New Neandertal remains from Cova Negra (Valencia, Spain)

New Neandertal fossils from the Mousterian site of Cova Negra in the Valencia region of Spain are described, and a comprehensive study of the entire human fossil sample is provided. The new specimens significantly augment the sample of human remains from this site and make Cova Negra one of the richest human paleontological sites on the Iberian Peninsula. The new specimens include cranial and postcranial elements from immature individuals and provide an opportunity to study the ontogenetic appearance of adult Neandertal characteristics in this Pleistocene population. Children younger than 10 years of age constitute four of the seven minimum number of individuals in the sample, and this relative abundance of children at Cova Negra is similar that in to other Neandertal sites in Europe and southwest Asia. The recognition of diagnostic Neandertal features in several of the specimens, as well as their western European context and late Pleistocene age, suggests that all the human remains from Cova Negra represent Neandertals. The archaeological evidence from Cova Negra indicates sporadic, short-term occupations of the site, suggesting a high degree of mobility among Neandertals.     

Paleodemography of a medieval population in Japan: analysis of human skeletal remains from the Yuigahama-minami site

The purpose of this study is to obtain demographic data regarding the medieval population buried at the Yuigahama-minami site in Kamakura, Japan, and to detect a secular trend in the life expectancy of Japanese population over the last several thousand years. The Yuigahama-minami skeletal sample consists of 260 individuals, including 98 subadults (under 20 years old) and 162 adults. A Yuigahama-minami abridged life-table analysis yielded a life expectancy at birth (e0) of 24.0 years for both sexes, a life expectancy at age 15 years (e15) of 15.8 years for males, and an e15 of 18.0 years for females. The reliability of the estimated e0 was confirmed by analysis of the juvenility index. Demographic profiles comparing the Yuigahama-minami series with other skeletal series indicated that both the survivorship curve and life expectancy of the Yuigahama-minami sample are similar to those of the Mesolithic-Neolithic Jomon population, but are far lower than those of the early modern Edo population. These comparisons strongly suggest that life expectancy changed little over the thousands of years between the Mesolithic-Neolithic Jomon and medieval periods, but then improved remarkably during the few hundred years between the medieval period and early modern Edo period. The short-lived tendency of the Yuigahama-minami sample does not contradict the archaeological hypothesis of unsanitary living conditions in medieval Kamakura. This is the first investigation to address the demographic features of a medieval population in Japan, and will help refine our understanding of long-term trends in the demographic profiles of inhabitants of Japan.     

Stable isotope analyses of mammal skeletal remains of Holocene age from European Russia: A way to trace dietary and environmental changes

Fifty-five samples of human and animal fossil skeletal remains (sheep, cattle, horse and deer) collected at six different sites in European Russia were measured for the oxygen isotopic composition of bone phosphate (δ¹⁸Op) and for the carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopic composition of bone collagen. The age of these samples ranges from 10 500 to 200 BP covering a time period of about 10 000 years. The samples come from the steppe area of southern European Russia, from the northern Black Sea coast and from an area near Moscow. From the results obtained it can be suggested that the steppe tribes were nomads, at least after 4000 BP, and that they probably moved from east to west and vice-versa (i.e. from the Volga area to the Black Sea coast). C₄ plants were present in the steppe area since 5000 BP. On the contrary, in the area near Moscow and on the Black Sea coast no C₄ species are documented at least until 5000 and 6000 BP respectively. Arid environmental conditions dominate the steppe area even though the N isotope values suggest a climatic improvement-taking place from 5000 BP towards present in terms of more humid conditions. As regards diet, it seems that the subsistence of the steppe populations was based mainly on terrestrial food and in particular on sheep with a minor contribution of fish. The populations from the Moscow area probably had a permanent economy mainly based on fishing.     

扬子区晚震旦世动物化石新材料

扬子区晚震旦世地层中已有多种类型的动物及遗迹化石的报道。文中补充了不同地区和层位的骨骼及遗迹化石新材料,包括：江西上饶王家院陡山沱组顶部磷块岩中的磷酸盐化“十”字形骨针和云南晋宁王家湾灯影组上段隧石条带中的单轴双射硅质骨针,它们可能分属于钙质海绵和普通海绵类;贵州瓮安陡山沱组上段磷质白云岩中的可疑壳状化石;宜昌三斗坪金瓜墩陡山沱组下部（第二段）遗迹化石;瓮安陡山沱组上段及湖北南漳灯影组上段底部磷质硬底中的生物扰动构造。另外还报道了贵州清镇桃子冲剖面桃子冲组最底部的瓶状动物（Pro-tolagena limbata）化石,并认定桃子冲组与灯影组之间为假整合接触,其底界并无跨入震旦系的证据。     

Global evaluation of growth in a rural population: comparative analysis of shape and size

In this work the analogies and differences in shape and size between a rural school population (6–14 aged) of the Lozoya-Somosierra region (Madrid) and several recent and past Spanish populations from different environments have been studied. The results show the growth trend as well as the influences of ecological and socioeconomical factors. Paper presented at the 4^th congress of the European Anthropology Association (Florence, Sept. 1984).     

Age- and training-related changes in the collagen metabolism of rat skeletal muscle

The effects of ageing and life-long endurance training on the collagen metabolism of skeletal muscle were evaluated in a longitudinal study. Wistar rats performed treadmill running 5 days a week for 2 years. The activities of collagen biosynthesis enzymes, prolyl-4-hydroxylase and galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase, were highest in the muscles of the youngest animals, decreased up to the age of 2 months and from then on remained virtually unchanged. The enzyme activity in young animals was higher in the slow collagenous soleus muscle than in the rectus femoris muscle. The enzyme activity in the soleus muscle was higher for older trained rats than older untrained rats. The relative proportion of type I collagen increased and that of type III collagen decreased with age, suggesting a more marked contribution by type I collagen to the age-related accumulation of total muscular collagen. The results show that collagen biosynthesis decreases with maturation and that life-long endurance training maintains a higher level of biosynthesis in slow muscles.     

中国东部亚热带青冈果实形态变异的研究

青冈为我国亚热带地我广泛分布,并具有较强耐寒和耐瘠薄能力的少数几个常绿树种之一,以果实长度,宽度和体积作为果实大小的指标,宽／长作为果实形状的指标,对采自东部亚热带的１０个青冈和群果实形态进行了比较分析,结果如下：（１）青冈果实的大小和形状在种群间,种群内均存在着显著差异,变异幅度最大的是果实的体积（种群间的变异幅度ＣＶ１为５７．１％,种群间平均单粒果实体积的最大差异为３．５倍）其次为宽度（２１．