Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers.

Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago.

Co-occurrence of pectenotoxins and Dinophysis miles in an Indonesian semi-enclosed bay.

The study aims to unravel the variability of Dinophysis spp. and their alleged toxins in conjunction with environmental drivers in Ambon Bay. Phytoplankton samples, lipophilic toxins and physiochemical water properties were analysed during a 1.

Pre-extinction Demographic Stability and Genomic Signatures of Adaptation in the Woolly Rhinoceros.

Ancient DNA has significantly improved our understanding of the evolution and population history of extinct megafauna. However, few studies have used complete ancient genomes to examine species responses to climate change prior to extinction. The woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) was a cold-adapted megaherbivore widely distributed across northern Eurasia during the Late Pleistocene and became extinct approximately 14 thousand years before present (ka BP).

Validity of Absolute Intake and Nutrient Density of Protein, Potassium, and Sodium Assessed by Various Dietary Assessment Methods: An Exploratory Study.

It is suggested that nutrient densities are less affected by measurement errors than absolute intake estimates of dietary exposure. We compared the validity of absolute intakes and densities of protein (kJ from protein/total energy (kJ)), potassium, and sodium (potassium or sodium (in mg)/total energy (kJ)) assessed by different dietary assessment methods. For 69 Dutch subjects, two duplicate portions (DPs), five to fifteen 24-h dietary recalls (24 hRs, telephone-based and web-based) and two food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) were collected and compared to duplicate urinary biomarkers and one or two doubly labelled water measurements.

Radiocarbon dating and cultural dynamics across Mongolia's early pastoral transition.

The emergence of mobile herding lifeways in Mongolia and eastern Eurasia was one of the most crucial economic and cultural transitions in human prehistory. Understanding the process by which this played out, however, has been impeded by the absence of a precise chronological framework for the prehistoric era in Mongolia. One rare source of empirically dateable material useful for understanding eastern Eurasia's pastoral tradition comes from the stone burial mounds and monumental constructions that began to appear across the landscape of Mongolia and adjacent regions during the Bronze Age (ca.

Running wheel access fails to resolve impaired sustainable health in mice feeding a high fat sucrose diet.

Diet and physical activity are thought to affect sustainable metabolic health and survival. To improve understanding, we studied survival of mice feeding a low-fat (LF) or high-saturated fat/high sugar (HFS) diet, each with or without free running wheel (RW) access. Additionally several endocrine and metabolic health indices were assessed at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of age.

Identification of possible ΔC anomalies since 14 ka BP: A computational intelligence approach.

Rapid increments in the concentration of the radiocarbon in the atmosphere (ΔC) have been identified in the years 774-775 CE and 993-994 CE (Miyake events) using annual measurements on known-age tree-rings. The level of cosmic radiation implied by such increases could cause the failure of satellite telecommunication systems, and thus, there is a need to model and predict them. In this work, we investigated several intelligent computational methods to identify similar events in the past.

Evolution and extinction of the giant rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum sheds light on late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions.

Understanding extinction events requires an unbiased record of the chronology and ecology of victims and survivors. The rhinoceros Elasmotherium sibiricum, known as the 'Siberian unicorn', was believed to have gone extinct around 200,000 years ago-well before the late Quaternary megafaunal extinction event. However, no absolute dating, genetic analysis or quantitative ecological assessment of this species has been undertaken.

Atmospheric evidence for a global secular increase in carbon isotopic discrimination of land photosynthesis.

A decrease in the C/C ratio of atmospheric CO has been documented by direct observations since 1978 and from ice core measurements since the industrial revolution. This decrease, known as the C-Suess effect, is driven primarily by the input of fossil fuel-derived CO but is also sensitive to land and ocean carbon cycling and uptake. Using updated records, we show that no plausible combination of sources and sinks of CO from fossil fuel, land, and oceans can explain the observed C-Suess effect unless an increase has occurred in the C/C isotopic discrimination of land photosynthesis.

Continued emissions of carbon tetrachloride from the United States nearly two decades after its phaseout for dispersive uses.

National-scale emissions of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) are derived based on inverse modeling of atmospheric observations at multiple sites across the United States from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's flask air sampling network. We estimate an annual average US emission of 4.0 (2.

Whole-Body Vibration Partially Reverses Aging-Induced Increases in Visceral Adiposity and Hepatic Lipid Storage in Mice.

At old age, humans generally have declining muscle mass and increased fat deposition, which can increase the risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases. While regular physical activity postpones these age-related derangements, this is not always possible in the elderly because of disabilities or risk of injury. Whole-body vibration (WBV) training may be considered as an alternative to physical activity particularly in the frail population.

Diet-induced obesity resistance of adult female mice selectively bred for increased wheel-running behavior is reversed by single perinatal exposure to a high-energy diet.

Female mice from independently bred lines previously selected over 50 generations for increased voluntary wheel-running behavior (S1, S2) resist high energy (HE) diet-induced obesity (DIO) at adulthood, even without actual access to running wheels, as opposed to randomly bred controls (CON). We investigated whether adult S mice without wheels remain DIO-resistant when exposed - via the mother - to the HE diet during their perinatal stage (from 2 weeks prior to conception until weaning on post-natal day 21). While S1 and S2 females subjected to HE diet either perinatally or from weaning onwards (post-weaning) resisted increased adiposity at adulthood (as opposed to CON females), they lost this resistance when challenged with HE diet during these periods combined over one single cycle of breeding.

Total energy expenditure assessed by salivary doubly labelled water analysis and its relevance for short-term energy balance in humans.

Rationale: The doubly labelled water (DLW) method is a stable isotopic technique for measuring total energy expenditure (TEE). Saliva is the easiest sampling fluid for assessing isotopic enrichments, but blood is considered superior because of its rapid exchange with body water. Therefore, we compared a large range of isotopic enrichments in saliva and blood, and related TEE in subjects with their ad libitum total energy intake (TEI).

A new high-quality set of singly ((2) H) and doubly ((2) H and (18) O) stable isotope labeled reference waters for biomedical and other isotope-labeled research.

Rationale: Research using water with enriched levels of the rare stable isotopes of hydrogen and/or oxygen requires well-characterized enriched reference waters. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did have such reference waters available, but these are now exhausted. New reference waters thus had to be produced in sufficient quantity, and higher characterization quality was desired.

A thoroughly validated spreadsheet for calculating isotopic abundances (2H, 17O, 18O) for mixtures of waters with different isotopic compositions.

Rationale: Oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes are widely used tracers for studies on naturally occurring and laboratory mixtures of isotopically different waters. Although the mixing calculations are straightforward to perform, there are ample possibilities to make mistakes, especially when dealing with a large number of mixed fluids. To facilitate isotope mixing calculations and to avoid computational mistakes, a flexible tool to carry out these calculations is in demand.

New chronology for Ksâr 'Akil (Lebanon) supports Levantine route of modern human dispersal into Europe.

Modern human dispersal into Europe is thought to have occurred with the start of the Upper Paleolithic around 50,000-40,000 y ago. The Levantine corridor hypothesis suggests that modern humans from Africa spread into Europe via the Levant. Ksâr 'Akil (Lebanon), with its deeply stratified Initial (IUP) and Early (EUP) Upper Paleolithic sequence containing modern human remains, has played an important part in the debate.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of well-preserved Middle Pleistocene bone collagen from Schöningen (Germany) and their paleoecological implications.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in bone collagen can provide valuable information about the diet and habitat of mammal species. However, bone collagen degrades in normal circumstances very rapidly, and isotope analyses are therefore usually restricted to fossil material with a Late Pleistocene or Holocene age. The Middle Pleistocene site of Schöningen, dated to around 300,000 years ago, yielded bones and teeth with an exceptionally good state of collagen preservation.

Validity of the doubly labeled water method for estimating CO2 production in mice under different nutritional conditions.

The doubly labeled water (DLW) technique is used to assess metabolic rate (MR) in free-living conditions. We investigated whether differences in the nutritional and body adiposity status affect validity of the assessment of CO2 production (rCO2) by the DLW technique. To serve this purpose, we compared calculated rCO2 by the DLW method to actual CO2 production concomitantly measured in an indirect calorimetry setup over a 3-day period in mice fed with a low-fat (LF) diet or an obesogenic high-fat/high-sucrose (HF) diet.

Doubly Labelled Water analysis: preparation, memory correction, calibration and quality assurance for δ2H and δ18O measurements over four orders of magnitudes.

Rationale: The Doubly Labelled Water (DLW) method is an established way of determining the metabolic rate in humans and animals, with the advantage that the subjects need not be confined. The method, however, needs accurate determination of both the δ(2)H and the δ(18)O isotope values over a wide range of enrichments.

Methods: In this paper we describe a number of crucial steps in the process of isotope determination in body fluids.

The privileged burial of the Pava Pieve (Siena, 8th Century AD).

Rationale: The 6(th) archaeological excavation campaign performed at the 'Pieve di Pava' (San Giovanni d'Asso, Siena, Italy) unearthed a privileged stone burial of a single individual (US 2378), covered by a monolithic slab and placed in front of an altar. The skeletal remains of a young male (18-20 years old), not in anatomical connection, were found at the bottom floor of a tomb (160 cm long, 40 cm large and over 70 cm deep).

Methods: A multidisciplinary study has been carried out concerning that privileged bone burial.