Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2012 Oct;149(2):193-204. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22107. Epub 2012 Jul 13.
Previous studies have suggested that Neandertals experienced greater physiological stress and/or were less capable of mitigating stress than most prehistoric modern human populations. The current study compares estimates of dental fluctuating asymmetry (DFA) for prehistoric Inupiat from Point Hope Alaska, the Late Archaic, and Protohistoric periods from Ohio and West Virginia, and a modern sample from Ohio to Neandertals from Europe and Southwest Asia. DFA results from developmental perturbation during crown formation and is thus an indicator of developmental stress, which previous studies have found to be higher in Neandertals than in several modern human populations. Here, we use recent methodological improvements in the analysis of fluctuating asymmetry suggested by Palmer and Strobeck (Annu Rev Ecol Syst 17 (1986) 391-421, Developmental instability: causes and consequences (2003a) v.1-v.36, Developmental instability: causes and consequences (2003b) 279-319) and compare the fit of Neandertal DFA Index values with those of modern humans. DFA estimates for each of the modern population samples exceeded measurement error, with the Inupiat exhibiting the highest levels of DFA for most tooth positions. All significant Neandertal z-scores were positive, exceeding the estimates for each of the modern prehistoric groups. Neandertals exhibited the fewest significant differences from the Inupiat (9.2% of values are significant at P < 0.05), while for the other modern prehistoric groups more than 10% of the Neandertal z-scores are significant at P < 0.05, more than 90% of these significant scores at P < 0.01. These results suggest that the Inupiat experienced greater developmental stress than the other prehistoric population samples, and that Neandertals were under greater developmental stress than all other prehistoric modern human samples.
先前的研究表明，尼安德特人经历了更大的生理压力，或者说他们缓解压力的能力不如大多数史前现代人类种群。本研究比较了来自阿拉斯加普霍湾的史前因纽特人、俄亥俄州和西弗吉尼亚州的晚期旧石器时代和原始历史时期，以及来自俄亥俄州的现代样本与欧洲和西南亚的尼安德特人之间的牙齿波动不对称（DFA）估计值。DFA 是牙冠形成过程中发育干扰的结果，因此是发育压力的指标，先前的研究发现尼安德特人比几个现代人类种群的发育压力更高。在这里，我们使用 Palmer 和 Strobeck（Annu Rev Ecol Syst 17（1986）391-421，发育不稳定性：原因和后果（2003a）v.1-v.36，发育不稳定性：原因和后果（2003b）279-319）提出的波动不对称分析的最新方法改进，并将尼安德特人 DFA 指数值的拟合与现代人进行比较。每个现代人群样本的 DFA 估计值都超过了测量误差，因纽特人在大多数牙齿位置的 DFA 水平最高。所有显著的尼安德特人 z 分数均为正值，超过了每个现代史前群体的估计值。尼安德特人与因纽特人相比差异最小（9.2%的数值在 P < 0.05 时显著），而对于其他现代史前群体，超过 10%的尼安德特人 z 分数在 P < 0.05 时显著，超过 90%的这些显著分数在 P < 0.01 时显著。这些结果表明，因纽特人经历了比其他史前人群样本更大的发育压力，而尼安德特人比所有其他史前现代人类样本承受更大的发育压力。
