Table of Content

15 June 1997, Volume 16 Issue 02

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On the problems of seeking the earliest (about 2 Ma) human remains in china

Zhang Senshui

1997, 16(02):  87-95. 

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Most archeologists and paleoanth ropologists claim that the human originate in Africa, w e consider that Asia, specially China, could no t be neglected to be a possible region o f the human origin, because many fossils o f ancient apes from over 10 Ma to about 4 Ma, human fossils and cultural remains from 1. 7 Ma to upper paleolithic have been found in China. Because human fossils and cultural relics dated about 2 Ma had not yet been discovered a n empty gap of the human evolution clearly exists between the fossil ape and Homo erectus there.
On the basis of paleo sedimentary environment of early Pleistocene and the characters o f stone artifacts o f pre-early paleolithic, China could be able to make a greater contribution to the subject o n the human origin study. If the extensive survey and the multi-disciplinary study will be undertaken in the important regions of China, such as Nihewan basin, Yuanmou basin and Three Gorge region, it is w ell promising to encounter the earliest ( about 2 Ma bp) cultural remains and to fill in the empty gapmentioned above.

A report on excavation of Chenshan locality in 1988, Anhui province

Fang Yingsan

1997, 16(02):  96-106. 

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The Chenshan ( Xiang yang ) Paleolithic locality ( 118°51′58″ E, 30°52′32″N ) is situated at middle reach of Shuiyang River about 15 kilometres to the southwest of Xuanzhou City. The locality w as discovered in 1987. In the first excavation in M arch-May, 1988, 78 stone artifacts w ere found by the present authors and other colleagues.
The raw material of the artifacts is mainly quartzite sandstone. Stone artifacts include flakes, co res, scrapers, choppers, pointed choppers and picks. The proportions of them a re 29. 5% , 29. 5% , 9. 0% , 14. 1% , 3. 8% and 5. 1% respectively. The strata of the Chenshan locality a re divided two parts: the lower part is from the late period of the early Pleistocene to the middle period o f the middle Pleistocene and the upper part is of the late period of the middle Pleistocene.

Sexing Liujiang fossil innominate bone

Wu Xinzhi

1997, 16(02):  107-111. 

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Although Wu Rukang had asserted all of the Upper Paleolithic human skeleton found from the small cave near Tong tianyan cave, Liujiang , Guangxi belong ed to a male individual. But some other scholars gave different sexing diagnosis o r felt doubt o f Wu′s assertion. The present paper provided evidence from several aspects for further discussing on this problem.
In addition to the loss of the anteno-inferior part the Liujiang innominate bone had been bro ken at the basal part of the ilium into upper and lower parts. These two parts had been slightly shifted from each other for about 1. 5mm. The narrow fissure in between w as filled up by the cave deposits which became calcified and cemented the two parts tog ether. This shift and the filling up o f the fissure made the width of sciatic notch about 1mm long er. These also made the distance between inferior posterioriliac spine and the deepest point of greater sciatic notch about 1mm shorter. The present author made some relevant measurements and retifications for necessary items on this bone.
Table 1 show s the comparison between hip bones of Liujiang paleolithic man and Han people of China. It show s the Liujiang hip bone is very small and corresponds to the small- est male Han hip bone in size. Its sciatic notch index is closer to the average of male Ha n than that o f female, although it is near the low er limit in the rang e o f female Ha n. The length of the distance between inferior posterioriliac spinne and the foot o f the vertical from the deepest point of greater sciatic notch to the maximum width of this notch (i. e OB length in Wu et al 1982 or the posterior segment of the maximum width of greater sciatic notch in Sun and Ou 1986) is very close to that of male Han. So the Liujiang hip bone is close to the average o f female specimens in size but according to the parameters especially responsible to sexing it is mo re probable to belong to a male individual.
The present author put relevant figures of Liujiang specimen into a chart cited from Wu et al ( 1982) for sexing the hip bone by lengthⅡ of ischium and OB length ( o r posterior segment o f the maximum width of greater sciatic notch ). The result indicates that Liujiang specimen is within the rang e of male, although not far from that of female.
Sun Shanghui and Ou Yong zhang had made a n equation for sexing hip bones o n the basis o f two angles among the measurements of greater sciatic notch of human bones unearthed from Nanjing and Northeastern part of China ( Sun and Ou 1986) . They draw a triangle formed by three points: A ( tip of inferior posterioriliac spine) , B ( ischial spine) and C ( deepest point of the greater sciatic notch). According to their paper the equation is: Z0= 0. 003794∠ A+ 0. 005679∠ C, Z0= 0. 6376 is the demarcation point. Most o f hip bones with Z value smaller than this a re belonging to male. In Liujiang specimen ∠ A is a round 64°; ∠ C is around 64°, Z= 0. 6093, indicating belonging to a male individual. In addition to sexing o n the basis of measurements of hip bone itself, the present author also investigates the evidence from the sacrum and skull from the same cave.
As Wu Rukang has indicated the sacro-iliac articular surface of Liujiang hip corresponds to not only upper two sacral vertebrae but also to the third sacra l vertebra ( Woo, 1959). This is characteristic of male sex.
The present author has made comparisons among skulls from Liujiang and Minatogawa as w ell as Upper Cave. The co efficient of divergence ( CV ) between Liujiang and Minatogawa No. 1 is 0. 029. The CV between two Minatogaw a female skulls ( Nos. 2 and 4) is 0. 033; t between two female skulls of Upper Cave ( Nos. 102 and 103) is 0. 030. So the divergence between Liujiang and Minatogawa No. 1 is so small that it corresponds to the divergence between two female individuals from each of these two sites. The Minatogawa skull No. 1 w as associated with nearly complete skeleton buried in an almost anatomically normal state ( Suzuki and Hanihara 1982) , so the sexing of this individual is highly confident. Therefore Liujiang skull and hip bone should belong to male as w ell.

Head shape variation among children of four cities in east Asia

Xu Fei, Zhao Wei, Ma Xiaokai, Ma Jianmei, Sun Eryu, C. Kumakura A., Kusumoto K., Ashizawa

1997, 16(02):  141-150. 

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The head shape of 4 groups of children from large cities in East Asia w as compared to find a possible relationship between head shape and socioeconomic factors as well as the climate of the habitat in which the subjects live. The subjects are from: Dalian, Quezon City in Manila , Makati in Manila, and Tokyo. The results are:
1. Sex differences. In Dalian, the boys were significantly larger than the girls as for both head length and breadth in all age groups. The same was found at age 12 for head length and ages 8— 12 for head breadth in Tokyo; at ages 7 and 11— 14 for head length and in all age groups except at age 11 in Makati; and at ages 7 and 12 for head length and in all age groups except a t age 10 in QC.
2. Regional differences. Head length was greater until age 12 in QC, Tokyo , M aka ti, and Dalian in descending order, and after age 13 in QC, and Makati and Dalian. Head breadth w as greater until age 12 in Dalian and Tokyo, QC, and M aka ti in that order, and after age 13 in Dalian, QC, and Makati in the boys, whereas in the girls the order w as Dalian, Tokyo and QC, and M aka ti.
3. Head shape ( cephalic index ) . All the children are brachycephal, with the Dalian children being especially hyperbrachycephal.
4. Regression of head breadth to head length. Regression distributions are significantly different among the 4 groups compared. the slope of regression line is the most acute in the Dalian group in both sex es. This suggests that the speed o f head breadth growth relative to head length growth in Dalian children is much mo re accelerated than in Japanese and Philippine children.

Cluster analysis and principal component analysis on the physical characters of 23 populations in China

Zheng Lianbin, Lu Shunhua

1997, 16(02):  151-158. 

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Cluster analysis and principal component analysis of the physical characters of 23 populations in China with 13 measurements, including maximum head length, maximum head breadth, minimum frontal breadth, bizygomatic breadth, morphological facial heigth, nose breadth, nose heigth, mouth breadth, interocular breadth, stature, sitting height, breadth of shoulder and distance between iliac crests are made. The results show that the 23 populations ca n be divided into three groups: the south group, the north group and the group of middle type. The differences between south group and north group are principally in the lenghth and breadth of body. There are significant differences in cranio-facial measurements among the north populations. While the cranio-facial measurements o f the south populations are comparatively close.

Genetic polymorphism of AcP1 , EsD and 6-PGD in nine Han subpopulations of China

Xu Jiujin, Tan Qian, Du Ruofu

1997, 16(02):  159-166. 

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The genetic polymorphism of red cell acid phosphatase ( AcP) , Esterase D ( EsD) and 6- Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase ( 6- PGD) in nine Ha n subpopulations of China w as studied by starch gel electrophoresis. The results show ed that the gene frequencies o f AcPB1 in Han subpopalations from Lanzhou, Huhhot, Harbin, Xi 'a n, Zheng zhou, Cheng du, Guiyang , Zhang zhou and Meixian W ere 0. 7929, 0. 8167, 0. 7938, 0. 8131, 0. 8088, 0. 8005, 0. 7896, 0. 7794 and 0. 7675; EsD1 gene frequencies w ere o. 6473, 0. 6148, 0. 6443, 0. 6439, 0. 6475, 0. 6305, 0. 6287, 0. 5907 and 0. 5825; and 6- PGDA gene frequencies w ere 0. 8881, 0. 9143, 0. 9330, 0. 9318, 0. 8756, 0. 9212, 0. 9188, 0. 9461 and 0. 9375, respectively. The EsD1 gene frequencies in Southern subpopulations o f the Han ethnic group in China a re quite different from those o f the Northern ones, which are higher than those of the Southern subpopulations, and lower gradually along with the decrease of latitude. The divergence of EsD and 6- PGD genes among Han subpopulations is quite significant while that of AcP gene not.