ANTHROP 3FA3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Anterior Nasal Spine, Forensic Anthropology, Nasal Bone
14 Sep 2016
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Ancestry refer to an individual"s ancestral geographic region of origin. The estimation of ancestry from human skeletal remains is possible due to geographically patterned human variation. Sexual dimorphism, limb proportions and growth rates tend to vary between different ancestral groups. Ancestry estimation involves the study of morphoscopic traits and skeletal measurements that correspond to geographically patterned genetic variation. Typically, ancestry is estimated for large geographic regions; often at the continental level (european, african, or asian) Cline (clinal distribution): is the gradient or continuum of a given trait across geographic space or environment. No single trait or suite of traits accurately defines a population. Positive assortative mating practices (mating between individuals of similar groups) maintains an identifiable degree of concordance between an individual"s social race and his or her skeletal biology. Race is a social construct that tells us little about underlying genetic variation in the human species.
