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.

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 - June 14, 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 describe: 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 i...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - June 1, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Sexual dimorphism in dermatoglyphic traits and fluctuating asymmetry in Bulgarians from northeast Bulgaria
Publication date: Available online 1 June 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Emilia Andreenko, Sofia Baltova In parallel with the development of dermatoglyphics as a method of identification, data have been accumulated on the characteristics of fingerprints related to sex and ethnic origin which make up the statistical basis of this study. The aims of the present study are to determine phenotype variations in the asymmetry of dermatoglyphics in both sexes within the scope of the entire hand skin ridge system; to investigate correlations between the phenotypes; and, to assess the fluctuat...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - June 1, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

An Accident at Work? Traumatic lesions in the skeleton of a 4th millennium BCE “wagon driver” from Sharakhalsun, Russia
Publication date: Available online 1 June 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): K. Tucker, N. Berezina, S. Reinhold, A. Kalmykov, A. Belinskiy, J. Gresky The study of ante-mortem trauma is a popular and important aspect of palaeopathological analysis. The majority of publications focus on a particular assemblage, skeletal element or type of fracture, with case studies of single individuals with multiple/unusual traumata being much rarer in the literature. This paper presents the case of an adult male from the Bronze Age site of Sharakhalsun, Russia, buried, uniquely, in a sitting positi...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - June 1, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Tunisians reveals a mosaic genetic structure with recent population expansion
Publication date: Available online 19 May 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): S. Frigi, L. Mota-Vieira, L. Cherni, M. van Oven, R. Pires, S. Boussetta, A. Ben Ammar El-Gaaied Tunisia is a country of great interest for human population genetics due to its strategic geographic position and rich human settlement history. These factors significantly contributed to the genetic makeup of present-day Tunisians harbouring components of diverse geographic origins. Here, we investigated the genetic structure of Tunisians by performing a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) comparison of 15 Tunisian popul...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - May 20, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

The study of dental occlusion in ancient skeletal remains from Mallorca (Spain): a new approach based on dental clinical practice
Publication date: Available online 10 May 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): E. Fiorin, P. Ibáñez-Gimeno, J. Cadafalch, A. Malgosa Occlusal characteristics, fundamental to assess the presence of malocclusion, have been often unexplored in bioarchaeological analyses. This is largely due to the fragmented condition of the skeletal remains. By applying a method that considers dental and maxillary features useful to evaluate occlusion in ancient fragmentary material, the purpose of this work is to define the occlusal features and explore the causes of malocclusion in a medieval populatio...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - May 11, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Multiple abnormalities in the feet and associated changes elsewhere in the skeleton: the case of 3A-7 from a Capsian Site in Algeria
Publication date: Available online 5 May 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): M. Jackes, M. Parent, D. Lubell A skeleton with a number of abnormalities is described involving full discussion of alternative diagnoses. In this complex case, the primary diagnosis is of avulsion of the stem of the bifurcate ligament causing a fracture of the anterior process of the calcaneus. The bilateral fracture identified in Skeleton 3A-7 from Site 12, a Capsian site in Algeria, is a result of the feet being inverted and plantar flexed: the fracture is prone to non-union, which is asymmetrical here. There...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - May 6, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Morphological variability of the earlobe in a Spanish population sample
This article shows the morphological variability of the earlobe in a Spanish population of European origin. The frequencies of four lobe characteristics (attachment, contour, modeling, and size) and their degree of expression were studied. The relationship among the characteristics and the differences involving sex and laterality were also considered. The least frequent morphology, and of main use in solving forensic cases, was the very small size with triangle-pulled contour into the skin and crossed-discontinuous modeling. The most frequent morphology, and most clinically useful, was the medium-sized lobe with free-arche...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 29, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Factors influencing diurnal variation in height among adults
This study evaluates height loss during the day in light of variables assessable through participant self-report. Participants were 19 female and 15 male staff and students who met with us twice with a mean interval between measurement sessions of 6.96hours (SD=0.86). Hypotheses were evaluated using two-stage least squares regression analysis (SYSTAT 10). Males and females lost similar amounts of height between sessions ( male , x ¯ = 6.9   mm ; female , x ¯ = 7.4   mm ) . Among factors considered to impact overall height loss, sleep duration (Adj. R2 =0.181, p=0.022) and height (Adj. R2 =0.121, p=0.048) were useful...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 25, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Predictive factors for alveolar fenestration and dehiscence
Publication date: Available online 22 March 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): A-M. Grimoud, V.E. Gibbon, I. Ribot The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution and incidence of two forms of alveolar bone resorption known as fenestration and dehiscence across time and space. To accomplish this a Medieval French population was studied and the results were compared with other studies to examine incidence and distribution of alveolar bone resorption. Thus, 1175 teeth were analysed for 81 individuals, from an agropastoral Medieval (12th–14th century) archaeological site of Vi...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 25, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Determination of the post mortem interval in skeletal remains by the comparative use of different physico-chemical methods: are they reliable as an alternative to 14C?
Publication date: Available online 22 March 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Alberto Amadasi, Annalisa Cappella, Cristina Cattaneo, Pacifico Cofrancesco, Lucia Cucca, Daniele Merli, Chiara Milanese, Andrea Pinto, Antonella Profumo, Valentina Scarpulla, Emanuela Sguazza The determination of the post-mortem interval (PMI) of skeletal remains is a challenging aspect in the forensic field. Previous studies focused their attention on different macroscopic and morphological aspects but a thorough and complete evaluation of the potential of chemical and physical analyses in this fiel...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 25, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Prehistoric funerary complexity in northern Iberia studied by using dental morphology
This study presents data of 156 individuals from this period, and will allow elucidate the population dynamics including the role of migrations and other factors. The results indicate that there were no significant differences between the groups living in Atlantic and Mediterranean areas. Moreover, pairwise comparisons for each trait only show two significant results. This lack of differences could be related to trade activities between the two basins, which would contribute to individual exchanges between groups. Furthermore, according to biological affinities, trade activities along the Mediterranean Sea had a more marke...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 9, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Discrete morphological variants of human cervical vertebrae: exploring pattern of distribution and biological significance
Publication date: Available online 9 March 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): M.K. Karapetian Studies on discrete traits of the human cervical vertebrae, appearing at certain intervals during the last century, posed some questions regarding evolutionary processes that human cervical spine underwent during phylogenesis. To address questions of significance of these morphological traits we need first a good knowledge of the extent of their variation in modern humans. The aim of the current work was to integrate available data on the occurrence of various non-metric traits in the human cervi...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 9, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Ardipithecus ramidus and the evolution of language and singing: an early origin for hominin vocal capability
Publication date: Available online 8 March 2017 Source:HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology Author(s): Gary Clark, Maciej Henneberg In this paper we analyse the possibility that the early hominin Ardipithecus ramidus had vocal capabilities far exceeding those of any extant non-human primate. We argue that erect posture combined with changes in craniofacial morphology, such as reduced facial and jaw length, not only provide evidence for increased levels of pro-sociality, but also increased vocal ability. Reduced length of the face and jaw, combined with a flexed cranial base, suggests the larynx in this species w...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 8, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research

Development of subcutaneous fat in Spanish and Latin American children and adolescents: reference values for biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds
This study provides current percentile references for four subcutaneous skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) applicable to children and adolescents in Spain and in Latin American countries where data are scarce. The design consisted of a cross-sectional multicenter study performed with identical methods in 5 countries (Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela). Total sample comprised 9163 children and youths (boys 4615 - girls 4548) aged 6-18 years, healthy and without apparent pathologies. Percentiles 3, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 95 and 97 were calculated by the LMS method. Sexual dimorphism was assessed ...
Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - February 21, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research