In the second half of the 20th century, extensive anthropological studies of Icelanders’ body build were conducted. The research was supervised by anthropologist Dr. Jens Ó. P. Pálsson. Left behind is an enormous quantity of data describing tens of thousands of Icelanders. The database he assembled contains measurements of height, torso girth, limbs, head, face, weight, and fattiness of the skin. Investigation and classification of the shapes of the face, nose, forehead, cranium, head, chin, and ears was also conducted; hair and eye color determined; fingerprints and palm lines recorded; and blood groups and other inherited characteristics analyzed, including sense of taste, left-handedness, and color-blindness. Hair samples were collected and photographs taken of the study subjects, and their family lineage, profession, and place of residence noted. Das Experiment Island was the title of one of a number of lectures that Jens gave about the Icelandic ethnic group abroad. The database is now preserved by the University of Iceland.
Á síðari hluta 20. aldar voru stundaðar viðamiklar mannfræðirannsóknir á líkamsgerð Íslendinga. Mælingarnar voru gerðar að frumkvæði mannfræðingsins dr. Jens Ó.P. Pálssonar. Fyrir vikið er til safn rannsóknargagna um tugþúsundir Íslendinga. Í sýna- og gagnasafninu má finna mælingar á líkamshæð, bol, útlimum, höfði, andliti, þyngd og húðfitu. Einnig var athugað og flokkað sköpulag andlits, nefs, ennis, hnakka, höfuðs, höku og eyrna; ákvarðaður hára- og augnalitur, tekin fingraför og lófalínur; blóðflokkar greindir og fleiri erfðaeinkenni könnuð, t.d. bragðhæfni, örvhendi, litaskyn o.fl. Hársýnum var safnað og ljósmyndir teknar af þeim sem rannsakaðir voru. Einnig voru skráðar ættir, stétt og búseta fólks. Das Experiment Island er heiti á einum af fjölmörgum fyrirlestrum sem Jens hélt um íslenska kynstofninn erlendis. Gagnasafnið er nú í vörslu Háskóla Íslands.
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