Cranial fluctuating asymmetry in Danish populations from the Neolithic to the Early Modern Age

Fluctuating asymmetry are random deviations of an otherwise symmetrical body plan and arises from instability in development. Earlier studies suggest that levels of cranial fluctuating asymmetry may be influenced by lifestyle and quality of life in a population. It may, therefore, be useful as a str...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Olsen, Trine Bottos, García Martínez, Daniel, Lynnerup, Niels, Jørkov, Marie Louise Schjellerup, Villa, Chiara
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Recursos:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/120523
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120523
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:572.7
Developmental Instability
Geometric Morphometrics
Stress Indicators
Archaeological Populations
3D Landmarks
Antropología biológica
Evolución
Anatomía
Genética
2402 Antropología (Física)
2402.03 Antropometría y Antropología Forense
2402.09 Osteología
2410.02 Anatomía Humana
2410.04 Desarrollo Humano
2410.07 Genética Humana
Descrição
Resumo:Fluctuating asymmetry are random deviations of an otherwise symmetrical body plan and arises from instability in development. Earlier studies suggest that levels of cranial fluctuating asymmetry may be influenced by lifestyle and quality of life in a population. It may, therefore, be useful as a stress indicator. We investigated whether cranial fluctuating asymmetry has changed in archaeological Danish populations over time, and between grave sites from the same time period. Our sample consisted of 219 adult individuals from the Neolithic Age (approx. 3000BC) to the Early Modern Age (approx. 1850). We collected 27 3-dimensional landmarks from the face, calvarium, and base of the cranium. Levels of shape variation were analyzed using Procrustes analysis of variance and principal component analysis. Cemeteries, time periods, and sex were compared using linear mixed models, one-way analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis test. We found no statistically significant differences in cranial FA between grave sites from the same time period, nor did we find any statistically significant difference between time periods. We found that sex did not have an influence on levels of cranial FA. We found no measurable difference in levels of cranial FA between Danish populations over time. Further knowledge on genetics and other stress indicators in our sample may give more insight into the relationship between cranial fluctuating asymmetry and developmental instability.