周口店田园洞古人类化石点地层学研究及与山顶洞的对比

田园洞主体堆积厚度约2.5m,其动物群可分为上、下两个组合:上部组合物种多样性丰富,化石被啮齿类严重啮咬;下部组合化石种类单调,以鹿类和绵羊类为主,但化石丰富,极少有啮齿类咬痕。人类化石发现于下部组合;东洋界动物主要出现在上部组合,例如猕猴、猪獾、果子狸和鬣羚等。而马鹿和绵羊只出现于下部组合。沟齿鼯鼠和豪猪在下部组合开始出现,但主要发现于上部组合。梅花鹿是田园洞的优势种,在各个阶段都出现。通过统计比较,发现山顶洞3个地层单元(上室、下室和下窨)中所含化石属种基本一致,代表同一个动物群。尽管田园洞动物群中尚未发现可靠绝灭种类,但却有10种地区绝灭种,它与现生动物群有一定差异;而在堆积物特征及化石组合方面,与周口店山顶洞的更为接近。在田园洞和山顶洞出现的沟齿鼯鼠、猪獾、果子狸及鬣羚等是各自在华北地区的最早记录,可能代表了更新世末期自南而北的动物迁徙事件。     

The gliding reptiles of the Upper Permian

The skeleton of a long-ribbed reptile from the Upper Permian Marl Slate of north-east England is described. The animal is assigned to the genus Weigeltisaurus , previously recorded from the Kupferschiefer of West Germany. Long-ribbed reptiles from the Upper Permian of Madagascar are also considered. Daedalosaurus Carroll, 1978 is a junior synonym of Coelurosauravus Piveteau, 1926. The European and Madagascan genera can be accommodated within a single family Coelurosauravidae, Infraclass Eosuchia. The skull is diapsid with an incomplete lower temporal arcade. Comparison with the modern Draco and the Upper Triassic kuehneosaurids supports the conclusion that the coelurosauravids were effective gliders.     

Upper jurassic to lower cretaceous carbonate facies of african affinities in a Peri-European area: Chalkidiki Peninsula, Greece

Summary The Epanomi-New Iraklia area (West coast of the Chalkidiki peninsula) is considered to belong to the Prepeonias subzone (or Gevgeli unit), with a palaeogeographic position near the European margin, represented by the Serbo-Macedonian massif, and at a considerable distance from the fragmented African plate, the marginal block of which is here the Pelagonian Domain. In some boreholes in the area an Upper Jurassic to Lowei Cretaceous limestone sequence has been observed, ending with an unconformity and followed by an Upper Middle-Lower Upper Eocene transgressive bioclastic limestone, an Upper Eocene to Lower Oligocene clastic series and Neogene deposits. This Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous carbonate platform sequence and probably the Upper Jurassic limestones with bauxites of the nearby Mt. Katsika, show African affinities, viz: the presence of the essentially Aptian algal speciesSalpingoporella dinarica, an African plate marker; the chlorozoan type association and the bauxite formation during the Late Jurassic indicating tropical conditions; finally, the chloralgal type association and the sporadic presence of radial-fibrous ooids during the Early Cretaceous indicating peritropical conditions. Lower Cretaceous limestones are apparently missing in the innermost Hellenides. In the Pelagonian Domain s.l., on the other hand, Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous limestones are found in some places, with same characteristics as in the Epanomi-New Iraklia boreholes. On the contrary, the Upper Eocene to Lower Oligocene clastic series of the boreholes can be correlated with the Axios (=Vardar) molassic basin, inline with its present situation. During the Mesozoic, the Epanomi area therefore belonged to a micro-block, next to the NE margin of the Pelagonian Domain, in contrast to earlier interpretations. Its present time position results from Early Cenozoic tectonic phases.     

Some Upper Triassic species of Dipteridaceae from Japan and Borneo

Three Upper Triassic species of Dipteridaceae are described. By new finds of twisted arms and fertile pinnae Dictyophyllum japonicum Yokoyama (1891) from the Yamanoi Formation (Upper Carnic to the Lowest Noric) is transferred to Camptopterisjaponica (Yokoyama) Kon'no, comb. nov. Morphological and taxonomical relation of Dictyophyllum falcatum Naito (MS.) from the Middle Carnic formation with other genera and species is discussed with additional data of fertile pinnae. CUxthropteris meniscoides Brongn. is described from near the south-western border of Sarawak; this gives evidence of the presence of the southernmost outpost of the Dipteridaceae flora of south-eastern Asia in Borneo during the Upper Triassic Period.     

The upper paleolithic of Europe: An overview

The Upper Paleolithic of Europe, 40,000–10,000 years ago, presents one of the richest, most complex records for the anatomy and cultural adaptations of fossil hominids in the world. New chronological information points to roughly simultaneous appearance of certain Upper Paleolithic technological traits in both SE and SW Europe, while growing evidence suggests a significant degree of biological and cultural continuity between the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. On the other hand, there is considerable evidence that evolution continued to operate in both domains throughout the course of the late Upper Pleistocene, apparently in adaptive relationship to the major environmental changes of the Upper Pleniglacial and Tardiglacial. Spectacular developments in the realms of art and ideology may be understood in the special biogeographical, social, and economic conditions of Europe at the height of the Last Ice Age; both ended rather abruptly with the onset of the Holocene as the landscapes of Europe underwent pervasive upheavals.     

Two at one blow: reemergence of tularemia in Upper Austria

After field dressing a rabbit in the state of Upper Austria, Austria two members of a family were infected with tularemia in November 2010. The patients were a man in his forties and his father-in-law in his sixties. Tularemia is a rare disease in Austria. In the last 10 years between 2 and 8 cases have been reported annually. Of the total of 40 cases none was reported in the state of Upper Austria. Thus, this case report documents the reemergence of tularemia in Upper Austria.     

Into Eurasia: A geometric morphometric re-assessment of the Upper Cave (Zhoukoudian) specimens

Since the discovery of the human remains from the Upper Cave of Zhoukoudian in the 1930s there has been speculation over their affinities. In particular, the degree to which the three adult crania exhibit recent East Asian morphology, as well as their degree of within-group variability, has long been debated. Several early researchers described a resemblance to East Asian populations, but these findings have been for the most part rejected by more recent metric and non-metric analyses. Nevertheless, the Upper Cave specimens have not been classified conclusively into any recent modern human population to which they have been compared, and classification results differ for each cranium. Here, the question of the affinities of Upper Cave 101 and 103, the two better-preserved crania, is examined from the perspective of the Late Pleistocene human fossil record using the methodology of 3-D geometric morphometrics. The degree of morphological variation between the two specimens is also evaluated within the context of recent population variability. Neurocranial and facial morphology are analyzed separately so as to maximize comparative samples. Results show a morphological resemblance of the Upper Cave material to Upper Paleolithic Europeans. It is proposed that the Upper Cave specimens retain important aspects of modern human ancestral morphology, and possibly share a recent common ancestral population with Upper Paleolithic Europeans, in accordance with the Single Origin model of modern human origins.     

A review of the Upper Permian genera Coelurosauravus, Weigeltisaurus and Gracilisaurus (Reptilia: Diapsida)

The holotype of the Upper Permian gliding reptile Weigeltisaurus jaekeli is redescribed. Comparison with the Madagascan reptile Coelurosauravus shows that the two forms are congeneric. Coelurosauravus Piveteau, 1926 has priority. The Upper Permian genus Gracilisaurus Weigelt, 1930 is reviewed and referred to Coelurosauravus.     

Evaluation and use of a screening method to aid selection of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) with field resistance to cocoa swollen-shoot virus in Ghana

Seeds of cocoa progenies were inoculated with cocoa swollen-shoot virus manually or by vector transfer techniques to assess the relative resistance of the progenies to infection. Assessment of progeny included in both inoculation tests and in field trials were positively correlated, indicating that the inoculation technique is suitable for the selection of progenies for testing in the field. Pure Upper Amazon progenies were more resistant than selfed Amelonado, with hybrids between Amelonado and Upper Amazons usually intermediate. Among the main Upper Amazon populations, Iquitos and Nanay clones were better sources of resistance than Parinari and Scavina clones. A survey of these populations indicated that, within populations, resistance levels do not vary greatly. A range of progenies based on the Upper Amazon female parents in existing seed gardens was screened for resistance and some were consistently more resistant than the equivalent Amazon x Amelonado hybrid now being distributed to farmers.     

Les relations entre l’Extrême-Orient eurasien et le nord de l’archipel du Japon au Paléolithique

The aim of this paper is to present a review of current knowledge concerning the Paleolithic records and the related natural environmental setting in the Eurasian Far East and Hokkaido, located at the northern tip of the Japanese islands. At present, it is quite difficult to answer whether the archaic humans dispersed from Siberia and northern China across the Amur River basin and Sakhalin into Hokkaido or not, because there is no reliable evidence indicating the Lower and Middle Paleolithic in Hokkaido. We demonstrate that the Upper Paleolithic assemblages in Hokkaido can be divided into at least three phases such as the early Upper Paleolithic (EUP), the middle Upper Paleolithic (MUP), and the late Upper Paleolithic (LUP), based on a synthesis of available radiocarbon dates and the techno-typological characteristics of lithic assemblages. It is reasonable to suggest that the lithic assemblage from the Rubenosawa site, located in northern Hokkaido, and some of lithic assemblages at the transition from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic or the initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) in Siberia share the relative similarities of techno-typological attributes in the reduction sequences, although the reliable radiocarbon dates have not been obtained from the Rubenosawa site unfortunately. Also, the emergence of microblade technology at the MUP in Hokkaido, such as represented by the microblade assemblage recovered from the Kashiwadai-1 site, central Hokkaido, indicates a close interaction between the Eurasian Far East and Hokkaido. As a result, the comparison of archaeological evidence in these regions provides us with a suggestion that the appearance and development of the Upper Paleolithic assemblages in Hokkaido were sometimes associated with the human dispersions and the mutual contacts crossing between the Eurasian Far East and Hokkaido.     

Evolution of Devonian biodiversity of radiolarians with two porous spheres and one main spine

Features and major distinctions in the appearance and distribution of radiolarians with two porous spheres and one main spine in the Devonian basins are considered. Four solitary population waves and expansion scenario of radiolarians of this morphotype have been recognized in the Devonian. A new species, Radiobisphaera rozanovi sp. nov., from the Upper Emsian, Upper Eifelian, and Middle Frasnian of the southern Ural Mountains, from the Upper Eifelian of the Prague Basin (Barrandian), from the Middle-Upper Frasnian of the Rudnyi Altai, and from the Lower Famennian of the Timan-Pechora Basin and the Polar Ural Mountains is described.     

Is human longevity a consequence of cultural change or modern biology?

Increased longevity, expressed as the number of individuals surviving to older adulthood, represents a key way that Upper Paleolithic Europeans differ from earlier European (Neandertal) populations. Here, we address whether longevity increased as a result of cultural/adaptive change in Upper Paleolithic Europe, or whether it was introduced to Europe as a part of modern human biology. We compare the ratio of older to younger adults (OY ratio) in an early modern human sample associated with the Middle Paleolithic from Western Asia with OY ratios of European Upper Paleolithic moderns and penecontemporary Neandertals from the same region. We also compare these Neandertals to European Neandertals. The difference between the OY ratios of modern humans of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic is large and significant, but there is no significant difference between the Neandertals and early modern humans of Western Asia. Longevity for the West Asian Neandertals is significantly more common than for the European Neandertals. We conclude that the increase in adult survivorship associated with the Upper Paleolithic is not a biological attribute of modern humans, but reflects important cultural adaptations promoting the demographic and material representations of modernity.     

Middle and Early Upper Devonian Miospore Zonations in Eastern Yunnan and the Significance of Their Stratigraphy

The Devonian marine and non marine deposits were widely distributed in East Yunnan, where rich marine faunas and floras were present. The Middle and early Upper Devonian miospores of Eastern Yunnan were also abundant and usually well- preserved. The present paper provides both analysis of qualitative and quantitative composition development of Middle and early Upper Devonian spore assemblage in Eastern Yunnan, and a palynological zonatlon containing four successive assemblage zones: 1.Zone of Calyptosporites velatus-Rhabdosporites langii (VL); 2. Zone of Archaeozonotriletes variabilis-Calyptosporites proteus (VP); 3. Zone of Geminospora lemurata-Cristatisporites triangulatus (LT); 4. Zone of Archaeoperisaccus ovalis-Lagenicula bullosum (OB). The Middle and early Upper Devonian spore assemblages of Eastern Yunnan may be compared with those in South China and West Qinling. The spore zonation possesses stratigraphical dating of the Devonian megafloras of the region, particularly those from the Middle and Upper Devonian. The proposed spore zonation is closely compared with that erected for the Middle and early Upper Devonian of Old Sandstone Continent and adjacent Region. Based on palynological data, the reconstruction of Paleogeography and Paleoecology are discussed.     

The Sporo-Pollen Assemblage of the red Beds of Nandian in Lancang of Yunnan

The Red Beds of Nandian consists mainly of red mud stone, marlite, quartzitic sand- stanc, Sabulous psephyte and fine psephyte. Predecessor divided them into three formations referring to Upper Triassic-Jurassic. The marlite in Upper Formation of the Red Beds are rich in fossil Sporo-pollen. The fossil spores and pollen contain 17 genera and 15 species, including 3 new species and 2 new combinations. The Sporo-pollen assemblage is characterized by the absolut predominance of the pollen of gymnospcrms (84.8%) compared with the spores of pteridophyta (15.2%), The pollen are specially characterized by the abundance of Classeopollis Pfiug (75.3%) with a certain amount of Psophosphaera (4.5%), Monosulites (2.4%) and a minority of Pinuspollenites (0.6%). The spores grains are characterized by the abundance of Cyathidites (4.1%), and also by presence of Calamospora (2.1%), Reticulatisporitcs (2.4%), Indeterminable form (1.2%), and rare Schizaeisporites (0.3%). Based on the sporo-pollen assemblage of Upper Jurrassic of the Eurasia continent is characterized by the absolute abundance of Classpollis Pflug (>50% of the total number), the Upper Formation oi the Red Beds of Nandian may be referred to Upper Jurassic age. The climate of the Nandian region in the Late Jurassic period is supposed to be as arid as that of Africa at the present time. Bundary of the eastern termination of southern part of the Eurasia continent in- ferred by Vakhrameev (1970) should be complemented.     

Metric dental change in the European upper paleolithic and mesolithic.

Evolutionary trends for dental reduction are presented for European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic samples. The analysis demonstrates that the greatest decrease in tooth size occurs between the two divisions of the Upper Paleolithic, while little and insignificant change characterizes the Late Upper Paleolithic/Mesolithic transition. Trends for tooth size over this period indicate that (1) human evolution does not stop with the appearance of "anatomically modern Homo sapiens," (2) changes in tooth size fluctuate with increases in the efficiency and complexity of cultural systems, and (3) the Early Upper Paleolithic sample should be considered transitional between Wurm II European Neanderthals and later Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic groups.     

Reexamination of the immature hominid maxilla from Tangier,Morocco

Reexamination of the immature Upper Pleistocene hominid maxilla from Mugharet el-'Aliya (Tangier), Morocco is undertaken in light of new evidence on the growth and development of Upper Pleistocene hominids. Metric and qualitative comparisons were made with 17 immature Upper Pleistocene maxillae, and with a recent Homo sapiens sapiens sample. No unambiguous criteria for aligning the maxilla with Neandertals were found, although one character, the degree of maxillary flexion on the zygoma, strongly suggests that this child could be a representative of H. s. sapiens. The probable lack of a canine fossa in Mugharet el-'Aliya 1, the primary criterion used previously to align it with Neandertals, cannot be accurately extrapolated to its adult form from this juvenile. The present evidence suggests that it is inappropriate to refer to this fossil as “Neandertal-like” or as a North African “neandertaloid.” Thus, the Tangier maxilla should not be cited as evidence for the presence of Neandertal facial features in North Africa during the Upper Pleistocene. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Body Size, Weapon Use, and Natural Selection in the European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic

Evidence for a relationship between hunting strategies and body size is examined for human skeletons dating to the European Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic. Trends for reduced limb size and stature seem to be correlated with improvements in the types of weapons utilized and a shift from aggressive to more docile game. Although some of these observations fit the predictions of Brues concerning the spearman-archer model, it is suggested that selection for reduced metabolic demands is a more plausible explanation for decrease in body size from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic . [Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, hunting, body size]     

Preliminary palynological investigation of Saudi Arabian Upper Ordovician glacial sediments

An Ordovician stratigraphically admixed palynomorph assemblage that contains palynomorphs eroded from Middle through Upper Ordovician strata characterizes the Hawban Member (restricted) of the Sarah Formation in central Saudi Arabia. This distinctive assemblage, combined with detailed sedimentology, helps identify the presence of Hirnantian Gondwanan glacial sediments on the Arabian Plate. Similar Ordovician admixed assemblages have been recognized from Upper Ordovician glacial sediments elsewhere along the Gondwanan margin. Within Saudi Arabia the composition of reworked assemblages depends upon the stratigraphic succession exposed to glacial erosion. Sylvanidium? hawbanense, which is one of the acritarchs found in glacial sediments, is newly described from Arabian Upper Ordovician strata.     

The early upper Paleolithic of eastern Europe reconsidered

Artifacts of Paleolithic age were first recognized in eastern Europe during the 1870s. Archeologists have struggled ever since to integrate them into the better known record of western Europe, where the interpretive framework of Paleolithic archeology was originally developed. The essential elements of both the Middle and Upper Paleolithic were recognized quickly in eastern Europe, and a close connection with a major middle Upper Paleolithic industry of central Europe (Gravettian) was established many years ago. The early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) has remained a major challenge, however; it is represented primarily by a bewildering array of local archeological cultures that exhibit limited similarity to contemporaneous industries of western and central Europe.6-9.     

Geographic views of human development

Human development can be divided into three stages: human ancestors (Lower Palaeolithic), early human races (Middle Palaeolithic) and modern humans (Upper Palaeolithic). Regional differentiation has been detected in the Lower Palaeolithic and is strongly developed in the Middle Palaeolithic but continues into the Upper Palaeolithic less marked. Clearly mixture at all levels accounts for this. Early humans absorbed the pre-existing regionalizations even as they further differentiated. Modern humans resulted from Upper Palaeolithic people spreading across the world and again absorbing the previous differentiations.