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In 2019 a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigation was conducted at Kiriath-Yearim near Jerusalem, one of the largest Bronze and Iron Ages mounds in the highlands of the southern Levant. The main objective was to test an archaeological hypothesis regarding the existence of an Iron Age summit compound which was supported by monumental stone retaining walls.We used a wheeled GPR with simultaneous central frequencies of 200, 400, and 800 MHz. Despite attenuation in the topsoil, scattering by distributed rock fragments, and asphalt pavement, we were able to penetrate almost a meter and detect anomalies.Some of the GPR anomalies are consistent with the above-mentioned theory, meaning that their locations agree with data retrieved in nearby control trenches and with the plan of the site.The excavation findings, jointly with the GPR interpretation, indeed imply the existence of a rectangular monumental summit compound that dates to the 8th century BCE. more...

The textual evidence from ancient Judah is mainly limited to ostraca, ink‐on‐clay inscriptions. Their facsimiles (binary depictions) are indispensable for further analysis. Previous attempts at mechanizing the creation of facsimiles have been problematic. Here, we present a proof of concept of objective binary image acquisition, via Raman mapping. Our method is based on a new peak detection transform, handling the challenging fluorescence of the clay, and circumventing preparatory ink composition analysis. A sequence of binary mappings (signifying the peaks) is created for each wavelength; their legibility reflects the prominence of Raman lines. Applied to a biblical‐period ostracon, the method exhibits high statistical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Male territorial-sneaker polymorphisms are common in nature. To understand how these polymorphisms evolve, we developed a game theoretical model analogous to the classical Hawk-Dove model, but with two important differences. First, we allowed non-uniform interaction rates of strategies to account for the possibility that some interactions between male strategies are disproportionately more frequent than others. Second, we allowed females to exhibit a preference for one type of male and thereby choose mates adaptively. Selection dynamics were modeled using coupled replicator equations. The model confirms that there is a broad range of conditions under which a male polymorphism will arise. We applied the model to understand the genetic polymorphism in adult male Mnais damselflies (Zygoptera). Here, orange-winged adult males defend oviposition sites and mate with females when they arrive, while clear-winged 'sneaker' males are typically non-territorial and opportunistically mate with females. Intriguingly, in allopatry, the males of Mnais costalis and M. pruinosa both exhibit the same orange-clear winged polymorphism but where the species co-occur, males of M. costalis evolve orange wings while males of M. pruinosa tend to evolve clear wings. To understand this phenomenon and evaluate the importance of female choice in mediating it, we extended our game-theoretical model to two interacting species. While both competitive and reproductive interference can explain the male monomorphisms in sympatry, reproductive interference explains the phenomenon under a wider set of conditions. When females of the rarer species change their male preferences to facilitate species discrimination, it can generate runaway selection on male phenotypes., Competing Interests: The authors are not aware of any competing or financial interests., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology.) more...

The Negev Highlands arid region (southern Levant) shows evidence of sharp settlement fluctuations, with several periods of strong human activity separated by centuries with no evidence of sedentary life. In this study, we used the palynological method in order to shed light on the region's demographic history in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Fifty-four samples of pollen were collected and analyzed from secure archaeological contexts in four Negev Highlands sites: Nahal Boqer 66, dated to the Early Bronze Age and Early Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 3200-2200 BCE); Ein Ziq, dated to the Early Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 2500-2200 BCE); Mashabe Sade, dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 2500-2000 BCE); and Haroa, dated to the Iron Age IIA (ca. late 10th through 9th centuries BCE). Our study revealed no evidence of cereal cultivation, with some hints that the inhabitants' diets may have included plants gathered from the wild. Only one of the sites, Nahal Boqer 66, showed micro-indicators of animal dung remains, suggesting that the inhabitants herded animals. The palynological evidence did, however, emphasize that the livestock there were not fed or supplemented with agricultural by-products but rather grazed freely on wild vegetation. The pollen data also suggest that all four sites were occupied only during late winter and spring. The activity in the Negev Highlands during the third millennium BCE was probably related to the copper industry in the Arabah and to copper transportation to settled neighboring lands, especially Egypt. A relatively humid climate supported the trade through the Negev Highlands. Deterioration in both climate conditions and settlement activity was documented in the second half of the Intermediate Bronze Age., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Langgut, Finkelstein. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.) more...

Nuclear DNA in eukaryotes is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes on a chromatin fiber. Dynamic folding of the chromatin fiber into loops and variations in the degree of chromatin compaction regulate essential processes such as transcription, recombination, and mitotic chromosome segregation. Our understanding of the physical properties that allow chromatin to be dynamically remodeled even in highly compacted states is limited. Previously, we reported that chromatin has an intrinsic capacity to phase separate and form dynamic liquid-like condensates, which can be regulated by cellular factors [B. A. Gibson et al. , Cell 179 , 470-484.e421 (2019)]. Recent contradictory reports claim that a specific set of solution conditions is required for fluidity in condensates that would otherwise be solid [J. C. Hansen, K. Maeshima, M. J. Hendzel, Epigenetics Chromatin 14 , 50 (2021); H. Strickfaden et al. , Cell 183 , 1772-1784.e1713 (2020)]. We sought to resolve these discrepancies, as our ability to translate with confidence these biophysical observations to cells requires their precise characterization. Moreover, whether chromatin assemblies are dynamic or static affects how processes such as transcription, loop extrusion, and remodeling will engage them inside cells. Here, we show in diverse conditions and without specific buffering components that chromatin fragments form phase separated fluids in vitro. We also explore how sample preparation and imaging affect the experimental observation of chromatin condensate dynamics. Last, we describe how liquid-like in vitro behaviors can translate to the locally dynamic but globally constrained chromatin movement observed in cells. more...

Background: PREDICT was a Canadian, multicenter, prospective, observational study in adults naïve to onabotulinumtoxinA treatment for chronic migraine (CM). We descriptively assess health resource utilization, work productivity, and acute medication use., Methods: OnabotulinumtoxinA (155-195 U) was administered every 12 weeks over 2 years (≤7 treatment cycles). Participants completed a 4-item health resource utilization questionnaire and 6-item Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem V2.0. Acute medication use was recorded in daily headache diaries. Treatment-emergent adverse events were recorded throughout the study., Results: A total of 197 participants were enrolled, and 184 received ≥1 treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA and were included in the analysis. Between baseline and the final visit, there were decreases in the percentage of participants who reported headache-related healthcare professional visit(s) (96.2% to 76.8%) and those who received headache-related diagnostic testing (37.5% to 9.9%). Reductions from baseline were also observed in the mean number of headache-related visits to an emergency room/urgent care clinic (2.5 to 1.4) and median headache-related hospital admissions (4.0 to 1.0). OnabotulinumtoxinA improved work productivity and reduced the mean (standard deviation) number of hours missed from work over a 7-day period (6.1 [9.7] to 3.0 [6.8]). Mean (standard deviation) acute medication use decreased from baseline (15.2 [7.6] to 9.1 [6.5] days). No new safety signals were identified., Conclusions: Real-world evidence from PREDICT demonstrates that onabotulinumtoxinA treatment for CM in the Canadian population reduces health resource utilization and acute medication use and improves workplace productivity, supporting the long-term benefits of using onabotulinumtoxinA for CM. more...

Here we present the paleopathological profiles of two young adult males, identified as brothers through ancient DNA analysis, who were buried together beneath the floor of an elite early Late Bronze Age I (ca. 1550-1450 BC) domestic structure at the urban center of Megiddo (modern Israel). Both individuals displayed uncommon morphological variants related to developmental conditions, and each exhibited extensive bone remodeling consistent with chronic infectious disease. Additionally, one brother had a healed fracture of the nose, as well as a large square piece of bone cut from the frontal bone (cranial trephination). We consider the potential etiologies for the appearance of the skeletal anomalies and lesions. Based on the bioarchaeological context, we propose that a shared epigenetic landscape predisposed the brothers to acquiring an infectious disease and their elite status privileged them enough to endure it. We then contextualize these potential illnesses and disorders with the trephination procedure. The infrequency of trephination in the region indicates that only selected individuals could access such a procedure, and the severity of the pathological lesions suggests the procedure was possibly intended as curative to deteriorating health. Ultimately, both brothers were buried with the same rites as others in their community, thus demonstrating their continued integration in society even after death., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Kalisher et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.) more...

Our understanding of geomagnetic field intensity prior to the era of direct instrumental measurements relies on paleointensity analysis of rocks and archaeological materials that serve as magnetic recorders. Only in rare cases are absolute paleointensity data sets continuous over millennial timescales, in sub-centennial resolution, and directly dated using radiocarbon. As a result, fundamental properties of the geomagnetic field, such as its maximum intensity and rate of change have remained a subject of lively discussion. Here, we place firm constraints on these two quantities using Bayesian modeling of well-dated archaeomagnetic intensity data from the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia. We report new data from 23 groups of pottery collected from 18 consecutive radiocarbon-dated archaeological strata from Tel Megiddo, Israel. In the Near East, the period of 1700-550 BCE is represented by 84 groups of archaeological artifacts, 55 of which were dated using radiocarbon or a direct link to clear historically dated events, providing unprecedented sub-century resolution. Moreover, stratigraphic relationships between samples collected from multi-layered sites enable further refinement of the data ages. The Bayesian curve shows four geomagnetic spikes between 1050 and 600 BCE, with virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) reaching values of 155-162 ZAm 2 , much higher than any prediction from geomagnetic field models. Rates of change associated with the four spikes are ∼0.35-0.55 μT/year (∼0.7-1.1 ZAm 2 /year), at least twice the maximum rate inferred from direct observations spanning the past 180 years. The increase from 1750 to 1030 BCE (73-161 ZAm 2 ) depicts the Holocene's largest change in field intensity., (© 2022. The Authors.) more...

Background: The PREDICT study assessed real-world, long-term health-related quality of life in adults with chronic migraine (CM) receiving onabotulinumtoxinA., Methods: Canadian, multicenter, prospective, observational study in adults naïve to onabotulinumtoxinA for CM. OnabotulinumtoxinA (155-195 U) was administered every 12 weeks over 2 years (≤7 treatment cycles). Primary endpoint: mean change in Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ) at treatment 4 (Tx4) versus baseline. Secondary endpoints: mean change in MSQ at final visit versus baseline, and headache days., Results: 184 participants (average age 45 years; 84.8% female; 94.6% Caucasian) received ≥1 onabotulinumtoxinA treatment; 150 participants completed 4 treatments (1 year) and 123 completed all 7 treatment cycles (2 years). Mean (SD) onabotulinumtoxinA dose per treatment cycle was 171 (18) U and treatment interval was 13.2 (1.8) weeks. Baseline mean (SD) 20.9 (6.7) headache days/month decreased (Tx1: -3.5 [6.3]; Tx4: -6.5 [6.6]; p < 0.0001 versus baseline). Mean (SD) increased from baseline in MSQ at Tx4 (restrictive: 21.5 [24.3], preventive: 19.5 [24.7], emotional: 22.9 [32.9]) and the final visit (restrictive: 21.3 [23.0], preventive: 19.2 [23.7], emotional: 27.4 [30.7]), exceeding minimal important differences (all p < 0.0001). Seventy-seven (41.8%) participants reported 168 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs); 38 TEAEs (12.0%) were considered treatment-related. Four (2.2%) participants reported six serious TEAEs; none were considered treatment-related. No new safety signals were identified., Conclusions: Real-world evidence from PREDICT demonstrates that onabotulinumtoxinA for CM in Canada improved MSQ scores and reduced headache frequency and severity, adding to the body of evidence on the long-term safety and effectiveness of onabotulinumtoxinA for CM. more...

The article presents results of residue analysis, based on Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) measurements, conducted on 13 ceramic storage jars unearthed in the Babylonian destruction layer (586 BCE) in Jerusalem. Five of the jars bear rosette stamp impressions on their handles, indicating that their content was related to the kingdom of Judah's royal economy. The identification of the original contents remains is significant for the understanding of many aspects related to the nutrition, economy and international trade in the ancient Levant. The study shed light on the contents of the jars and the destruction process of the buildings in which they were found. The jars were used alternatively for storing wine and olive oil. The wine was flavored with vanilla. These results attest to the wine consumption habits of the Judahite elite and echo Jerusalem's involvement in the trans-regional South Arabian trade of spices and other lucrative commodities on the eve of its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. more...

Although the key role of long-distance trade in the transformation of cuisines worldwide has been well-documented since at least the Roman era, the prehistory of the Eurasian food trade is less visible. In order to shed light on the transformation of Eastern Mediterranean cuisines during the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, we analyzed microremains and proteins preserved in the dental calculus of individuals who lived during the second millennium BCE in the Southern Levant. Our results provide clear evidence for the consumption of expected staple foods, such as cereals (Triticeae), sesame ( Sesamum ), and dates ( Phoenix ). We additionally report evidence for the consumption of soybean ( Glycine ), probable banana ( Musa ), and turmeric ( Curcuma ), which pushes back the earliest evidence of these foods in the Mediterranean by centuries (turmeric) or even millennia (soybean). We find that, from the early second millennium onwards, at least some people in the Eastern Mediterranean had access to food from distant locations, including South Asia, and such goods were likely consumed as oils, dried fruits, and spices. These insights force us to rethink the complexity and intensity of Indo-Mediterranean trade during the Bronze Age as well as the degree of globalization in early Eastern Mediterranean cuisine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest. more...

Arad is a well preserved desert fort on the southern frontier of the biblical kingdom of Judah. Excavation of the site yielded over 100 Hebrew ostraca (ink inscriptions on potsherds) dated to ca. 600 BCE, the eve of Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem. Due to the site's isolation, small size and texts that were written in a short time span, the Arad corpus holds important keys to understanding dissemination of literacy in Judah. Here we present the handwriting analysis of 18 Arad inscriptions, including more than 150 pair-wise assessments of writer's identity. The examination was performed by two new algorithmic handwriting analysis methods and independently by a professional forensic document examiner. To the best of our knowledge, no such large-scale pair-wise assessments of ancient documents by a forensic expert has previously been published. Comparison of forensic examination with algorithmic analysis is also unique. Our study demonstrates substantial agreement between the results of these independent methods of investigation. Remarkably, the forensic examination reveals a high probability of at least 12 writers within the analyzed corpus. This is a major increment over the previously published algorithmic estimations, which revealed 4-7 writers for the same assemblage. The high literacy rate detected within the small Arad stronghold, estimated (using broadly-accepted paleo-demographic coefficients) to have accommodated 20-30 soldiers, demonstrates widespread literacy in the late 7th century BCE Judahite military and administration apparatuses, with the ability to compose biblical texts during this period a possible by-product., Competing Interests: NO authors have competing interests. more...

Background: A population well-prepared for mass emergencies will respond better in real-time crisis and will be less exposed to the negative effects caused by the event. Our aim was to learn about the ways in which people with disabilities perceive emergencies and to understand their needs in preparing for these situations. Methods: Sixteen semistructured in-depth interviews were held with 17 people with disabilities (motor, sensory or mental) (One interview was with a pair who chose to be interviewed together). The analysis was conducted using the phenomenological approach. Results: Participants had not made any particular preparation for managing emergencies. Their approach was fatalistic, given their strong dependence on people and machines. They expressed their general distrust of the authorities' ability to address their needs in an emergency. Even individuals with the same disability presented a variety of needs. Conclusions: To properly address the vulnerability of people with disabilities in emergencies, professionals need a better understanding of their individual way of life in routine times and to find ways to empower them to become involved in their own emergency preparedness. The needs of people with disabilities should be considered in terms of space and time, as well as by categories of disability. more...

We report genome-wide DNA data for 73 individuals from five archaeological sites across the Bronze and Iron Ages Southern Levant. These individuals, who share the "Canaanite" material culture, can be modeled as descending from two sources: (1) earlier local Neolithic populations and (2) populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros or the Bronze Age Caucasus. The non-local contribution increased over time, as evinced by three outliers who can be modeled as descendants of recent migrants. We show evidence that different "Canaanite" groups genetically resemble each other more than other populations. We find that Levant-related modern populations typically have substantial ancestry coming from populations related to the Chalcolithic Zagros and the Bronze Age Southern Levant. These groups also harbor ancestry from sources we cannot fully model with the available data, highlighting the critical role of post-Bronze-Age migrations into the region over the past 3,000 years., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) more...

Past excavations in Samaria, capital of biblical Israel, yielded a corpus of Hebrew ink on clay inscriptions (ostraca) that documents wine and oil shipments to the palace from surrounding localities. Many questions regarding these early 8th century BCE texts, in particular the location of their composition, have been debated. Authorship in countryside villages or estates would attest to widespread literacy in a relatively early phase of ancient Israel's history. Here we report an algorithmic investigation of 31 of the inscriptions. Our study establishes that they were most likely written by two scribes who recorded the shipments in Samaria. We achieved our results through a method comprised of image processing and newly developed statistical learning techniques. These outcomes contrast with our previous results, which indicated widespread literacy in the kingdom of Judah a century and half to two centuries later, ca. 600 BCE., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. more...

Most surviving biblical period Hebrew inscriptions are ostraca-ink-on-clay texts. They are poorly preserved and once unearthed, fade rapidly. Therefore, proper and timely documentation of ostraca is essential. Here we show a striking example of a hitherto invisible text on the back side of an ostracon revealed via multispectral imaging. This ostracon, found at the desert fortress of Arad and dated to ca. 600 BCE (the eve of Judah's destruction by Nebuchadnezzar), has been on display for half a century. Its front side has been thoroughly studied, while its back side was considered blank. Our research revealed three lines of text on the supposedly blank side and four "new" lines on the front side. Our results demonstrate the need for multispectral image acquisition for both sides of all ancient ink ostraca. Moreover, in certain cases we recommend employing multispectral techniques for screening newly unearthed ceramic potsherds prior to disposal. more...

The Late Bronze of the Eastern Mediterranean (1550-1150 BCE) was a period of strong commercial relations and great prosperity, which ended in collapse and migration of groups to the Levant. Here we aim at studying the translocation of cattle and pigs during this period. We sequenced the first ancient mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA of cattle from Greece and Israel and compared the results with morphometric analysis of the metacarpal in cattle. We also increased previous ancient pig DNA datasets from Israel and extracted the first mitochondrial DNA for samples from Greece. We found that pigs underwent a complex translocation history, with links between Anatolia with southeastern Europe in the Bronze Age, and movement from southeastern Europe to the Levant in the Iron I (ca. 1150-950 BCE). Our genetic data did not indicate movement of cattle between the Aegean region and the southern Levant. We detected the earliest evidence for crossbreeding between taurine and zebu cattle in the Iron IIA (ca. 900 BCE). In light of archaeological and historical evidence on Egyptian imperial domination in the region in the Late Bronze Age, we suggest that Egypt attempted to expand dry farming in the region in a period of severe droughts. more...

The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system corrects errors that occur during DNA replication. MMR needs the coordinated and highly dynamic assembly of repair enzymes at the site of the lesion. By visualizing transient intermediates of these assemblies, single-molecule approaches have shed critical insights into the mechanisms of MMR. These studies frequently require long (>20kb) DNA substrates with lesions and other extrahelical structures inserted at defined positions. DNA derived from bacteriophage λ (λ-DNA) is a high quality long (48.5kb) DNA substrate that is frequently used in single-molecule studies. Here we provide detailed protocols for site-specific incorporation of recombinant sequences and extrahelical structures into λ-DNA. We also describe how to assemble DNA curtains, and how to collect and analyze single-molecule observations of lesion recognition by MMR proteins diffusing on these DNA curtains. These protocols will facilitate future single-molecule studies of DNA transcription, replication, and repair., (© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) more...

The relationship between the expansion of literacy in Judah and composition of biblical texts has attracted scholarly attention for over a century. Information on this issue can be deduced from Hebrew inscriptions from the final phase of the first Temple period. We report our investigation of 16 inscriptions from the Judahite desert fortress of Arad, dated ca 600 BCE-the eve of Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem. The inquiry is based on new methods for image processing and document analysis, as well as machine learning algorithms. These techniques enable identification of the minimal number of authors in a given group of inscriptions. Our algorithmic analysis, complemented by the textual information, reveals a minimum of six authors within the examined inscriptions. The results indicate that in this remote fort literacy had spread throughout the military hierarchy, down to the quartermaster and probably even below that rank. This implies that an educational infrastructure that could support the composition of literary texts in Judah already existed before the destruction of the first Temple. A similar level of literacy in this area is attested again only 400 y later, ca 200 BCE. more...