Introduction. The dopaminergic system of the brain plays an important role in the formation of eating and other aspects of behavior. It has been shown that disturbances in dopamine neurotransmission are associated with both eating behavior and the formation of excess body weight and obesity. VNTR polymorphism in exon III of the dopamine receptor DRD4gene presumably affects eating behavior through environmental perception, but studies on this topic are few. This study was conducted due to the lack of information on the association of DRD4 gene polymorphism with excess body weight.
Materials and methods. The work used the materials of a comprehensive anthropogenetic examination of 309 males and 298 females aged 17 to 30 years. Morphological parameters were measured using traditional anthropometric methods. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) were used to determine the level of depression and aggression, respectively. Genomic DNA isolated from the buccal epithelium served as the material for the genetic analysis. The reliability of intergroup differences was assessed using the Mann-Whitney criterion.
Results and discussion. In this study, some differences in morphological characteristics were found in carriers of different genotypes of the DRD4 exon III locus. Carriers of the 4- genotype (females who do not have the allele with four repeats) are somewhat larger in build, they have higher values for body length and weight, as well as hip circumference, than carriers of the 4+ genotype (p<0.05). For males, no statistically significant differences in morphological characteristics were found between carriers of different genotypes. The results of the study showed that males with the 4+ genotype have comparatively higher scores on the physical aggression and hostility scales (p<0.05), as well as on the anger scale (p>0.05; tendency).
Introduction. The body's ability to absorb vitamin D is determined, among other factors, by the activity of the vitamin D cellular receptor, which is encoded by the VDR gene. We considered intergroup differences in the carriage of VDR polymorphisms as the results of selection aimed at reducing the population frequencies of maladaptive variants. According to the literature, alleles A*TaqI (rs731236), G*BsmI (rs1544410), C*ApaI (rs7975232), and A*FokI (rs2228570) are identified as conditionally "risky" alleles associated with a decrease in bone mineral density and the development of osteoporosis. We hypothesized that the formation of the population specificity of VDR frequencies could be influenced by the traditional nutrition of the group, which was determined by belonging to the type of traditional economy (TTE).
Purpose of the study: to compare the frequencies of the A*TaqI, G*BsmI, C*ApaI, and A*FokI alleles of the VDR gene in indigenous groups with historically established economy systems oriented to the predominant use of products of agriculture, animal husbandry, or hunting in combination with fishing.
Materials and methods. Population VDR polymorphism was studied using 3463 DNA samples from 76 populations of indigenous Europeoid and Mongoloid populations of Eurasia. The populations were grouped into three categories based on their subsistence economy: "agriculturalists" (n = 49), "herders" (n = 13) and "hunters" (n = 14).
Results. The agricultural category contains both Mongoloid and Europeoid groups. The Mongoloid groups showed higher carriage of A*TaqI and G*BsmI alleles than the Europeoid groups (p=0.008; p < 0.0001). Since the herders and hunters categories consist only of Mongoloid populations, further comparisons of allele frequencies by TTE were made between the Mongoloid groups. The TTE affiliation factor was significant for the frequencies of G*BsmI and A*FokI polymorphisms (p=0.02). Carriage of G*BsmI was lower in herders than in hunters (p=0.02). The frequency of A*FokI in the herders and hunters groups did not differ, but in both groups it was significantly (p<0.05) lower than in the agriculturalists group.
Introduction. Studying the ethnogenesis of Tuvans through the prism of the gene pools of their ancestral groups makes it possible to highlight the problem of the Mongolian influence on the formation of their gene pool: Tuvans are characterized by close ethno-cultural ties with Mongol-speaking tribes of Central Asia; Tuvans have an increased contribution of the Mongoloid anthropological variant; the Tuvan language ranks first among Turkic languages in terms of the number of Mongolian loanwords.
Materials and methods. A total sample of representatives of 12 Tuvan tribal groups (N=498) was studied using 60 SNP markers of the Y chromosome, characteristic of Northern Eurasian populations. 24 Y-haplogroups have been identified in the Tuvan gene pool. A comparison of the genetic differences between the tribal groups and between the territorial groups of Tuvans has been carried out. A generalized anthropological portrait of the Tuvan tribal groups Dongak and Sat has been created. A multidimensional statistical analysis 12 of Tuvan tribal groups in the genetic space of South Siberia and Central Asia was carried out.
Results. The «Paleosiberian» haplogroup Q1b-L56 is characterized by a clinal variability of increasing frequency from west to east; the direction of variability of haplogroup N1-F963 is opposite – its frequency increases from east to west. The maximum frequencies of the «Central Asian» haplogroups C2-M217, O1-F492, and O2-M122 were found in the southern Tuvan tribal groups, while the minimum frequencies were found in the western and northeastern tribal groups. The position of Tuvan tribal groups in the genetic space of the populations of Southern Siberia and Central Asia demonstrates the multicomponent nature of the formation of the gene pools of Tuvan tribal groups on a single Samoyed-Ket substrate connecting them with other populations of Southern Siberia. Interaction with Mongolian-speaking tribes is reflected in the gene pool of only individual Tuvan clans (most strongly in the tribal group Kyrgys). Generalized anthropological portraits of the Dongak and Sat ancestral groups are consistent with the results of Y-chromosome analysis: the increased frequency of "Central Asian" haplogroups is characteristic of the Sat. The differences between gene pools of tribal groups are more significant than between territorial groups of Tuvans.
Introduction. The goal of the article is to compare different algorithms for calculating the frequencies of dental nonmetric traits.
Materials and methods. The experiment was conducted on the materials of a modern group of Tuvinians (Eastern Siberia), the sample size 135 individuals. The frequencies of 11 traits have been calculated using several methods common for paleophenetic studies. The obtained values were tested using a 2-tailed exact Fisher criterion.
Results. It has been established that the frequencies of traits obtained by different methods are in good agreement with each other. The exception is the increased values obtained with one of the calculation options «per individual»: namely, when the calculation includes cases of the presence of only one tooth, the anti-mere, on which the feature is only positive. In addition, two sample size 25 and 10 observations were randomly generated from individuals who possess the trait on both sides. The frequencies in the sample size 25 individuals turned out to be stable, and the data are in good agreement with the full series, regardless of the method of calculation. A sample of 10 individuals does not agree with the characteristics of the full series.
Introduction. The present study is devoted to the assessment of the association of two indicators of biological age (menarche age and peak height velocity) through the upward segment of ontogenesis and their joint informativeness.
Materials and methods. The analysis involved a block of samples of female adolescents (N=43) from the territory of the Russian Federation and neighboring countries, as well as the archival materials (N=4) collected as part of the work of the Laboratory of Applied Anthropology with the direct participation of one of the authors in the 1980s. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between growth rates (PHV) and associated indicators with menarche age.
Results and discussion. It has been shown that the age of menarche is significantly positively associated with both the age of onset of peak height velocity and the maximum increase in body height during this peak. Statistically significant negative associations were recorded for the age of menarche and the year of the survey, which once again confirms the existence of a secular trend in the development of the adolescent population of our country and neighboring territories (the former USSR bloc). This is also evidenced by the positive relationship between the year of examination and the maximum increase in average body height during the peak height velocity. In the secular aspect, there is a tendency towards a gradual convergence of the parallel decreasing timing of the onset of menarche and the peak height velocity in Moscow girls examined over a period of more than 80 years. The transition to the onset of earlier puberty is smooth, whereas for the peak of the growth rate, this process is more intense in the interval from 1928 to 1956 (and the difference between them is maximal), which may indicate a greater sensitivity of the latter to the social cataclysms detected at this stage.
Introduction. The article presents the results of the anthropological expedition to Petrozavodsk (Northwestern Federal District), conducted in April 2024, in order to study the long-term (secular) dynamics of total body size, changes in body proportions over the past 60 years, and morphological characteristics of modern youth in this region.
Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 470 young men and women aged 18–23, mainly (more than 90%) Russians by nationality, born and living in Petrozavodsk. Subjects were examined according to a comprehensive anthropometric program including measurement of total body sizes, shoulder and pelvic breadths, trunk and limb circumferences, skinfolds, and grip strength on right hand.
Results and discussion. The average height of young men born in Petrozavodsk increased by 7.7 cm across birth cohorts from the 1936-49s to the 2001–2006s (2024 survey). The rate of secular increase is about 1.1 cm per decade. Intergroup comparisons of body length in female samples from Petrozavodsk demonstrated an increase in height in modern women by 6.3 cm compared with the cohorts born in the 1936-49s (about 0.9 cm per decade). Along with the secular increase in total body size over the past 60 years, a tendency towards a relatively narrow build and an increase in andromorphic proportions of the body build in modern young women of Petrozavodsk has been noted. Long-term changes in anthropometric parameters in Petrozavodsk are comparable with the general secular trend in Russia and are consistent with the hypothesis of the dominant influence of socio-economic factors on intergenerational transformation of the physique of children, adolescents and young adults.
Introduction. The article presents the results of mathematical analysis of the dynamics of body length of the male population of Russia aged 17 years and older in 1901–2005. The novelty of the article is that the largest anthropometric data base on Russians of the 20th century is studied using the methods of multivariate correlation and regression analysis of dynamic series.
Materials and methods. The study used individual data on the height of 1,519,037 men aged 17 years and older, born between 1901 and 2005, 91% Russians, examined mainly during recruitment into the army under a program that included measuring total body dimensions. Dynamic series of body length and factor variables were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis in order to identify factors explaining the dynamics of growth in the 20th century and to construct a multiple regression model.
Results. Multiple correlation and regression analysis of body height dynamics depending on 16 economic, social, demographic and environmental factors by annual (with and without lag), by average 5-year and
20-year indicators yielded results that are important in terms of method and content. Four regression models were constructed for each type of data. The most interesting results were obtained by the model of variability of annual growth indicators taking into account the lag and the model of variability of average 5-year growth indicators. The first explains 51% of the variation in male height across years, and the second explains 78% of the variation in male height across five-year periods in 1950–2005.
Keywords:
auxology; Russia of the 20th century; anthropometric big data base; male body length dynamics; factors of growth dynamics; multivariate correlation and regression analysis of dynamic series
Introduction. This article continues the series of articles devoted to the study of the collection of photographic images of representatives of the peoples of the Kuban region, collected by E.D. Felitsyn for the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 and stored in the collections of the D.N. Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Materials and methods. The research was based on archival photographic images of the Abadzekhs, which were presented at an Anthropological exhibition in Moscow in 1879, and then became part of the general collection of photographic images of representatives of the peoples of the Kuban region, collected by E.D. Felitsyn.
Results. A description of the collection is given, which includes 7 photographic images of Abadzekhs who lived during the preparation and holding of the Anthropological Exhibition in Moscow in 1879 in the Maikop district of the Kuban region, in the villages of Khadzhimukovsky and Blechepsin. The photographs are pasted on branded photographic letterheads and belong to photographer A. Starzhevsky. The size of the photo is 11 x 16 cm, the size of the cardboard is 18 x 22 cm. On the front and back sides there are inscriptions containing information about the name of the county, tribe, village, the name of the person depicted, their age and height. The photos show 3 men and 4 women aged 8, 18, 30, 33 and 60 years.
Discussion. The article analyzes the literary information devoted to the problems of studying the origin, ethnic history, socio-cultural traditions of the Abadzekh, as well as data on the study of their anthropological features.
Keywords:
ethnic anthropology; historical anthropology; Abadzekhs; E.D. Felitsyn; Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University; Kuban region of the 19th century
Introduction. This article reviews the scientific legacy of the eminent Russian anthropologist
Y.Y. Roginsky. His research had a significant impact on the subsequent development of the theoretical underpinnings of Russian anthropology. This work aims to identify the central tenets of Y.Y. Roginsky's concepts regarding the origin, evolution and differentiation of humanity, and to assess their significance for modern science. It examines his views on the initial stages of hominin formation and the role of Neanderthals in human evolution, as well as the factors that led to the success of modern humans. The hypothesis of «broad
monocentrism», which explains the origin of human races, is also discussed briefly. Particular attention is paid to the scientist's ideas about the psychological and social differences between Neanderthals and early modern humans, including intragroup aggression, and the significance of art as an indicator of Homo sapiens' cognitive uniqueness.
Materials and methods. This study is based on Y.Y. Roginsky's writings, recollections of him, personal diaries and contemporary publications on topics related to his work. Using the historical method and a comparative approach, the theoretical constructions of Y. Y. Roginsky could be compared with contemporary concepts.
Results. Y.Y. Roginsky's interdisciplinary scientific approach is based on the comprehensive application of data from morphology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, ethology and psychology. Y.Y. Roginsky's theoretical concepts are united by one central theme: the study of patterns in the formation of modern humans and how they differ from other ancient human species. His works address issues such as the earliest origins of humans, the reality of the «Neanderthal phase» in human evolution, mono- and polycentrism in the differentiation of Homo sapiens into separate races, the reconstruction of potential differences between modern humans and their ancestors, the Upper Paleolithic art, and the uniqueness of the human personality.
Introduction. The paper presents craniometric data for a sample from the Mordovian Levzha cemetery, discovered in 2020 during the construction of a highway in the village of Ruzaevka in the Republic of Mordovia. The research conducted by archaeologists and ethnographers has revealed the presence of groups of burials presumably having different ethnocultural origins. These groups have been identified and characterized as Mordovian subethnoses of Erzya and Moksha. In the northern part of the cemetery, the heads of the buried individuals were oriented to the south (supposedly Moksha), and in the south part — to the north (supposedly Erzya).The hypothesis tested in the study is that the individuals buried according to different funeral traditions are also morphologically different.
Material and methods. A total of 286 crania (137 male and 149 female) were analyzed. They were measured according to the standard craniometric protocol. The measurement program included 35 linear traits, 10 angles, 16 indices, and 6 descriptive characteristics. The variability of the sample was also tested for asymmetry and kurtosis. At the final stage, the principal component analysis was used to visualize the data, study the structure of intra-group variability, and identify the most significant features influencing variation.
Results and discussion. An analysis of the morphological characteristics of male and female samples allows us to identify a single morphological complex with several common characteristics for both groups. Both male and female crania are characterized by mesocranial cranial vault and narrow and high facial skeleton. The most notable differences between the two groups are found in the facial morphology. Female crania are characterized by a combination of orthognathism with a tendency towards prognathism in the alveolar region, while male crania have a moderate protrusion of the facial skeleton and less pronounced protrusion in the alveolar region. Overall, the skulls from the Levzha cemetery are of the mesomorphic type of the European ancestry without specific craniometric features.
Introduction. The following review concerns the research of Eurasian climate history during the last 1500 years.
Materials and methods. The results of paleoclimatological studies published during the last 15 years are examined and compared, including the brief outline of the methods of the reconstruction of past climates employing various proxies, including pollen, tree rings and ice cores.
Results and discussion. The recent reconstructions of the climate of the Europe and Eastern Asia during the most important climatic events of the past millennium – the Medieval Warm Period (10th–13th cc.) and the Little Ice Age (15th–19th cc.) are described. The influence of the climatic conditions of these time periods on the lives and economic activities of the human populations in Europe and China.
Introduction. This article presents a comparative analysis of the bone remains from two parts of the necropolis at the Church of Corpus Christi in Nesvizh, Belarus. The remains were extracted from the crypt of the church (17th centuries) and the adjacent cemetery (18th centuries) between 2017 and 2019.
Materials and methods. Two series - 1) of material from the cemetery (skeletons of various configurations and individual bones) and 2) material from the crypt (scattered bones) were subjected to comparative analysis. The minimum number of individuals is determined by the largest number of bones of the same type: cemetery n=65; crypt n=98. The measurements were taken using the standard osteometric method. The reliability of the differences between the two groups was checked using the Student's t-test and visualized using a petal diagram. Additionally, there were signs of fractures and weapon damage on the bones. The percentage of damage was calculated as the percentage of total bones of the same type with damage.
Results and discussion. The size of most of the male bones from the crypt was significantly larger than that of the bones from the cemetery, as evidenced by the size of the hilt of the sternum, collarbones, shoulder blades and the proximal epiphysis of the humerus. This set of features indicates a large shoulder width in the skeletal remains from the crypt. This may be due to the high functional load on the bones of the upper extremities. The longitudinal dimensions of the proximal sections of the humerus and femur in the series from the crypt are also larger. This may indicate that the individuals buried in the crypt were taller.
Most of the transverse dimensions of the upper limb bones in the series from the crypt are larger than in the series from the cemetery, while the femoral bones in the series from the cemetery are larger. This may indicate different functional requirements for these parts of the skeleton. The number of traumatic injuries on the bones from the crypt is significantly lower than in the series from the cemetery.
Introduction.Studying ancient pathologies is a significant direction in modern scientific discourse, requiring the application of differential diagnostic methods for accurate data interpretation. Despite the complexity of such analyses, the data obtained enable us to gather reliable historical information about both past populations and individuals. This study presents an analysis of pathologies in an individual from the Vologda necropolis.
Objective of the Study: Conduct a differential diagnosis of disease in an 11–12-year-old adolescent from the Vologda necropolis of the second half of the 15th to the first half of the 16th centuries.
Materials and Methods.The individual studied was found during excavations in Vologda (Leningradskaya St., No. 12). The remains belonged to an adolescent aged 11-12 years. The study included a macroscopic assessment comprising visual inspection, determination of skeletal preservation and completeness, photographic documentation of the remains, and radiographic analysis of the affected bones.
Results.The remains exhibited lesions in the iliac and ischial bones, ribs, vertebrae, skull bones, and scapulae. Manifestations were observed in bones with a significant proportion of cancellous tissue. Pathological changes were characterized by a combination of proliferative and destructive alterations. Radiographic analysis of the skull revealed a decrease in bone X-ray density, manifested as increased porosity. An area with decreased X-ray density resembling a 'cold abscess' was also identified in the iliac bones. However, distinct boundaries, which are a key feature of this pathological condition, are absent.
Discussion. Among the most likely alternative diagnoses are brucellosis, tuberculosis infection, and malignant processes. These diseases are integrated into the differential diagnosis due to the combination of proliferative and destructive changes observed in the bone tissue.
Introduction. Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is a thickening of the frontal bone associated with metabolic and hormonal disorders. While prevalent among elderly women in modern populations, archaeological studies have documented male-dominated HFI cases in certain groups. This study examines the frequency of HFI in Mesolithic/Neolithic craniological series fr om the Dnieper region.
Materials and methods. Eight craniological series (107 skulls) from the collections of the Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, were analyzed. The overall prevalence of HFI and its developmental stages (4-point scale) were assessed.
Results and discussion. A high HFI frequency (20.6%) was identified in Mesolithic/Neolithic groups of the Dnieper region, suggesting a link to chronic metabolic stress during transitional periods. Notably, HFI types A, B, and C were equally represented (1:1:1 ratio), contrasting with typical patterns wh ere type A dominates. Elevated frequencies of types B and C likely indicate metabolic/hormonal imbalances. Although no statistically significant sex or age differences were observed, a trend of increased HFI prevalence in older individuals aligns with prior research. Associations with periodontitis, trauma, and cribra orbitalia point to environmental stress influences.
Introduction. The study of the population living on both banks of the Kuban river in the period before the invasion of the Golden Horde and after its retreat has a long tradition. Knowing from historical sources about the existence of such tribal formations as the Zikhs, Kasogs, Adyghes, etc., who inhabited the territory of the Northern Black Sea region and the Ciscaucasia in the Middle Ages, modern researchers still cannot separate the representatives of these tribes either by the features of their funeral rites or by their morphological appearance. Studied in 2024 the burial ground “Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka Vostochnoye” gave us the extensive archaeological and paleoanthropic data that shed light on the economy of the North-Eastern Black Sea region in the 11th–13th
centuries. The main goal of this study was to describe the paleodemographic indicators of medieval Circassians who were buried at the burial ground of “Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka Vostochnoye”, located near the city of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Region.
Materials and Methods. During the initial processing of the collection, we determined the sex and age of 71 buried individuals, which were used as the materials for this study. We used classical methods of modern paleoanthropology to study the skeletons. The analysis of paleodemographic indicators was carried out using the method recently suggested by D.V. Pezhemsky.
Results and discussion.The analysis revealed an almost complete absence of children under 1-year-old and a violation of the sex ratio. In the studied sample, there were 1.5 times more men than women. Most men died at the age of 45–55, while the majority of women died in their reproductive years. Only 7% of the population survived the age of 55. Comparing the discussed sample with the population of the 13th–14th
centuries and the series of Adyghe-Natukhaevtsy of the 19th century, significant differences in demographic indicators were noted for all series involved in the analysis.
