50 Section GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT wrist bones through 25 years occurred in Abkhazia. <...> The results of skeletal age of Abkhazian children in 2004 showed signifi cant acceleration of maturation rates in the long-lived population of the Abkhazians. <...> The changes are more evident in the population of the Ochamchiry region as compared to Gudauta region. <...> The differences between longevity population of Chlow with the delayed rates of physical development and the control group from Duripsh, revealed in the 1970 – 1980 study, almost disappeared. <...> Child groups of Central Asia, Khalkha-Mongolians and Tuvinians had the slowest maturation rate of hand skeleton, 0.8 years less than British standards. <...> Altaians and Stolypin’s migrants descendants are characterized by the accelerated rate of physical development and high maturation rates of hand skeleton (0.4 years above the standard). <...> In the Middle Asian region the highest maturation rates belong to the Turkmen urban school children from Chardzhev, the lowest maturation rate in this region is seen in the rural Tajik children from Varukh. <...> Growth and maturation rates depend on various environmental factor: climatic, geographic and social. <...> Differences of skeletal maturation in the observed groups may be interpreted in the context of maintaining (Khalkha-Mongols, Tuvinians, and Tajiks) or transformation (Turkmen, Chuvashs, Bashkirs, Altaians, Russians) of the traditional way of life. <...> Social stress, connected with the military actions, caused the acceleration of maturation rates in the longevity group of the Abkhazians. <...> Longevity populations were traditionally characterized by the low rates of growth and development (Abkhazians till 1991, Belorussians). <...> Key words: skeletal age, TW-2, maturation rates, human ecology Contact information: Batsevich Valery, e-mail: vbatsevich@rambler.ru. <...> CRANIOFACIAL GROWTH TRENDS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE BASED ON CT DATA Evteev Andrej1 , Anikin Anatoliy2 , Satanin Leonid3 , Sakharov Alexandr3 1Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia 2Scientifi c Centre of Children Health, Moscow, Russia 3Scientifi c Research Institute of Neurosurgery (Burdenko), Moscow, Russia The fi rst year of life is a crucial period of craniofacial growth during which most of the main individual and racial features of the facial skeleton are formed. <...> But these important growth changes are still relatively poorly described due <...>