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Brzezinski ET, Hubbe M, Hunter RL, Agnew AM. Sex differences in workload in medieval Poland: Patterns of asymmetry and biomechanical adaptation in the upper limb at Giecz. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24886. [PMID: 38130087 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study characterizes sexual dimorphism in skeletal markers of upper limb mechanical loading due to lateralization as evidence of division of labor in medieval Giecz, Poland. METHODS Twenty-six dimensions for paired humeri, clavicles, and radii representing adult males (n = 89) and females (n = 53) were collected from a skeletal sample from the cemetery site Gz4. Percent directional asymmetry (DA) and absolute asymmetry (AA) for each dimension were compared among bones, osteometric subcategories, and sex. Additionally, side bias and sex differences were assessed in degenerative joint disease (DJD) and entheseal changes (ECs). RESULTS Nearly all measurements revealed significant asymmetry favoring the right side. Asymmetry was most pronounced in midshaft dimensions with few sex differences. There were more correlations among dimensions within elements than between elements, mainly in the midshaft. No laterality in DJD frequencies was noted for either sex, but females demonstrated significantly lower odds of having DJD than males in most joints. Most ECs demonstrated a right-bias and association with DA with no sex-specific patterns except the biceps brachii insertion, where females were ~5 times more likely to be scored "right" than males. DISCUSSION The general lack of sex differences in asymmetry and ECs suggests similarly demanding workloads for females and males, with the exception of sex-specific functional loading differences in the forearm. Further, DJD data suggest males engaged in more intensive activities involving the upper limb. These results enhance understanding of workload in this important historical period and provide a comparison for asymmetry in past populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma T Brzezinski
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Skeletal Biology Research Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Mark Hubbe
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Randee L Hunter
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Skeletal Biology Research Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Amanda M Agnew
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Skeletal Biology Research Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Kumar S, Voracek M, Singh M. The effects of hand preference and sex on right-left asymmetry in dorsal digit lengths among adults and children. Early Hum Dev 2021; 153:105293. [PMID: 33340946 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Right-hand preference is related to stronger right-directional asymmetry in the length of proximal upper-limb bones, although the relationships of hand preference with directional asymmetry in phalangeal bone lengths are not known. Furthermore, dorsal digit length is an easy-to-measure, faithful proxy of X-rayed phalangeal bone length (which is costly and difficult to measure). AIM To study the effects of hand preference, sex, and age on right-left (R-L) asymmetry in dorsal digit lengths. METHODS We measured all dorsal digit lengths (except the thumb) in comparable numbers of left-handers and right-handers in samples of adults (N = 151, age: M = 22.6 years, SD = 3.3) and children (N = 65, age: M = 5.0 years, SD = 1.0). RESULTS Right-handers and adults had stronger right-directional asymmetry in digit lengths than left-handers and children. A Bayesian analysis yielded an 'extremely strong likelihood' of no sex differences in the R-L asymmetry of dorsal digit lengths 2 and 4. CONCLUSIONS The effects of hand preference, sex, and age on R-L asymmetry appear to be similar for phalangeal bone length and other (proximal) upper-limb bone lengths. Two distinct biologic mechanisms (i.e., a general right-directional asymmetry mechanism and a handedness-related directional asymmetry mechanism) may contribute to observed R-L asymmetry in limbs. Fingertip fat and bone digit length do not seem to contribute to sex differences in the R-L asymmetry (Dr-l) of the widely studied second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Kumar
- Department of Psychology, D.A.V. College, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Martin Voracek
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria.
| | - Maharaj Singh
- Department of Research and Graduate Studies, School of Dentistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
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Laffranchi Z, Charisi D, Jiménez-Brobeil SA, Milella M. Gendered division of labor in a Celtic community? A comparison of sex differences in entheseal changes and long bone shape and robusticity in the pre-Roman population of Verona (Italy, third-first century BC). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:568-588. [PMID: 32812226 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The presence of a gendered subdivision of labor has been bioarchaeologically investigated in various prehistoric and historical contexts. Little is known, however, about the type of differences in daily activities characterizing men and women among the Celtic communities of Italy. The focus of the present study is the analysis of differences in patterns of entheseal changes (ECs) and long bone shape and robusticity between sexes among the Cenomani Gauls of Seminario Vescovile (SV-Verona, Italy, third-first century BC). MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample includes 56 adult individuals (22 females and 34 males). Presence of ECs on nine bilateral postcranial attachment sites, and values of humeral and femoral shape and robusticity indices based on external measurements were compared between sexes by means of generalized linear models and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS Results show a lack of difference between sexes in long bone shape and robusticity, and a higher incidence of upper and, especially, lower limb ECs in males. DISCUSSION These results suggest the presence of sex-specific activities at SV mostly related to farming and differently influencing the considered variables. Also, this study suggests the relevance of a series of nonbiomechanical factors (developmental, hormonal, genetic, and methodological) when attempting biocultural reconstructions from osteoarchaeological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zita Laffranchi
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Medicine Faculty, University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain
| | - Drosia Charisi
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Medicine Faculty, University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain
| | - Sylvia A Jiménez-Brobeil
- Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Medicine Faculty, University of Granada (UGR), Granada, Spain
| | - Marco Milella
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Taura MG, Adamu LH, Asuku AY, Umar KB, Abubakar M. Quantity and asymmetry of fingerprint white lines: forensic implication. CANADIAN SOCIETY OF FORENSIC SCIENCE JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/00085030.2020.1736812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Magaji G. Taura
- College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Lawan Hassan Adamu
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Abdullahi Y. Asuku
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Kabiru B. Umar
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Federal University Duste, Duste, Nigeria
| | - Musa Abubakar
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria
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Asymmetry patterns are associated with body size and somatic robustness among adult !Kung San and Kavango people. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/anre-2019-0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Asymmetry of bilateral anatomical structures is widely found in nature. Fluctuating asymmetry, i.e. mostly tiny random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral structures, is mainly interpreted within the framework of developmental instability. This interpretation is mainly due to the fact, that higher fluctuating asymmetry is often found in association with various pathological conditions but also from increased stress during somatic development. Directional asymmetry, in contrast, describes a distinct pattern of bilateral variation in a group of individuals, characterized by the tendency to find the larger side mainly at the same side for all individuals. This kind of asymmetry is mostly caused by behavioral lateralization. Somatic stress during development affect not only asymmetry patterns, it is has also an adverse effect on somatic growth. Therefore, the present study tested the hypothesis, that increased asymmetry is associated with decreased body height as well as postcranial length and robustness dimensions. The association patterns between fluctuating as well as directional asymmetry and parameters of somatic growth and robustness are analyzed among 236 !Kung San and 248 Kavango people of Namibia between the ages of 18 and 65 years. Fluctuating asymmetry was determined by ear length and ear breadth. Directional asymmetry was determined by hand length and hand breadth dimensions. Fluctuating as well as directional asymmetry correlated significantly negatively with body height and length dimensions, the correlations however, were weak. The results are interpreted as a corroboration of the theory that developmental stress may increase fluctuating asymmetry but on the other hand may decrease body size.
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External ballistics of Pleistocene hand-thrown spears: experimental performance data and implications for human evolution. Sci Rep 2019; 9:820. [PMID: 30683877 PMCID: PMC6347593 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37904-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The appearance of weaponry - technology designed to kill - is a critical but poorly established threshold in human evolution. It is an important behavioural marker representing evolutionary changes in ecology, cognition, language and social behaviours. While the earliest weapons are often considered to be hand-held and consequently short-ranged, the subsequent appearance of distance weapons is a crucial development. Projectiles are seen as an improvement over contact weapons, and are considered by some to have originated only with our own species in the Middle Stone Age and Upper Palaeolithic. Despite the importance of distance weapons in the emergence of full behavioral modernity, systematic experimentation using trained throwers to evaluate the ballistics of thrown spears during flight and at impact is lacking. This paper addresses this by presenting results from a trial of trained javelin athletes, providing new estimates for key performance parameters. Overlaps in distances and impact energies between hand-thrown spears and spearthrowers are evidenced, and skill emerges as a significant factor in successful use. The results show that distance hunting was likely within the repertoire of hunting strategies of Neanderthals, and the resulting behavioural flexibility closely mirrors that of our own species.
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Androgen Levels and Body Size Are Associated with Directional as Well as Fluctuating Asymmetry Patterns in Adult !Kung San and Kavango Males from Northern Namibia. Symmetry (Basel) 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/sym9050072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Kirchengast S. Directional and fluctuating asymmetry among !Kung San and Kavango people of Northern Namibia: The impact of sex and subsistence patterns. Am J Hum Biol 2016; 29. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Krishan K, Kanchan T. Forensic and Anthropological Application of Body Asymmetry: A Comment on Gutnik et al. (2015). Percept Mot Skills 2016; 122:578-82. [DOI: 10.1177/0031512516640667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The present communication describes the application of bilateral asymmetry in forensic casework and anthropological research. Bilateral asymmetry is normal in the human body. The body’s asymmetry is attributable to genetic and environmental (evolutionary) reasons. Handedness is a factor related to bilateral asymmetry. Gutnik et al. (2015) supported previous research, showing that the dominant side of the body is stronger than the other side due to additional stress and strain, and thus has augmented musculature and increased mass. The note is intended to elaborate on the applications of body asymmetry in forensic and anthropological practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kewal Krishan
- Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Tanuj Kanchan
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College (A Constituent College of Manipal University), Mangalore, India
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