Biological Anthropology

En esta investigación se ha realizado una aproximación al tratamiento funerario del sitio arqueológico de Chak Pet, a partir de reconocer las características identitarias biológicas de los individuos mediante el análisis de indicadores osteológicos y su relación con la presencia de elementos conquiológicos no trabajados dentro del mobiliario funerario.

Notre ultime objectif est de retracer géographiquement l'expansion du kiswahili pour comprendre ses liens avec le malagasy. Ceci n'est qu'une des sections de notre projet qui vise à comparer les deux langues afin, non seulement de mettre en évidence la forte présence du kiswahili dans le malagasy, mais aussi de revoir une hypothèse ancienne qui insinuait que le malagasy lui-même est une langue de la famille des bantoues. Comme nous, ceux qui ont

In the year of 2015, the Group of Studies in Human evolution (GEEvH) completed ten years of existence. Since its foundation, GEEvH’s has played an important role in the difficult task of communicating science in Portugal in the field of human evolution. In this paper, an overview of the main activities developed by GEEvH in the last decade as well as upcoming goals, will be provided. This approach will be framed by a short theoretical introduction to Charles Darwin’s Assis et al. /Cadernos do GEEvH 4 (1) 2015: 8-24 9 theories, highlighting the impact of evolutionary biology views in the Portuguese academic and schools settings. The current situation with regard to the teaching of human evolution in Portuguese schools will also be presented.

Warping has been used to determine the pre-burning condition of human skeletal remains. In the literature, this modification has been associated more often with the burning of fleshed and green bones, but it also arises during the burning of dry bones. The objective of this paper was to assess if bone collagen content has a significant effect on the occurrence of warping in a sample of experimentally burned human bones. The presence of collagen was analyzed in two different samples through a vibrational spectroscopy technology-FTIR. One of them was composed of 40 archeological bones from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries AD. The other one was composed of bones from 14 skeletons belonging to the 21st century identified skeletal collection. The results confirmed that the amide I band assigned to the collagen was much more intense in bones presenting heat-induced warping. Nonetheless, although significant (p = 0.040), the collagen content was not as useful as other variables to th...

We have critically investigated the ATR-IR spectroscopy data behavior of burned human teeth as opposed to the generally observed behavior in human bones that were subjected to heat treatment, whether deliberate or accidental. It is shown that the deterioration of the crystallinity index (CI) behavior sometimes observed in bones subjected to high temperature appears to be of higher frequency in the case of bioapatite from teeth. This occurs because the formation of the β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) phase, otherwise known as whitlockite, clearly ascertained by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns collected on the same powdered specimens investigated by ATR-IR. These results point to the need of combining more than one physicochemical technique even if apparently well suitable, in order to verify whether the assumed conditions assessed by spectroscopy are fully maintained in the specimens after temperature and/or mechanical processing.

The potential of the petrous bone for sex estimation has been recurrently investigated in the past because it is very resilient and therefore tends to preserve rather well. The sexual dimorphism of the lateral angle of the internal auditory canal was investigated in two samples of cremated Portuguese individuals in order to assess its usefulness for sex estimation in burned remains. These comprised the cremated petrous bones from fleshed cadavers (N = 54) and from dry and disarticulated bones (N = 36). Although differences between males and females were more patent in the sample of skeletons, none presented a very significant sexual dimorphism, thus precluding any attempt of sex estimation. This may have been the result of a difficult application of the method and of a differential impact of heat-induced warping which is known to be less frequent in cremains from dry skeletons. Results suggest that the lateral angle method cannot be applied to burned human skeletal remains.

A escavação arqueológica na necrópole da Abóbada decorreu no âmbito do Projecto ESTELA. Tinha como objectivo a caracterização do local de proveniência da chamada "Estela do Guerreiro", com escrita do Sudoeste, identificada em 1972. O resultado dos trabalhos aí desenvolvidos entre 2010 e 2011 permitiram reunir um conjunto de informação quanto à cronologia, tipo de estruturas funerárias e documentar os respetivos rituais funerários. Apesar da sua afectação pela lavra mecânica, foi possível registar a presença de dois monumentos funerários pétreos quadrangulares e de diversos covachos em fossa simples com deposição secundária das cremações. Os restos humanos apresentam-se completamente calcinados e a sua fragmentação é muito elevada. Com uma única clara excepção, foram depositados diretamente no solo sem recurso a urna e as evidências sugerem que a cremação se terá provavelmente dado pouco tempo após a morte, com os tecidos moles ainda presentes.

The determination of the original condition of human remains prior to burning is critical since it may facilitate the reconstruction of circumstances surrounding death in forensic cases. Although the use of heat-induced bone changes is not a completely reliable proxy for determining pre-burning conditions, it is not completely devoid of potential, as we can observe a clear difference in the occurrence of such features between fleshed and dry bones. In order to quantify this difference and determine its true value for forensic research, the frequencies of heat-induced warping and thumbnail fractures were documented on modern cremations of cadavers from recently deceased individuals and from the cremations of skeletons previously inhumed. The effect of age, sex, time span from death to cremation, duration and temperature of combustion on those frequencies was statistically investigated. Results demonstrated that the heat-induced features were significantly more frequent in the sample of cadavers. In addition, warping was determined to be the most useful indicator of the pre-burning condition of human remains. Temperature of combustion was the only variable having a significant effect on the frequency of both features suggesting that fluctuation of temperature, along with collagen preservation and recrystallization of the inorganic phase, is paramount for their occurrence. Both warping and thumbnail fractures may eventually be used for the estimation of the pre-burning condition of human remains in lack of other indicators but their reliability is far from absolute. Ideally, such inference must be supported by other data such as skeletal representation, objects or defleshing marks on bones.

Estimating sex on large assemblages of commingled skeletal human remains is challenging because it prevents the systemic observation of the skeleton and thus reduces the reliability of sex-ratio estimation. In order to tackle this problem, the applicability of sample-specific odontometric methods was assessed on the human skeletal remains from the Middle Neolithic cave necropolis of Bom Santo in Portugal. We present an approach that confirms some of the assumptions -the normal distribution of the data and the 1:1.5 sex ratio -indicated by for the application of sample-specific methods. These assumptions are often difficult to assess in archaeological samples and thus prevent the use of sample-specific methods. The mean bucco-lingual diameter of 51 lower right canine teeth was used as a cut-off point to discriminate between sexes within a sample from Bom Santo. Before that, Shapiro-Wilk statistics was used to confirm that the distribution of the data in a sample of 51 lower canine teeth was normal. In addition, the range and central tendency of the data were compared to other samples for which the sex of the individuals was known in order to confirm that those parameters were consistent with those of a sample presenting a balanced sex ratio. The canine sex estimations were then compared with the sex estimation obtained from mandibles where canine teeth were still in situ (n = 8). No clear disagreement between the two methods was found thus demonstrating good potential of this method for sex estimation and for the sex ratio estimation in commingled human skeletal remains. Results indicated that sex ratios in Room A and Room B at Bom Santo were quite different. This indicates that the two locations may have been used in a different way according to sex.

Weight is often one of the few recoverable data when analyzing human cremains but references are still rare, especially for European populations. Mean weights for skeletal remains were thus documented for Portuguese modern cremations of both recently deceased individuals and dry skeletons and the effect of age, sex and the intensity of combustion was investigated using both multivariate and univariate statistics. The cremains from fresh cadavers were significantly heavier than the ones from dry skeletons regardless of sex and age cohort (p < .001 to p = .003). As expected, males were heavier than females and age had a powerful effect in female skeletal weight. The effect of the intensity of combustion in cremains weight was unclear. These weight references may, in some cases, help estimating the minimum number of individuals, the completeness of the skeletal assemblage and the sex of an unknown individual.

Sex determination of human burned skeletal remains is extremely hard to achieve because of heat-related fragmentation, warping and dimensional changes. In particular, the latter is impeditive of osteometric analyses based on references developed on unburned bones. New osteometric references were thus obtained which allow for more reliable sex determinations. The calcined remains of cremated Portuguese individuals were examined and specific standard measurements of the humerus, femur, talus and calcaneus were documented. This allowed for the compilation of new sex discriminating osteometric references which were then tested on independent samples with good results. Both the use of simple cut-off points and of logistic regression equations provided with successful sex classification scores. These references may now be used for the sex determination of burned skeletons. Its reliability is improved for contemporary Portuguese and thus has important repercussion for forensic research. Nonetheless, the more conservative use of these references may also prove valuable for other populations as well as for archaeological research.

Complete and accurate human skeletal inventory is seldom possible in archaeological and forensic cases involving severe fragmentation. In such cases, skeletal mass comparisons with published references may be used as an alternative to assess skeletal completeness but they are too general for a case-by-case routine analysis. The objective is to solve this issue by creating linear regression equations to estimate the total mass of a skeleton based on the mass of individual bones. Total adult skeletal mass and individual mass of the clavicle, humerus, femur, patella, carpal, metacarpal, tarsal, and metatarsal bones were recorded in a sample of 60 skeletons from the 21st century identified skeletal collection (University of Coimbra). The sample included 32 females and 28 males with ages ranging from 31 to 96 years (mean = 76.4; sd = 14.8). Skeletal mass linear regression equations were calculated based on this sample. The mass of individual bones was successfully used to predict the app...

During the third to mid-second millennia BC in Europe, human culture witnessed dramatic changes. Various
studies indicate that this sociocultural shift had complex and regionally variable biological impacts. Hence,
palaeodemographic analyses of age-at-death and sex from human skeletal remains provide valuable insights
into life span and mortality. This study reconstructs the demographic profile of 322 Final Neolithic (Corded
Ware culture) and Early Bronze Age (Neckar group) individuals from 17 sites in Baden-Württemberg (Southwest
Germany) by using life tables. The results indicate diachronic changes in mortality and life expectancy of
infant individuals, and juvenile and adult females accompanied by regional variations. This suggests generally
improving living conditions from the Final Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, except for increased mortality in
Early Bronze Age juveniles potentially related to adolescent pregnancies.

Bir türün besinsel adaptasyonunu anlamak, o türün morfolojisini ve davranışlarını şekillendiren seçilim baskıları ve mekanizmalarına ilişkin bir anlayışı beraberinde getirir. Özellikle, yok olmuş bir taksonun paleobiyolojik yönlerine ilişkin sorular, söz konusu türün beslenme biçimi hakkında bilgi sahibi olmadan tam olarak yanıtlanamaz. Bu çalışmada Hominin genuslarının beslenme biçimlerine, beslenme biçimlerinin anlaşılması için kullanılan metotlara, Homo genusun besinsel farklılaşmasına ve hominin beslenmesinin anlaşılmasının önemine değinilmiştir.

Yirminci yüz yılın ortalarına kadar geleneksel beslenme tarzlarını sürdüren “yeni dünya” halkları için diyabet, damar tıkanıklığı, obezite ve benzerleri görece bilinmeyen hastalıklardır. Ancak batılılaşmanın etkisiyle, Avrupa’da yaygın olan yiyecekleri tüketmeye başladıktan sonra özellikle diyabet gibi dejeneratif hastalıklar, bu halklar için “salgın” boyutuna varmıştır. Oysa örneğin aynı dönem olan 1990’larda Avrupalılar’ın diyabet oranının ise bu durumun aksine, çok daha düşük olduğuna işaret edilmektedir.

Bu paradoksu açıklamak üzere “tutumlu genotip” adlı bir hipotez geliştirilmiştir. Bazı bilim insanları ise “tutumlu genotip” gibi bir genin varlığına şüpheli yaklaşmaktadır. Bu çalışmada yakın dönemde batılılaşmanın etkilerine maruz kalmış, geleneksel besin sistemini terk ederek endüstriyel besin sistemine geçmiş yerli halkların yüzleştiği sağlık sorunlarını inceleyen çalışmalara ve bu hastalıkların nedenlerine yönelik geliştirilen evrimsel hipotezlere değinilecektir.

Yaşam dendiğinde, eşeyli üreyen canlılar söz konusu olduğunda döllenmeyle başlayıp, bütün türler için ölümle sonuçlanan bir süreci anlarız. Tüm canlıların yaşam döngüsü benzer temel aşamalardan geçer.
Öte yandan, örneğin memelilerin yaşam döngüleri her ne kadar yakınlık gösterse de bir tür olarak insanı diğer canlılardan ayıran bazı farklılıklar vardır. Bu farklılıklar özellikle yavru bireyin sütten kesilip erişkinliğe geçtiği dönem arasındaki süreçte ortaya çıkmaktadır.
Bu çalışmada büyüme ve gelişme bağlamında insanı diğer canlılardan ayıran en temel iki özellik olan “çocukluk” ve “ergenlik” süreçlerinden, çocukluğun biyolojik evrimsel hikayemizdeki yerine değinilecektir. Çocukluğun biyolojik evrimimizde hangi aşamada görüldüğü ve neyi amaçladığına ilişkin bilgi ve hipotezlere yer verilmektedir.

This response addresses several Letters To the Editor (LTEs) that provided feedback on the 2019 AJPA Commentary "Data Sharing in Biological Anthropology: Guiding Principles and Best Practices" authored by C. Mulligan and T. Turner. All of those who participated in the 2019 Workshop on Data Sharing in Biological Anthropology were shown a draft of the current document and had an opportunity to provide feedback before publication. We include the '2019 Workshop on Data Sharing in Biological Anthropology' as a co-author on this response and we list all workshop participants and their affiliations to demonstrate the diversity of voices represented at the workshop that resulted in the original AJPA Commentary by Mulligan and Turner. This response has the following goals: 1) to emphasize that was only meant to be the beginning of more detailed work that is needed to institute satisfactory data archiving and sharing practices in the field of Biological Anthropology in the United States, 2) to summarize and analyze the perspectives of the letter writers, and 3) to address the potential next steps in this discussion based on input from the letter writers. The LTEs unanimously supported the importance of more open, consistent, and standardized data sharing in Biological Anthropology. They saw the commentary from 2019 as important and timely. Wagner's LTE pointed out that Mulligan and Turner (2019) was initially locked behind the journal paywall. As quickly as possible, Mulligan and Turner worked with the journal and the publisher to provide free access to the article as they had always intended. Given that the article focused on the need for more open sharing of data, we recognize the mixed message this error may have sent. This experience highlights the need for authors to ensure that access to their articles, or datasets, is implemented in the way they intend. We are grateful to all the LTE writers for highlighting priorities for continued discussion on data access and sharing in Biological Anthropology. We sympathize with Wagner's frustration that Mulligan and Turner ( ) addressed issues at a high level without specific actionable or enforceable suggestions. The primary goal of was to signal to the Biological Anthropology community that it is important to focus on its data archiving and sharing habits and to align them with emerging best practices exemplified by other data-driven sciences where possible. The workshop helped reaffirm that each sub-discipline has certain unique data sharing issues. More specific guidelines will need to reflect these differences, but the two-day workshop was not enough time to articulate, let alone understand and integrate, all of this variation. We therefore realize that continued dialogue within the field is needed to resolve the specifics. We also recognize the validity of Wagner's concern that Mulligan and Turner (2019) could mistakenly be treated as a complete solution rather than the start of an intensive process for the development of community standards and cultural change among numerous groups of stakeholders. We stand with her in calling to action the Biological Anthropology research community as we come together to begin this process.

The Birhor tribe’s knowledge, education and culture are predominantly passed down orally from one generation to the next. This oral tradition is an integral part of their identity and existence. For centuries, they have derived this knowledge from nature and have worked to preserve it. This oral tradition holds a significant place within the Indian knowledge system, making it essential to preserve and protect this wisdom. This long accumulated knowledge is now at risk as the traditional process of knowledge transferring is gradually fading away. Globalization and the influence of western culture, lack of representation, changing livelihoods, generation gap etc. have caused the younger generation of the Birhor community to gradually lose touch with their traditional wisdom. This research article aims to analyze the contribution of Birhor oral tradition to the Indian knowledge system, by drawing parallels between the tribal culture and practices of the Birhor community and Indian ancient culture as depicted in various ancient Indian texts, while also examining the generational gap that is contributing to the decline of this invaluable culture and intellectual legacy. The study seeks to identify way to prevent further loss and ensure the continuation of this rich tradition.

Keywords:-
Oral Tradition, Indian Knowledge System, Birhor Tribe, Generational Gap, Indigenous Knowledge

A Osteomielite Multifocal Crónica Recorrente (OMCR) é uma doença osteoarticular inflamatória que se manifesta sobretudo em crianças. Afecta principalmente os ossos longos e as clavículas e, menos frequentemente, a coluna e a pelve. Apresenta-se o caso de uma criança de dez anos, avaliada por lombalgia e escoliose, resultante de uma lesão inflamatória em L5. Quatro meses depois, e após melhoria, referência a gonalgia esquerda e escoliose. Novos exames revelaram lesões idênticas nas articulações coxofemural esquerda e sacroilíaca direita, com regressão da lesão lombar pré-existente. Os estudos analíticos e microbiológicos permaneceram normais. O diagnóstico de OMCR foi efectuado com base na evolução flutuante das lesões ósseas, ausência de manifestações sistémicas ou alterações analíticas, e regressão do quadro clínico com anti-inflamatórios não-esteróides.

A correct biological profile leads to a better understanding of the past and assists in the identification of human remains within bioarchaeology and forensic casework. Sex estimation forms a critical component of a biological profile. With the advancement of technologies such as geometric morphometrics (GMM), new methods and a deeper understanding of morphological features can be investigated digitally. However, how well do these methods compare to standard visual methods and how easy are they to employ? This research investigates the use of 2-D shape analysis and visual morphological methods for sex estimation using the greater sciatic notch (GSN). A total of 202 adult os coxae were photographed and analyzed from the Spitalfields Coffin Plate Collection housed at the Natural History Museum, UK. Each os coxae was analyzed digitally to extract a "line" for elliptical fourier analysis (EFA) and subsequent discriminant function analysis (DFA). Os coxae were also scored using two well established morphological methods for the GSN. This study found an overall accuracy of 82.81% when using the computational method (EFA and DFA). Lower accuracies were found for the visual methods with the Bruzek method correctly classifying 82.17% and the Walker method resulting in a much lower accuracy at 72.77%. The finding of this study showcases the benefits of using more computational methods such as shape analysis/GMM. However, it has a nearly identical overall error rate to the Bruzek method and higher accuracy than the Walker method and therefore is a suitable and accurate method for sex estimation. As these practices are evolving, practitioners will have to balance the cost/benefit (e.g., time, training, and accuracy) of using the different techniques while continuing to refine and combine approaches for optimal results in biological profiling. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The current study conducted on 62 skulls belonging to the priests and priestess of Amun from Thebes during the third transition period (1070-713 BC). This specimen was a part of Bab El-Gasus cache which discovered in 1891 in Luxor. The teeth were examined to reveal dental morphology and pathology to provide insight into the components of the pattern of eating habits and cultural behaviours, the state of health of the teeth, and genetic traits of the priests and priests of Amun who had their own customs and rituals inside the temple. The teeth were examined to reconstruct the state of health of the priests and priests of Amun. Dental health is often a sign of general health. Pathological conditions such as tooth decay, tartar layer, erosion and gum disease can be considered a semi-specific indicator of signs of dental stress because they are all a result of food consumption, and provides information on the types and characteristics of the consumed food style (smooth, hard, meat, sugars, or starches). It also reveals the degree of pre-treatment that occurs before consumption (such as grinding, grinding, crushing, or cooking). Moreover, the study showed that there is homogeneity in dentition shape among the priests and priestess of Amun, and the examination revealed many similar frequencies in the features, with some clear exceptions for morphological features. Dental morphology is generally a good way to know biological origins of Population groups and their biological relationships.

Farming was established in Central Europe by the Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK), a well-investigated archaeological horizon, which emerged in the Carpathian Basin, in today&#39;s Hungary. However, the genetic background of the LBK genesis has not been revealed yet. Here we present 9 Y chromosomal and 84 mitochondrial DNA profiles from Mesolithic, Neolithic Starčevo and LBK sites (7th/6th millennium BC) from the Carpathian Basin and south-eastern Europe. We detect genetic continuity of both maternal and paternal elements during the initial spread of agriculture, and confirm the substantial genetic impact of early farming south-eastern European and Carpathian Basin cultures on Central European populations of the 6th-4th millennium BC. Our comprehensive Y chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA population genetic analyses demonstrate a clear affinity of the early farmers to the modern Near East and Caucasus, tracing the expansion from that region through south-eastern Europe and the Carpath...

The problem of menstrual hygiene management seems to be a cause for concern for adolescent girls, due to a lack of information and experience in managing their menstrual periods properly. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of schoolgirls in Niamey (Niger) regarding menstrual hygiene management in 2023. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted from 15 to 29 November 2023 in two secondary schools in the city of Niamey. The study included all female students attending these schools. Female students who refused to answer the questionnaire were excluded from the study. The data were entered and analysed using epi-info 7.1 software. The Karl PEARSON Chi-square test was used to compare proportions; it is significant if P ≤ 0.05. Results: The average age of the women surveyed was 14.56 years, with extremes of 9 and 22 years. The average age at menarche was 13, with extremes between 11 and 14. 91.62% of girls knew that menarche is a natural

The biological anthropology of the African continent: from the first hominins to extant populations" is a vast undertaking not only because Africa is a vast continent, but also because Africa, as the "cradle of humanity", is the only continent that encompasses the full chronological depth of the history of humankind from its earliest origins. This was the theme of one of the two thematic scientific sessions of the 1842 nd SAP meeting held in Paris, at the National Institute of the History of Art, from 25 to 27 January 2017. The seven articles published together in this issue of BMSAP 1 are from papers submitted during this session. Obviously, neither the papers read nor these articles can fully cover such a wide topic. The idea, rather, was to present, with some examples, an overview of current research conducted by our community on the African continent. This resulted in a rich session, with guest speaker Professor Robert A. Foley, 15 oral presentations and 6 poster presentations.

Despite recent global economic growth, the high prevalence of child undernutrition is an urgent public health issue in low and middle-income countries, including India. Moreover, one-third of infant mortality is associated with undernutrition. The present cross-sectional study aims to report the burden of undernutrition and to explore its association with socio-demographic variables among the Bengalee Muslim preschool children of Bankura district, West Bengal, India. This present study was conducted among 800 preschool children (400 males and 400 females) aged 12 to 59 months. The children were selected using a systematic random sampling method, and the sample size was estimated using standard formula. Descriptive, parametric, non-parametric, and inferential statistical analyses were performed accordingly. Males were taller and heavier than females. Significant age variations in mean height and weight were found among the study participants. The overall prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight was 23.0%, 30.5%, and 36.0%, respectively. The results of the chi-square test showed that all the socio-demographic variables were significantly associated with the nutritional status of these children. A multivariate logistic regression revealed that non-exclusive breastfeeding, higher birth order, and the lower mothers' age at childbirth were the significant predictors of stunting. Low family income, large family size, and low maternal educational status were the significant predictors of wasting. Moreover, low family income, non-exclusive breastfeeding, and mothers' age at childbirth were significant predictors of underweight. The findings of the present study revealed that there were numerous determinants of undernutrition among the Bengalee Muslim preschool children. Therefore, the appropriate government and non-government agencies should adopt the policy for an income-generating scheme to enhance household income, awareness of exclusive breastfeeding, family planning, adult education programmes, and surveillance against child marriage.

The present study examined the correlation between nutritional status and body composition in rural preschool children aged three to five years in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. A total of 276 children, including 132 boys and 144 girls, were included in the study. Nutritional status, particularly undernutrition, is assessed using the standard cutoff values recommended by the World Health Organisation (<-2 SD). The present study found that stunted, underweight, thinness, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)-based undernourished children had a lower mean value in all body composition parameters compared to adequately nourished children. Height and weight both showed a higher positive correlation with fat-free mass than with fat mass. MUAC showed a higher positive correlation with arm fat area (r = .786; p < .001) than with arm muscle area. BMI showed a higher positive correlation with fat-free mass index (r = .980; p < .001) than with fat mass index. The study found a significant increase in height, weight, fat mass, and fat-free mass with age. Boys had higher body size, fat mass, and fat-free mass, while girls had a higher body fat proportion. The study concludes that gender differences in body composition don't start with the hormonal changes of puberty but begin much earlier.

L'ère postcoloniale au Sénégal est associée à l'hédonisme. Les plaisirs de la ville se développent : boîtes de nuit, tenues sexys, danse « collé-serré »…, autant de marques de « libération à l'occidentale » que les plus âgés condamnent fermement. S'il s'avère que dans les traditions wolofs, la compensation matrimoniale est indispensable pour entériner un mariage, aujourd'hui, celle-ci a presque laissé place à une sorte de dot informelle, sans nuit nuptiale, s'inscrivant dans la durée. Depuis les années 1960 en effet, le Sénégal conserve un niveau de développement relativement faible, reléguant les femmes aux marges du marché de l'emploi. Ainsi les femmes, progressivement dégagées de l'impératif rigide du mariage, n'ont pas d'autre choix que de chercher celui ou ceux qui pourront potentiellement les entretenir dans le temps. Plus l'âge au mariage recule, plus le rôle masculin de « pourvoyeur de ressources » s'avère vital. C'est dans ce contexte qu'une sorte de « prostitution informelle » s'est mise en place. Avec ou sans le statut officiel de caga [prostituée], nombre de jeunes Dakaroises, parfois en voile islamique la journée, partent en tenue sexy la nuit, chercher leur gagne-pain -la « dépense quotidienne » -sous les yeux à moitié fermés de leur famille. Le plus gros poisson convoité -le super thiofest le toubab [le Blanc]. Perçu comme le plus aisé, il fait l'objet de tous les fantasmes : voyages gratuits, maisons offertes ou mieux encore, un passeport occidental. Les villes comme Dakar sont ainsi devenues des lieux de plaisirs sexuels pour nombre d'Occidentaux. Certaines boîtes de nuit des Almadies et

Any life form originates through chance, that is it is a probability. It is true of human origin as well. But after the appearance, it becomes a necessity for that life form, be it unicellular amoeba or Homo sapiens sapiens, to struggle for existence. That is the essence of this modern classic  authored by a Nobel Laureate Jacques  Monod.

Milwaukee. He holds, from the University of Texas at Arlington, a B.S. in Biology and Psychology, an M.S. in Experimental Psychology, and an M.A. in Sociology. His dissertation project, reflecting his commitment to advancing educational practices, focuses on critically analyzing teaching and learning methodologies in anthropology education. His research interests are varied and include evolutionary mismatch theory, evolutionary medicine, and monotropism. In his spare time, he likes to ponder, through the lens of neuroscientific findings, philosophical questions about the nature of reality, perception, and consciousness. Katrina Frank has studied cultural anthropology for over seven years. She received a BA in Anthropology from Illinois State University and an MS in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. As a Latina, she has always been passionate about Latinx/e studies and learning more about her culture. In her research, Katrina has found that media is one of the most common ways that people are exposed to new cultures and that learning about how cultures are represented can help us to understand how we view ourselves and others in our society. Jo Gansemer recently received her MS in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. She specializes in biological anthropology with a specific focus on primatology. Her interests are multi-disciplinary and include non-human primate behavior, hormones, ethnoprimatology, and conservation. Her graduate research analyzed the relationship between hair cortisol concentration and parity in South African vervet monkeys.

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous agency that engages in multi-disciplinary research on the social dimensions of contemporary problems affecting development. Its work is guided by the conviction that, for effective development policies to be formulated, an understanding of the social and political context is crucial. The Institute attempts to provide governments, development agencies, grassroots organizations and scholars with a better understanding of how development policies and processes of economic, social and environmental change affect different social groups. Working through an extensive network of national research centres, UNRISD aims to promote original research and strengthen research capacity in developing countries.

According to the standard nomenclature, skeletal land marks are all identified by their given names in the world of human skeletal anatomy. But it is also clear that the discovery of new anatomical features continues because human beings have so many anatomical variations caused by genetics, functions, geographical adaptations, and diseases; they are all described and given names. Therefore, an anatomical feature that is rare and undescribed is certainly a discovery and it deserves to be recorded. The discovery of anatomical features on the epiphyseial ends of the femur reported here adds two new names, namely the intercondylar fossa foramen and the trochanteric fossa foramen in that long list of human skeletal anatomical structures. The intercondylar fossa foramen is an outlet found in the intercondylar fossa of the distal femur. It passes through the diaphysis of the femur and emerges in the trochanteric fossa of the femoral neck; and vice versa is the trochanteric fossa foramen. This feature was first observed on one skeletonized archaeological individual and later on five cadaveric remains. There seems to be a presence of this anatomical variation within the Tanzanian population. Only a small percentage of people have this unusual anatomical feature of the intercondylar fossa foramen, which might be a developmental ossification failure or a particular genetic-based trait. These features were assessed in the laboratory of the Anatomy Department at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) using a Dino-lite digital microscope and X-ray images.

Morphological variation in the hominoid capitate has been linked to differences in habitual locomotor activity due to its importance in movement and load transfer at the midcarpal joint proximally and carpometacarpal joints distally. Although the shape of bones and their articulations are linked to joint mobility, the internal structure of bones has been shown experimentally to reflect, at least in part, the loading direction and magnitude experienced by the bone. To date, it is uncertain whether locomotor differences among hominoids are reflected in the bone microarchitecture of the capitate. Here, we apply a whole-bone methodology to quantify the cortical and trabecular architecture (separately and combined) of the capitate across bipedal (modern Homo sapiens), knuckle-walking (Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla sp.), and suspensory (Pongo sp.) hominoids (n = 69). It is hypothesized that variation in bone microarchitecture will differentiate these locomotor groups, reflecting differences in habitual postures and presumed loading force and direction. Additionally, it is hypothesized that trabecular
and cortical architecture in the proximal and distal regions, as a result
of being part of mechanically divergent joints proximally and distally, will differ across these portions of the capitate. Results indicate that the capitate of knuckle-walking and suspensory hominoids is differentiated from bipedal Homo primarily by significantly thicker distal cortical bone. Knuckle-walking taxa are further differentiated from suspensory and bipedal taxa by more isotropic trabeculae in the proximal capitate. An allometric analysis indicates that size is not a significant determinate of bone variation across hominoids, although sexual dimorphism may influence some parameters within Gorilla. Results suggest that
internal trabecular and cortical bone is subjected to different forces and functional adaptation responses across the capitate (and possibly other short bones). Additionally, while separating trabecular and cortical bone is normal protocol of current whole-bone methodologies, this study shows that when applied to carpals, removing or studying the cortical bone separately potentially obfuscates functionally relevant signals in bone structure.

Despite the relevant findings on non-average information processing rate (IPR) indicators-intelligence relation, and on age-related changes of some of these indicators during aging, the research on sex-specific age-related changes of these indicators during childhood and adolescence are lacking. In a transversal study, 1197 school children (598 girls) aged 8-18 have been individually measured on 5 IPR indicators--two averages (mean_t, median_t) and three non-averages (min_t, max_t, sd_t). The results corroborated the expected non-linear changes of average IPR indicators in the observed developmental period, whereby the sex difference in related developmental patterns was detected: marked age-related decrement in girls ceased at the age of 12, and in boys around the age of 13-14, after which progress in both sexes gradually ceased by the age of 18 and was less pronounced in girls. Generally similar non-linear age-related decrements of non-average indicators were registered, but they ...

Biological samples such as bones, teeth, and hair obtained from archaeological excavations are mainly used for dating measurements. However, these findings provide valuable information about the diet, lifestyle or migration, genetic interaction of communities, and disease because the biochemical content of biological tissues such as bones, teeth, and hair changes under the influence of the lifestyle of the past population. Therefore, it seems that human remains' biochemical, microscopic, and histological studies could be advantageous for clarifying the dark events of past societies. Bioarcheology, as an interdisciplinary science, assesses the historical-cultural relationships in ancient samples and human remains like hair, bone, or tooth by biological tools and techniques. In this science, the biological data of specimens are combined with archeological information to obtain a more accurate sociology of past civilizations. The purpose of the present review article is to familiarize archeology researchers with the usual methods in bioarchaeological studies.

Different hypotheses identifying factors affecting the complexity of implements used to obtain food resources by hunter-gatherer groups are assessed with regression analysis. A regression model based on interaction between growing season as a proxy measure for risk and number of yearly moves fits data on the complexity of implements for 20 hunter-gatherer groups. The interaction model leads to a division of hunter-gatherer groups into two subgroups that correspond to collector vs. forager strategies for procuring resources. Implications of the interaction model for the evolution of complex implements are discussed.

The standard model of population growth and regulation is critiqued. It is argued that any model of population growth and regulation must accommodate ten propositions, and a multitrajectory model that does so is described. This model identifies competition between groups, individual choice in reproductive behavior, the scale for spatial and temporal variation in resource abundance, and the social unit for resource access and ownership as important components of population behavior.

Anaemia is a serious health concern for young children in India. This study aims to investigate the district wise scenario of anaemia prevalence in Assam and the role of household improved sanitation and safe stool disposal facilities in combating childhood anaemia. This study analysed a sample of 8,510 children aged 6-59 months from 28,447 households included in all the district of Assam based on the 4th round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) database. Graphical representation and multivariate binary logistic regression model used to fulfil the objectives of the study. The mean hemoglobin concentration of children in Assam was found to be 11.4 g/dL in 2016, with a standard deviation 0.18 g/dL. Children who were given vitamin A supplements, iron supplements and deworming medication in last 6 months prior to the survey are less likely to be anaemic as compared to those children who were not given these supplements and medications. As mother’s age, education and hemoglobin level decreased the odds of practicing unsafe stool disposal increased significantly. The multivariate binary logistic regression analysis also shows that the households practicing safe stool disposal reduced the odds of childhood anaemia by 24% [OR=0.76 at 95% CI (0.67-0.86)] as compared to those household practicing unsafe stool disposal. The study conclude that the household’s availability of improved sanitation facilities has no rule over childhood anemia but household practicing unsafe child stool disposal custom has significantly increased the burden of anemia among children. Improving dietary intake of micronutrients and deworming medication are the two key pillars to build up the levels of haemoglobin concentration among children.

This article utilizes the National Family Health Survey rounds 1-5 data to illustrate an empirical assessment of wealth-related inequality in child health outcome in India. It undertakes a statelevel analysis of wealth-group inequities by employing the widely accepted measures of health concentration indices. It finds that the poorer sections of the population suffer with more concentration in respect of child ill-health outcome with varied degree, associated with variation in wealth level and it persists over time with very nominal improvement. The analysis reveals that the degree of child health outcome inequalities escalates with the falling wealth levels of the population in most of the less-wealthier states. States with 'low wealth levels with high levels of health inequalities' understandably need huge public intervention but situation 'high levels of wealth along with high levels of child health inequalities' is not quite clear in wealth based inequality analysis and it might be reduced by improving other socioeconomic factors like, educational opportunities, health-related behavior, and access to healthcare resources etc. Those two different groups have different needs and therefore, planning and intervention necessitates an understanding of the sources of inequality to arrive at efficient resource allocation and policy decisions.

Objectives: Decades of archaeological and bioarchaeological research have demonstrated that ancient Maya cities underwent dynamic changes over time, including shifts in sociopolitical organization as well as their cultural and economic ties to other areas of Mesoamerica. Such transformations are often associated with the movement of people across and beyond the Maya world, but the relationship between temporary and permanent migrations and sociopolitical change is complex and differs over time and between contexts. At Santa Rita Corozal (Chactemal), archaeological evidence indicates that early phases were marked by ties to central Belize and the Petén, while later phases show ties to the Northern Lowlands of the Yucatán. Ethnohistoric records similarly document movements of people between these regions in relation to sociopolitical change prior to the Spanish Invasion and during the Spanish colonial era. Materials and Methods: Here we reconstruct patterns of mobility at Santa Rita Corozal (SRC) using stable oxygen isotope data from the teeth and bones of 96 Maya Ancestors who span three millennia of continuous settlement from the Middle Preclassic (BCE 800-300) to the Late Postclassic (CE 1350-1532). Results: Our data reveal non-locals in the Preclassic have δ18O values below the range for SRC, indicating they may have come from highland areas. Conversely, non-locals in the Postclassic have δ18O values above the local range, suggesting that they may have come from low-elevation areas. Discussion: These movements shed new light on the settlement and demographic history of SRC and help to inform the complex cultural, political, and economic ties evident in the archaeological and ethnohistoric records.

This chapter is about chemical variation in the
various components that make up bones and
teeth, and its application to studies of diet,
demography and life history. Bones and teeth
provide direct evidence of past diets, including
infant diets. Knowledge gained from bone chem
istry adds to other sources of evidence for diet
and, in turn, the interaction of diet, nutrition, and
disease. Understanding infant diets and the dura
tion of nursing contributes to understanding
demographic variables such as birth spacing and
population growth. Chemical variation in bones
and teeth can also be linked to chemical variation
in the environment and thus, reveals information
about place of residence and migration. While
stable isotope analysis may be viewed as a fairly
technical research specialty, the results of such
analyses make a significant contribution to the
reconstruction of past human life.

Compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) is widely used in ecological studies to analyze food-webs and is gaining use in archaeology for investigating past diets. However, its use in reconstructing breastfeeding and weaning practices is not fully understood. This study evaluates the efficacy of stable carbon isotope analysis of amino acids in early life diet reconstruction by analyzing keratin from fingernail samples of three mother-infant pairs during late gestation and early postpartum periods. Our results show that stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of glycine, and to a lesser extent glutamate, effectively trace the onset of exclusive breastfeeding and the end of weaning in infants. We propose that glycine’s ‘conditionally essential’ metabolic pathway during infancy allows it to reflect maternal glycine
δ13C, indicating breastmilk consumption. Subtle changes in glutamate δ13C likely result from its ‘non-essential’ status. Additionally, δ13C values of glycine and glutamate indicate maternal physiological and pathological stress due to catabolic effects such as gluconeogenesis. These findings have significant implications for ecological and archaeological research
using CSIA-AA for dietary reconstructions. They highlight the need to understand how metabolic pathways affecting δ13C
of amino acids may change over an individual’s lifespan or be altered due to various forms of stress.

An inventory of the butterflies of Tikal National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Peten in northern Guatemala, is being conducted as part of a long-term study of butterfly populations, their habitat requirements, and their responses to land use changes. Here, we present a list of 535 species recorded from the Tikal area from February 1992 through November 1994 with annotations on their phenologies, habitat associations, and relative abundances. This is the first checklist of butterflies for any region of Guatemala, and includes 92 species not previously recorded from the country. Species richness for the Tikal site is greatest during the dry season and lowest at the end of the wet season. The largest number of species was recorded from forest edge habitat and the smallest was in forested habitats. Many species (especially nymphalids) were encountered in both primary forests and secondary, often highly disturbed, forests. RESUMEN.-Se realize un inventario de las mariposas diurnas del Parque Nacional Tikal y areas aledanas en el Departamento de Peten en el norte de Guatemala, como inicio de un estudio a largo plazo de las poblaciones de mariposas y su respuesta a los cambios del uso de la tierra. Se presenta una lista de 535 especies registradas en el area de Tikal desde febrero de 1992 hasta noviembre de 1994, con observaciones sobre su fenologfa, asociaciones con habitats, y su abundancia relativa. Esta es la primera lista de mariposas diurnas de una region de Guatemala. La lista incluye 92 especies registradas por la primera vez en Guatemala. La riqueza de especies es mayor en la epoca seca y menor al final de la epoca lluviosa. El mayor numero de especies se registro en los habitats de borde, y el menor numero en el interior del bosque. Muchas especies (particularmente Nymphalidae) comparten tanto el bosque primario como el secundario y tambien el bosque alterado.

An inventory of the butterflies of Tikal National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Peten in northern Guatemala, is being conducted as part of a long-term study of butterfly populations, their habitat requirements, and their responses to land use changes. Here, we present a list of 535 species recorded from the Tikal area from February 1992 through November 1994 with annotations on their phenologies, habitat associations, and relative abundances. This is the first checklist of butterflies for any region of Guatemala, and includes 92 species not previously recorded from the country. Species richness for the Tikal site is greatest during the dry season and lowest at the end of the wet season. The largest number of species was recorded from forest edge habitat and the smallest was in forested habitats. Many species (especially nymphalids) were encountered in both primary forests and secondary, often highly disturbed, forests. RESUMEN.-Se realize un inventario de las mariposas diurnas del Parque Nacional Tikal y areas aledanas en el Departamento de Peten en el norte de Guatemala, como inicio de un estudio a largo plazo de las poblaciones de mariposas y su respuesta a los cambios del uso de la tierra. Se presenta una lista de 535 especies registradas en el area de Tikal desde febrero de 1992 hasta noviembre de 1994, con observaciones sobre su fenologfa, asociaciones con habitats, y su abundancia relativa. Esta es la primera lista de mariposas diurnas de una region de Guatemala. La lista incluye 92 especies registradas por la primera vez en Guatemala. La riqueza de especies es mayor en la epoca seca y menor al final de la epoca lluviosa. El mayor numero de especies se registro en los habitats de borde, y el menor numero en el interior del bosque. Muchas especies (particularmente Nymphalidae) comparten tanto el bosque primario como el secundario y tambien el bosque alterado.

Syphilis is a chronic infection that is categorized by a three-stage progression. The tertiary stage may affect bones and produce distinctive skull lesions called caries sicca. This paper aims to present an unusual case of syphilis associated with a diagnosis of cirrhosis, which was recorded as the cause of death in a 28-year-old female in 1899. The appearance and distribution of the lesions were compatible with acquired syphilis, as observed in the skull from the Medical Schools Collection of the University of Coimbra. However, the cause of death was recorded as "hypertrophic cirrhosis of the liver", this is a condition that is compatible with several liver disorders, including a primary liver disorder, such as cirrhosis provoked by alcoholism, infection of the liver by syphilis pathogens or by damage to the liver from the use of mercury compounds, which was the common treatment for syphilis at the time. This paper represents a contribution to the understanding of the natural evolution of syphilis.

Fractures are ubiquitous in the archaeological record but the majority of these are the consequence of a traumatic incident and do not reflect any loss of strength inherent to the bone. So-called fragility fractures, particularly hip fractures, are considered uncommon occurrences in skeletal populations from the past. Nevertheless, evidence of this type of fracture in the archaeological record is increasing. A methodical search for possible hip fractures in the excavation reports, theses and monographs housed in the Department of Anthropology of the University of Coimbra presented an occasion to describe six hip fractures, previously unpublished, from different Portuguese archaeological sites and to challenge the widespread assumption that hip fractures were nearly non-existent in the past.