Mitochondrial DNA from El Mirador Cave (Atapuerca,Spain) Reveals the Heterogeneity of Chalcolithic Populations

Previous mitochondrial DNA analyses on ancient European remains have suggested that the current distribution of haplogroup H was modeled by the expansion of the Bell Beaker culture (ca 4,500–4,050 years BP) out of Iberia during the Chalcolithic period. However, little is known on the genetic composition of contemporaneous Iberian populations that do not carry the archaeological tool kit defining this culture. Here we have retrieved mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 19 individuals from a Chalcolithic sample from El Mirador cave in Spain, dated to 4,760–4,200 years BP and we have analyzed the haplogroup composition in the context of modern and ancient populations. Regarding extant African, Asian and European populations, El Mirador shows affinities with Near Eastern groups. In different analyses with other ancient samples, El Mirador clusters with Middle and Late Neolithic populations from Germany, belonging to the Rössen, the Salzmünde and the Baalberge archaeological cultures but not with contemporaneous Bell Beakers. Our analyses support the existence of a common genetic signal between Western and Central Europe during the Middle and Late Neolithic and points to a heterogeneous genetic landscape among Chalcolithic groups.     

Investigation of diachronic dietary patterns on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, Spain: Evidence from sulfur stable isotope ratio analysis

We present sulfur isotope ratio measurements of bone collagen from animals (n = 75) and humans (n = 120) from five sites dating to four chronological periods (Chalcolithic, Punic, Late Antiquity‐Early Byzantine, and Islamic) from the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Formentera, Spain. This study is a follow up to previously published δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values by [Fuller et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 143 (2010) 512–522] and focuses on using δ³⁴S values to better understand the dietary patterns of these populations through time and to possibly identify immigrants to these islands. The range of δ³⁴S values (10.5–17.8‰) observed for the animals was relatively broad, which suggests that a significant sea spray effect has added marine sulfates to the soils of Formentera and Ibiza. The mean δ³⁴S values of the different human populations were found to be: Chalcolithic (16.5 ± 1.4‰), Punic rural (13.6 ± 1.7‰), Punic urban (12.9 ± 1.8‰), Late Antiquity‐Early Byzantine (12.3 ± 2.1‰), and Islamic (9.1 ± 2.7‰). These human δ³⁴S results are similar to the animal data, a finding that supports the notion that there was little marine protein consumption by these societies and that the diet was mainly based on terrestrial resources. During the Punic and Late Antiquity‐Early Byzantine periods the δ³⁴S values were used to identify individuals in the population who likely were not born or raised on the islands. In addition, 18 of the 20 individuals analyzed from the Islamic period have δ³⁴S values that indicate that they were immigrants to Ibiza who died before acquiring the new local sulfur isotopic signature. Am J Phys Anthropol 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

First Direct Evidence of Chalcolithic Footwear from the Near Eastern Highlands

In 2008, a well preserved and complete shoe was recovered at the base of a Chalcolithic pit in the cave of Areni-1, Armenia. Here, we discuss the chronology of this find, its archaeological context and its relevance to the study of the evolution of footwear. Two leather samples and one grass sample from the shoe were dated at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU). A third leather sample was dated at the University of California-Irvine Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility (UCIAMS). The R_Combine function for the three leather samples provides a date range of 3627–3377 Cal BC (95.4% confidence interval) and the calibrated range for the straw is contemporaneous (3627–3377 Cal BC). The shoe was stuffed with loose, unfastened grass (Poaceae) without clear orientation which was more than likely used to maintain the shape of the shoe and/or prepare it for storage. The shoe is 24.5 cm long (European size 37), 7.6 to 10 cm wide, and was made from a single piece of leather that wrapped around the foot. It was worn and shaped to the wearer''s right foot, particularly around the heel and hallux where the highest pressure is exerted in normal gait. The Chalcolithic shoe provides solid evidence for the use of footwear among Old World populations at least since the Chalcolithic. Other 4^th millennium discoveries of shoes (Italian and Swiss Alps), and sandals (Southern Israel) indicate that more than one type of footwear existed during the 4^th millennium BC, and that we should expect to discover more regional variations in the manufacturing and style of shoes where preservation conditions permit.     

Paleodemography of India and Ceylon since 3000 B.C

Biological and cultural adaptations of prehistoric man in South Asia are surveyed against the background of geological-climatic-biotic changes occurring within Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene times. The earliest human remains discovered thus far in the Indian sub-continent are skeletons associated with Late Stone Age (Mesolithic) cultural materials. These series and those associated with subsequent cultural horizons (Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Harappan, Iron Age and Early Historic) are reviewed in terms of their suitability for palaeodemographic study. In South Asia this kind of research is best approached through the analysis of local sites where skeletal material is available and where reconstruction of ancient ecological settings is feasible. Three cases are presented: (1) population displacement and mobility in the pre-Vedda and Vedda biological continuum in Ceylon; (2) influence of changing nutritional factors upon the pathology of jaws and teeth for the Late Stone Age skeletal series from Langhnaj; (3) causes of death at Mohenjo-daro, with a discussion of the undue emphasis in the anthropological literature upon trauma and neglect of significant attempts to discern causes of death where these are relevant to pathology and to specific ecological adaptations.     

Le plus vieil établissement de métallurgistes de France (IIIe millénaire av. J.-C.) : Péret (Hérault)

The settlement of Chalcolithic metalworkers of La Capitelle du Broum is a truly outstanding site. The first AMS ¹⁴C dating (3rd millennium BC) reveals it as the oldest site in the mining and metallurgy district of Cabrières. It is of the same age as the oldest metallurgy site discovered in continental France (Roquemengarde). It includes, near the prehistoric copper mines already discovered, double-facing dry-stone walls of the Fontbouisse type and a variety of metallurgy structures. Metalworking tools, including one of the very rare ingot crucibles known from this period in Western Europe, are found alongside ceramics typical of the Late Neolithic (Broum type?). To cite this article: P. Ambert et al., C. R. Palevol 1 (2002) 67–74.     

Investigation of diachronic dietary patterns on the islands of Ibiza and formentera, Spain: Evidence from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis

To examine how dietary patterns may have changed in the western Mediterranean through time, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were measured on extracted bone collagen from fauna (n = 75) and humans (n = 135) spanning four distinct chronological periods: Chalcolithic (c.2100–1600 BC), Punic (6th–2nd/1st century BC), Late Antiquity‐Early Byzantine (4th–7th century AD), and Islamic (c.10th–13th century AD) on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, Spain. The Chalcolithic, Punic, and Late Antiquity‐Byzantine societies all showed evidence of a predominately C₃ terrestrial‐based diet with a possible input of a small amount of marine and/or C₄ dietary resources. In contrast, the Islamic population on Ibiza had a subsistence strategy that was reliant on a significant amount of C₄ plants and/or animals fed a C₄ diet, likely millet. These results indicate a fairly constant C₃ terrestrial‐based diet on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera through time, with a shift to C₄ dietary resources during the Islamic Period. Further research is needed from other Islamic populations in and around the Mediterranean to better understand this unique dietary adaptation. Am J Phys Anthropol 143:512–522, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Bronze Age olive domestication in the north Jordan valley: new morphological evidence for regional complexity in early arboricultural practice from Pella in Jordan

Recent research from the site of Pella in Jordan examines the process and timing of olive cultivation. The frequent presence of olive remains from the Pottery Neolithic, beginning in the Yarmoukian, suggests that exploitation of the olive dates from as early as c. 6200 cal bce, with evidence of oil pressing from at least c. 5200 cal bce. Morphometric data, spanning the Late Neolithic to the Middle Iron Age II, using the measurement of olive endocarp length and width, demonstrates a reduction in the size variation of olive endocarps through time, in addition to an increase in their length, likely the result of selection pressure on trees. At Pella, this change occurs sometime after the Chalcolithic and before the Late Bronze Age, probably post-dating the earliest phases of the Early Bronze Age. Domestication is thus later than Teleilat Ghassul (Jordan), which has the earliest morphological evidence for olive domestication, and suggests that olive domestication was a regionally and temporally diverse process.     

Late Pleistocene human remains from Wezmeh Cave, western Iran

Paleontological analysis of remains from Wezmeh Cave in western Iran have yielded a Holocene Chalcolithic archeological assemblage, a rich Late Pleistocene carnivore faunal assemblage, and an isolated unerupted human maxillary premolar (P(3) or possibly P(4)). Species representation and U-series dating of faunal teeth place the carnivore assemblage during oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 3 and 2, and noninvasive gamma spectrometry dating of the human premolar places it at least as old as early OIS 2. The human premolar crown morphology is not diagnostic of late archaic versus early modern human affinities, but its buccolingual diameter places it at the upper limits of Late Pleistocene human P(3) and P(4) dimensions and separate from a terminal Pleistocene regional sample. Wezmeh Cave therefore provides additional Paleolithic human remains from the Zagros Mountains and further documents Late Pleistocene human association with otherwise carnivore-dominated cave assemblages.     

Disentangling the Spatio-Environmental Drivers of Human Settlement: An Eigenvector Based Variation Decomposition

The relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes driving patterns of human settlement remains controversial. A main reason for this is that disentangling the drivers of distributions and geographic clustering at different spatial scales is not straightforward and powerful analytical toolboxes able to deal with this type of data are largely deficient. Here we use a multivariate statistical framework originally developed in community ecology, to infer the relative importance of spatial and environmental drivers of human settlement. Using Moran’s eigenvector maps and a dataset of spatial variation in a set of relevant environmental variables we applied a variation partitioning procedure based on redundancy analysis models to assess the relative importance of spatial and environmental processes explaining settlement patterns. We applied this method on an archaeological dataset covering a 15 km² area in SW Turkey spanning a time period of 8000 years from the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic up to the Byzantine period. Variation partitioning revealed both significant unique and commonly explained effects of environmental and spatial variables. Land cover and water availability were the dominant environmental determinants of human settlement throughout the study period, supporting the theory of the presence of farming communities. Spatial clustering was mainly restricted to small spatial scales. Significant spatial clustering independent of environmental gradients was also detected which can be indicative of expansion into unsuitable areas or an unexpected absence in suitable areas which could be caused by dispersal limitation. Integrating historic settlement patterns as additional predictor variables resulted in more explained variation reflecting temporal autocorrelation in settlement locations.     

A reconsideration of “Races” and their impact on the origins of the Chalcolithic in the Levant using available anthropological and archaeological data

Populations of the Chalcolithic Levant as defined by archaeological excavations has in many cases reinforced the traditional scheme that a number of “races” are present. This scheme is usually based not only on differential cultural traditions as identified by archeologists, but also on the available skeletal evidence as discussed by physical anthropologists. Recently this view has been challenged and it has been suggested that the metrical and anatomical range of variability as identified within Chalcolithic populations can be subsumed into a single population or “racial” range. This paper examines both the available biological and archaeological evidence from the Chalcolithic Levant and concludes that there is no strong archaeological or biological evidence to support a multiple “racial” origin for the Chalcolithic of the Levant.     

湖北淅川盆地上白垩统蜥脚类幼年个体新材料

描述湖北郧县淅川盆地晚白垩世地层中产出的蜥脚类恐龙化石。标本不关联保存于马家村组中段灰绿色含钙泥质粉砂岩中,材料包括牙齿、脊椎和肢骨化石等。从愈合特征（如分离的椎体和椎弓）分析,这些化石至少由2个未成年个体组成。这些化石体现出的特征组合,如股骨近端外侧突出,近端外缘向内侧倾斜,荐前椎气腔构造发育,以及牙齿呈细长的棒状,表明湖北郧县马家村组地层发现的蜥脚类可归入巨龙形类中的多孔椎龙类或者更进步的类群。新材料的发现对于进一步了解中国乃至东亚地区白垩纪晚期的蜥脚类恐龙分布和演化具有一定的意义。     

Bifungites, trace fossils from Devonian-Mississippian rocks of Pennsylvania and Montana,U.S.A

The trace fossil Bifungites Desio 1940, first recognized in Late Devonian rocks of Libya and later in Algeria, is common in Late Devonian rocks of Montana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan, and Early Mississippian rocks of Pennsylvania. Its manifestations are given for seven stratigraphic units from forty localities in Pennsylvania, Montana, and Michigan.Bifungites commonly occur on bedding planes and consist of a horizontal shaft with doubly terminating arrow- or dumb-bell-shaped projections. Less apparent are paired vertical cylindrical sediment-filled tubes connected at their base to the bi-arrow or dumb-bell shaft. The combination represents the mud or silt casting of an inverted pi-shaped, μ, infaunal tubular burrow (domichnia). Siltstone slabs have been transversely sectioned to reveal this π-shaped, double-arrow burrow pattern with undisturbed stratification between the vertical tubes.Three new ichnospecies are proposed based on markedly different size and shape of the fossil traces in three stratigraphic zones. A Late Devonian Girard Shale type is the smallest with wide, short arrows on a narrow shaft whose median overall length is 12.5 mm. The latest Devonian Sappington type has well-formed, shortly barbed arrow terminations and median length of 28 mm. An Early Mississippian Meadville type is the largest with median length of 36 mm and prominently barbed broad arrows.The Bifungites organism is unrecognized but it was probably a sedentary, soft-bodied, infaunal suspension-feeding animal inhabiting shallow nearshore marine and brackish water environments. The identified biota directly or indirectly associated with Bifungites is extremely limited to a few brachiopods, clams, and other trace fossils.     

The pseudodeltidium in Triplesia and Placotriplesia

Amsden, T. W: The pseudodeltidium in Triplesia and Placotriplesia .
North American species representing Triplesia range from the Middle Ordovician into the Lower Silurian, and possess a distinctive pseudodeltidial apparatus. The pseudodeltidium begins as a solid ridge of shell material just in front of the pedicle foramen and extends forward, opening into a hoodlike structure which partly covers a delthyrial notch; the cardinal process shaft bears a well-developed collar which fits into the delthyrial notch. In contrast, North American representatives of Placotriplesia , which are at present known only from early Late Silurian (Wenlockian) strata, have no delthyrial notch, and the pseudodeltidial ridge or fold is absent at all stages of growth; the cardinal process collar is vestigial or absent. Wright's observation that the type species of Placotriplesia, P. praecipta (Ulrich & Cooper) has a pseudodeltidial fold is incorrect, and his implication that Triptesia and Placotriplesia are connected by gradational forms is not supported by the evidence.     

Evidence for Prehistoric Origins of Egyptian Mummification in Late Neolithic Burials

Traditional theories on ancient Egyptian mummification postulate that in the prehistoric period (i.e. the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, 5^th and 4^th millennia B.C.) bodies were naturally desiccated through the action of the hot, dry desert sand. Although molding of the body with resin-impregnated linen is believed to be an early Pharaonic forerunner to more complex processes, scientific evidence for the early use of resins in artificial mummification has until now been limited to isolated occurrences during the late Old Kingdom (c. 2200 B.C.), their use becoming more apparent during the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1600 BC). We examined linen wrappings from bodies in securely provenanced tombs (pit graves) in the earliest recorded ancient Egyptian cemeteries at Mostagedda in the Badari region (Upper Egypt). Our investigations of these prehistoric funerary wrappings using a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and thermal desorption/pyrolysis (TD/Py)-GC-MS have identified a pine resin, an aromatic plant extract, a plant gum/sugar, a natural petroleum source, and a plant oil/animal fat in directly AMS-dated funerary wrappings. Predating the earliest scientific evidence by more than a millennium, these embalming agents constitute complex, processed recipes of the same natural products, in similar proportions, as those utilized at the zenith of Pharaonic mummification some 3,000 years later. The antibacterial properties of some of these ingredients and the localized soft-tissue preservation that they would have afforded lead us to conclude that these represent the very beginnings of experimentation that would evolve into the famous mummification practice of the Pharaonic period.     

Ionomigration of Neutral Phases in Ionic Conductors

Without sensing any physical force, a neutral object in an ion conducting solid can move in a uniform electrochemical field by coupling a global ion wind with localized counterion diffusion at the interface. This happens to pores and gas bubbles at 840 °C in a fast O^2? conductor, yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ), despite having cations that are essentially frozen with lattice diffusivities 10¹² times slower than the O^2? diffusivity. Through‐thickness migration and massive electro‐sintering in thin YSZ ceramics are observed at voltages similar to those in YSZ fuel cells and electrolysis cells. This effect should apply to any electrochemically‐loaded multiphase ionic conducting solid, with or without an electric field, and can lead to electrolyte sintering, phase accumulation and electrode debonding, resulting in unexpected benefit or damage in electrochemical devices. As the velocity obeys a pseudo Stokes‐Einstein equation, inversely proportional to the object size, an especially enhanced size effect is expected in nanocomposites.     

东亚人群毛干蛋白中单氨基酸多态性检测方法建立与个体识别应用

目的 毛干是案件现场常见的生物物证，目前缺少有效的个体识别方法而未能在案件调查和法庭诉讼中发挥作用。毛干蛋白质组中的单氨基酸多态性（SAP）蕴含着个体遗传差异信息，可应用于个体识别。方法 为研究毛干物证SAP个体差异，本文使用离子液体对12份2 cm长的毛干样本（6人，每人2根）经过前处理后，进行LC-MS/MS质谱检测，分析毛干中的蛋白质组成。然后利用自建的东亚人群SAP蛋白质序列数据库，对质谱数据进行搜库分析，依据自建的SAP与SNP对应注释表信息，推导出SAP对应的nsSNP分型，并且与外显子测序nsSNP结果比较，进而验证SAP检测的准确性。最后，利用验证准确的SAP分型进行随机匹配概率的计算。结果 12份样品共计获得321个SAP，每个样本平均为（131±17）个。6人的随机匹配概率数值范围为1.4×10^-4~1.0×10^-9。结论 本文建立了东亚人群毛干蛋白中SAP检测方法，并验证了个体识别应用的能力，为法庭科学中毛干个体识别提供了有力的工具和新的思路。     

The ancient minoans of crete: A biodistance study

The study of cranial material is an important source of information for biological reconstruction of past human populations. Such cranial data used for solving prehistoric problems (Buikstra et al, 1990). Cranial samples from the prehistoric population of Crete were studied to try to answer an archaeological problem (the hypothesis of the Mycenean invasion in the island during Late Bronze Age period). Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that Myceneans invaded Crete after the destroy caused by the eruption of the Thera Volcano (15^th century b.C.). The samples were analysed by Discriminant Analysis, and classification factor was the Era. It is concluded that: a) It is not abvious an entry of another population during the transitional period between NL/MM, because there is a common morphometric pattern, and b) the entrance and installation of the Myceneans during the Late Minoan period is possible because a different morphometric pattern was found. This last conclusion is in accordance with the archaeological evidence.     

Tungsten-based material as promising new lead-free gamma radiation shielding material in nuclear medicine

PurposeThe main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tungsten carbide as new lead-free radiation shielding material in nuclear medicine by evaluating the attenuation properties.Materials and methodsThe elemental composition of tungsten carbide was analysed using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The purity of tungsten carbide was 99.9%, APS: 40–50 µm. Three discs of tungsten carbide was fabricated with thickness of 0.1 cm, 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm. Three lead discs with similar thickness were used to compare the attenuation properties with tungsten carbide discs. Energy calibration of gamma spectroscopy was performed by using ¹²³I, ¹³³Ba, ¹⁵²Eu, and ¹³⁷Cs. Gamma radiation from these sources were irradiated on both materials at energies ranging from 0.160 MeV to 0.779 MeV. The experimental attenuation coefficients of lead and tungsten carbide were compared with theoretical attenuation coefficients of both materials from NIST database. The half value layer and mean free path of both materials were also evaluated in this study.ResultsThis study found that the peaks obtained from gamma spectroscopy have linear relationship with all energies used in this study. The relative differences between the measured and theoretical mass attenuation coefficients are within 0.19–5.11% for both materials. Tungsten carbide has low half value layer and mean free path compared to lead for all thickness at different energies.ConclusionThis study shows that tungsten carbide has high potential to replace lead as new lead-free radiation shielding material in nuclear medicine.     

Strontium isotope stratigraphy of the Gabbs Formation (Nevada): implications for global Norian–Rhaetian correlations and faunal turnover

The Luning and Gabbs formations in west‐central Nevada, USA represent a Late Triassic shallow marine sedimentary succession with global significance (the Gabbs Formation was a candidate for the basal Jurassic GSSP). Typically, the Norian–Rhaetian stage boundary is placed at the contact between the formations, and the Rhaetian–Hettangian boundary (the Triassic–Jurassic boundary) is within the Müller Canyon Member of the Gabbs Formation. However, the use of different biostratigraphical index‐species schemes in Norian–Rhaetian successions between Tethys and Panthalassa, the two largest ocean basins at the time, makes precise correlation problematic. Here, we compare ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr measurements of well‐preserved carbonate shell material from Nevada to the well‐known and biostratigraphically constrained ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr record from Tethys, where a negative excursion in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is noted across the Norian–Rhaetian boundary. Our new ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data from the Luning and Gabbs formations reveal a comparable trend, with a sharp drop in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr within the Nun Mine Member of the Gabbs Formation, suggesting the position of the Norian–Rhaetian boundary is higher in the succession, and not between the Luning and Gabbs formations as previously defined. Relating the stage boundary using global isotopic signals is a useful tool for biostratigraphical correlation of successions between Tethys and Panthalassa, and for estimating the rate of faunal turnover at the Norian–Rhaetian stage boundary in comparison with the succeeding Late Triassic mass extinction. If correct, this biostratigraphical–chemostratigraphical correlation suggests that the current index groups for the Panthalassic stage boundary should be changed.     

Human dental microwear from Ohalo II (22,500-23,500 cal BP), southern Levant

Dietary hardness and abrasiveness are inferred from human dental microwear at Ohalo II, a late Upper Palaeolithic site (22,500-23,500 cal BP) in the southern Levant. Casts of molar grinding facets from two human skeletons were examined with a scanning electron microscope. The size and frequency of microwear was measured, counted, and compared to four prehistoric human groups from successive chronological periods in the same region: pre-pottery Neolithic A, Chalcolithic (this study); Natufian, pre-pottery Neolithic B (Mahoney: Am J Phys Anthropol 130 (2006) 308-319). The Ohalo molars had a high frequency of long narrow scratches, and a few small pits, suggesting a tough abrasive diet that required more shearing rather than compressive force while chewing. These results imply that the diet of the two late Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers did not focus on very hard foods. Aquatic foods with adherent contaminants, as well as grit from plant grinding tools seemed likely causal agents. The size of the pits and scratches on the Ohalo molars were most similar to microwear from the pre-pottery Neolithic A period, though they also compared well to the Chalcolithic period. These results contrasted with the larger pits and scratches from the Natufian hunter-gatherers and pre-pottery Neolithic B farmers, implying that there is no simple increase or decrease in dietary hardness and abrasiveness across the late Upper Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic development in the Southern Levant.