Découverte des sites du Paléolithique inférieur au Nord de l’Arménie

For a long time, the scientific community assumed that the Acheulean culture was expressed on the territory of the Armenian Plateau as well as in the neighboring regions of the Caucasus only by its late phase; therefore, it appeared in the second half of the Middle Pleistocene. In recent years, the Armenian-Russian mission has discovered and studied much older Acheulean industries sites, located in northern Armenia (the Lori intermountain Depression). These industries, represented by archaic type tools (large hand axes, picks, choppers, chisel-like tools, scrapers, points, etc.), are discovered in three deposits of origin of proluvial genesis. In the Karakhach site, this type of industry is deposited in the lower levels of volcanic tuff and below; the U/Pb study of this level of tuff proposes a series of dates, assigned to the time interval between 1.944 + 0.046 and 1.75 + 0.02 Ma. The paleomagnetic study demonstrated the inverse polarity on the tuff and the normal polarity of the underlying deposits; in correlation with other dating, this fact allows to attribute the Acheulean layers of the site of Karakhatch to the Lower Pleistocene, in particular to the Oldoway episode and to the Upper Matuyama time period. The estimated age and the techno-morphological characteristics of the tools indicate the Lower Acheulean period. The dating of the Muradovo site does not seem possible, however its very old industries and the archaeological layers, where they were discovered, find equivalents in the layered layer, surmounted by tuffs, of the Karakhatch site. The Kutran I site presented a paleosol sequence with similar Acheulean tools (hand axes, picks, choppers, etc.). Its oldest layer is older than 1.5 Ma, the upper layer is attributed to the early Middle Pleistocene; this fact means that it is possible to speak of the Lower Acheulean and of its transition to the Middle Acheulean period. The specific character and the age of the Lower Acheulean of Armenia admit that it could have formed independently of the Lower Acheulean of Africa, whose estimated age does not rise before 1.76 Ma. It should also be noted that on the neighboring territory of Georgia about the same time when appeared the Acheulean culture in Armenia, the Oldowan Dmanisi site already existed.     

En France, la majorité des donneurs de spermatozoïdes souhaite le maintien de leur anonymat

So far in France, sperm donor anonymity, which was a fundamental principle and has been twice confirmed in the law in 1994 and 2004, is debated nowadays. In this context, the Cecos wanted to know the donors opinion on anonymity. In 2006, 193 semen donors recruited in 14 Cecos answered anonymously a questionnaire: 73% were in agreement with the principle of anonymity and less than 30% agreed that the future law should change to allow the children to know the donor identity. In case of anonymity disclosure, 60% would give up their sperm donation. The same proportion of donors would accept that non identifying information on them could be given on request to the parents and the child.     

Influences des facteurs météorologiques sur la variabilité de la magnésémie chez l'homme

The magnesium level of the blood plasma and erythrocytes was studied in 24 human subjects for a one-year period. The data show that the magnesium levels are higher during the summer than during the winter. Whereas the erythrocyte magnesium concentration seems to be linked to the outside temperature, the plasma magnesium concentration seems to be sensitive to relative humidity and to sudden weather changes.     

Contribution a l'étude de la spécificité chez les principales coccinelles aphidiphages des alpesmaritimes et des basses-alpes

Summary The present work is a field study of seven species ofCoccinellidae suitable for use in the biological control of aphids in cultivated areas of South Eastern France. The distribution of larvae and adults has been studied all the year long in the different geographical areas where aphid pullulations occur and according to the different types of plants. Sampling units have been distributed in five different ?strata? classified A, B, M, N, V, on the basis of height: from 0 to 50 cm low plants: A. wild B. cultivated. from 50 cm to 2 m shrubs: M. wild N. cultivated. more than 2 m trees: V. wild or cultivated together. The adults ofCoccinellidae are able to disperse widely but they show a strong preference for a given type of habitat; they are generaly able to feed on a great number of species of aphids but many of these do not allow egg production or larval nutrition. These factors have been studied in the laboratory. One of the results of this study is to give an idea of the potentiel efficiency of the different monovoltin or polyvoltin species present in the area during the successive periods of the year. Spatial limitation as a consequence of the action of ecological factors is the most characteristic feature of the behaviour of coccinellid predators; its influence on specificity is greater than the actual choice of a given host as a food.