The Amerind language family includes all the aboriginal languages of North and South America, except for those belonging to the Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene families. Comparative linguistic evidence from extant (or attested) Amerind languages indicates that Proto-Amerind-the language from which all Amerind languages derive-used a system of counting in which an obligatory numeral prefix, ^*ne-, preceded the numeral root. The first three numerals in Proto-Amerind seem to have been ^*ne-k'^we‘1, ’^*ne-pale‘2, ’and ^*ne-q^walas‘3.’A fourth numeral, Proto-Amerind ^*ta-pale‘4, ’combined a reflexive prefix with the Proto-Amerind root for‘2’in order to express the number‘4.’

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ADA subtype polymorphism in nine aboriginal populations (Gaoshan) of Taiwan was studied by means of the IEF method. A new ADA variant allele, ADA^*Taiwan1, was in a high allele frequency in two Gaoshan populations, the Amis and the Paiwans. Another new variant, ADA^*Taiwan2, was found in only one case of heterozygote in the Saisiats. Allele frequencies of a common allele, ADA^*2, in the Paiwans and the Amis were the highest among the Asian populations so far studied.

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Dental characteristics of the prehistoric to modern Japanese were compared with those observed in the 23 Mongoloid samples including the American natives and Australo-Melanesians. The results of comparisons confirmed Turner's“Sinodonty”and“Sundadonty”classifications on the basis of the nonmetric trait pattern, with clarifying the metric features that most effectively discriminate between the two dental series. Taking both the metric and nonmetric traits affinities into consideration of the population relationships, it was concluded that the Aeneolithic Northern Kyushu Yayoi people and the subsequent mainland Japanese are closely related to the Urga Mongolians and Northern Chinese. This finding supports the hypothesis that the Yayoi immigrants originated from the Northeast Asian stock. On the other hand, the closest affinity of the Jomon natives was shown in the Neolithic Thai among the overseas samples compared, implying that the Jomon natives and such prehistoric Southeast Asians were derived from common ancestry who inhabited somewhere in East Asia.

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The oral condition of 1274 living people was examined in 3 districts of Kenya and in 117 Kenyan skulls of recent age from the Natural History Museum, London; Cambridge University; and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. The traits of ritual ablation of mainly mandibular central incisors were observed in 57 cases out of 233 examinees of over 10 years of age (24.5%) in Lodwar, 29 of 210 (13.8%) in Kericho, and 3 of 190 (1.6%) in Nairobi, and in 25 mandibles out of 29 skills (86.2%). Thus, the existence of ritual ablation of the front teeth in modern Kenyans was confirmed, but the incidence is lower than in the skeletal group, and much less in urbanized areas than in rural districts. The size of the remaining space showed a significant correlation with tooth-to-denture-base discrepancy, but not with the lapse of time since extraction.

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We discuss the possibility of estimating brain volume from certain head measurements (circumference, length, breadth and auricular height), based on findings in 83 male and 22 female Japanese cadavers ranging from 21-92 years of age. There was generally a low degree of correlation between brain volume and the other measurements with some exceptions. The head circumference in males and the head breadth in females were significantly correlated with the brain volume at the 1% level. By the least square method, all equations for estimating brain volume were obtained from each measurement, and a modulus of the sum and product of combinations of five measurements. According to Akaike's information criterion (AIC) in multiple regression analysis, the most useful variable for estimating the brain volume was the head circumference in males and the head breadth in females, followed by the stature in both sexes. From the standard error of regression (SE) and coefficient of correlation (r), it was found that a binomial equation based on the head circumference and stature (SE=99.0, r=0.41) was the most useful for estimating brain volume, followed by formulae from the sum of head circumference and auricular height (99.4, 0.39) and the head circumference alone (99.5, 0.39) in males. In females, the product of head circumference, head breadth and stature (74.2, 0.57) was the most useful, followed by the product of head circumference, head breadth, auricular height and stature (75.4, 0.57), or that of head breadth, auricular height and stature (76.5, 0.53). However, judging by standard error, it seems that a simple formula based on only the head circumference is sufficient to estimate the brain volume. The formulae should be used to compare populations not individuals.

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Differences in mandibular morphology were investigated among three Japanese populations, the Neolithic Jomon from the Kanto region and two Aeneolithic Yayoi series from the northern Kyushu region and Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Jomon and Yayoi are considered to represent two major ancestral populations of the modern Japanese. Differences between the two male Yayoi samples were so small that they could be considered as having nearly identical mandibular morphology. Considerable differences were detected between the males of the Yayoi populations and the Jomon. In comparison to the Jomon males, mandibles of the male Yayoi populations are characterized by having (1) a larger overall size, (2) a higher symphyseal height, (3) corpus heights consistently decreasing posteriorly, (4) a relatively lower least coronial height, (5) a deeper sigmoid notch, (6) a thicker angular region, and (7) a larger mandibular angle. In contrast, corpus heights at the premolar region of the Jomon mandibles were approximately equivalent to the symphyseal height. A similar tendency was recognized in the females with minor exceptions.

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