The cognitive and evolutionary science of behavioural modernity goes beyond material chronology.

Stibbard-Hawkes' taphonomic findings are valuable, and his call for caution warranted, but the hazards he raises are being mitigated by a multi-pronged approach; current research on behavioural/cognitive modernity is not based solely on material chronology. Theories synthesize data from archaeology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience, and genetics, and predictions arising from these theories are tested with mathematical and agent-based models.

ESKAPE pathogens rapidly develop resistance against antibiotics in development in vitro.

Despite ongoing antibiotic development, evolution of resistance may render candidate antibiotics ineffective. Here we studied in vitro emergence of resistance to 13 antibiotics introduced after 2017 or currently in development, compared with in-use antibiotics. Laboratory evolution showed that clinically relevant resistance arises within 60 days of antibiotic exposure in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, priority Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens.

Indirect evidence of an early mating advantage in wild cooperatively breeding male banded mongooses.

Promiscuous females reduce male reproductive control. Males can attempt to monopolise access to these females, but distractions and sneaky rivals mean extra copulations cannot always be blocked. By mating first, males can obtain a headstart in sperm competition, but this may be negated by sperm storage and cryptic female choice mechanisms.

Pathogens spread by high-altitude windborne mosquitoes.

Recent studies have revealed that many mosquito species regularly engage in high-altitude windborne migration, but its epidemiological significance was debated. The hypothesis that high-altitude mosquitoes spread pathogens over large distances has not been directly tested. Here, we report for the first time that high-altitude windborne mosquitoes are commonly infected with arboviruses, protozoans, and helminths affecting vertebrates and humans, and provide the first description of this pathogen-vector aerial network.

Annual migrations, vertical habitat use and fidelity of Atlantic bluefin tuna tracked from waters off the United Kingdom.

Understanding the spatial ecology of commercially exploited species is vital for their conservation. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, ABT) are increasingly observed in northeast Atlantic waters, yet knowledge of these individuals' spatial ecology remains limited. We investigate the horizontal and vertical habitat use of ABT (158 to 241 cm curved fork length; CFL) tracked from waters off the United Kingdom (UK) using pop-up satellite archival tags (n = 63).

Two decades of three-dimensional movement data from adult female northern elephant seals.

Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have been integral to the development and progress of biologging technology and movement data analysis, which continue to improve our understanding of this and other species. Adult female elephant seals at Año Nuevo Reserve and other colonies along the west coast of North America were tracked annually from 2004 to 2020, resulting in a total of 653 instrument deployments. This paper outlines the compilation and curation process of these high-resolution diving and location data, now accessible in two Dryad repositories.

Overexpression and alternative splicing of the glutamate-gated chloride channel are associated with emamectin benzoate resistance in the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

Background: The rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a damaging pest of rice worldwide. Following the evolution of C. suppressalis resistance to diamide and abamectin insecticides, emamectin benzoate (EB) became a key insecticide for the control of this species in China.

Impact of ontogeny and spines on the hydrodynamic performance of the Cambrian arthropod .

A metazoan-dominated biological pump was established early in the Phanerozoic, a time that saw the evolution of the first pelagic euarthropod zooplankton such as some species of the Cambrian bivalved euarthropod . Pelagic groups evolved from benthic stock, in many cases through neoteny and retention of characteristics from planktic larval stages. However, brooded eggs and did not have a planktic larval stage, precluding this route into the pelagic realm.

The sensory shark: high-quality morphological, genomic and transcriptomic data for the small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula reveal the molecular bases of sensory organ evolution in jawed vertebrates.

Cartilaginous fishes (chondrichthyans: chimaeras and elasmobranchs -sharks, skates and rays) hold a key phylogenetic position to explore the origin and diversifications of jawed vertebrates. Here, we report and integrate reference genomic, transcriptomic and morphological data in the small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula to shed light on the evolution of sensory organs. We first characterise general aspects of the catshark genome, confirming the high conservation of genome organisation across cartilaginous fishes, and investigate population genomic signatures.

Four new species of Crinopseudoa (Araneae: Corinnidae) from West Africa.

Four new species of Crinopseudoa are described from West Africa. Crinopseudoa kru sp. nov.

Both Environmental Conditions and Intra- and Interspecific Interactions Influence the Movements of a Marine Predator.

Animal movements are typically influenced by multiple environmental factors simultaneously, and individuals vary in their response to this environmental heterogeneity. Therefore, understanding how environmental aspects, including biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors, influence the movements of wild animals is an important focus of wildlife research and conservation. We apply Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to analyze movement networks of a bull shark population in a network of acoustic receivers and identify the effects of environmental, social, or other types of covariates on their movements.

Plant defense metabolites influence the interaction between an insect herbivore and an entomovirus.

The tri-trophic interaction of plants, insect herbivores, and entomoviruses is an important topic in ecology and pest control. The susceptibility of insect herbivores to entomoviruses (e.g.

The genome sequence of the silvery leafcutter bee, Curtis, 1828.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female (the silvery leafcutter bee; Arthropoda; Insecta; Hymenoptera; Megachilidae). The genome sequence is 573.0 megabases in span.

Long-term multi-species demographic studies reveal divergent negative impacts of winter storms on seabird survival.

Understanding storm impacts on marine vertebrate demography requires detailed meteorological data in tandem with long-term population monitoring. Yet most studies use storm proxies such as the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), potentially obfuscating a mechanistic understanding of current and future risk. Here, we investigate the impact of extratropical cyclones by extracting north Atlantic winter storm characteristics (storm number, intensity, clustering and wave conditions) and relating these with long-term overwinter adult survival of three long-lived sympatric seabirds which winter at sea-common guillemot Uria aalge, Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica and razorbill Alca torda.

Efficient modelling of infectious diseases in wildlife: A case study of bovine tuberculosis in wild badgers.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) has significant socio-economic and welfare impacts on the cattle industry in parts of the world. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, disease control is complicated by the presence of infection in wildlife, principally the European badger. Control strategies tend to be applied to whole populations, but better identification of key sources of transmission, whether individuals or groups, could help inform more efficient approaches.

Trade-offs, control conditions, and alternative designs in the experimental study of cultural evolution.

Although the theoretical foundations of the modern field of cultural evolution have been in place for over 50 y, laboratory experiments specifically designed to test cultural evolutionary theory have only existed for the last two decades. Here, we review the main experimental designs used in the field of cultural evolution, as well as major findings related to the generation of cultural variation, content- and model-based biases, cumulative cultural evolution, and nonhuman culture. We then identify methodological advances that demonstrate the iterative improvement of cultural evolution experimental methods.

Triggers of fishing gear loss incidents in small-scale fisheries in Peru.

This study sought to identify the causes of gear loss and determine the main fishing grounds where losses occurred. Data were collected between 2003 and 2023 from 17 ports along the Peruvian coast. Of 8742 fishing sets analyzed, bottom longlines reported the most incidents, (n = 456 with 38,130 hooks lost) of gear loss.