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Neural network analysis by using the Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) applied to human fossil dental morphology: A new methodology
Abstract
Recent studies focusing on dental morphology of extinct and extant human populations have shown, on a global scale, the considerable
potential of dental traits as a tool to understand the phenetic relations existing between populations. The aim of this paper
is to analyze the dental morphologic relationships between archaic Homo and anatomically modern Homo sapiens by means of a new methodology derived from artificial neural networks called Self Organizing Maps (SOMs). The graph obtained
by SOMs to some extent recalls a classical Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) or a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) plot. The
most important advantages of SOMs is that they can handle vectors with missing components without interpolating missing data.
The analyzed database consisted of 1055 Lower-Middle and (Early) Late Pleistocene specimens, which were scored by using dental
morphological traits of the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS). The principal result indicates a
close relationship between the Homo erectus s.l. and Middle Pleistocene specimens and the later Neandertal groups. Furthermore, the dental models of anatomically modern
Homo sapiens are particularly different compared to the more archaic populations. Thus, SOMs can be considered a valuable tool in the
field of dental morphological studies since they enable the analysis of samples at an individual level without any need i) to interpolate missing data or ii) place individuals in predetermined groups.
Keywordsneural network analysis-Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs)-multidimensional scaling-dental morphology-Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS)-Lower Pleistocene specimen-Middle Pleistocene specimen-Late Pleistocene specimen
... 1). У представителей вида Homo erectus на центральных резцах он отмечался с частотой 77,8% [Manni, Vargiu, Coppa, 2007, Примечание: 1 -8 -состав серий не указан [Manni, Vargiu, Coppa, 2007, table 2]; 9 -Самарканд-1, Мальта-2, Лиственка, Костенки XVIII, Сунгирь-2, Сунгирь-3, Страшная-1, Соловьиная Лука [Зубов, Гохман, 2003;Шпакова, 2000, 2001Халдеева, 2006;Viola, Markin, Zenin, Shunkov, Derevianko, 2011;данные Лингвальная ямка верхних резцов наблюдается при слиянии в базальной части коронки лингвальных краевых гребней, или при объединении их с лингвальным бугорком в непрерывный «пояс», в верхней части отделенный от лингвальной поверхности зуба. Сведений о распространенности этого фена у древних представителей рода Homo мало. ...
... У Homo heidelbergensis -50% (один случай из двух) на центральных резцах, 33,3% (один случай из трех) -на клыках [Martinon-Torres et al., 2012, table 7]. В пределах вида Homo neanderthalensis по данным разных авторов частота пальцевидных выступов колеблется от 75% до 95% на центральных резцах, от 75% до 100% на латеральных резцах, и у всех находок, относящихся к этому виду они были встречены на клыках [Manni, Vargiu, Coppa, 2007, [Manni, Vargiu, Coppa, 2007, table 2]. На находках с территории бывшего СССР пальцевидные выступы медиальных резцов фиксируются в 50% случаев, на латеральных фен отсутствует, на клыках встречен со стопроцентной частотой (табл. ...
... Наиболее высокие частоты среднего гребня тригонида наблюдаются у представителей вида Homo neanderthalensis. В разных выборках его частоты варьируют от 80% до 100% [Manni, Vargiu, Coppa, 2007, Наклон бугорков к центру коронки на верхних и нижних молярах. Признак фиксировался на нестертых зубах, при явном наклоне вертикальной оси главных бугорков к центру коронки. ...
Distribution of frequency of archaic dental markers in Mesolithic and Neolithic population of Eurasia is
discussed. Longer preservation of archaic complex in Northern Eurasian and Southern Eurasian protomorphic
anthropological formation, compared with the European series is stated. It is also discussed that archaic signs
are better for studying of protomorphic formations diff erentiation, compared with the standard research
program.
... At that time, our research was directed to the classification of a recently discovered dental sample (Tabun cave, Israel) that was compared to a reference database composed of a large number of different samples in order to confirm its belonging to the neanderthal teeth morphotype (coppa et al. 2007a). The reference database itself was published the same year (Manni et al. 2007). ...
... To conclude this short list, Anns have been combined with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to predict the location of possibly productive fossil-bearing localities (Anemone et al. 2011). our two studies (coppa et al. 2007a;Manni et al. 2007) confirm their usefulness in a variety of issues addressed by physical anthropologists, palaeontologists and forensic scientists (classification, prediction) and we advocate their further spread and dissemination in our discipline. This article may be a way to attract the attention of colleagues on Anns and, in order to provide some insight, we will methodologically review our studies by stressing their advantages over other existing methods. ...
... In the studies we have mentioned (coppa et al. 2007a;Manni et al. 2007), we analysed dentitions of single individuals with the aim to display each of them as a single data point in a kind of multivariate representation. As a consequence, all the traits scored on each tooth of the maxilla and mandible of single individuals were coded as vectors having the components defined by a zero (0), or by a one (1), according to the presence or absence (established on the basis of selected breakpoints) of given morphological tooth traits listed in the repertorium of the ASUDAS system (Turner et al. 1991;Scott, Turner 1997) (see Fig. 1 for an example). ...
The paper illustrates how the application of a specific version of Artificial neural net- works, Self-organizing Maps (SoMs), enabled a more accurate analysis of human dental mor- phology. SoMs enable the processing of individual samples (dentitions) because they can cope with missing data. In fact, in archaeological samples of human remains, teeth are often broken or missing making a complete set of morphological traits often impossible to achieve. other classification methods like principal component Analysis, Multidimensional Scaling, Mean Measure of Divergence, Multiple correspondence Analysis do not handle missing descriptors and incomplete data matrices have to be “filled in”, thus leading to a certain approximation in the outcome with a lack of geographical or temporal resolution, as many incomplete samples have to be merged into a virtual one that does not present missing descriptors. our discussion about the proficiency of SoMs, and Anns in general, in the exploration and classification of anthropological databases concerning morphology is based on a specific case study, that is the classification of a neanderthal sample. Through this example we would like to attract the attention of anthropologists and archaeologists to a very flexible methodology that is seldom applied, despite being widely used in many other disciplines.
... In addition, MA 93 exhibits a welldeveloped and complete mid-trigonid crest, which even if found in Georgian H. erectus and frequent in H. erectus s.s., is generally absent or interrupted by the central groove in African H. erectus/ ergaster specimens like KNM-ER 820, 992 and KNM-WT 15000 (Wood, 1991;Brown and Walker, 1993;Martinón-Torres et al., 2007Bailey and Hublin, 2013;Zanolli, 2013). Unlike most Afro-European H. erectus lower molars, like D211 (Martinón-Torres et al., 2008), KGA10-1 (Suwa et al., 2007), KNM-ER 820 and KNM-WT 15000 (Wood, 1991;Brown and Walker, 1993), the Eritrean molar lacks any expression of a deflecting wrinkle, while the presence of a C7, better expressed at the EDJ than at the outer enamel surface, is compatible with the high frequency of this trait observed in H. erectus (Manni et al., 2007;Bailey and Hublin, 2013). Interestingly, in addition to its specific features, MA 93 closely resembles the LM1 KGA10-1 from Konso (Suwa et al., 2007), the two sharing a rectangular occlusal outline, the presence of a C7, the lack of protostylid (which is, conversely, quite a common feature in H. erectus s.l.; Manni et al., 2007), and low and nearly parallel lateral crown walls. ...
... Unlike most Afro-European H. erectus lower molars, like D211 (Martinón-Torres et al., 2008), KGA10-1 (Suwa et al., 2007), KNM-ER 820 and KNM-WT 15000 (Wood, 1991;Brown and Walker, 1993), the Eritrean molar lacks any expression of a deflecting wrinkle, while the presence of a C7, better expressed at the EDJ than at the outer enamel surface, is compatible with the high frequency of this trait observed in H. erectus (Manni et al., 2007;Bailey and Hublin, 2013). Interestingly, in addition to its specific features, MA 93 closely resembles the LM1 KGA10-1 from Konso (Suwa et al., 2007), the two sharing a rectangular occlusal outline, the presence of a C7, the lack of protostylid (which is, conversely, quite a common feature in H. erectus s.l.; Manni et al., 2007), and low and nearly parallel lateral crown walls. To a lesser extent, the same is true for the lower M2 of the same specimen, even if the latter shows a slight buccolingual tapering of the talonid resulting into a more rounded occlusal outline (Suwa et al., 2007). ...
... Compared with the condition more typical of African and Eurasian Early and Middle Pleistocene anterior teeth (e.g., Wood, 1991;Manni et al., 2007;Martinón-Torres et al., 2007, 2012Bailey and Hublin, 2013;Bermúdez de Castro and Martinón-Torres, 2013), while occlusally worn, the incisors from Uadi Aalad apparently lack any developed expression of accessory features (i.e., distinct tubercles, ridges, or cusp-like features expressed in the cingular region of the lingual surface). For its buccolingual crown diameter, the lower central incisor UA 369 falls within the range of variation of most Early and Middle Pleistocene samples, while the upper lateral incisor is relatively small compared with early African Homo, but still comparable with the Javanese H. erectus estimates (Zanolli, 2013). ...
... In the Upper Paleolithic samples from West and East Europe it also occurs infrequently (6.1-7.8%) (Manni et al., 2007) and it is absent in findings from the European part of Russia (Zubov, 2000;Zubova and Chikisheva, 2015b). ...
In 1999, during the excavation of Khaiyrgas Cave on the Middle Lena River in Yakutia (in
the Russian Federation), a fragmented human deciduous tooth was discovered in the upper 5th (Paleolithic)
horizon, at the contact with the 4th (Mesolithic) horizon. The cave is one of a number of interesting
Upper Paleolithic sites on the Lena, located at the border of two cultural regions: Lake Baikal and
Yakutia. Previous findings indicate active cultural and perhaps ethnic contacts, in particular with areas
of the Lower Angara region and Northern Baikal. In order to determine the morphology and taxonomic
position of the tooth, its metric and non-metric parameters were studied. Comparative analysis indicates
that the tooth characteristics adhere to the Eastern dental pattern with some archaic traits. This tooth is
one of the earliest known human remains in Yakutia, which are crucial for the study of the ancient population
of the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic in North-East Asia. Its conformity with the Eastern
dental pattern confirms the alleged affiliation of human groups that inhabited the territory of Yakutia in
the late Pleistocene/early Holocene to the Mongoloid anthropological type. In addition, the results of
comparative analysis suggest the presence of ancient affinities between the Upper Paleolithic populations
of North-Eastern and Western Siberia.
Morphological and metrical study suggested that seven human teeth from Tabun Cave, Israel were part of the upper dentition of a single, probably Neanderthal, individual renumbered as Tabun BC7. An enamel fragment gave ESR age estimates of 82+/-14 ka (early U-uptake) and 92+/-18 ka (linear uptake) and an age estimate of 90(+30)(-16) ka using U-series disequilibrium. Although metrical analyses suggested Neanderthal affinities, definitive assessment was difficult as the values often fell into the ranges of both Neanderthal and Levantine early modern human samples. Therefore, two further classification analyses were conducted (neural networks using self-organizing maps and homogeneity analysis). Both identify Tabun BC7 as a Neanderthal. Neural networks are a promising tool for paleoanthropological studies as they can provide reliable classifications even with incomplete data.
Dental anthropologists focus on the variation around a commonly shared pattern, a variation expressed by differences in tooth size and morphology. This book centers on the morphological characteristics of tooth crowns and roots that are either present or absent in any given individual and that vary in frequency among populations. These nonmetric dental traits are controlled largely by genetic factors and provide a direct link between extinct and extant populations. The book illustrates more than thirty tooth crown and root traits and reviews their biological and genetic underpinnings. From a database of more than 30,000 individuals, the geographic variation of twenty-two crown and root traits is graphically portrayed. A global analysis of tooth morphology shows both points of agreement and disagreement with comparable analyses of genetic and craniometric data. These findings are relevant to the hotly contested issue of timing and geographic context of modern human origins.
We present a novel clustering method using the approach of support vector machines. Data points are mapped by means of a Gaussian kernel to a high dimensional feature space, where we search for the minimal enclosing sphere. This sphere, when mapped back to data space, can separate into several components, each enclosing a separate cluster of points. We present a simple algorithm for identifying these clusters. The width of the Gaussian kernel controls the scale at which the data is probed while the soft margin constant helps in coping with outliers and overlapping clusters. The structure of a dataset is explored by varying the two parameters, maintaining a minimal number of support vectors to assure smooth cluster boundaries. We demonstrate the performance of our algorithm on several datasets. 1
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Arizona State University, 2002. Includes bibliographical references (p. [210]-238). Photocopy.
The use of artificial neural networks (ANN) has grown in the last few years in many fields of research, but not in biological anthropology. They are a relevant alternative to current statistics for data processing. This note provides a background for understanding the notion of ANN and describes also few applications close to biological anthropologal topics.
In an earlier investigation (Irish [1993] Biological Affinities of Late Pleistocene Through Modern African Aboriginal Populations: The Dental Evidence [Ann Arbor: University Microfilms]), biological affinities of 32 sub-Saharan and North African dental samples were estimated using comparative analyses of 36 dental morphological traits. Marked dental homogeneity was revealed among samples within each of the two geographic regions, but significant interregional differences were noted. Assuming dental phenetic expression approximates or is an estimate of genetic variation, the present study of 976 sub-Saharan-affiliated Africans indicates they are not closely related to other world groups; they are characterized by numerous morphologically complex crown and root traits. Turner ([1984] Acta Anthropogenetica 8:23–78; [1985] in R Kirk and E Szathmary (eds.): Out of Asia: Peopling the Americas and the Pacific [Canberra: The Journal of Pacific History], pp. 31–78; [1990] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 82:295–318; [1992] Persp. Hum. Biol. 2/Archaeol. Oceania 27:120–127; [1992] in T Akaszawa, K Aoki, and T Kimura (eds.): The Evolution and Dispersal of Modern Humans in Asia [Tokyo: Hokusen-Sha Publishing Co.], pp. 415–438) reports that Northeast Asian/New World sinodonts also have complex teeth relative to Europeans, Southeast Asian sundadonts, Australian/Tasmanians, and Melanesians. However, sinodonty is characterized by UI1 winging, UI1 shoveling, UI1 double shoveling, one-rooted UP1, UM1 enamel extension, M3 agenesis, and three-rooted LM1. Sub-Saharan peoples exhibit very low frequencies of these features.
Assuming that phenetic expression approximates genetic variation, previous dental morphological analyses of Sub-Saharan Africans by the author show they are unique among the world's modern populations. Numerically-derived affinities, using the multivariate Mean Measure of Divergence statistic, revealed significant differences between the Sub-Saharan folk and samples from North Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the New World, Australia/Tasmania, and Melanesia. Sub-Saharan Africans are characterized by a collection of unique, mass-additive crown and root traits relative to these other world groups. Recent work found that the most ubiquitous of these traits are also present in dentitions of earlier hominids, as well as extinct and extant non-human primates; other ancestral dental features are also common in these forms. The present investigation is primarily concerned with this latter finding. Qualitative and quantitative comparative analyses of Plio-Pleistocene through recent samples suggest that, of all modern populations, Sub-Saharan Africans are the least derived dentally from an ancestral hominid state; this conclusion, together with data on intra- and inter-population variability and divergence, may help provide new evidence in the search for modern human origins.
Data obtained during an ongoing dental investigation of African populations address two long-standing, hotly debated questions. First, was there genetic continuity between Late Pleistocene Iberomaurusians and later northwest Africans (e.g., Capsians, Berbers, Guanche)? Second, were skeletally-robust Iberomaurusians and northeast African Nubians variants of the same population? Iberomaurusians from Taforalt in Morocco and Afalou-Bou-Rhummel in Algeria, Nubians from Jebel Sahaba in Sudan, post-Pleistocene Capsians from Algeria and Tunisia, and a series of other samples were statistically compared using 29 discrete dental traits to help estimate diachronic local and regional affinities. Results revealed: (1) a relationship between the Iberomaurusians, particularly those from Taforalt, and later Maghreb and other North African samples, and (2) a divergence among contemporaneous Iberomaurusians and Nubian samples. Thus, some measure of long-term population continuity in the Maghreb and surrounding region is supported, whereas greater North African population heterogenity during the Late Pleistocene is implied.
Previous research by the first author revealed that, relative to other modern peoples, sub-Saharan Africans exhibit the highest frequencies of ancestral (or plesiomorphic) dental traits and, thus, appear to be least derived dentally from an ancestral hominin state. This determination, in conjunction with various other lines of dental morphological evidence, was interpreted to be supportive of an African origin for modern humans. The present investigation expands upon this work by using: 1) direct observations of fossil hominin teeth, rather than data gleaned from published sources, 2) a single morphological scoring system (the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System) with consistent trait breakpoints, and 3) data from larger and more varied modern human comparative samples. As before, a multivariate distance statistic, the mean measure of divergence, was used to assess diachronic phenetic affinities among the Plio-Pleistocene hominins and modern humans. The present study also employed principal components analysis on dental trait frequencies across samples. Both methods yielded similar results, which support the previous findings; that is, of all modern human samples, sub-Saharan Africans again exhibit the closest phenetic similarity to various African Plio-Pleistocene hominins-through their shared prevalence of morphologically complex crown and root traits. The fact that sub-Saharan Africans express these apparently plesiomorphic characters, along with additional information on their affinity to other modern populations, evident intra-population heterogeneity, and a world-wide dental cline emanating from the sub-continent, provides further evidence that is consistent with an African origin model.
: The Self-Organizing Map (SOM) represents the result of a vector quantization algorithm that places a number of reference or codebook vectors into a high-dimensional input data space to approximate to its data sets in an ordered fashion. The SOM PAK program package contains all programs necessary for the correct application of the SelfOrganizing Map algorithm in the visualization of complex experimental data. The first version 1.0 of this program package was published in 1992 and since then the package has been updated regularly to include latest improvements in the SOM implementations. This report that contains the last documentation was prepared for bibliographical purposes. 1 Contents 1 General 3 2 The principle of the SOM 4 3 Practical advices for the construction of good maps 6 4 Installation of the program package 7 4.1 Getting the program code : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 8 4.2 Installation in UNIX : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :...
The use of artificial neural networks (ANN) has grown in the last few years in many fields of research, but not in biological anthropology. They are a relevant alternative to current statistics for data processing. This note provides a background for understanding the notion of ANN and describes also few applications close to biological anthropologal topics.
The Self-Organising Map (SOM) algorithm was introduced by the author in 1981. Its theory and many applications form one of the major approaches to the contemporary artificial neural networks field, and new technologies have already been based on it. The most important practical applications are in exploratory data analysis, pattern recognition, speech analysis, robotics, industrial and medical diagnostics, instrumentation, and control, and literally hundreds of other tasks. In this monograph the mathematical preliminaries, background, basic ideas, and implications are expounded in a manner which is accessible without prior expert knowledge.
It is argued that the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) may be implemented in biological neural networks, the cells of which communicate by transsynaptic signals as well as diffuse chemical substances. For the “Winner Take All” (WTA) function, a laterally connected neural network seems proper. Hebb's hypothesis about the synaptic modification is replaced in this work by a principle that relates to a chemically interacting small population of neurons. According to this modified law, the synaptic strength vectors also become normalized automatically. The time-variable “neighborhood function” needed in the SOM algorithm is most effectively implemented by chemical agents, which are formed or released extracellularly at or in the neighborhood of highly active cells. Such a physiological model then behaves in the same way as the idealized SOM algorithm, which has been found very effective in many information-processing applications.
This work contains a theoretical study and computer simulations of a new self-organizing process. The principal discovery is that in a simple network of adaptive physical elements which receives signals from a primary event space, the signal representations are automatically mapped onto a set of output responses in such a way that the responses acquire the same topological order as that of the primary events. In other words, a principle has been discovered which facilitates the automatic formation of topologically correct maps of features of observable events. The basic self-organizing system is a one- or two-dimensional array of processing units resembling a network of threshold-logic units, and characterized by short-range lateral feedback between neighbouring units. Several types of computer simulations are used to demonstrate the ordering process as well as the conditions under which it fails.
The winner-take-all (WTA) property is essential to competitive-learning systems. This article discusses WTA-type neural networks composed of nonlinear dynamic model neurons, characterized by a nonlinear loss term. It is shown by mathematical analyses that these networks have the WTA property even when their neurons have nonidentical characteristics and the interconnections have nonidentical strengths. The class of WTA networks is further generalized to allow explicitly modeled interneurons between the principal cells. A model of a cyclically operating WTA system, capable of handling changing inputs by automatically inactivating the winner, is then set up and demonstrated by computer simulations.
Este libro ofrece un nuevo enfoque a la auto-organización, adapta -ción, aprendizaje y memoria, que da lugar a cursos para postgraduados en ciencias de la información, ciencias computacionales, psicología, biología teórica, y física.
Any matrix of rank two can be displayed as a biplot which consists of a vector for each row and a vector for each column, chosen so that any element of the matrix is exactly the inner product of the vectors corresponding to its row and to its column. If a matrix is of higher rank, one may display it approximately by a biplot of a matrix of rank two which approximates the original matrix. The biplot provides a useful tool of data analysis and allows the visual appraisal of the structure of large data matrices. It is especially revealing in principal component analysis, where the biplot can show inter-unit distances and indicate clustering of units as well as display variances and correlations of the variables.
The relationships between a range of modern human samples are assessed from cladistic analyses of the published population frequencies of tooth crown characters, using new data on the Krapina Neanderthal sample as an outgroup. All of the most parsimonious trees show an early divergence of African and Australasian groups. This result is compared with an alternative dendrogram proposed by Turner (1992). Reconstruction of a hypothetical dental ancestor suggests that the similarities between the African and Australasian groups result from the retention of symplesiomorphous dental traits. Additionally, despite expectations from multiregional evolution, recent Europeans are dentally less like the Krapina Neanderthals than are Africans and Australians.
Neanderthals are known to exhibit unique incisor morphology as well as enlarged pulp chambers in postcanine teeth (taurodontism). Recent studies suggest that their overall dental pattern (i.e., in morphologic trait frequencies) is also unique. However, what this means in a phylogenetic sense is not known. Although exploring the polarity of dental morphologic characters is essential to understanding the phylogenetic implications of unique patterns of variation, few have undertaken this task. This study moves beyond standard scoring methods, which are based on modern humans, to include several postcanine traits that have not been considered previously. In addition, Homo erectus is used as an outgroup to Neanderthals and modern humans to explore the polarity of these traits. The findings of this study suggest that Neanderthals are not only unique in their pattern of dental trait frequencies (as found in previous studies) but that they present several dental autapomorphies, as well. These include a high frequency of the mid-trigonid crest in lower molars and unique morphology of the lower premolars. Interestingly, these characters are not observed in the Mauer mandible, which some have claimed to be a member of a chronospecies that is a unique ancestor to Neanderthals.
This study explores the significance of shape differences in the maxillary first molar crowns of Neandertals and anatomically modern humans. It uses morphometric analysis to quantify these differences and to investigate how the orientation of major cusps, relative cusp base areas and occlusal polygon area influence crown shape. The aims of this study were to 1) quantify these data to test whether the tooth shapes of Neandertals and anatomically modern humans differ significantly and 2) to explore if either of the shapes is derived relative to earlier fossil hominins. Data were collected from digital occlusal photographs using image-processing software. Cusp angles, relative cusp base areas and occlusal polygon areas were measured on Neandertals (n = 15), contemporary modern humans (n = 62), Upper Paleolithic humans (n = 6), early anatomically modern humans (n = 3) and Homo erectus (n = 3). Univariate and multivariate statistical tests were used to evaluate the differences between contemporary modern humans and Neandertals, while the much sparser data sets from the other fossil samples were included primarily for comparison.
This study uses elliptical Fourier analysis to quantify shape differences observed in the P(4) crown of Neandertals and anatomically modern humans. Previously, P(4) shape was assessed qualitatively, and results suggested marked differences between Neandertals and anatomically modern humans (Bailey [2002] New Anat. 269:148-156). The goal of this study was to investigate the P(4) shape in more detail, quantifying it in order to determine its utility for taxonomic classification and phylogenetic analysis. A comparison of mean shapes confirms that the mesiolingual portion of the P(4) is truncated in Neandertals, and that this produces a distinctively asymmetrical P(4). A randomization test confirms that the shape difference between Neandertals and anatomically modern humans is significant. Principal component and discriminant function analyses indicate that the relative size of the lingual portion of the tooth also affects tooth shape, with the lingual portion of the Neandertal P(4) being narrower than that of anatomically modern humans. Classification of P(4) crown shapes using discriminant functions analysis is far from perfect. While 86.4% of the teeth were correctly classified, classification was much better for anatomically modern humans (98.1%) than it was for Neandertals (65%). Fortunately, crown shape is but one of several diagnostic characters of the P(4) crown. P(4) crown asymmetry can be added to the growing list of dental morphological characters distinguishing Neandertals from anatomically modern humans. Moreover, based on a comparison of mean tooth shapes in fossil and recent humans, symmetry, rather than asymmetry, appears to be the primitive state, and the high frequency of P(4) asymmetry is likely derived in Neandertals.
Analysis of phenetic distances between living and ancient populations through the study of non-metric dental traits. Human Evolution Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor
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The Pavlov/Doln’i Vě estonice human remains in the context of the European Pleistocene populations. IVth International Anthropological Congress of Ales Hrdlič cka “World Anthropology at the Turn of the Century
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Les populations préhistoriques du Maroc: Relations phénétiques avec les populations de la fin du Pléistocéne-dèbut de l’Holocène en Eurasie et en Afrique du Nord. 1829èmeSéance Réunion annuelle de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris
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Data exploration using Self-Organizing-Maps. Acta Polytechnica Scandinavica (Mathematics, computing and management in engineering series
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- S. Kaski
The Krapina remains: the morphological dental evidence. International Conference “The Krapina Neandertals and Human Evolution in Central Europe
- A Coppa
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- R Vargiu
- D Mancinelli
- M Lucci
Phenetic relationships of human populations by means of morphological dental traits
- A Coppa
- N Cappello
- A Cucina
- M Lucci
- D Mancinelli
- S Rendine
- R Vargiu
- A Piazza
The Pleistocene-Holocene transition in Italy. The evidence of morphological dental traits. Science and Technology for the Safeguard of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin
- A Coppa
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- D Mancinelli
- M Lucci
Analysis of phenetic distances between living and ancient populations through the study of non-metric dental traits
- A Coppa
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- M Lucci
- D Mancinelli
- S Rendine
- R Vargiu
- A Piazza
- A. Coppa
Multivariate Analysis
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