 0.0235´Ht – 0.28´Sex + 0.034´Age – 2.69 (N=4,296; R²=0.84; SEE=0.76); MESO_BIA = 1,531.8/R50 + 0.302´BMI – 0.0529´Ht + 0.57´Sex – 0.032´Age + 4.52 (N=4,296; R²=0.87; SEE=0.48). These were relatively accurate for the age range 7-40 years for males and 7-59 years for females, but less accurate outside these age ranges or at high BMI values. Based on this, we also suggested formulas for obese people: ENDO_BIA = -2,569/R50 + 0.854´BMI – 0.0087´BMI² – 0.0263´Ht – 0.032´Sex + 0.018´Age – 1.60 (N=296; R²=0.69; SEE=0.87); MESO_BIA = 1,567/R50 + 0.55´BMI – 0.00512´BMI² – 0.0524´Ht + 0.42´Sex – 0.035´Age + 1.66 (N=296; R²=0.62; SEE=0.64). The formulas were integrated into the ABC-02 'Medas' (SRC Medas, Russia) BIA instrument software.

Conclusions. Our findings expand the possibilities for assessing the somatotype and studying its variability. Using uniform calculation formulas for children and adults will help improve comparability of estimates and validity of comparisons. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Variability of sexual somatic dimorphism of 17-year-old juveniles in connection with the quantity of population of the residence place is under discussion.

Material and methods. The meta-analysis deals with the wide specter of urban samples (literary data) from Russia and neighboring countries (N=145). Somatic dimorphism of height, weight and chest girth is analysed. The estimation of the vector and level of associations of somatic dimorphism of anthropometric traits and the degree of urbanization is held using classic correlation analysis for pair combinations of traits (Pearson correlations). The quantitative estimation of somatic dimorphism is held using Kullback divergence, analogue of Makhalanobis distance.

Results. Analysis of anthropoecological correlations for different combinations of samples (only Slavonic, only samples examined in 1950^th–1970th, samples located in the zone of geograrhic latitude about 40 degrees of north latitude) didn’t reveal significant associations. Still significant increase of somatic dimorphism of height and chest girth according to the vector of urbanization is shown for the local sample of Moscow megalopolis through the historic interval 1925–2019 apart with the increase of the degree of urbanization from about 2 million of inhabitants up to 12,6 million. The form of associations has nonlinear character, The peak of somatic dimorphism is fixed in 1969–1970 for the generation of manifest aссelerats of Moscow.

Conclusion. The absence of significant correlations is connected with relatively low ecosensitivity of the organism apart with significant decrease of growth processes through juvenile period of ontogenesis and the absence of final somatic status, which characterize the intergroup anthropological variability in stable adult age. Besides with the complex superposition of a number of different factors, from ethnic to secular, which hamper the isolating of pure factor of sex and pure factor of degree of urbanization. The significant increase of somatic dimorphism of skeletal dimensions (height and chest girth) according to the vector of urbanization for the local homogenious sample of 17-year-old Moscow juveniles confirm the value of somatic dimorphism of skeletal dimensions as the informative indicator of the degree of urbanization in case of correct arrangement of data. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article presents the results of the analysis of the dynamics of Russian men height aged 17 years and older in 1902-2000. This topic has already been the subject of a number of researchers. The novelty of the article is that the analysis is based on big data.

Materials and methods. The study used height data of 4,430,180 Russian men aged 17 to 100 years, 117 nationalities, 91% Russian, examined mainly during recruitment into the army under a program that included measuring total body dimensions. The database includes 1,465,272 individual and 2,964,908 total data on height - this is the largest collection of data on the body length of Russian men of the 20th century.

Results. The height of Russian men born in 1902-2000 increased by 11.1 cm – from 166.4 to 177.5 cm. Such significant changes in height over a century, comparable in scale with global trends of the secular trend, are explained mainly by the influence of socio-economic and demographic factors. Approximately the same results were obtained when analyzing changes in the height of women, urban and rural populations. Conclusion. An upward secular trend was observed in the dynamics of the body length of Russians in the 20th century. Over 100 years, men grew from 166.4 to 177.5 cm – by 11.1 cm. Only cohorts born in 1916-1930 showed an insignificant (by 1.2 cm) decrease in average height. The increase in body length in the urban and rural population, as well as in men and women and representatives of different ethnic groups in most cases occurred synchronously and in approximately the same amounts. This means that the Soviet government ensured the improvement of living conditions in all population groups equally. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The Center for Physical Anthropology Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Russian Academy of Sciences conducts the project «Facial Reconstruction of the World War II Soldiers». The anthropologists are interested in the Great Patriotic War, drawing attention to military topics, and getting new reliable information about its participants, both about the heroes who ensured the victory of our country and about the soldiers of the enemy’s army. The three soldiers of Wehrmacht army of the Italian artillery unit who died at Stalingrad were studied. The work was carried out within the framework of the Russian-Italian project "Forgotten Names", initiated by the Chairman of the "Heritage" Fund for Social Projects (Volgograd) Victor Nikolayevich Vasilevsky.

Materials and methods. The remains of three Italian soldiers were obtained. The reconstruction was carried out according to the method of M.M. Gerasimov with the clarifications of his followers.

Results and discussion. The Laboratory of Anthropological Reconstruction has been working for many years to refine the method developed by M.M. Gerasimov. The appearance of three Italian soldiers was restored taking into account the new developments in the area; then verbal portraits of their appearance were compiled. The reconstructions were handed over to Italy, where they will be compared with the photographs in personal files in military archives of those who fought in 1942 on the territory of the Volgograd and Rostov regions.

Conclusion. On January 26, 2024, the remains of Italian soldiers were delivered to Venice. On January 30, a burial ceremony was held with military honors in the military pantheon of Cargnacco (province of Udine). © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The paper explores the dietary system of a Nogai group from kurgan 3 at the Sukhaya Termista II in the Rostov region, typical nomads who lived in the Sal river basin at the end of the 16th–early 17th centuries. The analysis of the δ¹³С and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen helped gain a better understanding of possible components of their dietary system and provided the basis for comparing the results obtained and historical and ethnographic data and the data of geochemical analysis.

Materials and methods. This study intends to analyze written records on dietary preferences of nomadic medieval populations left by travelers in the 13th–19th centuries. The study included the analyses of the funerary rite and demographic characteristics as well as the δ¹³С and δ¹⁵N values of bone tissue collagen. To assess the contribution of the dietary intake components from various trophic levels, we used the δ¹³С and δ¹⁵N data on the plants and animals from the medieval period, cereal crops from the Bronze Age, the Early Iron Age and the 19th century as well as modern fish. To verify the studied dietary system, a comparative analysis using isotopic data obtained for individuals from the graves dating to the Mongol Empire period of the 13th–early 14th centuries as well as the populations of China who lived in the Huang He river basin (the Yangshao culture) in the Bronze Age and for whom millet was a staple food was conducted.

Results and discussion. The analysis of the stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition shows that Nogai infants were breastfed; the dietary components of adult males and females and some children was the same. The comparison of isotopic composition of the core group of the individuals with that of various dietary components reveals that the local Nogais did not consume millet. The comparison with the reference dataset enabled us to determine substantial inter-group differences in the stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition of the bone tissue of the Nogais and the Mongol elite of the 13th–14th centuries as well as the Yangshao population of the Bronze Age.

Conclusion. The δ¹³С and δ¹⁵N data of the Nogai bone tissue from Sukhaya Termista and food components of various trophic levels suggest that livestock products were staple food; millet was not consumed. Presumably river fish and mollusks were not components of the dietary system, though some individuals have a higher δ¹⁵N value. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Anatomical anthropology is a field of study that emerged in the last third of the 19th century to study the variability of human organ structure, considering body type and racial, ethnic, and social affiliation.

The purpose of this study was to review the history of the development of anatomical anthropology with a focus on the stages that led to the formation of the concept of typical and variant anatomy.

Materials and methods. This paper presents an essay on the development of anatomical anthropology. Publications from 1857 to 2024 were reviewed. To assess the place occupied by studies of bone structures, internal organs, and physique in modern Russian journals of anatomical profile, an analysis of 654 articles for 2019-24 was conducted.

Results and discussion. In the early stages of the formation of anthropology as a natural science direction (1860-70s), its connections with normal anatomy were strong. At that time, when studying the variability of the structure of organs and systems in different groups of people, the terms "anatomical anthropology" and "soft tissue anthropology" were adopted. 

As sciences evolved in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the variability of the structure of soft tissues became primarily a subject of study for medical anatomists, and anthropology departments were organizationally removed from the medical faculties of universities. Anatomical anthropology has found its place in medical morphology research. The works of V.N. Shevkunenko made it possible to move from the previous unsystematic accumulation of data on the variability of morphological structures to their systematization and analysis based on a single concept of typical and variant anatomy. This direction has been preserved and developed in medical universities in Russia.

Conclusion. Strengthening interdisciplinary interactions is a characteristic of current biological anthropology research. Anthropologists should pay attention to not only the latest high-tech methods but also the theoretical principles and methods of typical and variant anatomy, which allow them to obtain valuable results in classical morphological research. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The study of emotional facial expressions is currently gaining momentum, attracting researchers from diverse scientific disciplines. We suppose that this surge in interest can be attributed, in part, to the rapid advancement of digital technologies, particularly artificial neural networks, which are increasingly capable of recognizing and encoding facial expressions. The power of these technologies to analyze faces and emotional states is widely discussed in the media and popular culture, prompting scientists to approach the topic with both responsibility and maximum caution in judgements.

Results. Important to mention immediately, that in the modern literature on the anatomy of facial expression, there is no consensus on the number and composition of muscles involved in the expression of emotions on the human face. Different authors indicate a different number of muscles involved in emotional facial expressions. Such discrepancies may cause significant confusion, especially for researchers who are not specialists in human anatomy. This article presents an analytical review based on anatomical sources and the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), a leading anatomically validated technique for recognizing and classifying facial expressions. Alongside the anatomy of the muscular system, we explore the characteristics of the related neural structures. To provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of facial communication, we delve into the history of its study and present an evolutionary journey tracing the development of the human face, the emergence, and evolution of facial expressions in phylogeny.

Conclusion. Facial expressions of emotion are the result of a long evolutionary process, closely interrelated with the development of the nervous system and social organization. Based on the most comprehensive data, the muscular system underlying human emotional expressions is more complex than typically suggested in anatomical classifications. Overall, it comprises 26 paired and one single muscle, many of which are further subdivided into smaller parts with distinct expressive functions. We believe that this article will help to systematize modern data on the anatomy of human facial expressions. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In 2023, the 140th anniversary of Dmitry Nikolaevich Anuchin was celebrated. Anuchin's scientific and pedagogical activities are inextricably linked with Moscow University. This article is devoted to the life and scientific activity of this outstanding Russian scientist.

Materials and Methods. Literary sources were used. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study.

Results and Discussion. The material of the article is presented in sections: “Work in OLEAE[1]”, “Scientific Activity”, “Pedagogical Activity”, “Educational Activity” and “Organizational Activity”. Anuchin has made significant contributions to anthropology, ethnology, geography and archaeology, and has written more than 600 scientific papers, including reviews and overviews. He actively participated in the work of the Society of Lovers of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography (OLEAE), he
held the positions of secretary and president in different years. His reports were important sources of information, especially concerning Japan in the context of the Russian-Japanese war. As a teacher, Anuchin founded the Departments of Anthropology and Geography at Moscow University and developed new training courses. This contributed to the reform of the teaching of geography and anthropology in Russia. Anuchin's educational activities were expressed not only in publishing articles in popular publications, but also in financing the opening of libraries in his parents' native villages. These libraries have become cultural centers for local residents. Anuchin organized the creation of new scientific journals: "Earth Science" and «Russian Anthropological Journal». He also created an Anthropological and Geographical Museum in Moscow. After the October Revolution, he continued his active work in scientific communities, and initiated the creation of the Institute of Anthropology and the Institute of Geography.

Conclusion. Anuchin's name is immortalized in plaques, street names and geographical objects, including a crater on the Moon. This indicates the great importance of this Person for science. Dmitry Nikolaevich is buried at the Vagankovsky Cemetery in Moscow. His grave is recognized as an object of cultural heritage. The article highlights the importance of Anuchin's legacy and encourages the younger generation of scientists to study his achievements and ideas. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Сomparative data from modern crematoria or experimental cremations of animal carcasses are often used to reconstruct the process of ancient cremations, although this data is not relevant. The goals of this study are to measure the duration of complete body burning; to analyze correlation between the body length and constitution and the body burning duration: to identify general patterns of body destruction process during cremation on a pyre.

Materials and methods. The materials (166 observations of cremations: 96 male, 56 female, 14 of unknown gender) were obtained during the Russian-Indian anthropological expedition of the Paleoethnology Research Center and the State Biology Museum in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The duration of complete incineration of soft tissues was recorded, as well as the body size and the constitution, using three-point assessment scales. In addition, the composition and condition of the cremated bone remains were described. To analyze the differences between samples of individuals with different body sizes and constitution, bivariate graphs and statistical criteria for assessing the differences were used.

Results and discussion. The average time of human body burning during cremation on a pyre was determined. A positive correlation between the duration of cremation and the body size and mesomorphy was found, and a negative correlation between the duration of cremation and ecto- and endomorphy was found. This pattern can be explained by the fact that significant volumes of soft tissues (especially poorly burning muscle tissue) require more time to burn; the predominance of adipose tissue contributes to faster body combustion. The proximal epiphyses of the tibia, distal epiphyses of the femur and vertebral bodies, as well as fragments of the integumentary bones of the skull and diaphyses of the femur, tibia and fibula are best preserved during cremation. The influence of the pyre design and the cremator's activity on the nature of body destruction was noted.

Conclusion. The hypothetical assumption of a positive correlation between body size and the time of its combustion was confirmed empirically. Numerous data on the time required for the complete destruction of soft tissue during cremation on a pyre have been introduced into scholarly discourse. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article presents an overview of the results of studies in associations between physical and psychological status of adolescents, published in English-language journals over recent years. The analysis carried out outlines the main directions of current research in this area and allows Russian specialists to be acquainted with the problems and approaches to their solution practiced today by foreign colleagues.

Material and methods. We selected publications that contain the results of studies of representative samples of adolescents from different countries and different ethnicities. Such an approach, on the one hand, makes it possible to highlight problems that are relevant today for adolescents in general, regardless of the place of study, and on the other hand, to outline some regional differences in the characteristics and dynamics of psychosomatic associations.

Results. Modern studies of the connections between the physical and mental status of adolescents highlight the importance of self-esteem of their appearance, primarily of body weight, and related psychological problems: general disorders in the emotional and behavioral sphere, the influence of unrealistic models of appearance as a trigger for eating disorders behavior, decreased self-esteem, difficulties in relationships with peers and family. The authors propose various strategies for adolescents’ acceptance of their own body image and discuss the effectiveness of these strategies. A new and promising area of research seems to be the study of the influence on adolescents by social networks.

Conclusion. The wide range of problems associated with the physical and mental health of adolescents requires the further development of interdisciplinary research, taking into account the main trends identified in publications of foreign scientific journals. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Left-handedness is a complex biological and social phenomenon influenced by genetic, neurobiological, and cultural factors. Associated with the functional asymmetry of the brain, it can affect cognitive processes, perception, and behavior.

Materials and methods. This article examines various theories on the origin and persistence of left-handedness polymorphism, drawing on data from anthropological, neurobiological, and genetic studies, as well as analyses of archaeological findings and the cultural practices of ancient hominids.

Results and discussion. Anthropological studies indicate that the frequency of left-handedness in human populations ranges from 10% to 25%, with geographical variations influenced by social and cultural factors. In ancient societies, right-handedness was the dominant trait, as confirmed by archaeological evidence, while left-handedness was rare but present. Historically, left-handedness was often viewed as a deviation from the norm, leading to stigmatization and limited social opportunities for left-handed individuals. The prevalence of left-handedness is linked to three groups of factors: pathological, social, and genetic. It has been shown that left-handedness is associated with functional brain asymmetry and can influence cognitive processes, perception, and behavior. The heritability of left-handedness is estimated to be approximately 24%. Genome-wide association studies of handedness have identified 41 genetic variants associated with left-handedness and 7 variants associated with ambidexterity; the involved genes also regulate the development and function of the central nervous system. Genetic variants predisposing to left-handedness may contribute to some associations between left-handedness and certain psychiatric disorders. However, the widespread polymorphism of left-handedness and the relative stability of its frequency in human populations over long periods have led to hypotheses about its maintenance through various forms of negative frequency-dependent selection.

Conclusion. The anthropological study of the mechanisms underlying left-handedness helps to address questions about the evolution of the human brain and societal development, providing valuable insights into both the biological and social aspects of human individuality. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. A valuable source of anthropological information is the so-called composite portrait, which creates an idea of the «average» type of a particular population group. A composite portrait is a kind of cognitive tool that allows the visualization of the integral morphological characteristics of the variability of the face and elements of appearance. This article is devoted to a comparative analysis of two methods of creating composite photographic portraits.

Materials and methods. The material for the study was photographs of Santal women (N=64), from which composite portraits were generated in two different ways: 1) using two fixed points in Adobe Photoshop; 2) by three points in the faceONface computer program, developed specifically for creating generalized portraits.

Results and discussion. In a composite photograph obtained by the classical method of F. Galton by combining photographs at two pupillary points, the upper half of the face is recorded more clearly in the eye area, but the lower tier of the face remains fuzzy and blurry. When using the third, oral point, we get a clearer picture in the mouth area without losing clarity in the eye area. At the same time, constructing a composite portrait using two fixed points creates an image that reflects the entire range of variability in facial height in the population, and when using three points, facial height is averaged.

Conclusion. Unlike a composite portrait obtained by the classical method, combining photographs at three points gives a more attractive image, but at the same time we lose the opportunity to capture the large range of variability in facial height. However, both portrait fusion methods create a developed model that can be used by researchers, museum staff, forensic scientists among others. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The possibility of using facial photographs as a replacement for direct anthropometric measurements is being considered. The application of traditional anthropometric measurement program is currently facing significant ethical and psychological difficulties, particularly in measurements of the head and face. As a result, anthropologists worldwide are increasingly substituting direct measurements with measurements obtained fr om photographic images. This transition has been significantly facilitated by the advancement of photographic technology. However, the methodology for utilizing photogrammetric data as a full replacement for direct measurements requires further development and a greater number of studies.

Materials and methods. The material for the research consisted of cephalometric data and anthropological photographs of Tuvans examined during the 2002 expedition under the leadership of V.A. Batsevich. The Tuvan sample consisted of 174 individuals, including 87 women and 87 men aged between 17 and 26 years. Statistical data analysis was carried out using the SPSS software package. Correlation analysis methods and regression equations were used to assess the comparability of dimensions obtained through direct anthropometric measurements and from portraits.

Results. A comparison was made between the dimensions obtained in field conditions and their counterparts obtained from photographs. Gender differences were identified in assessing the degree of comparability of facial dimensions obtained by two methods: through portraits and direct measurements. In the female part of the sample, the degree of correlation was higher and the standard error values were lower. It was found that for dimensions (facial height, nose height, upper lip height) that require points difficult to determine on a planar image, lower correlation values were observed. The unreliability of dimensions in this part of the face was confirmed by the results of constructing regression equations and the high standard error obtained for them.

Conclusion. Overall, the photogrammetry method is justified in conditions wh ere direct anthropometric measurements are not feasible. However, further research is needed to optimize the process of placing difficult-to-determine points on a portrait for certain dimensions. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The task of differentiating groups using various statistical methods remains relevant due to the limitations often encountered with standard algorithms. Some of these limitations, such as the assumption of normal distribution of traits and the absence of high correlations between them, can be circumvented by the method based on step-wise partitioning – decision trees.

Materials and methods. In this study, this method was tested on 15 linear dimensions of the skull and 16 indices calculated based on them. The entropy index was chosen as the criterion of heterogeneity. The craniometric features used correspond to the standard methodology adopted in Russian anthropology. The data consisted of average values of craniometric dimensions from 39 ethno-territorial groups from 13 macro-regions of the Old World.

Results and discussion. The results of the differentiation show that indices have a greater weight than linear features. Five linear dimensions and seven indices participated in the differentiation. Three indices were based on the overall dimensions of the braincase (M.1, M.8, M.17), and four indices included the bizygomatic width (M.45). The first split occurs based on the transverse facial index (46:45), separating the groups of Northern, Middle, Central Asia, and Europe from the groups of Africa, Eastern, Southeast, and Southern Asia.

Conclusion. The study demonstrates the high differentiating ability of indices, particularly the transverse facial index, fronto-zygomatic index, and height-length index. The iterative differentiation system allows for a more informative separation of groups, as different combinations of features demonstrate effectiveness at different hierarchical levels of taxonomy. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. One of the traditional tasks of biological anthropology is the study of the morphological status of the indigenous populations. Our aim was to study the somatic status and bioimpedance body composition of young men of Altai and Russian ethnicities aged 17–24 years living in urban and rural areas of the Altai Republic.

Materials and methods. In 2021–2023, 167 men aged 17 to 24 years (87 Altai-Kizhi and 80 Russians) living in urban and rural areas were examined. The examination program included anthropometry, the Heath-Carter somatotyping, and BIA. Ethnic differences and urban-rural differences were assessed using parametric and non-parametric methods.

Results. Ethnically Russian men were, in general, somewhat larger than the Altai men. Significant ethnic differences were found for Ht (174.7 and 172.3 cm), Wt (72.2 and 66.8 kg), BMI (23.6 and 22.5 kg/m²), WC (79.6 and 76.9 cm) and HC (95.5 and 92.4 cm). Significant ethnic differences were also observed for the mesomorphy rating (5.44 and 4.96), the resistance R50 (521.4 and 541.3 Ohms), phase angle (7.35 and 7.08 degrees), FFM (55.1 and 50.9 kg) and FFMi (18.0 and 17.1 kg/m²). The distributions of the somatotype in the subgroups of Altai and Russian men were close, with a predominance of the mesomorphic type. In both ethnic subgroups, there was a tendency to increased body size and body composition parameters’ values in urban residents, with the statistically significant differences in Ht, Wt, BMI, WC, HC and FFM among the Altaians. The urban Russian residents, as compared to urban Altaians, had significantly higher mesomorphy rating and FFM. The rural Russian residents, as compared to rural Altaians (taking into account age differences between the subgroups) had significantly higher age-related z-scores of Ht, Wt, HC, phase angle, FFM and FFMi.

Conclusions. The results of our study suggest that permanent residence in urban or rural areas, along with ethnic differences, is a significant factor associated with the somatic status of young Altai-Kizhi and ethnically Russian men belonging to the modern indigenous population of the Altai Republic. In the subgroup of young men who are inherently living in the city, there was a tendency to smooth out ethnic differences in somatic status in comparison with residents of rural areas. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The formation of the vector and level of sex somatic differences in parapubertal period (9–17 years) is under discussion, apart with ethnic peculiarities of dynamics of sexual dimorphism of main anthropometric dimensions.

Material and methods. The construction of intergroup distribution of standardized values of sexual dimorphism of body dimensions in 9, 13 and 17 years demanded generalization of the wide spectrum of literary data on children of Russia and former USSR of 1950–2010 (over 500 samples). The quantitative estimation of SD value is based on Kullback divergence, analogue of Makhalanobis distance. To estimate the contribution of ethnic factor to the variation of SD, several pairs of samples of different ethnicity (aboriginal and Russian population), but from one and the same ecological niche, examined simultaneously, were compared.

Results. The significant influence of age factor on intergroup distribution of SD was fixed. Significant positive correlations of SD with the values of dimensions themselves for boys aged 13 and 17 years first of all (0,48–0,63 for height/weight dimensions) and negative or close to zero correlations for girls were revealed. The dynamics of somatic SD through the age interval 9–17 years for pairs of samples Estonians-Russians, Kyrgyz-Russians, Tatars-Russians, Uzbeks-Russians is, as a whole, invariant, concerning ethnicity of samples, and witness to the dominance of age physiological peculiarities over ethnic.

Conclusion. Variability of somatic SD through parapubertal age period has more or less Gaussian distribution form as well as anthropometric dimensions themselves. Significant correlations of standardized levels of SD of dimensions with the mean sample values of dimensions have different directions for boys and girls – positive in the first case, negative or close to zero in the second case, which corresponds to the same conformity of adults and may be interpreted as the confirmation of the contribution of somatic variability of male sex to formation of sex differences. Local comparisons of the compact number of ethnic groups from one and the same ecological niche didn’t reveal intergroup specificity of growth dynamics in connection with ethnic factor, which is defined by high growth rates in parapubertal period and domination of overethnic species conformities over local ethnic peculiarities. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction This study was aimed to evaluate the age-and sex-associated dynamics of the strength indices in Magadan city children and adolescents with different types of physique in the age ontogeny of 11–17 years old.

Materials and Methods One thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven male and female schoolchildren of Magadan city aged 11–17 years participated in the 2019 one-step physical development study. We registered the main somatometric parameters: body mass (BM, kg), body height (BH, cm), chest circumference (CC, cm), right and left hand muscle strength indices (MS, kg). We defined somatotype affiliation according to the main somatometric parameters: microsomatotype (MiS), mesosomatotype (MeS), and macrosomatotype (MaS).

Results Of the surveyed schoolchildren 19.8% had microsomatic type, 62.1% exhibited mesosomatic type and 18.1% – macrosomatic type. Acceleration and deceleration times of the hand muscle strength growth rates were revealed within the examined age periods. The maximums of these growth rates tended to develop earlier in meso- and macrosomatic type examinees. A dramatic fall in the right and left hand muscle strength gains was observed at the age of 14–15 years in boys, and, a year earlier at the age of 13–14 years in girls of macrosomatic type. The correlation between somatometric and strength indices was found.

Conclusion Our analysis of the age-related hand dynamometry in schoolchildren with different somatotypes suggested an unbalanced increase in strength performance indices depending on the type of physique. The levels of school students’ strength indices proved to be influenced by the body mass and height, which appeared to affect the results of dynamometry. Different somatotype subjects showed maximums of their strength growth rates in different ages, which may have been associated with physiological features of their growth and development.

© 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. A number of diseases, including craniosynostosis, basal encephaloceles, and fibrous dysplasia, can be accompanied by deformities in the facial skeleton and the skull base. To quantify the degree of pathological deformity and the dynamics of skull bone growth in these patients, data from healthy children’s growth processes is needed. The aim of this study is to describe the normal growth of the main craniometric variables of the facial skeleton and the anterior skull base in healthy children aged 0 to 18 years old, and to create percentile standards for these variables.

Materials and methods. Our study uses cross-sectional retrospective computed tomography (CT) data of the head and face of 1,034 children, aged 0-18 years, who had sustained traumatic brain injuries without damage to the bone structures. Craniometric landmarks used in anthropological and medical craniometry were mapped onto 3D models of patient skull. Twenty linear distances between the landmarks, as well as the volumes of the left orbit and nasal cavity, were calculated. The data were analyzed separately for male and female participants. The RefCurv version 0.4.2 software was used to create percentile reference curves using the LMS method.

Results. The gender and age-related characteristics of the growth dynamics of the various structures of the facial skeleton and anterior base of the skull are characterized. The centile standards for normal variability of the craniometric data are provided for use in medical practice.

Conclusion. This study provides the most comprehensive data on the growth patterns of the facial skeleton and the anterior part of the skull base in healthy children aged between birth and 18 years old. The dimensions of the cribriform plate at birth are close to the adult size and change little during postnatal ontogenesis. The features of the orbital region reach 55-60% of the adult size at birth, grow very rapidly in the first year of life, and by the age of 5 constitute 80-85% of the adult size. The latitudinal dimensions of the facial skeleton, such as the width of the pyriform aperture, the zygomatic and inferior orbital diameters, as well as the sagittal dimensions of the nasal cavity reach about 50-55% of the adult size at birth and then grow uniformly, reaching 65-70% of the definitive value by the second year of life, and, with the exception of the width of the nose, about 80% by the age of 5. The height dimensions of the facial skeleton (the height of the pyriform aperture, face, maxilla, choanae and alveolar process), at birth are only about 40% of the adult size, but then grow rapidly, reaching about 70% of the definitive value by the age of 5. According to the relative sizes of most of the variables, a higher maturity level in girls at the time of birth is revealed, which persists until puberty. A pronounced pubertal acceleration of growth is observed only in boys, based on the following characteristics: the width of the orbit, the length of the medial wall of the orbit, the height of the upper jaw, the height of the nose, the lower length of the nasal septum, the volume of the nasal cavity, and the width of the cribriform plate. Understanding the differences in the developmental dynamics of various skull structures, as well as sex differences in these dynamics and the use of growth standards, is essential for an objective evaluation of the extent of pathological changes to these structures and for planning treatment and monitoring its outcomes.

© 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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.Kurshakova 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

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.

Conclusion. Growth standards (reference tables) have been developed based on the results of the regression analysis between weight and height, to assess the indicators of physical development of students in Altai Krai. The reference tables provide the definition of groups with different levels of physical development: normal physical development, deviation of physical development due to a body weight deficit of the 1st and 2nd degree or due to an excess of body weight of the 1st and 2nd degree, stunting (low height). © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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.

Conclusion. The analysis made it possible to trace the basic forms of behavioral activity of adolescent macaques in context of the new social group formation. The obtained results give us better understanding of the mechanisms of primates’ social behavior organization. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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.

Conclusion. According to osteometry data, the medieval population of the city of Derakheyb can be characterized as heterogeneous, the individuals that stand out mainly correspond to those that stood out according to craniological data. The male part of the population is medium-massive, and the female part is graceful. The entire sample is characterized by shortened lower limbs relative to the arms, as well as elongated distal parts of the arms and legs relative to the proximal ones, which reflects one of the features of the tropical adaptive type. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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.

Conclusion. The general increase in the welfare of the population of Ulaanbaatar and significant improvement in the living conditions of the younger generation, has a positive effect on the youth physical development, primarily due to a more pronounced increase in the metabolically active components of body weight. This may be considered as an important reflection of the socio-political processes taking place in the country. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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.

Results and discussion. The section "Childhood and Youth" provides information about the scientist's life, his parents, wife, and children. D.N. received a good home education and entered the second grade of a gymnasium. In 1860, he enrolled in the Faculty of History and Philology at St. Petersburg University. Due to illness in 1861, he had to interrupt his studies and travel abroad for treatment. In 1863, Anuchin entered the Natural Sciences Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow University, specializing in zoology. The section "Young Specialist" is dedicated to Anuchin's life in the first years after graduating from university. It was only in 1871 that Anuchin was elected to the position of scientific secretary of the Society for the Acclimatization of Animals and Plants. This period marks the first scientific publications by Anuchin in the collections "Nature." In 1876, his first major anthropological monograph on the Ainu people was published. In late 1876, D.N. was sent abroad by the university to prepare for the establishment of a new chair in anthropology. The section "Formation of Scientific Interests" shows how Anuchin's scientific interests were shaped, as the author of about 600 works on ethnic anthropology, anthropogenesis, paleontology, ethnography, primitive archaeology, physical geography, country studies, and the history of science. In the next article, the authors plan to examine D.N. Anuchin's scientific and organizational activities. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

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.

Conclusion. The correspondence of the obtained results with genetic data suggests the possibility of using cranial non-metric traits to identify genetic relationships between ancient populations in the absence of direct genetic information. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The tendency to weight gain is influenced by many genetic and environmental factors (nutrition, level of physical activity, social well-being, etc.), as well as complex interactions of these factors. Studying the genetic factors of obesity can help in developing individual strategies for the prevention and treatment of this common disease. One of the most important hereditary factors is the neurotransmitter systems gene polymorphism, (including the serotonin system gene polymorphism). The aim of the investigation is to study the associations of single nucleotide polymorphism of the rs6295 locus of the serotonin receptor gene 1A HTR1A with morphofunctional features and body weight gain.

Material and methods. The study used the materials of a comprehensive anthropogenetic examination of 386 men and 418 women aged 17 to 30 years. More than 20 morphofunctional indicators were measured using the traditional anthropometric method. The material for genetic analysis was genomic DNA isolated from buccal epithelium. The reliability of intergroup differences was assessed using the Mann-Whitney criterion, while canonical discriminant analysis was used to study intergroup variability.

Results. For the first time, a significant correlation was shown between the polymorphism of the serotonin receptor type 1 gene HTR1A and morphofunctional features: individuals with the G/G genotype with greater body weight have lower (compared to carriers of the C/C and C/G genotypes) values of the indicators of the level of metabolic processes and specific metabolism.

Conclusion. The statistically significant obtained results may be used in the development of individual strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity, and also allow us to supplement the information on the association of serotonin system gene polymorphism with morphofunctional features and contribute to expanding our understanding of the human physique features formation and their relationships with hereditary predisposition. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The Y-gene pool of the southern Tuvan tribal groups – Soyan and Choodu – was first studied and their comparative analysis with representatives of Kyrgys (south-east of Tuva) and Oorzhak (west of Tuva) tribal groups was carried out. Purpose of the study: to determine the genetic status of the Soyan and Choodu tribal groups within the genetic landscape of the population of Southern Siberia.

Materials and methods. The sample (total N=150) included samples from representatives of Oorzhak (N=42), Soyan (N=29), Kyrgys (N=46) and Choodu (N=33) tribal groups. The genotyping panel included 60 SNP-markers of Y-chromosome, characteristic of the populations of Northern Eurasia.

Results. In the gene pools of studied tribal groups, 27 branches of 7 large haplogroups (C2, J2, N1, O, R1a, R1b) of Y-chromosome were identified. The main part of Choodu, Oorzhak, Soyan gene pools is represented by “North Eurasian” haplogroups (N1, Q) and Kyrgys gene pool is dominated by “East Eurasian” haplogroups C2 and O. The “West-Eurasian” haplogroups, mainly represented by subhaplogroup R1a1a-Z93, account for less than a quarter of the gene pool of all four studied groups, without revealing a clear geographical trend. In the genetic space of the population of Southern Siberia the Soyan, Choodu and Kyrgys, together with other of Tuvan tribal groups, formed the Tuvan-Tofalar claster. Tuvan-Tofalar, Altai and Khakass clusters indicate three sources of gene pool of the indigenous population of Southern Siberia. Maps of genetic distances showed greater similarity of the Soyan and Choodu with the rest of Tuvan tribal groups than with other populations of Southern Siberia. But the map of genetic distances from Kyrgyz reveals a different pattern: areal of genetically similar populations is more extensive, covering southern and southeastern Tuva, Mongolia and western Buryatia.

Conclusion. The prevalence of “North-Eurasian” haplogroups in the gene pools of the studied Tuvan tribal groups and data of historians, ethnographers, linguists and geneticists suggest that their gene pool was formed at the Samoyed-Ket layer (VI-III centuries BC), and the accumulation of Central Asian component in the gene pool of Kyrgys occurred at a later stage of Kyrgys gene pool formation, presumably from the XII-XVIII centuries. Analysis of the gene pool of Tuvans through their tribal groups structure makes a significant contribution to the reconstruction of the ethnogenesis of Tuvan tribal groups, along with the data of anthropologists, historians, ethnographers and linguists. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between variations in genes regulating human uncoupling proteins (UCP) and environmental factors. However, information on the intra- and interpopulation diversity of allele and genotype frequencies of UCP1 and UCP3 within the territory of Russia remains insufficient. This study aims to investigate the intra- and inter-ethnic variability of genetic determinants of activity of uncoupling proteins UCP1 and UCP3, and to evaluate genotype-environment associations in the populations residing in the northeastern region of Russia.

Materials and methods. Genotyping was conducted on a total of 1,698 biological specimens collected from individuals representing 22 population groups of European Russia, Siberia, and the Russian Far East. Geographical and climatic data spanning from 1940 to 2023 were gathered for each sample collection locality.

Results and discussion. The spatial distribution of genetic determinants affecting the activity of UCP1 and UCP3 uncoupling proteins demonstrates a correlation with the severity of natural conditions. Three regression models of allele frequencies were constructed using climatic characteristics as predictors. All models are statistically significant (p<0.05 in all cases) and explain 39%, 36%, and 64% of the variability in UCP1 (rs6536991, rs1800592) and UCP3 (rs1800849) allele frequencies, respectively. These correlations revealed by the models confirm the adaptability of UCP genes in the indigenous population groups of Northern Eurasia.

Conclusion. The results of this study are consistent with the assumptions reported in scientific literature and significantly enhance existing knowledge. We observed correlations between allele and genotype frequencies of UCP1 (rs6536991, rs1800592) and UCP3 (rs1800849) genes and geographic latitude, elevation above sea level, as well as climatic indicators such as annual average rainfall, range of surface air temperatures, and the Bodman “weather severity” index. Further investigation involving a larger number of ethnic and territorial groups is necessary to better understand the factors influencing UCP gene variability formation. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. This research examines and evaluates the comparability of a specific set of anthropometric measurements of facial features obtained through direct measurements and frontal portrait photographs. With the growing trend towards utilizing photography instead of direct measurements, the question of the convergence and comparability between these two methods has become increasingly significant.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted on a sample population of Chuvash individuals, who represent the indigenous population in the Chuvash Republic of the Russian Federation. The material for the study comprised cephalometric data and anthropological photographs of individuals from the Chuvash Republic, surveyed during the 2002 expedition under the guidance of V.A. Batsevich. The sample size consisted of 72 individuals, with 35 women and 37 men. Prior to statistical analysis, the male and female participants were divided into two age groups to account for potential age-related variations. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS software package, applying Cronbach's alpha method.

Results. In this study, gender differences were identified for a range of anthropometric indicators, demonstrating high convergence when employing two facial measurement methods. The obtained values of dimensions were generally comparable in terms of reliability and consistency. 

Conclusion. The research has revealed that the method of obtaining linear facial dimensions from portraits can serve as an analog/alternative to direct anthropometric measurements. In men, latitudinal dimensions are better correlated with each other, whereas in women they are high-altitude. The obtained results align well with existing data on this topic, highlighting the potential viability of facial portrait-based measurements in anthropometric studies. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The authors consider the features of genetic determinants of disaccharide assimilation as the corollary of adaptation to the environment. The aim of the study was to assess the polymorphism of the genes that determine activity of disaccharidase enzymes lactase (LCT, rs4988235), trehalase (TREH, rs2276064) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI, rs781470490) in different territorial groups of Evenks.

Materials and methods. Biomaterial samples from 1365 unrelated individuals representing 15 ethno-territorial population groups in European Russia, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation were genotyped. "Focus" groups include "Western" (N=65), "Transbaikal" (N=50), and "Okhotsk" (N=81) Evenks (Krasnoyarsk Krai, Northern Transbaikalia, Okhotsk-Aldan region). The other study groups allow us to assess the specificity of the distribution of genetic determinants of disaccharide assimilation in populations that differ from racial, ecological, and subsistence perspectives.

Results. The Evenki territory subgroups do not differ from each other in terms of allele frequencies and genotype distribution of LCT (p>0.2) and TREH (p>0.8) and are similar to Yakuts, Buryats, Mongols, and populations of the Far East and Chukotka. The SI delAG deletion was not found in the Western Evenki subgroup.

Discussion. A question of similarity between taiga hunters Evenks to cattle breeders Buryats, Mongols, and Yakuts in terms of C*LCT frequencies requires further elaboration. Possible explanations may include a weakening of selection for the T*LCT allele due to the shift in traditional diet toward replacement of fresh milk with fermented dairy products, high activity of specific intestinal microflora, or the existence of other lactase synthesis genetic determinants, besides LCT*C/T-13910. The evolutionary origins of the clinal variation in the TREH gene allele frequencies, which appears to be associated with the expression of the Mongoloid ancestral component in the gene pool of populations in Northern Eurasia, remain unclear. It seems appropriate to conduct genetic screening in the indigenous populations of the Russian Far East in order to assess the prevalence of SI delAG deletion as an inducer of the sucrase-isomaltase deficiency. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In families with such a child his/her siblings often live, whose development will be affected by the current stressful situation for all family members. Siblings of cancer patients appear to be a psychological vulnerable group, as they have low self-esteem, fear of death and loneliness, anxiety, anger.

The study aimed to assess the level of physical development (PD) of children, treated for brain tumors, and siblings of childhood cancer survivors, in relation to stressful circumstances of living in a family with an oncological relative.

Material and methods. The study involved children aged 6 to 17 years who had completed treatment for a brain tumor (BT), as well as siblings of children with various cancer types. We measured 27 boys and 36 girls with BT, the sample of siblings included 26 boys and 31 girls. To assess the compliance of the level of PD of children of both groups with age standards, for each child of a given gender and age a centile corridor was determined by body length (BL) and BMI, and individual values of signs were ranked in Z-points, using WHO standards. A detailed questionnaire was conducted to assess some characteristics of a child's family environment. Statistics analysis was performed with Statistica 12 software package.

Results. For a group of children with BT, a significant shift in the distribution of PD scores along body length and BMI towards low values was found, for a group of siblings, the opposite picture was obtained – the distribution of body length and BMI scores shifted to the higher values. It has been shown that higher developmental scores in body length are significantly more common in children who are older siblings in relation to patients with BT.

Conclusion. Thus, brain tumor treatment affects not only the physical development of a child, but is a factor contributing to the growth processes of the body of siblings of children with BT. Siblings of cancer patients represent a special group of children, which indicates the need to take into account the special needs of all their family members in the process of treatment and rehabilitation, as well as the incorrectness of using siblings as a control group in scientific research. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The goal of study is description of secular dynamics of sex dimorphism (SD) of height, weight, chest girth of children aged 9 years and teenagers 13 years old from Russia and neighboring countries through 1920–2010.

Materials and methods. The main source of data — materials of books on physical development of children and adolescents from cities and rural regions of Russia and USSR, collected and processed according to the universal methodical standards of Research Institute of Hygiene of children and adolescents. The quantitative estimation of SD value was held using Kullback divergence. One-year age groups, contrastive in biological essence, are under discussion. The estimation of the vector and level of associations of SD of anthropometric traits and secular factor was held using correlation analysis. The analysis of local patterns of secular SD dynamics of separate traits was carried out.

Results. Secular variability of height and weight SD of 9-year-old children is not significant. While secular dynamics of three body dimensions of 13-year-old teenagers is significant, the highest determination coefficient is fixed for weight. For Moscow samples the decrease of height and weight SD is fixed through the historic interval 1960s – 70s with the following recovery up to the level of 1920s in 2000s. Temporal dynamics of SD of 9-year-old children of St. Petersburg through the interval 1960s – 2000s consists of macrosomization of girls; the tendency for 13-year-old teenagers is opposite. Temporal dynamics of somatic SD of 9-year-old Russian children of Kazan reveals stability through the interval 1960th-1990th; for 13-year-old teenagers’ parameters of transversal body development demonstrate secular stability, as to height – boys compensate their lag compared to girls. For Kirovsk city (Murmansk region) through the interval 1950s – 1970s temporal fluctuations of height and weight SD of 9-year-old children are less than 0,2 standard deviations; height and weight SD of 13-year-old teenagers reveal temporal increase (0,4–0,6 standard deviations).

Conclusion. The results confirm the importance of somatic SD as the criterion of secular dynamics for 13-year-old teenagers and witness, as a whole, to the temporal stability of SD during second childhood (9 years). Local differences do not contribute significantly to the intensity of secular dynamics of SD. The process of secular macrosomization of one sex as compared to the other is not the exclusive prerogative of boys and male teenagers. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In February 2020, the third season of the Russian-Indian Anthropological expedition was conducted in Maharashtra. The field work was coordinated by Paleoethnology Research Center (Russia) and Department of Anthropology of Savitribai Phule Pune University (India). The goal was to examine Korku people, who are members of the Mundo-speaking branch of the Austroasiatic family.

Data and methods. A total of 293 people were examined from three different Amravati district locations. The sociological questionnaire indicated that 285 individuals were members of the Korku, of which 196 individuals were children and teenagers (95 male, 101 female) and 89 individuals were older than 17 years (58 male, 31 female). Following the traditions of the Russian anthropological school, the study of Korku was conducted using as many morphological techniques as possible, including the collection of data on somatometry, cephalometry, cephaloscopy, dental anthropology, dermatoglyphics, and anthropological photo. All data was collected according to the law protecting personal data and the principles of bioethics.

Results and discussion. Korku people tend to have dark pigmentation of the eyes, hair and skin, and soft, wavy hair. Males are orthognathic in the vertical profile of the face, females are mesognathic. Horizontal profiling in both sexes is characterized by average values. The lateral profile of the nasal bridge is flattened, the eye gap is of medium width and has horizontal orientation, while epicanthus is rare. According to the head index, males are mesocephalic with a tendency to subbrachycephaly, the proportions of the face and nose are characterized by average values. Women are also mesocephalic, relatively leptorineic. According to somatometric indicators, males have an average body length (164.4 cm). According to the proportions of the body, males and females are brachymorphic. The body length and chest circumference of children increases smoothly with age. The same growth curve is typical for body weight with a slight jump in the transition from 10–11 y.o. to 12–14 y.o. Composite portraits of Korku males and females were compiled in three standard norms. Dermatoglyphics and dental anthropology data are still being analyzed.

Introduction. In the range of topical problems of modern human morphology, the doctrine of bodily constitution occupies an important place, but there is a shortage of data on population variability of somatotypes in the literature. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to study age and sex variations in body composition components using the Heath-Carter method in the Chuvash rural population examined in several villages in the Mariinsky-Posad, Morgaushsky and Yadrinsky districts of Chuvashia and Chuvash villages in the Aurgazinsky and Bizhbulyaksky districts of Bashkiria. The tasks included the determination and analysis of somatotypes according to Heath-Carter of men and women in age subgroups of adult Chuvash and assessment of age-related variability of sexual dimorphism of somatotype scores.

Materials and methods. The study sample consists of 802 men aged 18–89 years (M = 46.9) and 738 women aged 18–90 years (M = 48.6) examined in 1994, 1999 and 2002. Age and sex differences were assessed using one-way analysis of variance. Mahalanobis distances were used to rate the sexual dimorphism of somatotype components.

Results and discussion. Sex differences in the assessment of somatotype variations in the Chuvash population turn out to be most significant for the characteristics of endomorphy, with higher values in women. The values of endomorphy in men after 30 years practically did not change, but in women it continued to increase until the 6th decade, and then decreased with age. There were practically no differences in the mesomorphy; very small differences were found in ectomorphy between men and women aged 18-30 years.

Mesomorphy increases from 18-30 years to 50 in both sexes; the ectomorphy shows opposite age trends. A leveling of sex differences in all body composition components was recorded in the older part of the combined sample (70 – 80 years old).

Conclusions. Local patterns of age-related variability in body composition components for ethnic Chuvash are shown. For the first time, using representative material, indicators of sexual dimorphism have been determined for the complex of components of endomorphy, mesomorphy and ectomorphy in the Chuvash, showing the maximum intersexual differences in the age range of 41-60 years. A predominance of endomesomorphic body types in both sexes was revealed, with a tendency towards balanced mesomorphy in men (the youngest male subgroup is characterized by an ectomesomorphic somatotype). © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Due to the wide variety of ethnogeographic features and ecological niches, environmental differences as well as changes in living conditions, the study of the morphological status of indigenous populations of Russia retains its significance. Our aim was to study the somatic status and BIA body composition of young women of Altai and Russian ethnicities aged 17-23 years living in urban and rural areas of the Altai Republic.

Materials and methods. In 2021–2023, 230 young women aged 17 to 23 years (117 Altai-Kizhi and 113 Russians) living in urban and rural areas were examined. The examination program included anthropometry, the Heath-Carter somatotyping, and BIA. Ethnic differences and city-village differences were assessed using parametric and non-parametric methods.

Results. Ethnically Russian women were, in general, somewhat larger than Altai women, significant differences were found for height (Ht), weight (Wt), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Significant differences were also observed for the resistance R50, phase angle and fat-free mass (FFM) values. The somatotype distributions by enlarged classes were close with a predominance of mesomorphic and endomorphic types. When testing for city-village differences in ethnic subgroups, the total body dimensions (Wt, Ht, chest circumference), as well as WC, hip circumference (HC) and body mass index were slightly higher in urban residents (not significant differences). The urban Altai women had a statistically significantly higher endomorphy rating with a noticeable increase in fat mass (FM), %FM and fat mass index. Ethnic differences were more pronounced in rural (Ht, Wt, HC, WHR, R50, phase angle, FFM and fat-free mass index were significantly different) than in urban residents (significant differences only for Ht and FFM).

Conclusions. The results of our study suggest that permanent residence in urban or rural areas, along with ethnic differences, is a significant factor associated with the somatic status of young Altai-Kizhi and ethnically Russian women belonging to the modern indigenous population of the Altai Republic. In the subgroup of young women who are inherently living in the city, less pronounced ethnic differences in somatic status were observed as compared to residents of rural areas. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Etruscan-Italian fine art experienced a noticeable artistic influence from Greece. Iconographic types of the head and face were transmitted both through the import of finished Greek products and through the circulation of matrices and the artists themselves, which complicates the chronology and typology of monuments. P.J. Riis proposes to systematize the "evolution" of Etruscan terracotta styles by constructing a chronological series from the early archaic to the late classic [Riis, 1981]. The purpose of the work was to study the concept of P.J. Riis about iconography in Etruscan coroplastics and the creation of generalized morphological characteristics of local types (regional styles).

Materials and methods. Illustrated chronological tables from P.J. Riis and the method of composite portrait in digital version were used.

Results and discussion. P.J. Riis examined 352 types of images, their archaeological context geographically confined to Northern Etruria (Clusium), Central (Vulci, Volsinia), Southern (Caere, Veii, Falerii, Latium) and Etruscan Campania (Capua). The earliest production of Etruscan terracotta was concentrated in Campania, Southern and Northern Etruria, the first hellenized style of terracotta spread from Etruscan Capania into Southern Etruria. The composite portraits based on the combined samples of archaic art indicate the absence of significant sex differences. In the composite female portrait for all samples of the archaic period, a contribution of morphological elements of the types of Southern and Central Etruria is visually noted. The greatest contribution to the morphology of the face in the composite female portrait for all samples of the classical period was made by Central Etruria and Capua. The resulting composite portraits by region indicate the heterogeneity of facial iconography in the archaic and classical art of Central Italy and visualize the conclusions of P.J. Riis on the development of several local traditions of fine art style.

Conclusion. The classification of P.J. Riis is constructed in such a way that it assumes for its further completion with new archaeological data, so it can be considered as an attempt to create a “visual” history of the Etruscan portrait, at least part of it. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The aim of this study is to provide group-specific regression equations for age estimation of immature human skeletal remains younger than 12 years of age from the diaphyseal length of the six long bones. Further, to compare inverse and classical calibration models for age estimation and the suitability of previously published regression methods for archaeological and present-day populations in relation to the analyzed sample.

Materials and methods. The studied sample consists of 128 non-adult individuals from Gonur Depe – the major BMAC site in Turkmenistan (2300–1500 BCE). Regression formulae were obtained for each of the six long bones, separately for entire sample (0–12 years of age) and for two subsamples below and above 2 years of age. For each equation the coefficient of determination (R²) and F-statistics were calculated. Residuals were tested for normality of distribution, autocorrelation, homoscedasticity, and the equality of mean to zero (one-sample t-test). Comparison between inverse and classical calibration was provided using paired samples t-test. To assess the applicability of other regression formulae to the studied sample both the mean residuals (MR) and mean of the absolute value of the residuals (MAR) were calculated, as an estimate of bias and accuracy respectively.

Results. All regression models showed a strong statistical significance and high R² value. The slope coefficients of the regression lines of diaphyseal length upon age are greater for the upper limb bones both in the entire sample and two subsamples separately. The lower limb bones are characterized by lower growth rates. In contrast to the inverse calibration, for the classical model the mean standard errors (MSE) were smaller for the upper limb bones rather than for the lower limb bones. For the lower limb bones the standard error of the estimate (SE) was generally smaller in inverse formulae. Comparison of both models for the femur however shows their equal performance. For the exception of proposed and classical calibration formulae all inverse models for femur diaphyseal length show consistent differences from zero in relation to the studied sample.

Discussion. The inverse and classical calibration models as a technique for age estimation using diaphyseal long bone lengths are both equally applicable in the studied sample. It is recommended to use the equations for the lower limb bones in the inverse model and for the upper limb bones in the classical model. The Gonur Depe population is characterized by relatively higher growth rates of the upper limb bones and distal limb segments relative to the proximal ones. Most of the previously published inverse calibration models are not recommended for uncritically use due to the high risk of obtaining biased estimates on samples that are different chronologically and/or territorially. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. In this article, we have compared frontal facial shapes (based on photo portraits) which were captured in two head positions: Natural position (NP) and Frankfurt horizontal (FH).

Materials and methods. In both cases facial shape was analyzed on sex differences and association with direct measurements of body parameters: height, BMI, fat, muscle and bone mass, digit ratio (R2D:4D). The analysis was performed using geometric morphometry methods. The study participants were representatives of the non-European population, Buryats, 86 men and 69 women aged 20 years (20± 2 g).

Results. The results showed that (a) head position had a significant impact on the 2D projection of the frontal facial shape, particularly in men; (b) compared to the Natural position, the Frankfurt horizontal position exhibited more pronounced sex differences in facial shape; (c) we observed associations between facial shape and height, BMI, fat, and muscle mass in both men and women in both positions, but these associations were more pronounced in the Frankfurt horizontal. We did not find an association between male facial shape and R2D:4D in the NP position, but we observed it in FH. In women, we did not observe a similar relationship in both positions.

Discussion. Our research revealed an important methodological problem: the head position can significantly affect qualitative conclusions about frontal facial shape, especially in non-European populations. In our study, we found a statistical relationship with most body parameters in both cases, FH and NP. However, the relationship was stronger in the FH position. When working with independent parameters that have a generally not very pronounced effect on the facial shape, head position differences can lead to a decrease or even a lack of an association when using a natural position (as in the case of R2D:4D).

Conclusion. The obtained results are important for the development of an optimal photography methodology, taking into account the currently accumulated controversial results. Current findings allow us to resolve a number of contradictions related to the zero results observed in modern literature data.

Introduction. The work is devoted to an extraordinary person - the sculptor and artist Ivan Illarionovich Sevryugin (1839-?), his contribution to the organization, holding and sculptural embodiment of the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879, which became the starting point in the development of anthropology as an exact and natural-historical science and the basis for the creation of the department and Museum of Anthropology.

Materials and methods. This study is based on the printed works of the second half of the 19th century, published by the Society of Amateurs of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography (OLEAE), in the research of which historical-typological and historical-descriptive methods were used. The main attention was paid to the analysis of materials and documents related to the preparation and holding of the First Anthropological Exhibition in Moscow in 1879. Archival documents from the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology and literary sources were also studied.

Results and discussion. The work examines the creative path of the sculptor and artist I.I. Sevryugin. Coming from a poor family of guild artisans, Ivan Illarionovich received an excellent education at the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. Studied under Professor N.A. Ramazanov. During his studies, he was repeatedly awarded for his work and upon graduation received the title of third-degree artist. Along with famous sculptors and artists, he took part in the production of collections of mannequins for the Ethnographic Exhibition of 1867. The most significant peak of his activity was the First Anthropological Exhibition of 1879. The development of the exhibition model, its sculptural embodiment, collection and preparation of exhibits (mounds, burial grounds, masks, busts, etc.), a trip to Paris and much more - all this shows him as an incredibly talented person who masters a variety of artistic and sculptural techniques, who was hard working and earned the highest praise from specialists.

Conclusion. Analysis of archival and literary sources showed that I.I. Sevryugin, being a talented artist and an excellent sculptor with a colossal capacity for work, took an active part in the preparation of the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879, and contributed to the solution of one of its main tasks - the popularization of anthropology in Russia. Thanks to his talent, he was able to express scientific ideas in artistic form. His works, exhibited in the gallery halls of the Exhibition, clearly showed the general public the unity of the biological and social in human nature. Collections created by I.I. Sevryugin, formed the basis of the sculptural fund of the photo-illustrative department of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University. @ 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The cycle of publications on the historical and archaeological characteristics of osteological collections from the funds of the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University continues in the article. The purpose of this work is to create an information base for paleoanthropologists studying collections from the burial grounds of the Chernyakhovskaya archaeological culture dated III – beginning. V centuries AD.

Materials and methods. This section provides a general description of the collections from the burial grounds of the Chernyakhovskaya culture, stored in the museum's funds. The materials considered were unearthed during excavations by Soviet archaeologists of the 1950s-1960s (E.A. Simonovich, G.B. Fedorov) on the territory of modern Ukraine and Moldova. The work uses all available publications of the authors of the excavations, as well as subsequent summary and analytical studies.

Results. The main part of the work presents information on the burial grounds of the Chernyakhovkaya culture of Zhuravka, Chernyakhov, Malaeshty. The geographical characteristics of the sites, the history of their research, and basic information about the archaeological context for the presented anthropological materials from these necropolises are given. The most common, standard features of the funeral rite are shown and burials with unusual features that fall out of the general framework are indicated. A number of burials have been identified, which are marked in the accounting materials as belonging to the Chernyakhovskaya culture, but, in fact, are not related to it.

Conclusion. The analysis of information about the three burial grounds allows us to consider them, to some extent, reference, standard for the Chernyakhovskaya culture at the main stage of its existence. A large collection from Zhuravka –143 storage units, as well as fairly large ones, 21 storage units and 20 storage units, respectively, from the burial grounds of Chernyakhov and Malaeshty allows to apply a wide range of anthropological and molecular genetic techniques. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The centennial development of physical anthropology in China can be divided into three periods: 1) the initial period fr om the end of the 19th century to the founding of New China in 1949, when anthropology was imported from the West and gradually localized; 2) the unstable development period from 1949 to 1976, which was faced with a major restructuring of the discipline, the epoch of Sino-Soviet friendship, and a ten-year period of turbulence of the Cultural Revolution; 3) the period of rapid development after the reform and opening up of the country at the end of the 1970s.

Materials and methods. The author presents the history of anthropological exchanges between China and Russia over the past hundred years through the study of literature and photographic sources.

Results. Before the founding of New China, communications of anthropology between China and Russia was represented by S.M. Shirokogorov; after the founding of New China, it was represented by N.N. Cheboksarov; during the period of Sino-Soviet friendship, China adopted the suggestions of Soviet scientists and launched journals, translated and published monographs, and dispatched international students, Dong Tichen and Cui Chengyao, to study in the Soviet Union.

Conclusion. In this article, for the first time, a large number of old photographs from private collections have been released to show the life story of Dong Tichen, the first anthropologist who went to the Soviet Union to study and returned to China. After graduating from Beijing Normal University, Dong Tichen went to Moscow University to study anthropology and obtained his Ph.D. in biology in 1961. He became a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Fudan University, wh ere he was one of the earliest teachers of anthropology in New China. His research was pioneering and prospective, for example, his proposed taxonomic position of the Gigantopithecus was very forward-looking; he created a precedent in the study of dermatoglyphics in China and contributed to the foundations of anthropometrics. His return solidified the discipline of anthropology at Fudan University, and during his short life he trained several students who would become the mainstay of anthropology in the new China in the future. Unfortunately, he died in 1966, as a result of social unrest and change.

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Introduction. Of the numerous ceramic production centers of ancient Greece, the Attica region is notable for its continuous development of vase painting styles. Compared to the black-figure and red-figure painting techniques, the polychrome painting of Attic vases on a white-ground may indicate polymorphism in the pigmentation of the ancient Greeks.

Materials and methods. The material was collected in digitized museum collections and thematic literature. The color and nature of the characters' hair were studied from vase painting and funerary painting. Anthroposcopic method and simple statistics were used. The significance of differences between groups was assessed using the chi-square test.

Results and discussion. In all samples of Attic vase painting, the wavy nature of the hair is predominant, and this frequency does not change significantly over time. The highest frequency of straight nature of the hair (13.3%) is observed in white-ground vase painting. In comparison with the characters in vase paintings, modern Greeks have predominantly straight, lightly wavy hair, especially in women, and then wavy hair. For all style groups of Attic vase painting, no gender differences in nature of the hair were identified. The depiction of hair color on white-ground vase paintings of the early classical and classical times is significantly different: in the earlier vase painting, black and dark brown predominate, and in the later ones, brown/light brown and red-brown. The minimum frequency of dark shades of the hair is noted in Hellenistic funerary painting; it shows, like the white-ground vase painting of the classics, a lighter-pigmented population. The hair color of the modern Greek population is predominantly dark. Based on the hypothesis that the artist depicts familiar forms as traditional ones and reflects the anthropological characteristics of his group, the polymorphism of pigmentation and nature of the hair of the ancient and modern Greek populations is different.

Conclusion. Groups of art sources that differ in chronology and style do not represent the hair pigmentation of the population of ancient Greece in the same way. To further study polymorphism of pigmentation of the ancient population, it is necessary to correct the methodology to correlate the actual colors used in vase/mural painting with the hair color classes of the traditional color scale, as well as the use of additional comparative materials.

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Introduction. Identifying kinship relationships fr om skeletal remains is among the various objectives of bioarchaeological studies. This article focuses on reviewing the methods used to analyze biological kinship in human fossil populations through non-metric traits.

Methods. Since direct molecular-genetic analysis of kinship is often highly challenging due to the poor preservation of ancient DNA, special attention in such studies is given to nonmetric phenotypic traits.

Results. Research with osteological samples that have been documented provides compelling evidence that the level of morphological similarity between individuals is directly related to their degree of biological kinship. In cases wh ere the pedigrees of osteological materials are fully or partially known, phenotypic data can be effectively used in lieu of genetic information.

Discussion. The methodology developed for kinship analysis depends on the internal spatial structure of the cemetery being studied. When analyzing small burial sites, the aim is to determine if the people buried there are close relatives. Various methods are used in these analyses, including different techniques for determining the likelihood of kinship, cluster analysis, and correlation coefficients. Identifying kinship is most promising in burial sites where archaeological or historical indicators of biological relationships are present. Kinship analysis in spatially structured cemeteries is aimed at identifying families or social groups. The analysis of uniformly distributed cemeteries focuses on identifying closely related individuals in large burials without clearly defined subgroups. This involves spatial correlation analysis, which tests for significant correlation between the matrix of spatial distances and the matrix of phenotypic distances; various counting methods to test for non-random clustering of traits; the nearest neighbor method; and a non-spatial block search procedure that simultaneously identifies presumed relatives and the traits that indicate the degree of their kinship.

Conclusion. Many problems in establishing kinship can be overcome with the availability of skeletal material accompanied by verified genealogical data. Unfortunately, skeletal remains with preserved documentation are quite rare, limiting the opportunities to study the inheritance of non-metric traits and the morphological similarity of biologically related individuals.

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Introduction. The article is devoted to the problem of establishing the eastern border of the Saka culture of Alai. An important role in understanding of this problem is played by the Touyun burial ground, located in the southwestern part of Xinjiang, close to Kyrgyzstan.

Materials and methods. This burial ground has specific funeral rites, which demonstrate the characteristic features peculiar to the Saka culture of Alai. In particular, these are burials in stone boxes, crypt-like stone structures and at the level of the ancient surface, constructed under low stone-earth burial mounds. Burials in them were both single and multi-act. The buried people in these burials were in an elongated position with orientation of the sculls to the west and northwest direction. The funeral inventory from Touyun was relatively poor and represented by a couple of ceramic vessels, jewelry items (earring, bracelet, and beads), a belt garment (belt buckle), household items (sumac, awls) and clothing items (plaques).

Results and discussion. These funeral objects, based on analogies, allowed us to establish the time of existence of the Touyun burial ground, which fits into the chronological framework of the end of the 5th – 3rd centuries BC. It is evident, that this necropolis appears as a result of the migration of the Saka population from the eastern part of the Alai Valley. The occupying this territory group of Alai Saka was appeared in the contact zone with the population of the Saka culture of Tien Shan region, with which, apparently, they established marital ties. Currently, the Touyun burial ground is the easternmost site of the Saka culture of Alai, which makes it possible to expand the border of this culture by more than 130 km to the east than previously thought. It also made it possible to significantly clarify the real areas of the main archaeological cultures in the southwestern part of Xinjiang such as the Saka cultures of Alai, Pamir and Tien Shan region.

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Introduction. Since its foundation in 1755, Moscow University has become a cultural, scientific and educational center, the social significance of which surpassed both educational and scientific. The University published a city newspaper, printed magazines, books and textbooks; its library, Museum of Natural History and Botanical Garden were open to the public, university holidays served to popularize science and education. The educational function has become traditional for the university.

Materials and methods. The sources of the work are the statutory documents of universities and secondary educational institutions, accounting documents of inspections, in the study of which historico-typological and historico-descriptive methods are used.

Results. The Charter of 1804 legislatively assigned the university the leadership of secondary and lower-level educational institutions in the Moscow Educational District, which included Moscow, Vladimir, Vologda, Kaluga, Kostroma, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl provinces. University professors regularly surveyed educational institutions, studied their financial situation, the qualifications of teachers, the level of training of students, and gave recommendations on how to improve the work of educational institutions. The problems of local schools were discussed in the University's Academical Committee, and ways to open new educational institutions were discussed. The reports were forwarded to the Ministry of Public Education. Since 1835, the management of secondary and lower schools has been transferred from universities to the trustees of educational districts. Since 1835, the management of secondary and lower schools has been transferred from universities to the trustees of educational districts.

Conclusion. The work of the University in the first half of the 19th century on the management of schools at various levels of the Moscow Educational District played a crucial role in the formation of the national public education system.

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Introduction. The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of a sample of students from the Republic of Korea studying in Moscow. In the context of intensive international student exchanges, the problems of young people’s adaptation to life and study in another country are becoming a relevant subject of scientific research, including modern biological anthropology.

Material and methods. We applied traditional anthropometric methods, as well as questionnaire and self-esteem scale by T. Dembo, S. Rubinstein. Data collection was carried out in compliance with the rules of bioethics and with further depersonalization of the collected materials. Statistical methods included descriptive statistics, correlation and factor analyses.

Results and discussion. Based on anthropometry data, body mass index was calculated and graphs of its distribution meet the criteria of normality. In males, the body mass index is mainly within the normal range, while in the female sample there is a noticeable percentage of participants with low body weight according to the standards of the World Health Organization.

In male sample, body mass index shows a negative relationship with satisfaction with nutrition, physical well-being and sports activities, which is consistent with the results of our study of Russian students. Body mass index in females shows a positive relationship with self-esteem. The results made it possible to evaluate the associations between physical and psychological characteristics and some social factors.

Conclusion. The results of the study indicate a significant influence of social factors, and above all, self-socialization, on the physical and psychological state of young people, which must be taken into account in interactions with international students.

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Introduction. The article analyzes materials dated to the 16^th–17^th centuries came from Smolensk. This period turned out to be one of the most complex and eventful in the history of the region, that's why every new detail is significant for the study. For a long time, Smolensk functioned as a boundary city and also as an important trade hub between the Muscovite Tsardom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; so, the composition of its population may reflect the influence of the western neighbors.

Materials and methods. There were examined the craniological materials discovered during the excavations at the Pyatnitsky district of the city in 2012. The necropolis dates back to the turn of the 16^th–17^th centuries, it is located on the high bank of the Dnieper near the fortress wall of the Smolensk Kremlin. The materials include 17 male and 19 female skulls. Classical and multidimensional biometric methods were used as statistical approaches.

Results. The comparison beetween the studied sample and the other sample of the 12^th century city population known from the literature has showed their high similarity, although the later sample tends to be slenderer. Statistically significant differences were recorded only for certain parameters of the skull.

The comparison with the aggregated sample of the rural Smolensk region population dated to the 18^th–19^th centuries also revealed a significant difference for the cranial length and height and some parameters of the facial skeleton. Discriminant analysis showed a quite unique status of the studied sample, which differs from both synchronous urban groups and later samples of the rural population of the central region. There are also no processes of macrosomization observed for it.

Conclusion. The absence of significant differences for most characteristics between the studied sample and the urban population of the 12th century can indicate the continuity of the morphological type of the Smolensk urban population. On the other hand, the intermediate position of the studied sample in relation to early and late comparative materials can indicate that the studied sample represents recent settlers from the rural area.

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Introduction. Human body morphological structure is a convenient and informative describer of individual development and condition. The study analyzed the indicators of the body physique in reliance on the body mass index in male adolescents of Magadan Region.

Materials and Methods. Two hundred and eight male adolescents permanently residing in the territory of Magadan Region were examined. The sample made up three groups according to the body mass index: Group 1 was for adolescents with a body mass deficit; Group 2 was normal body mass subjects, and Group 3 was overweight examinees. By using common methods, we studied basic anthropometric indicators with further calculation of the body component composition and specific indices.

Results. Resulting from the research we could refer 23% of the examined adolescents in Magadan Region to those having body mass deficit, 63% of the sample were people with normal body mass, and 15% of the surveyed subjects were diagnosed with excess body mass. Interestingly, there is a growth of BMI among overweight adolescents occurs owing equally to fat, muscle, and bone components.

Conclusion. The conducted research has shown quite good physical condition experienced by adolescent examinees: the values of fat, muscle, and bone components could be referred as norms despite the observed overweight and a negative growth in the waist circumference index. The results contribute to the understanding of necessity of a wider range of physical characteristics for assessing excess body mass, including indicators of body component using the bioimpedance method with further calculation of fat, muscle, and bone indices.

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Introduction. The purpose of the work is to determine of temporal variability of morphological characteristics of urban Abkhazian children and adolescents in the context of changing living conditions.

Materials and methods. For the first time, the parameters of some morphological signs of Abkhaz children and adolescents 10-17 years old from the city of Sukhum (Republic of Abkhazia) in 2012 were presented. Intergenerational analysis of somatic development indicators was carried out for boys and girls 10-17 years (the total number of examined was 1,651 people). Surveys 2005 and 2012 were conducted under a single protocol and included a set of measuring and descriptive features.

Results. During the considered time period for Abkhaz adolescents of 17 years, stability of longitudinal proportions of the skeleton is noted. For Abkhaz girls, a time trend has been established towards flattening the shape of the chest, and narrowing the shoulder diameter. Similar changes in transverse skeletal parameters in boys are trending.

The observed discrepancies in the parameters of signs for two samples of Abkhaz children are observed during ecosensitive growth periods. Stunts in growth and development caused by the effects of difficult living conditions in the early years in children of the 2005 examination are compensated by the end of the growth period. Two samples of Abkhaz children achieve similar definition parameters at different rates. The under development for younger children in the 2005 sample is offset by continued growth rates until the end of the growth period. Over the period of time considered, labile components of catfish have changed to a greater extent, determining the girth characteristics of the body. For Abkhaz children, a temporary trend towards an increase in abdominal fat deposition and a decrease in subcutaneous fat deposition on the limbs was determined.

Conclusion. The sex specificity of the time trend of different characteristic systems is observed. Changes in the transverse dimensions of the skeleton for girls were noted. For Abkhaz children, a time trend has been determined to change the topography of subcutaneous fat deposition according to the "truncal" type, which is probably the result of adaptation to new living conditions, changes in the traditional lifestyle of the population. Over the period of time under review, minor changes in the skeletal system were noted for Abkhaz adolescents. Significant changes affected the fatty component of the soma: there is a change in the topography of fat deposition towards the truncal type. For Abkhaz teenagers, the gender specificity of the secular dynamics of various systems of characteristics has been established. The study results demonstrate the important role of environmental factors on the morphological status of the genetically stable Abkhaz population.

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Introduction. The goal of study is the estimation of «peak height velocity» (PHV) as the marker of secular trends in addition to secular dynamics of height (H).

Material and methods. The study embraces the block of samples of scholars (6/7–17 years) from Russia and former USSR, examined through the vast historical period from 1920th till nowadays, literary data and personal archives of the authors. The main attention is paid to three urban agglomerations – Moscow, Nizhniy Novgorod, Minsk. The following number of parameters is determined for each sample: the age of maximal velocity of growth dynamics of average levels of H during adolescence (APHV), determined according to the empirical patterns of annual changes of average H levels and consequent smoothing by least square method – differentially for boys and girls; and delta between parameters of boys and girls; maximal quantitative level of growth changes in cm (IPHV), different for boys and girls as well, and delta between the parameters.

Results. The difference of APHV between boys and girls for each population under study is about two years – boys have delayed PHV as compared to girls in any ecological niche. Secular dynamics of APHV has nonlinear character, doesn’t decrease progressively through the whole historical interval from 1920th to 2000th, despite of permanent increase of the level of anthropogenic stress in cities under analysis, the lowest APHV is fixed in 1980th. Correlations of APHV with absolute annual H values through the age interval 6/7–17 years is systematic and high enough for boys (correlation about 0,5, determination coefficient about 0,25) and accidental for girls, being revealed for only one annual age group among 12 analyzed. Correlations of IPHV with absolute values of H are maximal at 7 years and minimal at 17 years, the level of correlations is less for girls as compared to boys.

Conclusion. PHV really marks the secular somatic dynamics along with H itself as genetic marker. Correlation of APHV with absolute annual levels of H through the interval 6/7–17 years is systematic and significant for boys and accidental for girls, which witness to genetic determination of growth tempo of boys. Correlation of IPHV with absolute values of H, having highest levels at 7 years, points to the fact that height at 7 years is a real trigger of PHV parameters.

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Introduction. This study compared body mass index and arterial blood pressure indices in boys and girls born in Magadan fr om ages eleven to seventeen.

Material and methods. A total of 633 girls and 784 boys aged 11–17 were randomly sampled for the examination which was fulfilled in school physician’s offices and in the summer period of June-July, 2018–2019, in a children’s health camp. Body length (BL, cm) and body mass (BM, kg) were measured, and BMI was calculated for each student. A complex of hard & software unit for noninvasive study of central hemodynamics and the method of volumetric compression oscillometry were used to test subjective cardiohemodynamic performance at rest.

Results. At the age of 14–17, boys tended to be higher in systolic blood pressure (mmHg) and body mass (kg) than girls (p <0.01, p <0.01). Girls, compared with boys, demonstrated higher average variables of heart rate (p <0.05, p <0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (p <0.01, p <0.001) through all age groups. By analysis of individual values obtained for blood pressure and heart rate, 77.2–70.2% of boys and 80.2–75.1% of girls could be referred to those having normal indices. 11.3% of boys and 10.3% of girls exhibited blood pressure variables close to the upper lim it of the norm (high norm), and 11.5% and 9.5% of schoolchildren, respectively, were diagnosed with hypertension. Body weight deficiency or overweight were characteristic of 7.2% and 8.7% of girls, and 4.7% and 6.1% of boys, respectively (p <0.05). Quite similar percentage of children could be considered obese: 2.5% of boys and 2.7% of girls.

Conclusion. The most pronounced changes in children’s cardiohemodynamic performance develop in puberty: in girls from ages 11 to 13, in boys at ages 11–14 and 16–17. High incidence of arterial hypertension was observed in both boys and girls at 16–17. A positive correlation between body mass index and blood pressure level existed.

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Introduction. Secular changes in the somatometric parameters of children and adolescents of both sexes are observed in most countries of the world. The data in the literary sources are contradictory and indicate two opposite directions of the processes of changes in time the parameters of physical development – acceleration and deceleration, which points out to the need for their constant monitoring.

Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of the main somatometric indicators of physical development (length and body weight) was carried out in children and adolescents of both sexes in the city of Gomel aged 8 to 16 years, obtained in 1925 (first group), 1973 (second group), 2010–2012 (third group), 2021–2022 (fourth group). These populations were homogeneous in place of residence, ethnicity, close in time of inspection and representative in number. The number of boys and girls in each age group was 100 or more people.

Results. It was found that children and adolescents of both sexes of the Republic of Belarus examined in 2010–2012 and 2021–2022 had higher values of somatometric indicators (body length and weight) compared to their peers examined in 1925 and 1973 (p<0,05–0,001). At the same time, there were practically no statistically significant differences between the anthropometric indicators of schoolchildren of two gender groups surveyed in 2010–2012 and in 2021–2022.

Conclusion. A comparative analysis of the anthropometric indicators of children and adolescents of both sexes aged 8–16 years from 1925 to 2022 indicates that the process of acceleration among urban schoolchildren in Belarus observed in the period from 1925 to 2012 stopped, which is indicated by the absence of statistically significant differences between the anthropometric indicators of schoolchildren surveyed in 2010–2012 and in 2021–2022.

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Introduction. This work continues the series of articles devoted to the assessment of the main directions of auxology development in Russian anthropology. This part presents and describes the work of the staff of the Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Department of Anthropology of the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as the Russian University Sport (SCOLIPE) and the Federal Science Center of Physical Culture and Sport (VNIIFK).

Materials and methods. In this part of the work, articles devoted to the comprehensive assessment of the research of physical development in the context of psychology, psychophysiology, genetics and sports anthropology, which were published in the «Lomonosov Journal of Anthropology (Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin)» from 2009 to 2022 were used as a source of information.

Results and discussion. The described works evaluate, firstly, the psychosomatic connections of self-esteem and soma parameters that determine it, as well as the specifics of the processes of growth and adaptation in biological and psychological aspects. Secondly, the intra-group variability of neurophysiological parameters (EEG parameters) and the analysis of their correlations with somatic indicators are considered. Thirdly, the contribution of genetic factors to the development of morphological trait systems, primarily associated with increased body weight and obesity, is evaluated. In addition, the results of studies devoted to the search for predictors of sports success and the analysis of the physical status of athletes of various specializations are presented.

Conclusion. The number of works similar to those described in this review is steadily growing every year, which suggests an increasing integrative nature of anthropological research.

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Introduction. The significance of peak height velocity (PHV) in screening studies of children and adolescents as the biomarker of the chronobiological status of the population is in the focus of the study.

Material and methods. The analysis embraces a significant specter of samples (N=37, literary data), including different ethnoterritorial groups of Russia and former USSR, examined through the vast historical period of second half of XX century – beginning of the XXI century. The analysis of interpopulation variability of the parameter of peak height velocity of growth changes of the average level of height through the adolescence is under discussion – its absolute value (MPHV, cm) and chronological age (APHV, years); intragroup sexual differences of these characteristics are under consideration as well.

Results. Dynamic curves of height increase for urban samples from USSR territory, both native populations and Russian, have dome-shaped form, monotonous height increase/gain velocities up to the peak, slump further on. Traditional Mongolian groups and rural Abkhazian show the dynamic curve with descending wavy form. Histograms of intergroup distribution of the parameter APHV both for boys and girls differ from normal Gaussian distribution and gravitate towards double-peak form. Population values of APHV for boys are two and a half years later as compared to girls; MPHV is a more solid parameter, sex differences here are 0.41 cm with boys’ advantage. Factor analysis revealed definite autonomy of the process of pubertal spurt for male and female adolescents: the first factor describes growth activity of boys, the second — of girls (35% and 30% of the total variability of parameters correspondingly).

Conclusion. The results allowed to conclude, that the variability of the parameter points to the significant social/anthropogenic base of chronobiological status of the population and independent growth strategies of male and female sexes, which suggests to interpret PHV as the valid and perspective biomarker in population growth studies. 

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Introduction. This publication is the second in a series of articles devoted to the description of the collection of photographs of representatives of the peoples of the Kuban region, and is devoted to the study of a part of the collection, including photographs of Karachays.

Materials and methods. The basis of the work was a collection of photographs collected by E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903), presented by him at the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 in Moscow and kept in the funds of Anuchin Scientific Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Results and discussion. Photographs of the Karachays of the Batalpashinsky district (now the village of Batalpashinsky - the city of Cherkessk) are described and analyzed. Of these: two photographs of children (8 years old), four photographs of men (19, 37, 70 и 72 years old) and one photograph of a woman (57 years old). The authorship of the studied images has been established. All of them belong to the Russian photographer, the owner of one of the very first photo workshops in Tiflis, Vladimir Barkanov (1826-1892). A description is given of one of the famous dynasties of Karachay - the Krymshamkhalov princes, whose representative is depicted in the picture of the studied photo collection. A summary of literary anthropological information about the Karachavians of this period is presented.

Conclusion. The presented materials are unique, have scientific, historical and documentary value and significance, allowing to determine the authenticity of the person depicted in the photo, and its dynasty, as well as to obtain a lot of information about the typical realities of the depicted era, in particular, the features of his life, costumes, customs, environment habitats, as well as the implementation of a comparative anthropological and historical and cultural analysis. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The article considers the processes of identity manifestation and construction of the Beja people on the Internet.

Materials and methods. The study was carried out as part of an interdisciplinary research of the history, anthropology, geology, and ethnography of the Atbay region in northeastern Sudan, initiated by Lomonosov Moscow State University. The authors emphasize the importance of the online space for the identity manifestation of stateless cultures. The analysis of online sources is preceded by a consideration of the historical conditions and special traits of Beja self-perception. Comments from YouTube video hosting users on videos dedicated to the history and culture of the Beja people are involved as sources for the study.

Results and discussion. As a result of their analysis, four main patterns of Beja identity are determined: supra-ethnic cooperation with the “Arab world”; the association of Beja with the "pancushitic" community; and "ethnic identity" limited by the boundaries of the Beja community itself. The authors conclude that the Beja identity on the Internet is constructed in two dimensions: "global" and "local". The "global" level is represented by mainly the African diaspora, the "local" one – by Internet resources that are used by residents of the East African region. The findings made in the online study are compared with the ethnographic materials collected by the authors in Atbay region among the Beja Bishariin, physical anthropology data and historical evidence. Some excerpts from an interview with Mr. Onur, who comes from the Beja Ertega tribe (acted as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to the Russian Federation until 2022) are also included in analysis.

Conclusion. As a result of comparing all types of data, the authors conclude that the Beja identity exhibits a high degree of lability. It is suggested that the reasons for such lability may be related to the historical conditions of the Beja ethnogenesis on the periphery of ancient civilizations and to the significant heterogeneity of the historical population of the Eastern Desert in all the historical periods under consideration. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The invasion of the Huns in Europe, which became the cause of the Great Migration of peoples, could not but leave a significant archaeological trace. However, only a small number of Hun burials are currently known, most of which were discovered accidentally in the middle of the 20th century, which makes each newly discovered burial unique, and their comprehensive study and publication of individual data is important for subsequent research.

Materials and methods. During the excavations in 2021–2022, two Hun burials were discovered in the Ust-Alma necropolis. One of them belonged to a young man, the second to an elderly woman. The good preservation of both skeletons, in particular their skulls, allowed for a complete craniological examination. In addition, a children's Hun skull from the Belyaus settlement was examined, which is in permanent storage at the D. N. Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology.

Results. As a result of the work carried out, it was found that both individuals from Ust-Alma have the same type of skull deformation – high annular (according to the classification of E.V. Zhirov). However, the deformation methods were probably different. The deformation of the skull of a child from Belyaus is defined as occipital with right-sided asymmetry of the occiput. Craniophenetic data do not indicate the relationship of individuals buried in the Ust-Alminsky burial ground. Craniometric data indicate a mixed origin of the crimean Huns.

Conclusion. Due to the small number of Hun burials from Ust-Alma, as well as individual data on Hun skulls in the scientific literature, it is difficult to conduct a statistical analysis based on craniological data. Within the typological approach, for a number of features, the male skull was characterized as Caucasoid, and the female as Mongoloid. Thus, new craniological data on rare Hunnic skulls introduced into scientific circulation will increase the comparative base for further research. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The fine arts of archaic Greece and Etruria experienced a noticeable influence of the East. The transition from archaic to classical time influenced the forms of depicting the morphological features of a person in antique art. Comparative study of the anthropological features of the antique population of the Mediterranean on the greek painted pottery and etruscan murals of the archaic and classical times was the purpose of our study.

Materials and methods. The material was collected in the online-collections of ancient collections of museums. We used the method of a composite portrait in a digital version, the calculation of the frequency of features in our study. Studied features was – beard growth, hair color and nature of the hair.

Results and discussion. On the etruscan murals of the archaic period, the frequency of depicting straight nature of the hair in women is the highest (7,7 %) in all samples; for different groups of painted pottery, it does not exceed 7 %. The degree of beard growth according to vase painting and etruscan murals is characterized by a strong and very strong growth. A greater manifestation of hair pigmentation polymorphism according to painted pottery is noted in the images of the classical period. Dark hair predominates in all groups, grey-haired was depicted only in male characters. Hair depigmentation on painted pottery is observed in images of the classical and late classical periods and did not exceed 6 % in the total sample. Pigmentation on etruscan murals indicates a lightening of the hair in the group towards reddish-red shades, depigmentation does not exceed 8%. Features of the depiction of pigmentation in to vase painting and murals, despite the different technique and coloring, reveal common tendencies of variability characteristic of the Mediterranean groups. Composite portraits based on painted pottery reflect the historical transformation of the anthropo-aesthetic ideas of the greeks through the fine arts of the archaic and classical times.

Conclusion. Color in greek painted pottery performs not only a decorative function, but is also an artistic means of conveying morphological variability. Involvement of antique written sources of the description of population and the philosophy of color in antique culture can help in the anthropological reading of vase painting and further study of pigmentation polymorphism. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The paper revisits the intergroup craniometric variability in the Early Iron Age, Antiquity and Early medieval Central Asian population. Some new cranial materials are considered within the hierarchical system of the regional populations.

Materials and methods. The comparison included 61 cranial samples from all historical and cultural regions of Central Asia with a total of 1100 crania. 12 standard measurements of the facial skeleton were used. First, we conducted Canonical discriminant analysis. Second, the matrix of Mahalanobis D² distances was obtained using the resulting group coordinates in the space of the canonical vectors. Finally, the distance matrix was subjected to Multidimensional scaling and the Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis.

Results. The first three canonical variates reflect 53.4% of the total intergroup variation and differentiate samples based on bizygomatic breadth, orbit dimensions, nasal bridge height (and width to a lesser extent), horizontal profiling angles and nose protrusion angle. Upper facial height also contributes to intergroup craniometric variability but does not play a decisive role in differentiating among samples of European ancestry in the considered chronological period. Correlation coefficients between canonical variables and multidimensional scaling coordinates suggest similar relative positions of the groups in the scatterplots.

Discussion. Considering the mixed nature of the Central Asian population and the difficulty of objective differentiation of morphological types, we caution against unreflective use of terms “East Mediterranean type” and “Pamir-Fergana race”. The results suggest that the Antiquity and Early medieval sedentary populations are difficult to distinguish from nomadic and semi-nomadic groups of the Wusun period. The new materials confirm the morphological similarity between Early medieval population of Sogdiana (ancient Panjakent) and Ushrusana (Kurkat dakhmaks). © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is a pathological condition characterized by the growth of the inner surface of the frontal bone. Most researchers describe HFI as a symptom associated with hormonal dysfunctions, which prevails in the modern population. This paper provides an analysis of HFI frequency on the craniological material of four adaptive types.

Materials and methods. We have examined 2211 skulls (59 craniological collections from the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, RAS and Federal Research Center of the Tyumen Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences). We have analyzed the total frequency of HFI, used a comparative intergroup analysis, and evaluated the degree of HFI expression and the distribution of the trait.

Results and discussion. It was found that the frequency of HFI in groups of arctic, continental and temperate adaptive types ranged from 2.3% to 4.3%, which is significantly less than in the modern population (12-37%). In the group of the tropical adaptive type, HFI was not found. As a result of a comparative study of the severity of cases of frontal hyperostosis, type A was the most common, HFI type B was less common, and type C was recorded only for one individual of the Arctic adaptive type. The reasons for the relatively low prevalence of HFI in representatives of various adaptive types are discussed.

Conclusion. According to a low frequency of HFI in studied adaptive types comparing to data in modern population can be considered that adaptation to environment and life style is more important than climate and geographical features. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Trehalose or mushroom sugar has been increasingly used in the food industry in the past decades. To be absorbed in the human intestine, trehalose needs to be broken down by an enzyme known as trehalase. Today, it is known that the G→A substitution in the rs2276064 locus of the TREH gene results in the reduced activity of this enzyme.

The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of TREH (rs2276064) alleles and genotypes in the populations of South Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Mongolia that differ in the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) component to their gene pools.

Methods. We genotyped 987 DNA samples collected from the representatives of 17 indigenous populations from Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The samples of 311 ethnic Russians comprised a reference dataset. In addition to estimating the frequencies of TREH alleles and genotypes, we analyzed the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) and West Eurasian (European) ADMIXTURE components for the studied populations using an Illumina 750k microarray of SNP markers.

Results. The frequency of the A*TREH allele associated with trehalase deficiency increases from west to east (r_sp =0.500, p <0.05). TREH is correlated more strongly with the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongolian) component than with the geography of the studied populations: r_sp =0.613 (p =0.007); with AA*TREH frequency r_sp =0.688 (p =0.002).

Conclusions. The rs2276064-А TREH allele is more frequent than previously estimated from clinical data. The more substantial is the contribution of the ancestral East Eurasian (Mongoloid) component, the higher is the frequency of the risk A*TREH allele, which rises dramatically to 29-30% in the Kyrgyz, Khakass, Tuvinian and 39% in Khalkha Mongol populations. Together, carriers of the AG and AA*TREH genotypes make up 35% to 65% of the populations of Oriental origin. We hypothesize that the high frequency of genetic trehalase deficiency determinants in the populations of Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Mongolia is associated with their anthropological characteristics and is not purely dependent on geographic factors.

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Introduction. The article presents the results of the development data on kefalometry of the complex South Sinai anthropological expedition.

The purpose was to study the variability of cephalometric traits in South Sinai Bedouins. Objectives: to identify possible phenotypic differences between the tribes, to assess the position of the Bedouin tribes against the background of the Middle Eastern and North African populations according to literary data; to create male composite photo portraits (CPP) from Bedouin tribes Awlad Said and Gebeliya.

Materials and methods. Cephalometric data from three tribal samples were used: the tribes of Gebeliya, Muzeina and the combined group "other tribes", which includes data on the Awlad Said tribe. To identify intertribal differences, analysis of variance was applied. Literature data on Middle Eastern and North African samples were used for comparative analysis by the method of multidimensional scaling. To create composite photographic portraits (according to F. Galton´s method), an improved program "Face to face" by Syroezhkin-Maurer (by superposition of three points) was used. Full-face and profile individual Bedouins photographic images from the tribes of Gebeliya (N = 21), Awlad Said t (N=21) and Muzeina (N=19, only frontal) were selected for the work.

Results. Statistically significant differences between the Bedouin tribal samples were revealed in such traits as: minimal forehead breadth and mandibular diameter, facial index, height of the lower facial segment and head circumference. Composite full-face and profile photo portraits of Bedouin men of the Awlad Said and Gebeliya tribes, full-face portraits of representatives of the Muzeina tribe were obtained. The results of biometric analysis on the latitudinal traits of the face partly coincide with the analysis of visual information on composite photo portraits. According to the measurement data of the face and head, it was revealed that Bedouin tribes form a compact cluster that differs from neighboring populations.

Conclusion. In the male part of the combined Bedouin sample, for a number of cephalometric features, significant intertribal differences were revealed both by statistical methods and visually (when considering full-face and profile male composite photo portraits). It is shown that endogamous Bedouin tribes of the South Sinai Peninsula are very close to each other by a combination of cephalometric traits, and they significantly different from other neighboring populations. The South Sinai Bedouins form a kind of unique aggregation, whose peculiarity, probably, was formed under the influence of certain socio-historical and environmental factors. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Physical development of younger generation is considered to be important part of age biology issues. This research aimed to conduct the assessment study on physical development of modern children and adolescents born and permanently living in extreme conditions of the North-East of Russia, and compare it to the 2001 survey.

Materials and methods. Four thousand two hundred and seven schoolchildren aged 10–17, both males and females, participated in the 2019 monitoring. Basic anthropometric parameters were measured for each student: Body Length, Body Mass, Chest Circumference in pause, and Body Mass Index was calculated. We comparatively analyzed the age dynamics of the studied anthropometric indicators and the rate of change in these indicators during the year within each age group, as well as differences between the same age groups of the 2001 and 2019 surveys.

Results. Modern adolescents tend to be higher in somatometric indices as compared to those of previous years. Modern boys exhibited higher BM within the age of 13–16 (p<0.05), BL within the age of 11–16 (p<0.05), and CC at the age of 17 (p<0.05). They experience the active increase in their BM, BL, and CC starting at 12–13 while the boys from the 2001 survey demonstrated the comparable increase (p<0.05), they are higher in BM at the age of 12–15 (p<0.05), and CC at ages of 11 and 13–14 (p<0.05). Modern girls show the active increase in their BM, BL, and CC starting at 11–13, while it lasted until the age of 14 in the girls from the 2001 survey. The BMI variables proved to increase towards overweight and obesity: boys gained 2.2 kg and 5.4 kg, and girls 9.5 kg and 5 kg, respectively.

Conclusion. We found the shift of the growth leaps in BL, BM, and CC to younger ages as characteristic of the modern adolescents. In general, higher variables of the studied indicators are evidence of the ongoing acceleration processes in physical development. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. Against the background of the secular trend, which many authors note all over the world, researchers are faced with a methodological problem consisting in the choice of a constitutional scheme for assessing the type of physique. Until the early 2000s, V.P. Chtetsov's somatotypological scheme was widely used in our country, which has now lost its relevance due to the processes of secular trend. The aim of this study is to update the assessment tables in V.P. Chtetsov's constitutional scheme and to actualise the application of this scheme for the assessment of somatotypes in modern youth (aged 17–19 years).

Materials and methods. The study is based on the materials obtained during the annual anthropometric monitoring of Moscow student youth in 2000-2023 (number of samples: 3026 women and 3452 men; measurement of more than 20 physique indices).

Results. The updated normative tables for V.P. Chtetsov's constitutional scheme, calculated on the basis of anthropometric survey materials of more than 6400 people, are presented. Not only mean values and values of standard deviations have been updated in accordance with modern data, but also the general appearance of the tables (the boundaries of intervals for conversion of measuring features into points are presented) for easy reading of information.

Discussion. When comparing the initial evaluation tables of V.P. Chtetsov's scheme with the updated ones, the main tendencies of the secular trend are observed: the modern youth clearly show a significant increase in longitudinal skeletal dimensions and a slight decrease in transverse skeletal dimensions, as well as a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in the fat component of the physique in comparison with the surveyed sample of the early 70s of the last century. A comparative analysis of the distribution of different variants of somatotypes of girls and boys, determined according to the original tables of V.P. Chtetsov's scheme and according to the updated tables of the same scheme, has been carried out. The distribution based on the updated normative tables objectively reflects the variability of body features and the distribution of somatotypes in modern youth.

Conclusion. The obtained results are of practical importance, as new estimation tables for determining somatotypes (in this study for men and women aged 17–19) according to the constitutional scheme of V.P. Chtetsov, taking into account secular changes in body size in the modern population, are introduced into academic turnover. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The goal of study is description of secular dynamics of sexual dimorphism (SD) of main somatic dimensions of children of early and first childhood and its quantitative estimation.

Material and methods. The main source of material – books on physical development of children and adolescents of cities of Russia and former USSR, collected and treated according to the common methodical standards of Science Research Institute of Child Hygiene and thus completely comparable. Analysis of material was held in two variants – meta-analysis based on the whole pool of samples and description of the local patterns of secular SD dynamics in connection with the level of anthropogenic pressure of the residence place and ethnicity of samples. The estimation of the vector and level of associations of SD of anthropometric traits and secular factor was held using correlation analysis. The quantitative estimation of SD value was held using Kullback divergence, analogue of Mahalanobis distance.

Results. Meta-analysis revealed average temporal stability of somatic SD through the early and first childhood Analysis of SD dynamics of Moscow children revealed some decrease of SD levels in 1970s, in other words temporal macrosomization of Moscow girls as compared to boys. The level of urbanization results in greater macrosomization of boys as compared to girls in environments with higher level of anthropogenic pressure – city with 1 million population quantity compared to the small town with stable quantity of population about 40 000. Ethnic specificity of the vector and velocity of secular SD dynamics is illustrated with the model of Russian and Tatar children of Kazan and Russian and Chuvash children of Cheboksary.

Conclusion. The results of study support the fact that higher ecosensitivity to the secular factor is not the prerogative of male sex only; early and first childhood do not give examples of systematic effect of higher ecosensitivity of boys compared to girls of their ethnoterritorial groups to the temporal factor. SD of body dimensions is the autonomic marker of the microevolutionary somatic dynamics through the early and first childhood. The most informative quantitative indicator of intergroup specificity of secular processes is SD of height. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. This work is devoted to the study of some aspects of age and (or) temporal variability of a number of morphological features of the head and face in the adult Chuvash population in Bashkiria. The objectives of the study were to analyze and assess the presence and degree of morphological changes on the skull of an adult according to a number of signs included in the program on ethnic anthropology, as well as to study their possible connection with age-related transformations or acceleration of development and secular trend.

Materials and methods. The surveys were conducted in two districts of Bashkiria, Aurgazinsky and Bizhbulyaksky, in villages with a predominantly Chuvash population. The material was collected in 1999, in total, data were obtained for 361 men and 352 women born from 1915 to 1980. The paper studied the temporal and age variability of the following features: longitudinal, transverse, zygomatic and mandibular dimeters, the smallest width of the forehead, measured the morphological height of the face (from the nasion) and the circumference of the head, calculated the head index. The material was collected by the same researcher. The data were divided into 11 age groups in increments of 5 years, starting in 1925. In each group, the average values of the features and standard deviations were calculated. For all signs, scatter diagrams of the values of signs vs year of birth are presented.

Results and discussion. The most stable signs in terms of age were the minimal width of the forehead, head circumference and mandibular diameters. The magnitude of the head index varies significantly due to age-related changes in the transverse and longitudinal diameters of the head, which determine the magnitude of the index. The age-related decrease or stable condition of the head pointer, according to G.L. Hit’ [1968], contradicts our observations. For most indicators, with the exception of morphological height of the face and zygomatic diameter, no pronounced changes were found, which may be due to local features of the development of the examined group.

Conclusion. The conducted studies have shown that for a more thorough study of the problem under consideration, it is necessary to attract additional materials collected at different times and under different environmental conditions for a close group (for example, in stable populations of Khalkha Mongols). © 2023.This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Since the early 1860s photographic practice has become an integral part of the scientific process and one of the main methods of ethnographic and anthropological research in Russia. In the course of preparations for the first Ethnographic Exhibition in Russia (1867), organized by the Society of Devotees of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography (OLEAE), the Photographic Commission established by the Exhibition Committee (1866) developed a regulation on the execution of photographic portraits of the local population. In 1872 the first “instructions” in Russia for ethnographic and anthropological photography were published.

Materials and methods. The source for the preparation of the article was a collection of photographs collected by E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903) and presented at the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 in Moscow. Currently, it is stored in the funds of the D.N. Anuchin Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Results and discussion. Photographs of representatives of two nationalities - Kabardians and Shapsugs, who lived in the Kuban region, are described and analyzed: the villages of Blechepsinsky and Khodzsky (currently the village of Blechepsin and the village of Khodz of the Koshekhablsky district of the Republic of Adygea), Khokhondukovsky and Kasaevsky (currently the village of Ali-Berdukovsky and the village of Khabez in the Khabezsky district of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic) and the village of Kudzhirsky in the Maikop district, that was located on the left bank of the river Farce and abolished in 1885. These are: 3 photographs of children (6 and 8 years old), 7 photographs of men (18-58 years old) and 5 photographs of women (18-60 years old). A description of the depicted national clothes is given, as well as a summary of literary anthropological information about the Kabardians and Shapsugs of this period.

Conclusion. The first published photographs of representatives of the two peoples of the North Caucasus living in the Kuban region in the second half of the 19th century make it possible to visualize some aspects of the historical information that scientists have at their disposal, to clarify the available anthropological, historical and cultural data on the Kabardians and Shapsugs, and also are an addition to the historical, archaeological, anthropological, genetic and ethnographic studies of the peoples of the North Caucasus. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Since 1820s, it became customary in the Russian Empire to hold various exhibitions - dedicated to manufacture and consequently industry; agricultural, local and national, as well as take part in international exhibitions. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the number, scale and thematic diversity of such exhibitions grew significantly. Exhibitions related activities, which claimed such wide range and popularity, marked the change in public thought process about the new economic structures being established, and the understanding of the issues and risks associated with them, following industrial revolution. One of the problems identified was the deterioration of sanitary and hygiene conditions in cities, caused by growth in industrial production and population.

Materials and methods. Catalogues of the Russian National Hygiene Exhibition of 1893 are the sources for this work. As well as documenting activities of the exhibition, they contain illustrative materials, scientific and academic reports on urban life, data from the periodicals of that era, in the study of which historico-typological and historico-descriptive methods are used.

Results. In the majority of differently themed exhibitions, natural science and medical sections were established, which confirmed the need for targeted development of medical and sanitary aspects. These sections, which were partly organised by scientific societies, were seen, for example, at the Polytechnic Exhibition in 1872, the Craft Exhibition in 1885, Siberian-Ural Scientific and Industrial Exhibition in 1887 in Ekaterinburg, and Scientific and Industrial Exhibition of the Volzhsko-Kamskii region in Kazan in 1890. Finally, in May 1893, Russian National Exhibition was opened in St Petersburg dedicated solely to the development of sanitary and hygienic issues. Exhibition’s organisers declared enlightenment to be its main goal- popularisation of knowledge, scientific discoveries, and inventions in the field of hygiene and sanitation. A large number of state institutions and departments, scientific and public organisations, and private entrepreneurs helped to prepare this exhibition, presenting about 50 thousand exhibits that describe all aspects of human life from both medical and sanitary points of view. Various models and mockups, drawings, sketches and photographs, devices, equipment and tools, demonstrated achievements both in scientific and practical terms.

Conclusion. This exhibition attracted high levels of attention, and its exhibits convincingly proved existence of serious problems and threats in the area of public hygiene and sanitation. It became apparent that in order to solve these on a contemporary level, it was necessary to rely on joint scientific and technological resources. Russia’s participation in the World Hygiene Exhibition in 1911 was another step in this direction, followed by the launch of Russia’s second National Hygiene Exhibition in 1913, the footprint of which grew even larger. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

The catalog of the collection of copies of fossil finds of the genus Homo, which is kept in the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University, is presented in this article. The publication will be useful for researchers to sel ect research materials.

Materials and methods. The documents of the archive of the Museum of Anthropology of MSU were used to work on the article. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study.

Results and discussion. Brief information on the history of the collection formation. The section contains data on the sources of replenishment of the collection, the names of the scientists who handed over the items are named. The collection of copies of fossil bones is divided into parts that combine items that came fr om the same source and at the same time.

Catalog of collections. A short catalog of collections of copies of Homo finds of the Museum of Anthropology is presented in the table. The finds are listed in alphabetical order, the division into geographical regions and chronological periods was not carried out.

Conclusion. The catalog of copies of finds of representatives of the genus Homo, stored in the Museum of Anthropology of MSU, is presented in this article. A catalog of finds of other systematic groups of the Primates order will be compiled and published in the near future. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. In recent years, insufficient attention has been paid to the study of the dynamics of the growth and development of children of early and preschool age, their variability over time and depending on various factors of the external and internal environment. The literature data are contradictory and indicate two multidirectional processes – acceleration and deceleration.

Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of basic anthropometric indicators of physical development (length and body weight) in children of early and preschool age in Belarus, obtained in 2021 (group I) and in 1989–1997 (group II), was carried out. These populations were homogeneous in place of residence, ethnicity, and close in time of inspection. The number of boys and girls in the first group was 700 people, in the second group – 3351 and 3175 people, respectively.

Results. Monitoring of anthropometric indicators of children of early and preschool age allowed to establish the features of physical development. Boys of group I from birth to 6 years of age are significantly more likely to have higher body weight indicators compared to group II. In girls, this trend was not registered only at the age of 3 years (P>0.05). In all age periods, both sexes of the group I significantly more often have higher body length indicators compared to the group II. The most pronounced difference in body length (over 4 cm) in children of the group I and group II was noted in boys and girls in the age groups of 2 and 5 years. The analysis shows an increase in somatometric indicators of physical development and the phenomenon of acceleration.

Conclusion. The conducted studies have established the presence of higher values of body length and weight in children in 2021 compared to their peers in 1989–1997. Higher levels of all the studied indicators were noted in boys than in girls. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Most of the burial mounds of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region combine the burials of representatives of different archaeological cultures separated by thousands of years. Therefore, the rate of accumulation of monocultural synchronous materials in collections for some epochs is quite low, and slows down even more due to the unequal preservation of bone remains. The introduction of new information into scientific circulation based on the results of recent archaeological work will allow faster accumulation of materials and data exchange between researchers working on the same issue. The purpose of this work is to publish morphological features of the skeleton of individuals belonging to the Sarmatian culture of the Pre-Caucasus.

Materials and methods. The skeletons of three individuals, from three burials of one mound, dating from the III-I centuries BC and belonging to the nomads of the early Sarmatian time were investigated. The study used both traditional methods of anthropology and bioarchaeological approaches. Sex and age studies were carried out on all preserved parts of the skeleton according to standard anthropological methods. A program for fixing markers of stress and pathological conditions was applied to all the studied individuals.

Results. Skeletal remains of two young women and a mature man were studied. Both women had anomalies in the development of teeth: in one case – underdevelopment of enamel, in the other – partial congenital adentia. A set of specific features on the postcranial skeleton of a man allow us to characterize him as a rider, right-handed.

Discussion. The results of the study supplement our knowledge about the variability of morphological features of the skeleton of representatives of the nomads of the early Sarmatian culture. Some of the detected signs have a pronounced genetic determination; however, the data obtained is insufficient to identify kinship ties, despite the fact that according to the interpretation of archaeologists, this group of burials is defined as a generic cemetery created during the lifetime of one generation. All the discovered features of the skeleton find analogies among the published materials of synchronous time. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. A dinucleotide deletion of AG at the rs781470490 locus of the SI gene (SI delAG variant) causes dysfunction of the sucrase-isomaltase enzyme and the inability to digest sugar. The deletion frequency in the world is 0.0021%, while among the Inuit (Eskimo) it reaches 17–20%. Research hypothesis: the SI delAG variant is common in all the populations of indigenous northerners.
The study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of the SI delAG variant in the Cis-Ural, Siberian, and Far East populations of the Russian Federation and compare it to that of the Inuit people.
Materials and methods. DNA genotyping and the SI delAG variant frequency analysis were carried out in the samples from study groups of Russians, Komi, Mansi, Khanty, Nenets, Shors, Evenks, Evens, Koryaks, Chukchi (n =613). Corresponding data for the Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit (n =391) were used for comparison.
Results and discussion. The deletion in samples from the Chukchi, Koryak, and Even study groups occurred in 14, 7, and 4%, respectively; there was no the deletion found in the samples of the other Siberian and Cis-Ural groups. The carriage of the SI delAG variant decreases with the distance from the area of the Greenlandic Inuit. The Inuit, Chukchi, and Koryak groups form a distinct cluster. The Paleo-Eskimo do not carry the deletion. Minimal amounts of sugar-containing products appeared in the diet of the Greenlandic and Canadian Inuit at the end of the 19th century, 200 years later than in the diet of aboriginal northerners of Eurasia.
Conclusions. There was no SI delAG variant found in the samples of the indigenous people of West Eurasia high latitude regions. The deletion emerged in Neo-Eskimo population 1.2–2 thousand years ago and has been retained in the small numbered isolate due to their way of existence and diet. In the populations of the northwest coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Chukchi Peninsula, the SI delAG variant was brought by the gene flow from the Inuit people. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is an indirect method of body composition assessment. The equipment for BIA measurements is produced in many countries including Russia and may differ in electrical current frequencies, measurement schemes and built-in algorithms for the evaluation of body composition. In view of this, body composition estimates from various BIA instruments may be inconsistent which limits the ability to combine and generalize BIA data. Our purpose was to analyze the consistency and possibility of joint use of the BIA data obtained using the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ (SRC Medas, Moscow) and Diamant-AIST (LLC Diamant, St. Petersburg) instruments in adults.

Materials and methods. 185 adult volunteers (107 women and 78 men) aged 18 to 61 years were examined according to the standard anthropometric measurement protocol and on the basis of paired consecutive measurements with the bioimpedance body composition instruments ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST. The estimates of fat-free mass (FFM), body fat (BF) and percentage body fat (%BF) were compared. Mutual calibration of the bioimpedance data was carried out based on transformation of the Diamant-AIST data using a conversion formula between the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST resistances and subsequent application the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ body composition assessment algorithm.

Results. There were significant differences in the median values of FFM, BF and %BF estimates provided by the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST instruments. The FFM values in females using the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ instrument were significantly lower, and the BF and %BF were significantly higher as compared to the Diamant-AIST data. In males, the inverse relationship was observed while maintaining significant differences between the medians.

The differences in paired estimates of body composition data provided by the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ instrument and the transformed Diamant-AIST data in males and females, respectively, were statistically insignificant. Also, the confidence intervals for the differences of paired body composition estimates reduced essentially, but still not ensured good consistency of individual body composition data.

Conclusions. Significant differences in paired values of fat-free mass, fat mass and relative body fat using the ABC-01 ‘Medas’ and Diamant-AIST bioimpedance instruments are obtained. The possibility of mutual calibration and joint analysis of the related bioimpedance data at the group level is established. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Rapid life style changes are leading causes of increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among people in India today. Despite the country’s high ethnic diversity, studies related to physiology and such health risks, particularly among the tribal populations have been limited.

Materials and methods. The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,434 tribal participants belonging to six tribes from the two states of West Bengal and Odisha. The aim of the present study was to understand the relationship of age (in years), sex and raised Body Mass Index (BMI) (kg/m²) with selected CVD risk factors among the six tribes of India.

Results. In the males, raised BMI (kg/m²) was found to influence CVD risks by significantly increasing the blood glucose among the age group (in years) of <40 years (Odds Ratio (OR)= 6.396, p≤ 0.05); isolated systolic hypertension among the age groups <40 years (OR= 2.387, p≤ 0.01) and ≥40 years (OR= 2.123, p≤ 0.05); isolated diastolic hypertension among the age groups <40 years (OR=4.74, p≤0.001) and >40 years (OR= 3.24, p≤ 0.001); hypertensive MAP among the age group <40 years (OR= 5.769, p≤ 0.001) and hypertensive blood pressure among the age groups <40 years (OR= 5.865, p≤ 0.01) and ≥40 years (OR= 3.127, p≤ 0.01).

Conclusion. Among females low BMI (kg/m²) was seen to be linked with higher CVD risk. Influence of BMI (kg/m²), age (in years) and sex on CVD risks can explain the increasing health threat among the tribal populations in India. Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) can be considered to correctly indicate the cardiovascular risks; particularly in case of the younger population. An increasing tendency towards a double burden of disease is evident in the studied populations. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The goal of study – quantitative conformities of intergroup variability of the level of sexual dimorphism (SD) of somatic traits of children of early and first childhood in connection with ecological factors – the degree of urbanization and the geographic latitude of the residence place of population.

Material and methods. The analysis embraces the wide specter of ethno-territorial samples of 3-year-old and 6-year-old children from Russia and former USSR of the second part of XX century (literary data). Each sample has minimal necessary number of statistical characteristics: number of sex/age groups, means and standard deviations for height, weight, chest girth. The quantitative estimation of SD level is performed using Kullback divergence, the analogue of Makhalanobis distance. To estimate the direction and the level of associations of SD of anthropometric traits and ecological parameters the classic correlation analysis for pair combinations of indices in age groups of 3- and 6-year-old children was used.

Results. For the compact block of Slavonic samples, examined in 1960s–1970s, the increase of the level of the quantity of population of the residence place is associated with significant decrease of SD of height and SD of weight. The same association for 3-year-old children has the character of tendency, but the same vector of dynamics. SD of chest girth has some small negative significant correlations with the latitude for 3-year-old children and close to significant level for 6-year-old children. The estimation of comparable dynamics of SD of somatic traits in pairs of rural and urban samples of the same region revealed less meanings of SD of height and weight of urban children, that is higher synchrony of growth processes of sexes through the increase of the level of urbanization.

Conclusion. The decrease of SD of height/weight parameters and greater sex synchrony of growth dynamics apart with increase of the level of urbanization of the residence place may be the result of better quality of the urban environment (medicine service, nutrition quality, social family status). The decrease of the level of SD of chest girth apart with the increase of the values of geographic latitude witness to the greater sex uniformity of adaptive reactions to the more extremal climatic conditions. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Physical development indicator variables can be used to estimate the population health status. Mature and elderly male residents of Magadan region, Aborigines and Caucasians by origin, were examined to study basic anthropometric indicators.

Materials and methods. This study presented data obtained in the 2022 Evensk and Magadan Reproductive Health pilot project and Kolyma Longevity regional program surveys. The data of medical examination records of one hundred and seven male residents from the district of Evensk and eight hundred ninety-nine from the city of Magadan were assessed. The following anthropometric indicators were put into general database: body length, body mass, waist circumference, and body mass index was also calculated. Age and ethnic criteria were applied to form 6 groups.

Results. The research showed that negative tendencies in physical development were characteristic of both ethnic groups in both regions: all examinees exhibited high percentage of overweight and shorter body length with the incidence growing with increasing age. The higher waist circumference index at older age in Caucasian populations of Magadan indicated subjective abdominal obesity. The ethnicity proved to specify the dynamics of physical development indicators with age: Caucasian examinees, mostly from the city of Magadan, tended to get shorter in body length with an increase in waist circumference and body mass variables. Aboriginals pronouncedly reduced body length with a tendency to a decrease in body mass, body circumference and body mass index.

Conclusion. Age and ethnicity have an influence on somatometric status of northern residents, which should be considered when forming regional standards of physical development. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. This review is a continuation of the research devoted to the assessment of the development of auxology in Russian anthropology. The first part was devoted to a comprehensive assessment of the processes of growth and development of children from birth to 3 years old, living both in our country and in the countries of the near abroad. The analyzed sources describe factors influencing growth processes (evolutionary, climatic, geographical, ethnic and genetic factors, constitutional features of mothers, circumstances of intrauterine growth) [Permiakova, 2023]. This article examines and describes in more detail the main activities of auxologists, as well as physicians and psychologists working both within our country and in cooperation with foreign researchers from various academic institutions.

Materials and methods. In this part of the work, the author analyzed articles devoted to the comprehensive assessment of physical development (as well as factors affecting it) of the school and student contingent living in Russia and some other countries. All these articles were published in Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin from 2009 to 2022.

Results and discussion. Works in the designated area, on the one hand, analyze the physical development of children and youth of the Moscow region, on the other hand, assess the differences in the rates and dynamics of growth processes of residents of different regions of our country and abroad, including the secular aspect. In addition, representative samples are used to analyze socio-economic factors affecting these processes and determining the features of their course in a particular territory. Complex studies involving the relationship of somatic development indicators not only with socio-economic or environmental parameters, but also the psychological characteristics of the subjects are also important.

Conclusion. The number of works devoted to the subject under study is quite numerous, which allows us to speak about the undiminished interest of domestic anthropologists in studying the problems of growth and development. The complex nature of most of them, among other things, indicates an integrative approach to solving the problems posed to this field of science. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The paper deals with the issue of pressure blademaking emergence chronology in the North-Western Caucasus. The possible paths of the innovation diffusion are discussed.

Materials and methods. The study of the lithic technology is based on the materials from the Early Holocene layers of the Dvoinaya Cave and the Chygai Rockshelter. The series of AMS dates were obtained for the layers. The earliest use of pressure blademaking was revealed in the layer 4/5 of the Dvoinaya Cave and the layers 3-5 of the Chygai Rockshelter dated to 11,3–8,5 cal kyr BC and 11,1–8,5 cal kyr BC respectively.

Results. The full technological context of the bladelet and microbladelet production with the use of pressure was revealed at the Dvoinaya Cave. The blanks were produced from the conical cores with faceted platforms. In layers 3–5 of the Chygai Rockselter the pressure bladelets and microbladelets were discovered. In both cases the metrics of the pressure produced blanks indicate the use of Mode 3 of the pressure technique (pressure with the use of short crutch in a sitting position).

Discussion. We don’t consider possible the diffusion of the technique from the Elbrus region of the North Caucasus as there were two technologically distinct traditions that were partly synchronous. The lower chronological range of the Mode 3 pressure emergence in the North-Western Caucasus roughly coincides with the Early Mlefaatian and the Nemrikian in the south and the Early Butovo in the north. The possible intermediate industries dated to the Early Holocene have not been discovered so far in the neighboring regions to the south or to the north of the North-Western Caucasus.

Conclusion. The early timе of the complex mode of the pressure technique emergence in the North-Western Caucasus is indicative of the external adoption and an extremely fast pace of the innovation diffusion in the Early Holocene. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Until now, no work has been carried out to reconstruct the external appearance of the ancient population of Transcaucasia. In order to fill this gap, this study of the skull of a man from an early medieval catacomb burial in the Shamakhi region of Azerbaijan was undertaken. Craniometric and odontometric measurements determined the sex, racial type, age at death, revealed pathologies of the dentition and various traumatic injuries.

The purpose of the work was to obtain primary information about the appearance of people who lived in the first centuries of our era on the territory of Azerbaijan and thereby attract scientific attention to this problem.

Materials and methods. The skull, found in 1949 by the expedition of R.M. Kasimova with the participation of G.F. Debets, underwent an anthropological study according to classical programs to determine age, gender and race. Lifetime appearance restoration in the form of a graphic portrait in isometric projection was carried out according to the method of M.M. Gerasimov and E.V. Veselovskaya using Adobe Photoshop CC 2020 graphics editor.

Results. A table of individual measurements of the skull is presented, lifetime dimensions of the head are calculated, and a verbal description of the appearance is given. In racial terms, the subject can be attributed to the Caspian subtype of the Indo-Mediterranean race, the most characteristic modern representatives of which are Azerbaijanis, which also illustrates the reconstructed graphic appearance.

Discussion. The metric data of the skull were compared with similar characteristics of the closest male samples, which included a total of over 1300 skulls from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Southwestern Europe. Based on the results of applying the corresponding discriminant analysis equations, it was found that the studied skull in the racial format belongs to the Caspian anthropological type.

Conclusion. As a result of the reconstruction of the appearance of the skull of a man from the early medieval burial ground in the Shamakhi region of Azerbaijan, paleoanthropological material unique for the Transcaucasian region was obtained for the first time. Previous archaeogenetic studies confirmed its belonging to the local population of Transcaucasia. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. This work is devoted to the assessment of the Upper Paleolithic sites of the Northern Tien Shan.

Materials and methods. Plains and foothills of Kazakhstan occupies a large western part of Central Asia and stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Altai Mountains in the east. There are many Paleolithic sites, the vast majority of which are open-air (surface) sites. Recently several multilayer Upper Paleolithic sites have been discovered in the Northern Tien Shan. Among them are the sites of Maibulak, Rakhat, Uzynagash 1–3, Saryzhazyk and some others. The sites have been studied intermittently since 2004. A new research phase began in 2018.

Results and discussion. The sites are located in similar geomorphological conditions. The cultural layers of the sites are nested in loess-like loams covering the northern foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau Range. Most of the cultural layers are interpreted as habitation levels with preserved hearths, burn spots, charcoal spots, and storage pits. Accumulations of lithic artefacts and sometimes animal bone remains are tightly linked with those features of cultural layers. This is an interdisciplinary research.

Conclusion. The chronology of these sites covers the Early Upper Paleolithic, the Middle Upper Palaeolithic and the beginning of the Late Upper Paleolithic. The development of the Northern Tien Shan Upper Paleolithic took place within the framework of a single cultural vector, characteristic for the western part of Eurasia. There are cultural horizons with Aurignation-like, Gravettian-like lithic industries, as well as a culture with geometric microliths (scalene triangles). At the same time, lithic industries show considerable originality. Further work is aimed at studying the classification, typology of lithic collections and their correlation with each other. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The paper defines pathological conditions arguably developed as the result of the cranium deforming practices.

Material and methods. One hundred and fifty-eight brain capsules dating back to the Middle Bronze Age were studied; 42 showed traces of artificial deformation. Comparison of the series of normal and deformed skulls was carried out on the basis of 21 signs identified. The author compared frequencies of pathological conditions between the deformed and non-deformed skulls using nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Pearson's Chi-square (χ2) tests. Thus, differences in the occurrence of traits in the two independent samples was assessed. Additionally, we tested the association between 14 features using Spearman's correlation coefficient (r-Spearman's).

Results. As a result of the comparative analysis, it was possible to establish statistically significant differences in the series of adult individuals between the non-deformed and deformed skulls in three following categories: hyperostosis frontalis interna, external exostosis of the auditory canal and injuries of the cranial vault. The identified pathological conditions are prevalent on the skulls artificially deformed skulls. No significant differences were identified between the compared groups of children and adolescents.

Conclusion. The absence of significant differences for most of the pathological conditions, such as the state of the dentition, growth processes, the development of intracranial hypertension, inflammatory processes and mechanisms that cause metabolic disorders, indicates that artificial deformation does not have a significant effect on the development of the pathology of this character. On the contrary, hyperostosis frontalis interna is a pathological condition that may have been stimulated by the impact of artificial deformation. The high incidence of external exostoses of the auditory canal and injuries on the deformed skulls are most likely markers of the social or ethnic affiliation of the population that practiced this custom.

It should be stated that, intentional artificial deformation of the cranium is quite compatible with a normal health state and human activity. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The relationship between the Human Development Index, life expectancy and the level of innovative development of the economy as a whole for the countries of the world and separately for 85 subjects of the Russian Federation is considered.

Materials and methods. The source of information for assessing the level of development of the innovative economy in the countries of the world was the Global Innovation Index for 2019, and in the regions of Russia – the data of the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia.

The Human Development Report 2020 published by the United Nations Development Program was used to obtain information on Human Development Indices in the countries of the world. The source of information on Human Development Indices in the regions of Russia was the Analytical Note “Human Development Index in Russia: Regional Differences”, published by the Analytical Center under the Gov-ernment of the Russian Federation in 2021. The source of information on the life expectancy of the popu-lation of 85 regions of Russia is the collections of Rosstat. Correlation and non-parametric analysis of variance was used to assess the relationship between the studied indicators.

Results. It is shown that the Spearman correlation coefficient between the Global Innovation Index (GII) and the Human Development Index (HDI) according to the data for the countries of the world is 0.905 (significance level – <0.0001), the correlation coefficients between GII and life expectancy, both average and separately for men and women, are quite high: 0.834; 0.794 and 0.852 respectively.

The correlation coefficient between the Innovative Economy Development Index (IEDI) and the HDI according to data for 85 regions of the Russian Federation is 0.578 (significance level is < 0.0001), the correlation coefficients between the IEDI and average life expectancy and separately for men are not statistically significant, but for the female population – 0.233 (significance level – 0.033).

Conclusion. In the world, with the development of an innovative economy, the Human Development Index is growing, which, in turn, accelerates the development of the economy. In the world, with the growth of the level of development of the innovative economy, the average life expectancy is growing.

In Russia, the relationship between the Human Development Index and the level of development of the innovative economy is rather linear, and the correlation coefficient between these indicators is much lower compared to the correlation coefficient for the countries of the world. In Russia, there is a significant positive correlation between the Innovative Economy Development Index and life expectancy only for the female population. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. As a part of paleopathological studies of people inhabiting the Volga-Ural and Southern Ural steppes and forest-steppes in the Bronze Age, it became necessary to study and generalize the available extensive data on diet of this population provided by specialists from various related fields. Indeed, the state of “health” is largely related to what and how a person eats and under what pathogenic burden he lives.

Materials and methods. The paper summarizes main results of archaeological, zooarchaeological, paleobotanical, geochemical, isotope and paleopathological studies.

Results. It has been almost reliably established that animal husbandry was the economic basis of the studied population with elements of hunting and gathering and the absence of crop cultivation. Zooarchaeological studies show that cattle played dominant role and were used both for meat and milk, with some territorial and temporal variations in which of these components was more important. Hunting and fishing played, apparently, a secondary role. It is obvious that the use of plant foods did take place. Researchers agree that the studied population consumed wild plants growing in the steppes and forest-steppes, such as Chenopodium, Amaranthus and a number of others.

Conclusion. Studies of associated disciplines are in many ways interrelated and mutually interpretable, which allows us to create a general picture. At the same time, a number of unresolved issues remain that require further, more detailed analytical developments, including those involving paleopathological data. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Canonical discriminant analysis, based on the mean values of the traits, is widely used by anthropologists. These analyses use standard deviation means, as well as standard correlation coefficients. The question of the comparability of the results of such analysis with the results based on individual values remains open. Moreover, the existing intergroup variability in correlation coefficients can lead to altered analysis results when applying the correlation matrix calculated for the specific under analysis groups.

This study compares the results of three variants of the canonical discriminant analysis: based on individual data, based on average values and a generalized (species-specific) correlation matrix, and based on average values and a regional (calculated for a certain region) correlation matrix.

Materials and methods. Data from 48 ethno-territorial groups from the Old World were used. The series are dated close to modern times, from the 16th to the 20th century. Twenty-five craniometric linear features have been measured. For canonical analysis on individual data we used the R language package, and for average data analysis the MultiCan software was used.

Results. The results of the two analyses performed on individual data and on average data turned out to be quite similar.

A comparison of the results of a series of discriminant analyses carried out on samples of the three major races using different correlation matrices reveals some small differences in the mutual arrangement of groups. In general, the distribution of samples in the scatter plots, as well as the standardized coefficients of discriminant functions coincide, regardless of the type of initial data.

Conclusion. In general, it may be concluded that the use of both individual values and sample averages in most cases leads to the same results. When individual values are used, the results may be distorted as a result of a strong reduction in the number of samples. Also, sample differentiation in this case is strongly influenced by a higher real intra-group variability. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Childhood and adolescent obesity are associated with impairment of motor skills. However, studies assessing effect of underweight on motor skills as well as the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and motor skills are limited. The purpose of the study was to evaluate relationship between motor skills and BMI in the group of school-aged boys (7–12 years).

Material and methods. The data were collected fr om 7–12-year-old boys (1–5th grade) in the 38 Russia's federal constituent entities of eight federal districts. Height and weight were measured, BMI was calculated. Physical education teachers conducted the testing: endurance 6-minute run test (meters), 3x10 m shuttle run test (seconds), long standing jump (centimeters), forward bend test (centimeters), and 30-m sprint run test (seconds). The dataset contained 54 381 observations. The linear, quadratic and general additive models were built to check relationships between the motor skills and BMI.

Results. It was identified that high values of BMI are associated with impaired results of endurance and speed-strength abilities. Male children with a low and normal BMI values did not differ in motor skills. Despite a low level of explained variation of proportion of motor skills, a significant relationship between of motor development and BMI are noted. In the group of 7-year-old male children, the relationship was not identified. Whereas in the group of 8–12-year-old children it has a curvilinear relationship.

Conclusion. The relationship between motor skills and BMI is curvilinear (quadratic) in the group of 8–12-year-old boys. Hereafter, the modeling of non-linear relationship between motor development and BMI with other predictors might help identifying the optimum zone of body composition wh ere the adaptation potential will be the highest. It is also allowed to compare this zone in the groups of different ages and sexes. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Adolescence period requires special supervision as these years link the impact of generational and early childhood factors to adult outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines 10-19 years as adolescence period, an important stage of growth and development in the lifespan of an individual. The present study assessed nutritional status among adolescents of two villages of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India.

Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study of 443 (208 boys; 235 girls) rural high school students aged 10–15 years of Ajaya and Deulpota villages, Khejuri- I block, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to evaluate their growth pattern and nutritional status. Anthropometric measurements, including height (cm), weight (kg), mid-upper arm circumference (cm), were measured following standard techniques. Stunting, underweight and thinness were used as indicators of nutritional status.

Results. The overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and thinness were 20.32%, 1.81% and 46.95%, respectively. The prevalence of stunting was similar in both sexes (20.67% in boys; 20.0% in girls). The prevalence of thinness was very high among the studied participants (46.63% in boys; 47.23% in girls). According to the WHO classification for assessing severity of malnutrition, the rate of stunting and under-weight were medium and low in both sexes, respectively. However, they had very high prevalence of thinness thus indicating a critical situation of undernutrition.

Conclusion. The nutritional status of these rural school going adolescents was not satisfactory. The existing prevalence of stunting and thinness among the studied population indicates chronic nutritional deficiency while the low prevalence of underweight reflects that the chronic food deprivation they have undergone was during childhood, not in recent period. Follow up studies and intervention of government schemes are required to ameliorate this problem. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The knowledge about the prevalence of hand osteoarthritis (OA) in different populations, the pattern of joint involvement, and the association with age, sex, and weight might be helpful in the understanding of the etiology and in developing the prevention strategy of hand OA. It can be important from a public health perspective. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of radiographic hand OA in the Turkmen community-based sample and its association with age, sex, and body mass index.

Materials and methods. The study population was comprised of Turkmens (277 males and 427 females, aged 19–90 years). Radiographic hand OA was evaluated for 14 joints of each hand according to the Kellgren and Lawrence grading scheme. Statistical analyses included prevalence estimation, linear regression, and χ2 tests.

Results. 13.8% of individuals before age 36 had at least one joint with OA, and the prevalence reached 100% after age 65. After adjustment for age, we found that females with severe obesity have a higher risk of development of radiographic hand OA than those with normal weight (OR(95%CI): 3.88 (1.20-12.60)).

Conclusion. In the present study, after adjusting for age, we found that in men there was no association between the prevalence of hand OA and BMI. However, women with severe obesity are almost four times more likely to develop hand OA than women of normal weight. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Morphofunctional (MF) status of school children of Nizhny Novgorod region is analysed in connection with the degree of urbanization and the level of anthropogenic pressure in contrastive ecological clusters with satisfactory (1), comparatively tense (2), tense (3) and critical ecological situation.

Material and methods. Over 5 thousand of school children aged 7–17 years, examined in 2010–12, are under discussion. The program includes height, weight, BMI, chest girth, lung vital capacity (VC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, somatotype according to Shtefko-Ostrovskiy method. Each cluster is characterized by absolute and standardized values of MF indices; significance of differences between means of parameters with continuous variability for separate ecological groups is estimated by using of analysis of variance and Scheffe-tests. Frequency of somatotypes (%) is calculated for each ecological group, Pearson's chi-square criterion is used. Comparative estimation of total somatic dimensions of rural and urban (literary data) children is held.

Results. The accelerating influence of modern level of anthropogenic stress (clusters 2 and 3) on indices of transversal body development (weight, BMI, chest girth) and VC of prepubertal (9 years) children irrespective of sex is shown. Decelerating influence of critical stress level (cluster 4) on indices of transversal body development of pubertal children aged 13 years is revealed. No significant differences in frequency of somatotypes in contrastive ecological clusters are fixed. Some gracilization of urban prepubertal boys compared to rural boys is shown. Some macrosomization (height and weight) of urban girls aged 7–13 years combined with modest decrease of chest girth as compared to rural girls is fixed. Up to 16–17 years all described differences are obviously smoothed.

Conclusion. The effect of anthropoecological correlations depends on the level of anthropogenic stress, sex and age of examined population and the system of MF indices. Height in our case is less sensitive to the increase of the level of anthropogenic stress. Ecosensitivity of girls is presumably less than boys. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The present study is of a complex nature and is devoted to the assessment of the main directions of the development of auxology in Russian anthropology. To a large extent, this work is a continuation of the review of the activities of the laboratory of auxology of the Anuchin Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University [Godina, 2010]. At the same time, the main directions of work are considered and described in more detail not only directly by the auxology laboratory, but also by other working groups of the same Institute, the Department of Anthropology of the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as other academic institutions.

Materials and methods. Specifically, in this part of the work, articles devoted to the comprehensive assessment of the processes of growth and development of children from birth to 3 years old, which were published in the «Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin» from 2009 to 2022, were used as a source of information.

Results and discussion. The studies conducted in this area affect a large number of aspects of physical development in infancy and early childhood – for example, factors influencing these processes (evolutionary, climatic, geographical, ethnic and genetic factors, constitutional features of mothers, circumstances of intrauterine growth) are analyzed on representative samples. Special attention should be paid to the work on the evaluation in comparative and secular aspects of growth processes and indicators of sexual dimorphism of children under 3 years of age in the countries of the former USSR.

Conclusion. Despite the difficulties in working with a rather specific contingent, the fact that these works, together with the results obtained, lead us to conclude that this stage of ontogenesis is represented to a large extent in the works of domestic anthropologists, which allows us to use these data both in the field of interdisciplinary and interdepartmental research. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

 Introduction. The Nubian expedition of the Lomonosov MSU carried out survey in the Onib Depression in December 2022. The survey revealed several surface scatters and two stone age sites Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop.

Materials and methods. The materials for the article were artifacts (stone tools and debitage, fragments of ceramics) discovered at the surface scatters and sites as well as samples for OSL dating, loss-on-ignition and pollen analysis taken from sites. For comparison, we used stone tools discovered by the Nubian expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1961-1963. The artifacts found at the sites were documented (marked on a map, photographed and described). Several samples for OSL dating were taken at both sites. Sample preparation and gamma spectrometry, as well as OSL measurements, were conducted by standard methods. Analysis of the decoration of ceramic fragments found at the Onib-1 site was carried out. Also, based on the prepared thin sections, a technological and petroglyphic analyses of the obtained fragments were carried out. Samples were taken from different layers of the sites Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop to determine the content of organic residues and spore-pollen analysis. Sample preparation and analysis were carried out following the standard procedures.

Results and Discussion. Analysis of the finds made at the sites indicates that the entire Wadi al-Allaqi region from the Red Sea Mountains to the Nile Valley was inhabited during the Neolithic period. OSL dating for Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop sites indicates that the sedimentary deposits were formed during the Neolithic Subpluvial. These data are also confirmed by the results of ceramic analysis. The layers in which the ceramic fragments were found can be dated back to the 3^rd millennium BC. Petrographic analysis of thin sections of ceramics from Onib-1 site indicates the use of local material for the manufacturing of ceramics. The results of loss on ignition analysis did not reveal a sufficient content of organic residues for a comprehensive paleoecological study that overall indicates unfavorable conditions for the accumulation of organic matter in the studied deposits.

Conclusion. The results obtained indicate high prospects of continuing field research in the Onib Depression aimed at discovering and excavating Neolithic sites. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Osteometric data of adult individuals of the anthropological series fr om the burial ground of the Golden Horde time "Natukhaevskoe 5" are presented for the first time in this work. Based on the standard measurements, patterns of the skeletal constitution of the buried are discussed. As part of this study, we tested the hypothesis about the difference in the morphological appearance of two samples, combined according to the type of funeral rite - stone boxes and burial grounds.

Materials and methods. The anthropological collection consists of the remains of 124 adult individuals, including 67 males and 57 females. Measurements of the postcranial skeleton were carried out according to the program of R. Martin (in version by V.P. Alekseev) according to 55 features. The degree of homogeneity of the male and female samples was determined using an intragroup analysis with the method of principal components for 10 features. The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the statistical significance of differences.

Results. The male population was rather tall with a shortened robust humerus and an elongated forearm bones, the lower limbs were long and massive. Among the female group, there is also a tendency to lengthen the lower limbs, relative to the upper ones, mainly due to the lower leg. The conducted intragroup analysis did not reveal statistically significant differences between the two groups, united according to the type of funeral rite, neither among men nor among women. However, a large range of linear size variations was found among men buried in stone boxes. Compared to them, the sample from the ground pit is more homogeneous. A different picture is observed in the female sample, wh ere higher morphological diversity can be traced among those buried in the pits. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. This article is a publication of the first results of the work under the grant of the Russian Sciences Foundation "Scientific research of the Nubian Archaeological Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences 1961–1963…" related to the study of petroglyphs found during the work of the Nubian Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences, organized in 1961.

Materials and methods. After construction of the Aswan dam, the territories where the Soviet expedition worked as well as many other foreign scientific organizations, were flooded. Thus, the negatives of black-and-white photographs of petroglyphs preserved in the archives, along with some previously published data, are the only source of our information. Individual petroglyphs and groups of petroglyphs have never been outlined properly. This became our task at the first stage, when the drawings of individual signs were made in the Photoshop program (Adobe Photoshop CC version 10.1.2 ×64).

Results and discussion. In recent decades the study of petroglyphs of the Eastern and Nubian deserts has become one of the main areas of archaeologists’ work. It seems relevant to us to re-study the petroglyphs discovered by the Nubian Soviet expedition, analysis of some subjects and images, development of the main approaches to study.

The study of the approaches existing in the scientific literature to the dating and classification of petroglyphs of the Eastern and Nubian deserts gives an idea of the disputable nature of the most chronologies. The study of petroglyphs of Hukab-Karar is complicated by the limitations of the source – the quality of the photo does not always allow us to draw conclusions about the technique of execution of a particular sign. Nevertheless, a number of these petroglyphs can be dated by analogy with the petroglyphs from the well-known sites, as well as using published and handwritten descriptions of the participants of the Nubian expedition.

Conclusion. About 200 petroglyphs discovered by the Nubian Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in a place called Umm-Aghaib (Huqab-Karar) have been published. Among them are numerous images of African fauna are presented. There are also images of hunting scenes, animals and birds, boats, tribal signs, anthropomorphic images dating to the widest historical period. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Natural science museum collections are an important source of materials for scientific research. The Museum of Anthropology has a collection of casts from paleontological finds of primates. This catalog has never been published before. This work contains information about the composition and history of the formation of the collection.

Materials and methods. Documents from the Archive of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University and articles in journals became the basis for writing this work. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study.

Results and discussion. The section "Brief information on the history of the formation of the collection" contains information about the sources of replenishment of the paleoprimatological collection, the names of the scientists who transferred the items, the geography of receipts are given. The items were combined into collections on the grounds that they came from the same source at the same time.

The "Collection catalog" is represented by a table. The finds are divided by geological periods, listed in alphabetical order within the period.

Conclusion. A catalog of casts of finds of representatives of the order Primates (excluding the genus Homo) is presented in the article. In the course of working with the documents, we discovered that not all the accompanying papers were preserved. Work on reconstructing the history of the receipt of paleontological casts of primates will continue. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. In this paper, we compared patterns of longitudinal long bone growths of the Late Bronze Age population from Southern Urals, representing pastoral communities, predominantly cattle breeders, and the relatively synchronous agricultural population from Central Asia using standardized z-scores.

Materials and methods. The analyzed sample comes from two cemeteries of the Srubnaya culture in Pre-Urals (Karanayevsky and Chumarovo-1), and two cemeteries of the Srubnaya-Alakul cultural type in Trans-Urals (Nepluyevsky and Yulaly-8). The comparative sample represents data from Gonur Depe, a Bronze Age proto-urban center in Southeastern Turkmenistan. The sample sizes were 32 and 56 individuals respectively, aged between 2 and 12 years old. The measurements of all six long bones and updated reference Maresh standards (mid-20th century, USA) were used to calculate z-scores. The obtained z-scores were analyzed using both parametric methods and nonparametric statistics.

Results. Z-scores for the diaphyseal lengths differed significantly between the two analyzed samples. The distribution of z-scores for the Gonur Depe sample was more noticeably shifted towards lower values. In the Southern Ural sample, 6.7% of children had z-scores no lower than those in the reference group, while in the Gonur Depe sample this value constituted only 0.6%. Z-scores for the upper limb bones in both groups were significantly higher than those for the lower limb bones. In the Southern Ural sample, children under 6 years of age had significantly higher z-scores compared to 9–12-year old children. No such differences were found in the Gonur Depe sample.

Discussion. The pooled Bronze Age sample from Southern Urals showed overall less stunting from the reference group compared to the Gonur Depe sample. This is consistent with the hypothesis of a smaller long bone lengths and shorter stature in agricultural compared to pastoral populations. In both groups, the lower limb bones had lower z-scores compared to the upper limb bones, indicating that growth stunting relative to the reference values is more expressed for the lower limbs.© 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. There are no fewer than two hundred algorithms for sex estimation based on cranial morphology, relying on statistical analysis of non-metric, linear, angular traits, and their combinations. Nevertheless, many physical anthropologists prefer to rely on visual observations. The objectives of this research encompass exploring potential reasons behind the preference for a visual approach and conducting an analysis of the comparative effectiveness of visual and statistical methods for sex estimation.

Materials and methods. The study is grounded in an analysis of publications related to methods of sex estimation based on cranial traits, spanning the past 70 years. Comparison of accuracy estimates was conducted using non-parametric tests, considering differences in statistical methods, validation approaches (no validation, cross-validation, independent test), and variable types (non-metric traits, craniometry, geometric morphometrics).

Results. General reasons for skepticism towards algorithms include unrealistic expectations regarding their capabilities, greater susceptibility to errors by models compared to humans, lack of control over classification. However, algorithms generally surpass experts in predicting the target variable. The average accuracy of visual sex estimations based on cranial traits is slightly lower than the estimates of statistical models and exhibits noticeable variability. The accuracy of estimations made by experienced anthropologists is comparable to the average performance of models. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of algorithms significantly diminishes when applied to datasets originating from sources other than the training set, particularly when dealing with craniometric traits. In a substantial portion of studies, the size of the training datasets is insufficient for a reliable assessment of model effectiveness, and the sex distribution is skewed towards male skulls, leading to some inflation of the accuracy of their estimates. Model effectiveness can also decline due to errors in the evaluation of non-metric traits, and the assessment of inter-researcher discrepancies does not allow for an evaluation of their impact on model accuracy.

Conclusion. Despite an extensive bibliography, there remains a lack of data on both the accuracy of the visual approach to sex estimation and the reliability of models with claimed high effectiveness. The adoption of flexible methodologies enabling researchers to independently control both variable selection and the composition of the training set will help overcome algorithm aversion and enhance the quality of estimates. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. An assessment of the currently known data on intergroup variability of papillary patterns of fingers' middle phalanges suggests the possibility of using these characteristics to differentiate Eurasian populations.

Material and methods. The study conducted on the prints of fingers' middle phalanges of 1178 men from 12 ethno-territorial groups of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. These are mainly archival materials represented by impressions of the entire palmar surface of the hand. Therefore, we applied а classification that unites morphologically similar variants to eliminate possible errors in determining the types of skin patterns.

Results. Statistically significant differences revealed when comparing the proportions of dermatoglyphic features in Caucasian populations, on the one hand, and mixed Caucasian-Mongoloid or Mongoloid populations, on the other. The occurrence frequencies of straight and hook patterns increase, and the frequencies of distal arc and complex double patterns decrease in the presence of a Mongoloid (or Uralic) component.

The results of cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling confirmed the division of populations depending on the presence of a Mongoloid, including Ural, component in their racial composition. Within the main clusters, groups were differentiated according to anthropological similarity and territorial proximity.

The skin patterns’ complex of digital middle phalanges is very sensitive to the presence of a Mongoloid (or Uralic) component in Caucasian populations, as well as the main dermatoglyphic features of the hand. The differentiation of samples according to the patterns of the middle phalanges largely corresponds to the division based on classical racial and key dermatoglyphic characteristics. However, as a result of multidimensional scaling, the Volga-Kama populations were located further from the Caucasoid than both Mongoloid samples. Therefore, shares’ distribution of united dermatoglyphic signs in Mongoloid populations requires clarification using additional data.

Conclusion. The results of various statistical analyzes allow us to conclude that it is possible to use dermatoglyphic characteristics of digital middle phalanges to differentiate Caucasoid samples and groups with a Mongoloid (or Ural) component. The presence of the Mongoloid component in the groups is accompanied by a decrease in the complexity of the papillary patterns on the middle phalanges. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. There are a number of genes, individual alleles of which or their combinations make the carrier susceptible to the disease. In the case of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, the hypothesis of a “thrifty genotype” was put forward as a combination of gene alleles that provided their carriers with advantages in the prehistoric and historical past, but provoked morbidity now. Such a genotype should have previously been under the positive selection, whereas in the modern world it may play a negative role. It is also obvious that the expression of the thrifty genotype as well as the genes that form it and their alleles, should depend on anthropological and ecological conditions: the ecology of the region where the human population lives and their traditional subsistence and farming systems.

The aim of the proposed review is to systematize modern views on the problem of thrifty genotype with special attention to the evolutionary anthropological, and ecological aspects of the problem.

Materials and methods. Herein we represent a review of current data regarding the thrifty genotype hypothesis. The paper reviews the main theses of the hypothesis, its basis, and the arguments of supporters and critics. The evolutionary, anthropological, and ecological aspects of the thrifty genotype hypothesis are discussed.

Results. A significant number of experimental studies and reviews give an idea of the distribution of thrifty genotypes in populations of different origins and anthropological affiliations. However, the coverage of material and inclusion of population data in the analysis is uneven. The genetic geography of thrifty genotypes remains poor and, commonly, insufficiently studied. The most complete and methodologically correct systematization of primary materials on the prevalence of thrifty genotypes, their connection with the ecological conditions of the natural environment, and anthropogenic factors, including traditional subsistence and farming systems and the nature of nutrition, remains still relevant.

Conclusion. We consider the integrated ecological approach to be the most promising direction of theoretical research on the problem of “thrifty genotype”. The approach from the standpoint of the concept of “niche construction” removes the seeming contradictions between the main hypotheses considered in our review – the thrifty genotype, the drifty genotype and the thrifty phenotype. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The study of adiposity in children and adolescents is an important issue in the era of the global epidemic of obesity. Body mass index is the most common, but not the only body fat index. There are also indexes based on waist and hip circumferences. The purpose of this work is to analyze the age variability and correlation between various anthropometric indices and bioimpedance estimates of the percentage of body fat in children and adolescents.

Materials and methods. We analyzed the data of children and adolescents of both sexes 7-17 years old, 1885 boys and 1453 girls, collected in the course of cross-sectional anthropological surveys of schoolchildren in Moscow, Arkhangelsk and the Arkhangelsk region. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), hip-to-height ratio (HHtR) were calculated. The percentage of fat mass (% FM) was obtained by bioimpedance with the ABC-01 “Medas” device. Correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between indices and %FM.

Results and discussion. The paper analyzes the age-related variability of height and weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, WHtR, HHtR and % FM in children and adolescents of both sexes. Age-related changes in % FM have clear sex differences. In girls, during puberty, there is an accumulation of fat mass, while in boys – its decrease. Body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, HHtR increase in the process of growth, WHR and WHtR decrease. For all indicators, except for WHR, in boys and girls in younger age groups, correlations with % FM are high and decrease with age, reaching average values. While the correlations of WHR with %FM are weak in all studied age groups.

Conclusion. Based on the analysis performed, it is shown that body mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, WHtR, HHtR are good predictors of relative body fat mass, they significantly correlate with % FM, while WHR correlates very weakly. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. A number of studies have shown that the Khalka rural pastoral population of Mongolia leading a traditional lifestyle is not characterized by acceleration of development and a secular trend in somatic characteristics of the body. The purpose is to study the morphological variability of head and face features in the adult rural Khalkha-Mongolian population against the background of variability of the same features in the Chuvash group and try to catch acceleration trends based on measuring head features.

Materials and methods. The data (370 men and 355 women aged 18-60) was obtained during anthropoecological expeditions in 1986-1990 in 4 Khalkha-Mongolian somons. As a comparative material, data on the Chuvash of Bashkiria were used. Regression analysis was applied. The age-related variability of normalized values of cephalometric traits was assessed using variance analysis. For the Mongolian and Chuvash populations, the coefficients of sexual dimorphism of individual features of the face and head (according to V. Deryabin`s formula), as well as the Mahalanobis distance between female and male samples were determined.

Results and discussion. For the studied characteristics (head length and breadth, the minimal forehead breadth and facial breadth, face height, facial and head indexes) in men, no reliable links were found between the variability of these traits and age. Variance analysis of normalized values of cephalometric signs revealed no differences in either the male or female Mongolian sample. The Mahalanobis distances calculated from the complex of head and face signs between the female and male Mongolian subsamples are noticeably smaller than the corresponding values obtained for the Chuvash group.

Conclusion. Comparative studies of the age dynamics of a number of measuring features of the head for about one and a half generations of the twentieth century in Khalkha-Mongols (adapted groups) and Chuvash (populations with impaired adaptation due to changes in socio-economic environmental factors) showed weakly pronounced morphological changes in the features on the head and face in the studied population groups. There were no significant age differences in the complex of features of the face and head in the Khalkhas populations. Data on sexual dimorphism of facial and head features in Mongols and Chuvash have been introduced into scholarly discourse, and in the Mongolian population the values of indicators of sexual dimorphism of cephalometric signs are less than in Chuvash sample. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The purpose of this work was to study the physical development of modern newborns in rural areas and analyze the influence on their basic anthropometric indicators of such biological factors as the serial number of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the age of the parents at time of.

Materials and methods. Materials on rural children were collected in 2020–2022 in the Baranovichi district of the Brest region of the Republic of Belarus on the basis of the Children's City Clinic in the city of Baranovichi. The method of analyzing outpatient cards was used. A total of 231 newborn histories were studied (120 boys and 111 girls). The main anthropometric characteristics of children (body weight, body length, head circumference and chest circumference), as well as the age of the parents and the number of pregnancies and births in the mother were taken into account. The significance of differences was assessed based on Student's t-test. To conduct a comparative analysis of the dynamics over time of the physical development of newborns, materials from surveys of 1976–1978 were used.

Results. The bulk of modern births were women aged 25–34 years (66,6%). More than half of the newborns were born from repeated births – 79,2%. The average age of primiparous women was 25,2±0,7 years, multiparous women – 30,5±0,4. It was found that modern rural newborns had higher average indicators of physical development than newborns of 1976–1978, except for head circumference. Children from repeated births were larger in size, especially boys, in whom the difference reached a statistically significant level. Weak but significant positive correlations were noted between some indicators of the physical development of rural newborns with the age of the parents and the serial number of pregnancy and birth of the mother.

Conclusion. Analysis of changes in the main anthropometric indicators of physical development of rural newborns revealed an excess of the average parameters of body weight, body length (p<0,001) and chest circumference in children of both sexes, compared with infants of 1976–1978. Boys had higher basic anthropometric indicators than girls. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.