Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon

Recent Hominid Finds in East Africa and Ethiopia

II. The Early Hominid Radiation

Jean Kitahara-Frisch

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 201-208
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.201

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A previous article outlined the new fossil evidence on man's origins recovered from East Africa and Ethiopia. Two problems raised by these fossil finds are discussed here.
The first concerns the evolutionary relationship obtaining between Australopithecus and Homo. The claimed coexistence between australopithecines and early forms of the genus Homo has sometimes been regarded as proof that the former could no longer be regarded as ancestral to the latter. More recent finds in Laetolil and Hadar, however, suggest that an early australopithecine form may have been ancestral to both later australopithecines and early species of Homo. This interpretation is compatible both with the traditional view that sees Australopithecus as ancestral to Homo and with the claimed coexistence of australopithecines with more advanced hominids.
The second problem here considered has to do with the coexistence at a number of sites in East Africa, for longer periods of time, of several distinct hominid lineages. Such coexistence is best documented in Omo, East Turkana and Olduvai. The most parsimonious interpretation of the fossil finds recognizes the coexistence of two distinct hominid lineages, one fairly uniform and perduring unchanged for over 1 million years (the robust australopithecines), the other comprising a variety of more gracile hominids. The large range of variation of the latter lineage creates as yet unsolved problems for the taxonomist, but it is apparently out of this variety of more gracile hominids that emerged Homo erectus whose appearance seems to have been the principal factor that occasioned the extinction of the robust australopithecine lineage.

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Principal Component Analysis of Three-dimensional Coordinates of Landmarks on the Japanese Skull

Eisaku KANAZAWA

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 209-228
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.209

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Three-dimensional coordinates were obtained from Japanese skulls (male 41, female 37) with the aid of moire contourography, an optical device recently developed, which enables threedinensional measurement of the human body with contour lines on the surface. An origin and rectangular axes were set as follows: origin, a point on the median plane on which porion is projected perpendicularly: axis x, antero-posterior axis both on the median plane and the Frankfort plane: axis y, perpendicular to axis x, on the median plane: axis z, axis through both left and right porion. Eighteen landmarks were chosen and 44 coordinates were undertaken for basic statistics and principal component analysis. Mean values of coordinates in the male were larger than those in the female except for a few coordinates of the cranial vault.
Eleven principal components whose eigenvalues exceeded unity were obtained from principal axes analysis of the correlation matrix which was subsequently rotated by th Varimax criterion. Those were interpreted as cranial factors by the highest loadings as follows: F1, facial projection, F2, lateral fullness, F3, bregma, lambda, posterior and occipital bone, inferior, F4, size of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone, F5, occipital bone, posterior, F6, stephanion, superior, F7, anterior facial region, superior, etc. The result was compared with previous reports on factor analysis of the skull. First three components were coincided in general with those in previous studies in spite of the difference of materials and measuring methods.

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Appearance of Bony Bridging of the Hypoglossal Canal during the Fetal Period

Yukio DODO

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 229-238
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.229

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Bony bridging of the hypoglossal canal was observed in 10% of 160 Japanese fetal crania. The incidence was slightly lower than that in any Japanese adult cranial series compared. The anatomical nature of the bridging in fetuses was substantially the same as that in adults. It was inferred that in the majority of cases the bridging trait makes its appearance during the fetal period. These findings were discussed from the anthropological point of view.

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Correlation Between Fluctuations of Testosterone Levels in Systemic Circulation and Sexual Behavior in Intact Female Japanese Monkeys in the Laboratory Condition

Tomoo ENOMOTO

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 239-248
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.239

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Heterosexual interactions of pairs of Japanese monkeys were studied in connection with fluctuations of testosterone concentrations in blood plasma of females, using seven intact adult females and two males. Blood was collected from the females daily or with a few days interruption. Testosterone, estradiol-17β, and progesterone in blood plasma were determined by radioimmunoassay. The behavioral records were obtained through heterosexual pairing tests of 30 minutes duration. Testosterone levels in blood plasma considerably fluctuated in each female from day to day, and statistically significant change could not be detected during the normal menstrual cycle. Male approach to females increased simultaneously with the increment of plasma testosterone level in three out of seven females. In seven normal menstrual cycles both copulation with ejaculation in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle and male approach in the late follicular phase of the cycle were observed in significantly higher frequencies on days of high level of testosterone, as compared with them on days of low level of testosterone in respective phase. These results suggest that testosterone enhances some types of sexual behavior of the male partner, at least, in the existence of estradiol-17ß in the late follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

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An Examination of Photographic Measurement in Craniology

Hiroshi TAKAYAMA

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 249-268
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.249

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It is the purpose of this paper to examine what conditions or assumptions are necessary before photography can be used as a practical tool in craniology ; the error limits in photographic measurement are less than the-1 % that is considered permissible in direct manual measurement. Among the factors affecting photographic measurement, perspective distortion is selected for the purpose of this study. A theoretical formula of distortion is introduced. Experimental testing of this formula is carried out. After several checking procedures, the data obtained are finally compared with theoretically calculated values. In addition, an examination of 11 Japanese skulls is made comparing the photographic and direct manual measurements. The results of these examinations suggest that the theoretical approach and the procedure utilized in the experimental tests are satisfactory. The conditions is that when using a 35mm camera, acceptable craniological data will be obtained from photographs where the field angle of the lens is under 2 degrees, or where the focal length is over 800 mm.

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A Shift of the Jomon Mortuary System in the Eastern Japan

Kensaku HAYASHI

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 269-284
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.269

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The material referred under the title covers those areas, namely Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, and Tokai- the nuclear area of the Jomon Culture. In time-depth, it covers those periods from Middle Jomon (ca. 4, 500 B.P.) through middle Final Jomon (ca. 2, 500 B. P.)- a classic stage of the whole sequence.

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Diurnal Variations in Plasma Testosterone and Cortisol in the Male Japanese Monkey

Tomoo ENOMOTO

1980 Volume 88 Issue 3 Pages 285-287
Published: 1980
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.88.285

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Under daily photoperiods of 12 or 6 hours in August, circadian rhythms of secretion of testosterone and cortisol in the male Japenese monkey were investigated. Plasma testosterone levels increased at night and fell in the morning.

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