title: Patterns of hand variation--new data on a Sardinian sample.
abstract: This study is an analysis of the patterns of variation of the human hand, particularly the metric characters of palm, fingers and distal phalanges. Anthropometric measurements were performed on 146 Sardinian men and women, aged 21 to 31 years. The data were analyzed by inferential statistics (paired Student's t test, analysis of variance), and Principal Components Analysis. The results indicate that size factors are the principal source of variation. A residual adimensional component of variability is related to diversification between the fingers as a whole and the distal phalanges, and between the thumb and the other fingers. Sexual dimorphism is evident. Men present greater dimensions and greater relative length of the thumb with respect to the other fingers than women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biology, Anthropological Science Section, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buffa
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cabras
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scalas
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Floris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D050278:Finger Phalanges / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005385:Fingers / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006225:Hand / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics