Anthropological Science最新文献

{"title":"Demographic history of the Jomon people: insights from whole-mitogenome analysis.","authors":"Koki Yoshida, Yoshiki Wakiyama, Yuka Nakamura, Guido Valverde, Akio Tanino, Daisuke Waku, Takafumi Katsumura, Motoyuki Ogawa, Tomohito Nagaoka, Kazuaki Hirata, Kae Koganebuchi, Yusuke Watanabe, Jun Ohashi, Minoru Yoneda, Ryuzaburo Takahashi, Hiroki Oota","doi":"10.1537/ase.251024","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.251024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Jomon culture that spread across the Japanese archipelago began about 16000 years ago and lasted for over 10000 years. The population history of the Jomon people, prehistoric hunter-gatherers bearing the Jomon culture, is of great interest in understanding prehistoric East Eurasians. Traditionally, population size and its fluctuations, i.e. Jomon demography, have been estimated in the archaeological context, but over the past 20 years, statistical methods using genome sequence data have been sufficiently developed. To investigate their demography, we determined the complete whole-mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences from 13 Jomon individuals and conducted population genetic analysis on 40 Jomon mitogenomes, including previously published data. By simulation, we showed that east-west frequency differences between two haplogroups typical of the Jomon people, N9b and M7a, could be caused by a genetic drift under conditions of a small initial effective population size, an extreme population split, and limited migration between the eastern and western populations, suggesting that the regionally unbalanced haplogroup distribution does not necessarily contradict the monophyletic origin scenario of the Jomon people implied by recent nuclear genome analyses. We found an effective population size (<i>N</i> _e) increase during the Incipient-Initial phase of the Jomon period, which had not been observed in analyses of mitogenome sequences from present-day Japanese populations. This endemic demographic pattern is pronounced in the eastern part of the archipelago, under the assumption of no gene flow between the Eastern and Western Jomon. This study sheds light on the demography of the Jomon people and shows an alternative scenario of the Jomon peopling history estimated based on whole-mitogenome data.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"134 1","pages":"15-28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134050/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of environmental stress on third molar agenesis in humans and its population differences.","authors":"Retsu Katsuyama","doi":"10.1537/ase.251105","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.251105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Third molar (M3) agenesis has become prevalent since the terminal Pleistocene in humans. Population-level studies suggest that M3 agenesis is related to genetic factors and to environmental stresses such as malnutrition and infectious diseases. In addition, the fact that there are populations, such as the Jomon people, that have a high frequency of enamel hypoplasia (EH), an indicator of stress, but a low M3 agenesis rate, suggests that there are population differences in how the effects of environmental stress on M3 agenesis are manifested. In this study, I used EH to investigate the effects of environmental stress on M3 agenesis in three populations with different genetic bases: recent Japanese (1868-1926), Jomon people, and Islamic Mesopotamians. The results showed the effects of environmental stress on M3 agenesis in recent Japanese and Islamic Mesopotamians, but not in Jomon people. Furthermore, it was shown that M3 agenesis of recent Japanese and Islamic Mesopotamians are similarly susceptible to environmental stress. Thus, the results showed that the extent to which environmental stress affects M3 formation varies among populations. Since M3 agenesis was observed even in Jomon people, whose M3s are not thought to have been affected by environmental stress, it is reasonable to assume that M3 agenesis can be congenital or caused by environmental stress, and each cause of agenesis occurred independently in human populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"134 1","pages":"29-37"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134069/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stress indicators in past Mesopotamian populations from the Hamrin Basin of the middle Tigris.","authors":"Hitoshi Shimakura","doi":"10.1537/ase.250921","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.250921","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bioarchaeological studies of people in Mesopotamia are scarce compared with other regions. This study investigated the prevalences of cribra orbitalia, enamel hypoplasia, and porotic hyperostosis on human skeletal remains excavated from the Hamrin Basin in the middle Tigris River, spanning from ~4000 BC to the Islamic period. The prevalence of cribra orbitalia and enamel hypoplasia was high and remained around 70-80% until the first century. The prevalence of stress indicators decreased in the Islamic period. The hypothesis that the rapid cooling and aridification in West Asia around 2000 BC increased stress levels was not statistically supported in this study. It seems that Mesopotamians were exposed to generally higher stresses than the Egyptians in contemporary periods.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"134 1","pages":"39-46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134059/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Practice and perceptions of postpartum care in Brunei Darussalam indigenous communities: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Aziah Muhamad, May P Y Goh, Rahayu S Sukri, Mohamed A Majid, Norhayati Ahmad","doi":"10.1537/ase.250825","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.250825","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Southeast Asia has a rich heritage of postpartum customs, many of which are gradually being forgotten and replaced by modern allopathic practices. This is particularly true in Brunei Darussalam where documentation of postpartum customs is lacking. This study explores the postpartum traditions and practices of three indigenous groups in Brunei-Kedayans, Brunei Malays, and Lun Bawangs. A qualitative study was conducted in the form of interviews at market areas and homes of the respondents, primarily targeting the Kedayan, Brunei Malay and Lun Bawang indigenous groups. Data were collected from 57 respondents, including traditional medical practitioners, elderly villagers knowledgeable in traditional medicine, postnatal caregivers, and parents of young children. The respondents were interviewed with predesigned questions about their knowledge of, and experience with, traditional postpartum practices and herbal plant preparations. Our study revealed similarities between the plants and practices adopted by the indigenous groups, especially between the Malays and Kedayans. The postpartum practices of the three groups can be generally categorized into the following: confinement period, 'mother roasting,' baths, massages, stomach binding (<i>berbarut</i>), topical applications, dietary prescriptions and restrictions (<i>pantang</i>), herbal drinks, breast care, healing of the delivery wounds, and removal of stitches. Behavioural taboos during the postnatal period and trends among younger generations were also discussed. The traditional postpartum practices of the Bruneian indigenous groups are unique and represent a significant part of Bruneian custom and culture. It is imperative to document and promote beneficial customary postpartum practices to preserve the indigenous traditions of Brunei.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"134 1","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134049/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal changes in diet and mortuary practices among the Jomon people based on human skeletal remains excavated from the Kawaji shell mound in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.","authors":"Soichiro Kusaka, Yasuhiro Yamada","doi":"10.1537/ase.250522","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.250522","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People of the Jomon period in Japan led a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and actively engaged in fishing in coastal areas. On the Atsumi Peninsula, which is located in the southern part of Aichi Prefecture, a number of shell mounds from the Jomon period have been located. More than 30 human skeletal remains have been excavated from the Kawaji shell mound, located at the tip of the Atsumi Peninsula. The Kawaji shell mound was formed from the Middle to Final Jomon period and is thought to be mainly from the Late Jomon period. This study aimed to investigate temporal changes in diet and their relationships with subsistence activities and mortuary practices, which include types of ritual tooth ablation and the location pattern of burials within the site, during the Jomon period. The study material consisted of 20 human skeletal samples from the Kawaji shell mound. Diet was inferred using carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of bone collagen, and age by radiocarbon dating. Age showed values from the late Middle to the Final Jomon and the Initial to Middle Yayoi periods. Dietary dependence on marine resources increased during the Late Jomon period, and then decreased in the Initial to Middle Yayoi periods. Transition patterns in ritual tooth ablation were also found. Burial subgroups within the shell mound were recognized in each phase. The findings from this case study help shed light on the temporal changes that occurred in the subsistence activities and mortuary practices of the Jomon people.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 2","pages":"79-88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134062/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geographic and sex differences in the 3D configuration of the human parietal bone.","authors":"Yi Yan, Tea Jashashvili, Kristian J Carlson, Xiujie Wu","doi":"10.1537/ase.250506","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.250506","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a sizable component of the cranial vault, the parietal bone is essential for understanding the regional variation of cranial surface morphology. Predigital, traditional morphological studies have tended to underemphasize the role of parietal trait variation, particularly in identifying region-specific and/or sex-related differences in modern human populations. Consequently, the extent of morphological variation in the parietal bone among modern human populations remains insufficiently understood. In this study, we perform a three-dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric analysis of the external surface of the parietal bone, using microcomputed tomography data from 120 human crania (60 males and 60 females) sampled from European and Chinese populations. The analysis of the periosteal surface of the parietal bone reveals significant sexual dimorphism in shape space. Specifically, the biparietal distance between pterion landmarks is wider in Chinese males than in Chinese females. Regional differences in parietal bone shape are more frequently statistically significant. Parietal bones of European populations tend to be wider and shorter, with less pronounced parietal eminences, whereas those from Chinese populations are relatively narrower and longer, exhibiting more prominent parietal eminences. When 3D geometric morphometric analysis is conducted in form space, which incorporates both shape and size, additional differences between sexes and populations become evident. Males exhibit significantly larger parietal bones than females, and individuals from European populations have significantly larger parietal bones than those from Chinese populations. Ultimately, differences in form space are more pronounced than those in shape space, emphasizing the importance of considering both shape and size in morphological analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 2","pages":"65-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134057/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Verification of the family tree of the Makino family of the Nagaoka domain by DNA analysis.","authors":"Tetsuya Horita, Masaki Hashiyada, Koji Tatsumi, Takashi Nara, Hideaki Kanzawa-Kiriyama, Noboru Adachi","doi":"10.1537/ase.250409","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.250409","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During the Edo period in Japan, the Makino family served for generations as the feudal lords of the Nagaoka domain, which ruled the northern part of the Chuetsu region and the western part of the Kaetsu region in present-day Niigata Prefecture. Two different family histories have been handed down regarding Makino Tadahiro, the 8th lord of the Nagaoka domain. According to official records, Tadahiro was from the Kasama Makino family (relatives of the Nagaoka Makino family). However, an unofficial record of the Nagaoka Makino family states that Tadahiro was the biological son of the 5th lord of Nagaoka, <i><b>Makino</b></i> Tadachika. Why two different records were passed down to posterity together, and which of these records is correct, are extremely interesting historical mysteries. To verify which of these records is correct, we conducted a kinship study by the autosomal and Y-chromosome short tandem repeat analysis of three individuals: Tadahiro, Tadachika, and the 4th lord of Nagaoka, Tadanaga (the biological father of Tadachika). The results showed it was highly probable that these three individuals have a grandfather-father-son relationship. This is the first report to use DNA analysis to prove which of several family trees of the feudal lords of the Nagaoka domain is correct.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 2","pages":"57-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134067/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Severe kyphoscoliosis observed in a human skeleton from the Edo period.","authors":"Yasuo Hagihara, Tamotsu Murayama, Akifumi Yoshida, Takashi Nara","doi":"10.1537/ase.250227","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.250227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A severe case of kyphoscoliosis was observed in the skeletal remains of a male from the late Edo period in Japan. This individual exhibited left curvature thoracic scoliosis and kyphotic deformity, with ankylosis of the fifth to twelfth thoracic vertebrae at the intervertebral joints. The Cobb angle was 77° and the kyphotic angle was 76°. The superior articular facet of the cervical vertebrae was lower on the left side than the right side. Additionally, the sacral base was inclined to the right, resulting in the superior articular process and facet being lower on the right than on the left. These observations suggest compensatory right curvature of the cervical and lower lumbar spine. The rib morphology was asymmetrical, with the right ribs being obtusely angled and spreading laterally, while the left ribs were acutely angled and directed medially. These findings indicate that this individual had severe structural left-convex thoracic kyphoscoliosis. The possible underlying conditions considered in this case included idiopathic scoliosis or syringomyelia. This is the first detailed report of severe kyphoscoliosis in archaeological skeletal remains excavated from the Japanese Archipelago.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 2","pages":"89-98"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134058/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not fast, slow occlusal wear in Jomon hunter-gatherers.","authors":"Kai Nakamura, Osamu Kondo","doi":"10.1537/ase.241122","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.241122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dental wear refers to the gradual loss of dental hard tissues, and its patterns are greatly affected by dietary habits. This study examined dental wear in the Jomon people, prehistoric hunter-gatherers of the Japanese archipelago, to determine whether molar wear rate was relatively fast or slow compared with that of other hunter-gatherer populations with different dietary habits. To evaluate the rate of dental wear, we used average score differences between adjacent molars. Considering that this parameter is independent of age, we compared the Jomon wear rate value with those of the other hunter-gatherers and pastoralist populations available in the literature. Results indicated that the Jomon people had a significantly lower rate of wear compared to populations in arid regions with a higher reliance on abrasive plant-based diets. Furthermore, the Jomon wear rate was comparable to or lower than that of populations in cold climate with less dependency on plant foods. We suggest that the low rate of wear seen in the Jomon people stems from the use of pottery, accompanied by an increased reliance on carbohydrates, possibly associated with changes in cooking methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 2","pages":"49-56"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134054/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A small catarrhine talus from the middle Miocene Nachola, northern Kenya.","authors":"Lilian Ntinyari Kithinji, Yasuhiro Kikuchi, Masato Nakatsukasa","doi":"10.1537/ase.241105","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.241105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We describe a small catarrhine talus discovered in Nachola, northern Kenya. Although <i>Nacholapithecus</i>, <i>Nyanzapithecus</i>, and <i>Victoriapithecus</i> are known from Nachola, this talus is too tiny to be assigned to a female <i>Nacholapithecus</i>. It is also different in shape from both <i>Nacholapithecus</i> and <i>Victoriapithecus</i>. Hence, it is best to assign it to <i>Nyanzapithecus</i>, whose tarsal features were not known before. We compared this talus to tali of other small Miocene catarrhines from Kenya and several extant catarrhines. The estimated body mass of this specimen is 5.2-5.5 kg, depending on the regression formula. It is distinguished from comparative taxa by the feeble development of the malleolar cup, which is a stabilizing mechanism of the talocrural joint at the full dorsiflexion, and a low trochlea, suggesting that the talocrural joint was not specialized for rapid extension-flexion. These features suggest that <i>Nyanzapithecus</i> walked and ran in the trees with less agility and did not frequently engage in leaping. Additionally, it has a wide posteroinferior surface of the trochlea with a straight lateral border, probably enhancing the talocrural joint's full plantarflexion. This might be suggestive of hindlimb suspension.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 1","pages":"23-31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134048/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}