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Hughes C, Yim AD, Juarez C, Servello J, Thomas R, Passalacqua N, Soler A. Investigating identification disparities in forensic anthropology casework. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290302. [PMID: 37910496 PMCID: PMC10619877 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Forensic anthropology is shifting to reflect on the impact of its practices within the criminal justice context in important ways. Here, we contribute to this essential work by examining how decedent demographics as well as estimations of biological profile components are related to identification trends in forensic anthropology cases. The study uses data from more than 1,200 identified and unidentified forensic anthropology cases from three agencies (together representing a nation-wide sample). We found the following: i) multivariate analyses indicated that decedent sex, age, and race and/or ethnicity are not related to case identification rates in the pooled United States sample, ii) when identification rate differences do occur, they appear to be smaller effects, more agency-specific, and/or related to the context of a particular agency, iii) for the agency-specific sample with available data, there was no consistent evidence for a discrepancy in the duration of an identification investigation based on a decedent's sex, age, or race and/or ethnicity, iv) forensic anthropological estimations of sex, age, and ancestry can improve the odds of identification for decedents, although these are small effects, and v) reporting an ancestry estimation does not appear to impact decedent race representation among resolved unidentified person cases. Although previous studies have identified demographic discrepancies in other areas of the criminal justice system, the results presented here suggest that decedent demographic estimation practices by forensic anthropologists in general do not appear to be related to discrepancies in identification trends, but more research is needed to examine whether these findings hold. Contextual factors and practices specific to each investigative agency likely contribute to identification trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cris Hughes
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - An-Di Yim
- Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri, United States of America
- Forensic Science Program, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginiai, United States of America
| | - Chelsey Juarez
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, California, United States of America
| | - John Servello
- Forensic Anthropology Unit, University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America
| | - Richard Thomas
- Trace Evidence Unit, Laboratory Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Passalacqua
- Anthropology and Sociology Department, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Angela Soler
- New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, New York City, New York, United States of America
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2
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Reineke RC, Soler A, Beatrice J. Towards a forensic anthropology of structural vulnerability. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2023; 6:100332. [PMID: 37249968 PMCID: PMC10209806 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Anthropologists have theorized structural vulnerability as a way to understand forms of violence that disenfranchise certain parts of a population, leading to poorer health outcomes and increased risk of death. Recently, forensic anthropologists have used these theories to better understand the ways in which individual decedents in forensic contexts may be linked collectively through structural conditions. A recent example is the proposal of a "structural vulnerability profile." Based on research and casework done in the context of migrant deaths along the US-Mexico border, we caution against the use of a "profile," which suggests a categorical approach that could lead to negative unintended consequences in the future. Instead, we argue for continued development of practices that allow for observation, documentation, and interdisciplinary discussion of evidence of structural violence revealed during a death investigation. Specifically, we argue for an approach that grounds such observations within a particular social and historical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin C. Reineke
- The Southwest Center, University of Arizona, 1401 E. First St., P.O. Box 210185, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0185, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210030, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0030, USA
| | - Angela Soler
- Forensic Anthropology Unit, Office of Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, 421 E 26th St, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Jared Beatrice
- The College of New Jersey, Social Sciences Building Room 317, P.O. Box 7718, 2000 Pennington Rd., Ewing, NJ, 08628, USA
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3
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Adams EJ, Goliath JR. Causative effects of cranial depression fractures: A case study of structural violence and social vulnerability within the Mississippi state asylum. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2023; 6:100324. [PMID: 36911011 PMCID: PMC9995939 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Cranial depression fractures (CDFs) are often associated with violence in a forensic and bioarchaeological context. Interpretations of CDFs, using a structural vulnerability framework, allow for examination of possible socioeconomic and sociocultural factors that influence an individual's life history. Placement of CDFs in relation to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and their potential connections to structural violence become essential for analysis. This case study presented Burial 49 from the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum (MSA). Burial 49 was an adult individual (probable male) who exhibited antemortem trauma to the left parietal bone with an associated CDF. The injury location had the potential to cause a variety of neurological and developmental issues, including difficulty understanding spoken/written language. This case study demonstrates how CDFs, structural violence, and social vulnerabilities might have contributed to an increased risk of MSA admittance and provide context for why this individual was marginalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise J Adams
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Jesse R Goliath
- Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.,Cobb Institute of Archaeology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
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4
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Soto G. The Time of Agony. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/720205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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5
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Goldstein JZ, Moe ME, Wiedenmeyer EL, Banks PM, Mavroudas SR, Hamilton MD. Humanitarian action in academic institutions: a case study in the ethical stewardship of unidentified forensic cases. Forensic Sci Res 2022; 7:358-365. [DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2022.2035063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariah E. Moe
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | | | - Petra M. Banks
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
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6
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Godde K, Rangel González M. Uncovering the hidden history of transpacific contact between Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia through skeletal population genetics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kanya Godde
- Department of Sociology/Anthropology University of La Verne La Verne California USA
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7
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Beatrice JS, Soler A, Reineke RC, Martínez DE. Skeletal evidence of structural violence among undocumented migrants from Mexico and Central America. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:584-605. [PMID: 34409584 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We examine the prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors of skeletal indicators of stress in forensic samples of undocumented migrants from Mexico and Central America. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cranial and dental remains of 319 migrants recovered in the Arizona and Texas borderlands were assessed for porotic hyperostosis (PH), cribra orbitalia (CO), and linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH). Logistic regression models for each condition were estimated to test for associations with biological sex, age, recovery location, and whether individuals were identified. Additional models estimated for a subsample of identified migrants included region of origin, residential context, and community indigeneity. RESULTS The full sample shows moderate crude prevalence of CO (9.6%) and LEH (34.1%), and a high prevalence of PH (49.6%). Significantly higher odds of PH are associated with being male (2.16 times higher), unidentified (1.89 times higher), and recovered in Arizona (3.76 times higher). Among identified migrants, we fail to find associations significant at the p < 0.05 level between skeletal stress and all sociodemographic variables except age. DISCUSSION The factors associated with PH may be related to influences on decisions to migrate and diversity among migrant sending regions. The skeletal evidence for early life stress is generally consistent with common public health concerns among impoverished communities in the region. The lesions themselves are viewed as embodied risk of physiological disturbance when resource access is structured by higher-level social, economic, and political forces. Forensic anthropologists would benefit from increased sensitivity to embodied structural violence among the vulnerable individuals and communities they serve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared S Beatrice
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey, USA
| | - Angela Soler
- Forensic Anthropology Unit, Office of Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robin C Reineke
- The Southwest Center, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Daniel E Martínez
- School of Sociology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Winburn AP, Algee-Hewitt B. Evaluating population affinity estimates in forensic anthropology: Insights from the forensic anthropology database for assessing methods accuracy (FADAMA). J Forensic Sci 2021; 66:1210-1219. [PMID: 33899936 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Using a sample of anonymized U.S. forensic anthropology cases (n = 251) from the FADAMA database, we assess the degree of concordance between decedents' social identifiers and anthropologists' continental-based classifications. We report high success rates (>90%) that generally support previous findings, yet we acknowledge the limitations of assessing "ancestry" accuracy based on resolved cases and draw attention to situations in which our methods fail. For example, forensic anthropologists achieve just 20% accuracy when classifying individuals as "other" or "mixed"-problematic categories that we argue should be rejected. Leveraging our findings, we ask: what are we really estimating when we perform a skeletal assessment of "ancestry" in the US context? We argue that the "ancestry estimates" historically and routinely produced in forensic anthropology instead give information on population affinity: a measure of how similar a given case is to one among several socially relevant groups of interest. Distancing forensic anthropology from genetics and other disciplines that estimate ancestry, the approach of population affinity assesses similarities to both social and biological groupings, potentially at a fine-grained level, attempting to account for the complex histories, shared biologies, and wide ranges of diversity that characterize our communities and our casework. Population affinity is a flexible and inclusive approach that more accurately describes current forensic anthropological analyses of human variation. Going forward, we must acknowledge and build on the contributions of previous scholars as we work together toward our shared goal of theoretically grounded analyses of human variation that accurately and equitably serve all casework decedents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allysha P Winburn
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, USA
| | - Bridget Algee-Hewitt
- Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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9
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Spradley MK. Use of craniometric data to facilitate migrant identifications at the United States/Mexico border. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175:486-496. [PMID: 33555056 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Thousands of migrants have died along the United States/Mexico border and many remain unidentified. The purpose of this research is to test whether estimations of population affinity, derived from craniometric data, can facilitate identification of migrant remains and provide a geographic region of origin rather than the broad label Hispanic. The appropriateness of current forensic reference data will also be assessed. METHODS A case study combined with craniometric data from positively identified and unidentified migrants from the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (n = 489) in Arizona and operation identification (n = 201) in Texas were compared to skeletal data representing Guatemalan (n = 87) and Mexican (n = 65) Mayans. Biological distance and discriminant function analyses were used to assess overall population relationships and classificatory models for forensic anthropological application. RESULTS The majority of evidence indicates that estimations of population affinity can assist in the facilitation identification of migrant remains, even when a broad classification is used. Biological distances among the groups suggest that positively identified Guatemalan and Mexican migrants are similar to one another but differ from Guatemalan and Mexican Mayans. CONCLUSIONS Population affinity estimations can aid migrant identification, and current reference data used in forensic anthropological practice should be replaced with data from positive identifications. Estimates of geographic origin may be more useful than the broad generic term Hispanic for narrowing down the search for a missing person, but more data and research is needed to achieve this goal. Although, the utility of geographic origin estimates relies on transnational data centralization and sharing, which is not always the case.
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10
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Stull KE, Bartelink EJ, Klales AR, Berg GE, Kenyhercz MW, L'Abbé EN, Go MC, McCormick K, Mariscal C. Commentary on: Bethard JD, DiGangi EA. Letter to the Editor-Moving beyond a lost cause: Forensic anthropology and ancestry estimates in the United States. J Forensic Sci. 2020;65(5):1791-2. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.14513. J Forensic Sci 2020; 66:417-420. [PMID: 33152112 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kyra E Stull
- University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV, USA.,University of Pretoria, Arcadia, South Africa
| | | | | | - Gregory E Berg
- Department of Defense POW/MIA A-ccounting Agency, Central Identification Laboratory, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI, USA
| | - Michael W Kenyhercz
- University of Pretoria, Arcadia, South Africa.,Department of Defense POW/MIA A-ccounting Agency, Central Identification Laboratory, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI, USA
| | | | - Matthew C Go
- Supporting the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Central Identification Laboratory, SNA International, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI, USA
| | - Kyle McCormick
- Department of Defense POW/MIA A-ccounting Agency, Central Identification Laboratory, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI, USA
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11
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Johnston E, Crisp A, McKie R, Brawn R. Forensic science & human migration: The role of forensic genetics. FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL GENETICS SUPPLEMENT SERIES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2019.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Herrera MD, Tallman SD. Craniometric variation and ancestry estimation in two contemporary Caribbean populations. Forensic Sci Int 2019; 305:110013. [PMID: 31710881 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.110013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Ancestry estimation of skeletonized remains by forensic anthropologists is conducted through comparative means, and a lack of population-specific data results in possible misclassifications. This is especially germane to individuals of Latin American ancestry. Generally, each country in Latin America can trace their ancestral lineage through three main parental groups: Indigenous, European, and African. However, grouping all Latin American individuals under the broad "Hispanic" category ignores the specific genetic contributions from each parental group, which is variable and dependent on the population histories and sociocultural dynamics of each country. This study analyzes the craniometric ancestry of Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) using 190 cranial Computed Tomography (CT) scans (f=103; m=87), along with the island's history, to explore similarities and differences between the two groups. MANOVA results indicate that 53.6% and 71.4% of the 28 cranial measurements differ between the ancestries and sexes, respectively; and intraobserver error analyses demonstrate that 85.7% of measurements from CT scans are good-excellent in reliability. Further, a total of 12 canonical discriminant function analyses produced cross-validated classification accuracies of 73.7-78.6% for females, 71.8-87.5% for males, and 72.0-77.8% for pooled sex. This study demonstrates that, despite sharing a small island, Dominican and Haitian individuals can be differentiated with a fair amount of statistical certainty, which is possible due to complex socio-cultural, -political, and -demographic factors that have produced and maintained genetic heterogeneity. Moreover, the discriminant functions provided here can be used by the international forensic science community to identify individuals living on Hispaniola.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle D Herrera
- Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Forensic Anthropology, 72 East Concord Street L1004, Boston, MA 02118, United States.
| | - Sean D Tallman
- Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Forensic Anthropology, 72 East Concord Street L1004, Boston, MA 02118, United States; Department of Anthropology, 232 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215, United States
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Hughes CE, Dudzik B, Algee‐Hewitt BF, Jones A, Anderson BE. Understanding (Mis)classification Trends of Latin Americans in Fordisc 3.1: Incorporating Cranial Morphology, Microgeographic Origin, and Admixture Proportions for Interpretation. J Forensic Sci 2018; 64:353-366. [DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cris E. Hughes
- Anthropology Department University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign 607 S. Matthews Ave. Urbana IL 61801
- Carle R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign 1206 W Gregory Dr Urbana IL 61801
| | - Beatrix Dudzik
- Anatomy Department Lincoln Memorial University 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway Harrogate TN 37752
| | - Bridget F.B. Algee‐Hewitt
- Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity Stanford University 450 Serra Mall, Building 360, Main Quad Stanford CA 94305
| | - Ansley Jones
- Anthropology Department University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign 607 S. Matthews Ave. Urbana IL 61801
| | - Bruce E. Anderson
- Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner 2825 E District St Tucson AZ 85714
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14
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Hefner JT. The macromorphoscopic databank. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:994-1004. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph T. Hefner
- Department of AnthropologyMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing Michigan 48824
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Algee-Hewitt BFB. Temporal trends in craniometric estimates of admixture for a modern American sample. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:729-740. [PMID: 28543029 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Temporal trends in craniometric estimates of admixture are investigated for three U.S. populations in the FDB. Patterns of association between birth years and posterior probabilities of cluster membership are identified to assess how these proportions of admixture have changed over recent time. Demographic and genetic data correlates, patterns of morphological expression, and shifts in source populations are evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Estimates of three-way admixture were obtained for 1,521 individuals of documented population, sex, and birth years that span the 20th century. Correlations were calculated between birth years and admixture proportions for members of each FDB population. Population and sex-specific admixture variation was further assessed by ANOVA and regression. Correlation analysis was used to identify, per population, which of the cranial measurements change in dimension under increased or decreased admixture. RESULTS Admixture proportions differ significantly by population and change over time. No sex differences are detected. Analysis of the relationship between admixture proportions and ILDs finds that admixture drives morphological change in areas of the cranium known to vary among populations. Results agree with prior work on secular change. DISCUSSION Findings reveal a progressive increase in White-European population admixture for the self-identified Black individuals, a recent demographic shift toward the increased representation of Hispanic individuals carrying greater Native American ancestry, and reduction in admixture for White individuals that suggest a loss of diversity over time. Changes in admixture produce tractable differences in morphological expression. Both sexes exhibit similar admixture proportions and self-identification patterns. Observed diachronic trends are corroborated by information on recent U.S. demographic change.
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Algee-Hewitt BFB. Geographic substructure in craniometric estimates of admixture for contemporary American populations. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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