Papers by Michael Pietrusewsky
PLOS ONE, Jun 18, 2015
<p>The main image shows the location of the different areas targeted in this study (parts A... more <p>The main image shows the location of the different areas targeted in this study (parts A, B and C) with different colours. The top box shows the direction of the cut. The lower box shows the area comprising parts B and C in detail and non-coloured. Blue and orange arrows point to areas of B and C, respectively.</p
Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences , 2023
Given their similar morphology and gene-flow histories, determining
whether an unidentified crani... more Given their similar morphology and gene-flow histories, determining
whether an unidentified cranium found in the Philippines is Japanese
or Filipino presents a challenge. Two different analyses are undertaken.
First, discriminant function (DF) analyses are applied to 295
crania using 22 measurements for distinguishing between: 1) males
and females, 2) Japanese and Filipino males, and 3) Japanese and
Filipino females, and 4) among four groups (Japanese males, Filipino
males, Japanese females, and Filipino females). Second, a DF equation
for distinguishing Japanese males and Filipino males using 173
crania and 29 measurements is introduced. In addition to being able
to distinguish between Japanese and Filipino crania, this study found
that seldom used cranial measurements such as simonic chord (least
nasal breadth -WNB), inferior malar length (IML), and maximum
malar length (XML) are influential for distinguishing between these
two Asian groups. The predicted classification accuracy of DF equations
from both analyses ranged from 82.0% to 93.6%. Sixty test
crania for the first study and 40 for the second study maintains
classification success rates between 82.0% and 93.3%. The DF equations
reported in this study can be a useful initial screening tool for
identifying Japanese war dead in the Philippines.
Proceedings of the Out of Eurasia Hawai`i Conference, March 02-03, 2023: Trekking Shores, Crossing Water Gaps, and Beyond: Maritime Aspects in the Dynamics of "Out of Eurasia" Civilizations edited Akira Goto & Naoko Matsumoto. Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama Universi..., 2023
This paper reviews what is known about the peopling of the Pacific, and more specifically the ori... more This paper reviews what is known about the peopling of the Pacific, and more specifically the origins of Polynesians, based on the application of multivariate statistics to measurements recorded in crania from the Pacific-Asia region. Craniometric analyses demonstrate the presence of two great divisions, one that contains all the cranial series from Australia, Tasmania, and geographical Melanesia, and a second that includes cranial series from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Polynesia. The results argue for a separate origin of the inhabitants of these two major geographical regions, a finding that is consistent with archaeological, historical linguistic, and genetic models. Further indicated is an ancestral Polynesian homeland in the islands of Wallacea. Recent work involving measurements recorded in the earliest Neolithic, and more recent Indigenous Taiwanese; and Pacific Island crania and mandibles are examined. The results obtained from craniometric analyses are further discussed in the context of evidence from recent genomic analyses. Morphometric data continue to reveal important insights into the peopling of the Pacific.
American Journal of Human Biology, 1994
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology eBooks, 2002
Asian Perspectives, 2004
Eleven papers, which resulted from an international conference held at the University of Yunnan i... more Eleven papers, which resulted from an international conference held at the University of Yunnan in Kunming, China, in June 2000, are published in this slim volume. Nine of the eleven papers focus on genetic diversity in Southeast Asia and neighboring regions, especially studies which utilize molecular genetic marker data, including mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome. Three papers provide archaeological and linguistic perspectives for understanding the prehistory and peopling of the region. Four genetic papers, by S. Horai, ...
The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology, Oct 4, 2018
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Papers by Michael Pietrusewsky
whether an unidentified cranium found in the Philippines is Japanese
or Filipino presents a challenge. Two different analyses are undertaken.
First, discriminant function (DF) analyses are applied to 295
crania using 22 measurements for distinguishing between: 1) males
and females, 2) Japanese and Filipino males, and 3) Japanese and
Filipino females, and 4) among four groups (Japanese males, Filipino
males, Japanese females, and Filipino females). Second, a DF equation
for distinguishing Japanese males and Filipino males using 173
crania and 29 measurements is introduced. In addition to being able
to distinguish between Japanese and Filipino crania, this study found
that seldom used cranial measurements such as simonic chord (least
nasal breadth -WNB), inferior malar length (IML), and maximum
malar length (XML) are influential for distinguishing between these
two Asian groups. The predicted classification accuracy of DF equations
from both analyses ranged from 82.0% to 93.6%. Sixty test
crania for the first study and 40 for the second study maintains
classification success rates between 82.0% and 93.3%. The DF equations
reported in this study can be a useful initial screening tool for
identifying Japanese war dead in the Philippines.
whether an unidentified cranium found in the Philippines is Japanese
or Filipino presents a challenge. Two different analyses are undertaken.
First, discriminant function (DF) analyses are applied to 295
crania using 22 measurements for distinguishing between: 1) males
and females, 2) Japanese and Filipino males, and 3) Japanese and
Filipino females, and 4) among four groups (Japanese males, Filipino
males, Japanese females, and Filipino females). Second, a DF equation
for distinguishing Japanese males and Filipino males using 173
crania and 29 measurements is introduced. In addition to being able
to distinguish between Japanese and Filipino crania, this study found
that seldom used cranial measurements such as simonic chord (least
nasal breadth -WNB), inferior malar length (IML), and maximum
malar length (XML) are influential for distinguishing between these
two Asian groups. The predicted classification accuracy of DF equations
from both analyses ranged from 82.0% to 93.6%. Sixty test
crania for the first study and 40 for the second study maintains
classification success rates between 82.0% and 93.3%. The DF equations
reported in this study can be a useful initial screening tool for
identifying Japanese war dead in the Philippines.
Keywords: Polynesian origins, multivariate statistics, craniometric data, Asia-Pacific, aDNA
Much of the information discussed in this talk derives from our monograph on the human skeletons from Ban Chiang published by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 2002 and other publications by me, Michele Toomay Douglas, and others over the years. In addition to the systematic recording of thousands of measurements and nonmetric observations and detailed descriptions of paleopathology, there have been more specialized chemical analysis of bone and teeth from Ban Chiang including isotope analysis and, most recently, attempts to obtain ancient DNA from these skeletons.
The results of an examination of a number of indicators of health (e.g., life expectancy, adult stature, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), cribra orbitalia (CO), trauma, infectious disease, and dental pathology) indicate that Ban Chiang/Southeast Asia does not follow the general global decline in health with increased sedentism and/or the adoption and intensification of agriculture. Some possible reasons for this are discussed in the talk. In addition to unusually good health, our studies also found no evidence for skeletal trauma from warfare and little evidence for interpersonal violence. These studies further suggest that individuals of both sexes led strenuous lives at Ban Chiang. Analyses of stable isotopes indicate evidence for temporal changes and gender differences in diet and support for a matrilocal residence pattern.
In addition to skeletal evidence for genetic affiliations within the spatial groups at Ban Chiang, the results of applying multivariate statistical procedures to cranial measurements support models of local continuity in the late lithic to Neolithic/Bronze Age of mainland Southeast Asia. These studies also indicate major differences between the inhabitants of Khok Phanom Di, a site in south central Thailand, and Ban Chiang. Broader biodistance analysis indicates connections between prehistoric and modern inhabitants of Southeast Asia, suggestive of long-term continuity rather than models that argue for intrusion and displacement.
Special mention is given to one of the Early Period burials from the 1974 excavations at Ban Chiang, nicknamed “Vulcan” after the Roman god of fire and metalworking. Osteological examination indicates this individual was a 45-50 year old male at the time of his death. Further features of his skeleton, including his relatively tall stature, are consistent with the designation as a skilled village craftsman and hunter who married into the community.
It has been a privilege to serve as the sole curator of the skeletons from the 1974 and 1975 excavations at Ban Chiang, which has meant that new studies, such as the DNA studies now in progress, could be undertaken allowing new research questions to be addressed. Currently, the skeletons for the 1974 and 1975 excavations at Ban Chiang, which are currently curated at the University of Hawaii, are being prepared for repatriation to Thailand. It is hoped that additional research on these remains will continue to uncover new information about the prehistoric people of Thailand and Southeast Asia.