Association between the digit ratio (2D:4D) and body fat distribution in Mordovian students.

BACKGROUND: The length ratio of the second to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is a possible biomarker of prenatal sex hormone levels, which play a significant role in determining sex-related body traits. AIMS: To evaluate the value of the 2D:4D ratio in a Mordovian sample and to test the associations between the 2D:4D ratio and sexually dimorphic morphological traits, such as height and body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, the waist-to-hip ratio, handgrip strength and the skinfold thickness. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample studied included 106 individuals of Mordovian ethnicity: 58 males and 48 females, 16-23 years old. The associations between the 2D:4D ratio and morphological traits were evaluated by multivariate regression analysis and correlation analysis. RESULTS: The 2D:4D ratio in males was significantly lower than in females. Most of the associations of the 2D:4D ratio with morphological traits were statistically insignificant. The 2D:4D ratio is only significantly correlated with skinfold thickness of the forearm and the abdomen in females. CONCLUSION: The association between the 2D:4D ratio and skinfold thickness is indicative of the role of prenatal sex hormones in shaping the body fat distribution in females, along with the significant impact of sex hormones at puberty.

Association of the digit ratio (2D: 4D) with sexually dimorphic morphological traits

The length ratio of the second to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is a possible biomarker of prenatal sex hormone levels, which play a significant role in determining the sex-related body traits. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the 2D:4D ratio and morphological characteristics, related to sexual dimorphism. We analyzed a group of Russian males (N = 169) and females (N = 193) aged between 17 and 27 years (with mean ages of 18.6±1.50 and 18.9±1.85, respectively) for the association between the 2D:4D ratio and a wide range of morphological characteristics, some of which were considered in this aspect for the first time. The 2D:4D ratio in males was significantly lower than in females (p ˂ 0.000). A highly statistically significant correlation was found between 2D:4D and sexually dimorphic morphological traits in the total sample. The association of 2D:4D ratio with morphological signs of masculinity/femininity within male and female samples were revealed only as a trend, which was more distinct for the functional indicators (handgrip strength)

No disponible

Nonmetric cranial trait variation and the origins of the Scythians.

OBJECTIVES: Within the fields of archaeology and anthropology, there is a long history of disputes concerning the origin of the northern Black Sea Scythians. One of the main points of contention is whether the Scythian gene pool was derived from the preceding local Bronze Age population or whether their population history can be connected to invaders from Central Asia. To test these hypotheses, we investigated Late Scythian populations from the northern Black Sea region and compared them to Bronze Age groups from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied a cranial series of five Late Scythian populations from the northern Black Sea region (N = 323), as well as local Bronze Age groups (N = 109), Central Asian Bronze Age groups (N = 79), and Sarmatians (N = 110). Biological diversity was analyzed by the mean measure of divergence (MMD). RESULTS: The Late Scythian population considered in this study proved to be genetically homogeneous, although some connections with the Sarmatians were found. We also revealed similarities between the Scythian groups and the local Bronze Age population of the Srubnaya culture, as well as, to a lesser extent, a group representative of the Central Asian Bronze Age Okunevo culture. DISCUSSION: The similarities between Late Scythians and various Sarmatian groups could be the result of genetic contacts between the groups, as well as shared genetic origins. The gene pool of the Scythian population likely comprises both local and Central Asian genetic components, though the exact origins and proportion of the eastern component currently remains unknown.

Digit ratio (2D:4D): Is it possible to use it for sex determination in the study of human skeletal remains?

OBJECTIVES: Sexual dimorphism in the relative length of the second-to-fourth digits (the digit ratio, or 2D:4D) in humans has been reported in many studies. The aim of our study was to ascertain possibility of using the 2D:4D ratio as an additional marker for sex determination in the study of human skeletal remains. METHODS: We have studied 2D:4D ratios obtained from measurements of finger phalanges and metacarpal bones in Russian (45 adult males and 26 adult females) and German (58 adult males and 29 adult females) skeletal series. RESULTS: The difference in 2D:4D ratio between the male and female subsamples in both skeletal series was not statistically significant. Analysis of variance revealed that the 2D:4D ratios in our sample varied more by ethnicity than by the sexual identity of the skeletal material. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the 2D:4D ratio cannot be used as an appropriate trait for the sex determination of human skeletal remains. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:591-593, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biological diversity and population history of Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers from the Cis-Baikal region of Siberia.

In the past decades, prehistoric hunter-gatherers of the Cis-Baikal region has been a subject of multidisciplinary research. In this study, we used nonmetric cranial traits to assess the genetic relationships between various spatial and temporal groups of Cis-Baikal Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers and to reveal genetic continuity between the Cis-Baikal Neolithic-Bronze Age population and modern native Siberians. Cranial series belonging to the bearers of the Early Neolithic Kitoi (n = 72), Late Neolithic Serovo (n = 54), and Early Bronze Glazkovo (n = 98) cultures were examined. Phenotypic differentiation was analyzed by the mean measure of divergence and Nei's genetic distances. Our results revealed several patterns of spatiotemporal biodiversity among the Cis-Baikal Middle Holocene populations, including biological similarity between the Early and Late Neolithic-Bronze Age groups, which suggests that the temporal hiatus between the Early and Late Neolithic does not necessarily imply genetic discontinuity in the region. The following possible scenarios of population history in the Cis-Baikal region are proposed: 1) continuous occupation with outside invasion of new migrant groups in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age and 2) migration of the Early Neolithic groups to the nearby regions and subsequent return of their descendants to the ancestral territory. A comparison of Cis-Baikal Neolithic populations with modern Siberian natives suggests that the Сis-Baikal region could have been a source area for population expansions into different parts of Siberia in the Neolithic and Bronze Age times.