HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Estimation of sex in a contemporary Saudi population based on sternal measurements using multidetector computed tomography
Publication date: Available online 7 November 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): A.A. Ahmed, F.O. Alshammari, A.S. Alrafiaah, A.A. Almohaisani, O.A. Al-Mohrej, F.O. Alkubaidan Sex estimation is an essential step for identifying unknown individuals and usually depends on the presence of highly dimorphic bones, such as the pelvis and skull. Nevertheless, the body integrity can be compromised in certain circumstances, and these bones might be absent; therefore, the ability to use other bones for sex estimation is crucial. The aims of this study were to collect baseline data for sternal ...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - November 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Regression equations for the estimation of stature and body mass using a Greek documented skeletal collection
Publication date: Available online 8 November 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): E. Nikita, M.-E. Chovalopoulou Body size is an important variable in bioarchaeological and forensic studies, making the accurate calculation of stature and body mass imperative. Given that anatomical and morphometric approaches offer accurate results but require a particularly good preservation of the skeletal material, whereas mathematical and mechanical methods are more easily applicable but they are largely population-specific, the present paper uses a ‘hybrid’ approach in order to generate regression...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - November 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Evaluation of the contribution of D9S1120 to anthropological studies in Native American populations
We report statistical results of forensic importance for D9S1120. On average, the modal alleles were the Native American-specific allele 9RA (0.3254) and 16 (0.3362). Genetic distances between Native American and worldwide populations were estimated. When D9S1120 was included in the 15 STR population dataset, we observed improvements for admixture estimation in Mestizo populations and for representing congruent genetic relationships in dendrograms. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on D9S1120 confirms that most of the genetic variability in the Mexican population is attributable to their Native American backgrou...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - October 26, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Secular trends in stature of late 20th century white South Africans and two European populations
Publication date: Available online 7 October 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): J. Myburgh, K. Staub, F.J. Rühli, J.R. Smith, M. Steyn During the 20th century a general positive secular trend for stature is observed in developed countries around the world while shorter statures, often associated with a lack of a positive secular trend, have mostly been observed in populations with lower SES. The purpose of this study was to compare secular changes in stature between 20th century South Africans of European descent and two European populations. The comparative samples include Dutch mal...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - October 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Influence of socio-economic status and television watching on childhood obesity in Kolkata
Publication date: Available online 20 September 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): S. Bharati, M. Pal, S. Shome, P. Roy, P. Dhara, P. Bharati Obesity is fast becoming an epidemic among the urban children and it has its adverse effect on the status of health even during adulthood. In this paper an attempt is made to assess the percentage of obesity among 6-10 year children and assess the effect of different socio-economic variables and TV watching on childhood obesity. We restricted our study to primary school-going children who attended classes I to IV. The sample consisted of 5216 c...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - September 20, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Exploring sex differences in diets and activity patterns through dental and skeletal studies in populations from ancient Corinth, Greece
Publication date: Available online 15 September 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): D.E. Michael, C. Eliopoulos, S.K. Manolis Sex and temporal differences are assessed in relation to dietary habits and activity patterns in three ancient populations from Corinth, Greece. The skeletal sample spans time from the Geometric to the Early Byzantine Period (9th c. BCE-5th c. CE). Dental caries and tooth wear have been proven to be reliable dietary indicators. Similarly, spinal osteoarthritis, spinal facet remodeling and Schmorl's nodes, have been used to infer activity patterns. A total of 727 t...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - September 15, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Blood, sweat and plaster casts: reviewing the history, composition, and scientific value of the Raymond A. Dart Collection of African Life and Death Masks
Publication date: Available online 14 September 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): T.M.R. Houlton, B.K. Billings This paper addresses the history, composition and scientific value of one of the most comprehensive facemask collections in Africa, the Raymond A. Dart Collection of African Life and Death Masks. Housed within the School of Anatomical Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), it comprises 1,110 masks (397 life, 487 death, 226 unknown). Life masks represent populations throughout Africa; death masks predominately southern Africa. Males preponderate by 75%....
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - September 14, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Is the lateral angle of the internal acoustic canal sexually dimorphic in non-adults? An investigation by routine cranial magnetic resonance imaging
Publication date: Available online 8 September 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): G.O. Afacan, T. Onal, G. Akansel, A.S. Arslan The lateral angle of the internal acoustic canal is one of the measurements of petrous bone that has been previously studied for sex estimation, mostly in adults. We aimed at evaluating the effects of age, side, and sex on the lateral angle of the internal acoustic canal in pediatric patients. Pediatric routine cranial MRI studies were retrospectively investigated for this study. The lateral angle was measured on T2-weighted axial images when the anterior and ...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - September 9, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Oral pathology patterns in late farmers of the Central Andes: A comparative perspective between coastal and highland populations
Publication date: Available online 7 September 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Luis Pezo-Lanfranco, Arturo Peralta, Sonia Guillén, Sabine Eggers Aiming at future comparisons with earlier hunter-gatherers or transitional populations, this paper intends to characterize and describe the oral pathology pattern of late agriculturalists from Central Andes dating to the Late Intermediate Period (LIP) and Inca periods (1000-1532 CE), and identify differences and/or similarities between coastal and highland populations. Although the botanical inventories of the LIP suggest carbohydrate-rich...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - September 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Talking heads: Morphological variation in the human mandible over the last 500 years in the Netherlands
Publication date: Available online 24 August 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): A.M. Bosman, S.R. Moisik, D. Dediu, A. Waters-Rist The primary aim of this paper is to assess patterns of morphological variation in the mandible to investigate changes during the last 500 years in the Netherlands. Three-dimensional geometric morphometrics is used on data collected from adults from three populations living in the Netherlands during three time-periods. Two of these samples come from Dutch archaeological sites (Alkmaar, 1484-1574, n=37; and Middenbeemster, 1829-1866, n=51) and were digitized ...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - August 25, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Anthropometric dimensions provide reliable estimates of abdominal adiposity: A validation study
Publication date: Available online 7 August 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Z. Pintér, A. Pósa, C. Varga, I. Horváth, A. Palkó, Z. Just, G. Pálfi Abdominal fat accumulation is a major risk factor for cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality. The purpose of the study is to assess the possibility of developing accurate estimation equations based on body measurements to determine total abdominal (TFA), subcutaneous (SFA) and visceral fat area (VFA). Hungarian volunteers (n=198) aged between 20 and 81 years were enrolled in the study, which was conducted between July and November...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - August 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

A revised method for the preparation of dry bone samples used in histological examination: five simple steps
Publication date: Available online 15 July 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): J.G. García-Donas, A. Dalton, I. Chaplin, E.F. Kranioti Histology of dry bone tissue has many scientific applications. The histological analysis of bone requires the production of good quality thin sections. Many researchers have developed new histological techniques and/or they have refined existing ones. In this paper, we describe a revision of histological techniques for obtaining thin sections from modern dry bone. The method is easy to apply and the equipment required is commonly found in a histology la...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - July 15, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Giovanni Boccaccio's (1313 –1375) disease and demise: The final untold tale of liver and heart failure
Publication date: Available online 13 June 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Francesco M. Galassi, Fabrizio Toscano, Emanuele Armocida, Giovanni Spani, Michael Papio, Frank J. Rühli Giovanni Boccaccio's fatal disease(s) and cause of death have long remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, a thorough multidisciplinary reassessment has finally been carried out. By combining philological and clinical approaches, it is at last possible to suggest a solid retrospective diagnosis based upon a study of his correspondence, poetry and iconography, as well as references to his physical d...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - July 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Revisiting historical Khoe-San skeletal remains in European collections: A search for identity through craniometric analysis
Publication date: Available online 28 June 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): D. Botha, M. Steyn, Y. Scholtz, I. Ribot As the identity of a large number of Khoe-San skeletal material in European collections recently came into question during its documentation, a re-evaluation of the remains by employing a non-invasive method such as craniometrics was done to investigate the biological affinity. For this purpose, gene flow and population diversity present within the group, as well as between the study sample (N=63) and other modern and historic population groups from southern, central a...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - June 29, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Dental investigation of mummies from the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo (circa 18th –19th century CE)
Publication date: Available online 31 May 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): R. Seiler, D. Piombino-Mascali, F. Rühli Within the framework of the Sicily Mummy Project, the orofacial complex of a significant sample of individuals (n =111) from the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy, was inspected. The heads and dentitions of the mummies were documented and the recorded findings described: the state of preservation of skeletal and soft tissues; dental pathologies such as carious lesions and alveolar bone loss; enamel hypoplasia; and ante- and post-mortem tooth loss. Despite limitations...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - June 16, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research