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This article presents outcomes from a Workshop entitled “Bioarchaeology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward, ” which was held at Arizona State University (ASU) on March 6–8, 2020. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the School of Human Evolution and Social Change (ASU), and the Center for Bioarchaeological Research (CBR, ASU), the Workshop's overall goal was to explore reasons why research proposals submitted by bioarchaeologists, both graduate students and established scholars, fared disproportionately poorly within recent NSF Anthropology Program competitions and to offer advice for increasing success. Therefore, this Workshop comprised 43 international scholars and four advanced graduate students with a history of successful grant acquisition, primarily from the United States. Ultimately, we focused on two related aims: (1) best practices for improving research designs and training and (2) evaluating topics of contemporary significance that reverberate through history and beyond as promising trajectories for bioarchaeological research. Among the former were contextual grounding, research question/hypothesis generation, statistical procedures appropriate for small samples and mixed qualitative/quantitative data, the salience of Bayesian methods, and training program content. Topical foci included ethics, social inequality, identity (including intersectionality), climate change, migration, violence, epidemic disease, adaptability/plasticity, the osteological paradox, and the developmental origins of health and disease. Given the profound changes required globally to address decolonization in the 21st century, this concern also entered many formal and informal discussions.

Density separation is a process routinely used to segregate minerals, organic matter, and even microplastics, from soils and sediments. Here we apply density separation to archaeological bone powders before DNA extraction to increase endogenous DNA recovery relative to a standard control extraction of the same powders. Using nontoxic heavy liquid solutions, we separated powders from the petrous bones of 10 individuals of similar archaeological preservation into eight density intervals (2.15 to 2.45 g/cm3, in 0.05 increments). We found that the 2.30 to 2.35 g/cm3and 2.35 to 2.40 g/cm3intervals yielded up to 5.28-fold more endogenous unique DNA than the corresponding standard extraction (and up to 8.53-fold before duplicate read removal), while maintaining signals of ancient DNA authenticity and not reducing library complexity. Although small 0.05 g/cm3intervals may maximally optimize yields, a single separation to remove materials with a density above 2.40 g/cm3yielded up to 2.57-fold more endogenous DNA on average, which enables the simultaneous separation of samples that vary in preservation or in the type of material analyzed. While requiring no new ancient DNA laboratory equipment and fewer than 30 min of extra laboratory work, the implementation of density separation before DNA extraction can substantially boost endogenous DNA yields without decreasing library complexity. Although subsequent studies are required, we present theoretical and practical foundations that may prove useful when applied to other ancient DNA substrates such as teeth, other bones, and sediments.

Human burials with skeletal remains of four individuals were discovered during the systematic archaeological excavation conducted between 2018 and 2021 at Kotlina - Szuzai Hegy site. Movable archaeological finds and direct radiocarbon dates show that the site can be attributed to the Lengyel culture. The skeletons were laid in shallow pits, in the contracted position, only 30 cm below the surface, which contributed to their bad preservation. Conventional bioarchaeological analysis revealed the sex and age-at-death of the studied individuals as well their health status. Their demographic profile was somewhat unusual: Grave 1 (G 1) contained the remains of a young female (17-22 years) while the other three burials contained the remains of subadults (Grave 2 an adolescent 11-13 years old ; Grave 4 a small child 2-3 years old ; Grave 5 an infant 6-9 months old). The samples from all four skeletons were taken for the purposes of ancient DNA and stable isotope analyses that will tell us more about the ancestry, kinship and diet of these individuals. The burials show evidence of complex funerary practice: ceramic vessels, polished stone tools, and mollusk shell bead. The human remains from Kotlina provide an excellent opportunity to reconstruct the biological profiles of the studied individuals, while recovered grave-goods allow a comprehensive archaeological analysis of mortuary practices in this Late Neolithic community, but also the analysis of the long-distance networks and exchange activities.

Alternative to the use of fossil fuels are biofuels (e.g., bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas), which are more environmentally friendly and which can be produced from different renewable resources. In this investigation, bioethanol production from raw sugar beet cossettes (semi-solid substrate) by yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a horizontal rotating tubular bioreactor (HRTB) was studied. Obtained results show that HRTB rotation mode (constant or interval) and rotation speed have considerable impact on the efficiency of bioethanol production in the HRTB. The main goal of this research was to develop a non-structural mathematical model of bioethanol production from raw sugar beet cossettes in the HRTB. The established mathematical model of bioethanol production in the HRTB describes substrate utilization and product formation (glycerol, ethanol and acetate) and presumes negative impact of high substrate concentration on the working microorganism (substrate inhibition) by using Andrews inhibition kinetics. All simulations of bioethanol production in the HRTB were performed by using Berkeley Madonna software, version 8.3.14 (Berkeley Madonna, Berkeley, CA, USA). The established non-structural bioprocess model describes relatively well the bioethanol production from raw sugar beet cossettes in the HRTB.

This paper presents the results of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses on human remains uncovered from Potočani, a Copper Age (Eneolithic) mass burial site in continental Croatia. The remains of at least 41individuals were uncovered in a pit in 2007 during rescue excavations in Požeško‐Slavonska county. Skeletal evidence of violence and the disorganized arrangement of bodies suggest that burial took place over a short period of time. Radiocarbon dates and associated ceramics indicate these people were part of the Lasinja cultural group, dating to the Middle Copper Age (ca.4200 cal BC). Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses on 40individuals indicate higher than expected nitrogen values in comparison with other regional populations and significant differences between children, juveniles, and adults at the site of Potočani. Bioarchaeological and stable isotope results support the interpretation that the people buried at Potočani likely experienced dietary stress in the years leading up to their violent deaths.

We demonstrate a unique approach to test the signature of the nodal-line physics by thermodynamic methods. By measuring magnetic susceptibility in ZrSiS we found an intriguing temperature-driven crossover from dia- to paramagnetic behavior. We show that the anomalous behavior represents a real thermodynamic signature of the underlying nodal-line physics through the means o chemical pressure (isovalent substitution of Zr for Hf), quantum oscillations, and theoretical model ng. The anomalous part of the susceptibility is orbital by nature, and it arises due to the vicinity of the Fermi level to a degeneracy point created by the crossing of two nodal lines. Furthermore, an unexpected Lifshitz topological transition at the degeneracy point is revealed by tuning the Ferm level. The present findings in ZrSiS give a new and attractive starting point for various nodal-lin physics-related phenomena to be tested by thermodynamic methods in other related materials.

Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000-3,000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed in the historical period onward (3,000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia, France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. Around 8% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring the geographic map. We show that, under standard population genetics models with local panmixia, the observed level of dispersal would lead to a collapse of population structure. Persistent population structure thus suggests a lower effective migration rate than indicated by the observed dispersal. We hypothesize that this phenomenon can be explained by extensive transient dispersal arising from drastically improved transportation networks and the Roman Empire’s mobilization of people for trade, labor, and military. This work highlights the utility of ancient DNA in elucidating finer scale human population dynamics in recent history.

Many anthropological studies have examined the functional implications of enamel thickness in human dental crowns. Despite limitations, Enamel thickness (ET) values are still used to infer taxonomic attribution in the genus Homo, and to identify mechanisms of functional adaptation against macrowear. However, only a few studies have tried to describe the possible relationship between ET and dental wear patterns in permanent lower first molars (M1) aiming to observe whether an adaptive response to the environmental and cultural context is detectable. The present work aims to investigate a possible signal of ET adaptive response in M1 (wear stage 3 ; Molnar, 1971) belonging to individuals who lived between the Neolithic (early 6th millennium BCE) and the Bronze Age (second half of the 2nd millennium BCE) in Croatia to identify any signal of change in dental tissue proportions based on archaeologically documented shifts in population structure and subsistence strategies. In order to do so, we explored 3D Average Enamel Thickness (AET) of the entire crown and wear pattern distribution among individuals and across chronological groups. We then described a new method called “Enamel Thickness per Masticatory Phases” (ETMP) involving the creation of virtual sections cutting enamel and coronal dentine in three parts based on masticatory phases, and explored the distribution of 3D AET accordingly. Finally, we performed geometric morphometric analysis on dental crown to ascertain possible morphological differences between Neolithic, Eneolithic, and Bronze Age groups. Results show that Bronze Age individuals differ from previous groups due to 1) higher values of ET in both the entire crown and specifically in the buccal area, 2) to an extensive wear pattern localized on the buccal side, and 3) to the distal extension of the hypoconid together with an extended mesio-distal shape of the crown. These patterns may represent an adaptive response of dental tissue to varying functional demands (e.g. archaeologically documented dietary shift). The study of ETMP therefore offers a more nuanced method, in addition to morphology and macrowear analysis, to document biocultural processes of change over time in archaeological populations through dental tissues.

We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and Levantine hunter-gatherers, forming a Neolithic continuum of ancestry mirroring the geography of West Asia. By analyzing Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic populations of Anatolia, we show that the former were derived from admixture between Mesopotamian-related and local Epipaleolithic-related sources, but the latter experienced additional Levantine-related gene flow, thus documenting at least two pulses of migration from the Fertile Crescent heartland to the early farmers of Anatolia., National Institutes of Health [GM100233, HG012287]; John Templeton Foundation [61220]; Allen Discovery Center program; Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group advised program of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The newly reported dataset is described in detail in an accompanying Research Article, where we also acknowledge the funders who supported dataset generation (12). Analysis of data was supported by the National Institutes of Health (GM100233 and HG012287), the John Templeton Foundation (grant 61220), a private gift from Jean-Francois Clin, the Allen Discovery Center program, a Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group advised program of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (D.R.).

Human culture, biology, and health were shaped dramatically by the onset of agriculture ∼12,000 y B.P. This shift is hypothesized to have resulted in increased individual fitness and population growth as evidenced by archaeological and population genomic data alongside a decline in physiological health as inferred from skeletal remains. Here, we consider osteological and ancient DNA data from the same prehistoric individuals to study human stature variation as a proxy for health across a transition to agriculture. Specifically, we compared “predicted” genetic contributions to height from paleogenomic data and “achieved” adult osteological height estimated from long bone measurements for 167 individuals across Europe spanning the Upper Paleolithic to Iron Age (∼38,000 to 2,400 B.P.). We found that individuals from the Neolithic were shorter than expected (given their individual polygenic height scores) by an average of −3.82 cm relative to individuals from the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic (P = 0.040) and −2.21 cm shorter relative to post-Neolithic individuals (P = 0.068), with osteological vs. expected stature steadily increasing across the Copper (+1.95 cm relative to the Neolithic), Bronze (+2.70 cm), and Iron (+3.27 cm) Ages. These results were attenuated when we additionally accounted for genome-wide genetic ancestry variation: for example, with Neolithic individuals −2.82 cm shorter than expected on average relative to pre-Neolithic individuals (P = 0.120). We also incorporated observations of paleopathological indicators of nonspecific stress that can persist from childhood to adulthood in skeletal remains into our model. Overall, our work highlights the potential of integrating disparate datasets to explore proxies of health in prehistory.

Pozvano predvanje govori o detekciji Diracove disperzije putem visokih magnetskih polja.

Osteochondroma or osteocartilaginous exostosis is one of the most common benign tumors of the bone. Causes for the disease are yet unknown, but there are indications that they may be linked to abnormality in the growth plate and possibly mutation in EXT1, EXT2 and EXT3 genes. Cases of reported osteochondromas range from prehistoric to contemporary examples, are not limited geographically, and no evidence for sex predominance has been reported.Here we present a unique case of large pedunculated-type osteochondroma on the right fibula of an adult female skeleton from the medieval site of Ilok- Krstbajer in eastern Croatia. In order to gain more insight into this pathological change we used holistic approach consisting of a combination of techniques that have not been used previously in the analysis of neoplasms from archaeological settings.The cauliflower-shaped growth is 50 mm long in sagittal and 57.41 mm in transverse diameterwith the tumor exhibiting a bulbous, rough superior surface, and a flat, smoother inferior surface. The gross morphology of the tumor together with radiological and histopathological features support the diagnosis of a proximal fibular osteochondroma making it the first such 11234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829 3031323334 case in an archaeological population. Based on archaeological context and similar clinical cases it seems that the presented osteochondroma did not have major impact on the life-quality of a woman affected by this pathology. The procedure used in this study is minimally invasive and highly accurate, and as such sets new analytical criteria for studies of ancient bone neoplasms.

Objectives The study of the development of human bipedalism can provide a unique perspective on the evolution of morphology and behavior across species. To generate new knowledge of these mechanisms, we analyze changes in both internal and external morphology of the growing human talus in a sample of modern human juveniles using an innovative approach. Materials and Methods The sample consists of high-resolution microCT scans of 70 modern juvenile tali, aged between 8 postnatal weeks and 10 years old, from a broad chronological range from Middle/Late Neolithic, that is, between 4800 and 4500 BCE, to the 20th century. We applied geometric morphometric and whole-bone trabecular analysis (bone volume fraction, degree of anisotropy, trabecular number, thickness, and spacing) to all specimens to identify changes in the external and internal morphology during growth. Morphometric maps were also generated. Results During the first year of life, the talus has an immature and globular shape, with a dense, compact, and rather isotropic trabecular architecture, with numerous trabeculae packed closely together. This pattern changes while children acquire a more mature gait, and the talus tends to have a lower bone volume fraction, a higher anisotropy, and a more mature shape. Discussion The changes in talar internal and external morphologies reflect the different loading patterns experienced during growth, gradually shifting from an “unspecialized” morphology to a more complex one, following the development of bipedal gait. Our research shows that talar plasticity, even though genetically driven, may show mechanical influences and contribute to tracking the main locomotor milestones.

Rad donosi rezultate arheoloških istraživanja provedenih u sklopu projekta Hrvatske zaklade za znanost pod nazivom „Prapovijesni lovci i sakupljači u Istri i obližnjim regijama: obrasci života tijekom kasnog pleistocena (PREHISTRIA)“ u sezoni 2021. kada su provedena sustavna istraživanja Ljubićeve pećine kraj Marčane, te Abri Kontije 002 u Limskom kanalu. U Ljubićevoj pećini proširena je postojeća sonda u manjoj pećinskoj dvorani te su u njoj otkriveni arheološki nalazi (keramika, litički nalazi, ljudski i životinjski ostaci) iz različitih prapovijesnih razdoblja (brončano doba, eneolitik, neolitik i paleolitik). Nadalje, provedena su i manja sustavna istraživanja u postojećoj arheološkoj sondi na lokalitetu Abri Kontija 002. Otkriveni su brojni litički i faunski nalazi iz razdoblja gornjeg paleolitika. Na oba lokaliteta uzeti su uzorci za radiometrijsko datiranje, analize sedimentne DNA, geoarheološke, arheobotaničke i analize sirovinskog materijala, ZooMS te druge vrste analiza. Analize ova dva nalazišta omogućit će bolje razumijevanje gornjopaleolitičkih obrazaca ponašanja i korištenja resursa tijekom posljednjeg glacijalnog maksimuma i kasnog glacijala na prostoru Istre., The paper presents the results of archaeological research carried out as part of the Croatian Science Foundation project entitled ‘Prehistoric hunter-gatherers in Istria and adjacent regions: patterns of Late Pleistocene lifestyle (PREHISTRIA)’ in the 2021 season, when systematic research was carried out in Ljubićeva Pećina, near Marčana, and Abri Kontija 002, in the Lim Channel. In Ljubićeva Pećina, the existing trench in the smaller cave chamber was expanded, and archaeological finds (ceramics, lithic finds, human and animal remains) from various prehistoric periods (Bronze Age, Eneolithic, Neolithic and Palaeolithic) were discovered in it. Further, smaller systematic excavations were carried out in the existing archaeological trench at the Abri Kontija 002 site. Numerous lithic and faunal finds dating to the Upper Palaeolithic period were discovered. At both sites, samples were taken for radiometric dating, sediment DNA analysis, geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical and raw-material analyses, ZooMS and other types of analysis. The comparison of these two sites will enable a better understanding of Upper Palaeolithic patterns of behaviour and resource use during the last glacial maximum and the Late Glacial in the area of Istria.

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, people in the central area of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van lacked the steppe ancestry characteristic of the kingdom's northern provinces. Anatolia exhibited extraordinary continuity down to the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its people serving as the demographic core of much of the Roman Empire, including the city of Rome itself. During medieval times, migrations associated with Slavic and Turkic speakers profoundly affected the region., National Institutes of Health [GM100233, HG012287]; John Templeton Foundation [61220]; Allen Discovery Center program; Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group advised program of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The newly reported dataset is described in detail in an accompanying manuscript, where we also acknowledge the funders who supported dataset generation (1). Analysis of data was supported by the National Institutes of Health (GM100233 and HG012287), the John Templeton Foundation (grant 61220), a private gift from Jean-Francois Clin, the Allen Discovery Center program, a Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group advised program of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (to D.R.).

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We shall present our recent study on the nodal-line Dirac system ZrSiS and our unique approach to test the signature of the nodal-line physics by thermodynamic methods. By measuring magnetic susceptibility in ZrSiS, we found an intriguing step-like temperature-driven transition from dia- to paramagnetic behavior. We show that the anomalous behavior represents a real thermodynamic signature of the underlying nodal-line physics through the means of chemical pressure (isovalent substitution of Zr for Hf), quantum oscillations, and theoretical modelling. The anomalous part of the susceptibility is orbital by nature. It arises due to the vicinity of the Fermi level to a degeneracy point created by the crossing of two nodal lines. Furthermore, an unexpected Lifshitz topological transition at the degeneracy point is revealed by tuning the Fermi level. The present findings in ZrSiS give a new and attractive starting point for various nodal-line physics- related phenomena to be tested by thermodynamic methods in other related materials.

BiSbTe2S doped with Sn is believed to be the “perfect” topological insulator [1] with the Fermi energy located in the energy gap. In our samples, we observed well-pronounced quantum oscillations (QOs) that survive up to 30 K. Measuring the QOs at different temperatures, we observed the shift in the frequency to lower values as the temperature is increased. Up to our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence of this kind of behavior. The surface-sensitive ARPES measurement didn’t observe any change in the position of the Fermi level as a function of temperature, Fig1. Indicating that the oscillations are coming from the bulk and not the Dirac surface states. Future experiments using ion-liquid gating, which allows tuning the Fermi level, have to be carried on to unambiguously find out the origin of the observed QOs.

Present-day people from England and Wales have more ancestry derived from early European farmers (EEF) than did people of the Early Bronze Age1. To understand this, here we generated genome-wide data from 793 individuals, increasing data from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age in Britain by 12-fold, and western and central Europe by 3.5-fold. Between 1000 and 875 BC, EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain (England and Wales) but not northern Britain (Scotland) due to incorporation of migrants who arrived at this time and over previous centuries, and who were genetically most similar to ancient individuals from France. These migrants contributed about half the ancestry of people of England and Wales from the Iron Age, thereby creating a plausible vector for the spread of early Celtic languages into Britain. These patterns are part of a broader trend of EEF ancestry becoming more similar across central and western Europe in the Middle to the Late Bronze Age, coincident with archaeological evidence of intensified cultural exchange2-6. There was comparatively less gene flow from continental Europe during the Iron Age, and the independent genetic trajectory in Britain is also reflected in the rise of the allele conferring lactase persistence to approximately 50% by this time compared to approximately 7% in central Europe where it rose rapidly in frequency only a millennium later. This suggests that dairy products were used in qualitatively different ways in Britain and in central Europe over this period., This work was funded in part by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 834087; the COMMIOS Project to I.A.). M.N. was supported by the Croatian Science Fund grant (HRZZ IP-2016-06-1450). P.V., M.Dobeš and Z.V. were supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2019-2023/7.I.c, 00023272). M.E. was supported by Czech Academy of Sciences award Praemium Academiae. M.Dobisíková and A.Danielisová were supported by the grant RVO 67985912 of the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. M.G.B.F. was funded by The Leverhulme Trust via a Doctoral Scholarship scheme awarded to M.Pala and M.B.R. Support to M.Legge came from the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership. M.G.’s osteological analyses were funded by Culture Vannin. A.S.-N. was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. T.H., T.S. and K.K.’s work was supported by a grant from the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (project number: FK128013). We acknowledge support for radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analyses as well as access to skeletal material from Manx National Heritage and A. Fox. Dating analysis was funded by Leverhulme Trust grant RPG-388. M.G.T. and I.B. were supported by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award (project 100713/Z/12/Z). I.O. was supported by a Ramón y Cajal grant from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spanish Government (RYC2019-027909-I). The research directed at Harvard was funded by NIH grants GM100233 and HG012287, by John Templeton Foundation grant 61220, by a gift from Jean-François Clin, and by the Allen Discovery Center program, a Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group advised program of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. D.R. is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Brewers' spent grains (BSG) are a by-product of the brewing industry that is mainly used as feedstock; otherwise, it has to be disposed according to regulations. Due to the high content of glucose and xylose, after pretreatment and hydrolysis, it can be used as a main carbohydrate source for cultivation of microorganisms for production of biofuels or biochemicals like 2,3-butanediol or lactate. 2,3-Butanediol has applications in the pharmaceutical or chemical industry as a precursor for varnishes and paints or in the food industry as an aroma compound. So far

Archaeological excavations at the Early/Middle Neolithic site at Smilčić‐Barica in 2016/2017 revealed skeletal remains of three people. Of particular interest is the skeleton from Grave 2, directly dated to 5616 and 5485 cal BCE, that is, to the Early Neolithic Impresso Pottery Culture. The skeleton was positioned on its left side, in a crouched position with bended knees and its right arm flexed at the elbow. Based on metric and morphological observations, the skeleton belongs to a young male, aged between 25 and 35 years. The most interesting feature is a penetrating trauma, probably caused by a projectile, located at intertrochanteric crest on the posterior proximal side on the left femur. A 15 × 4 × 3 mm lithic fragment is still embedded in the bone. Due to post‐mortem damage around the injury, it was not possible to establish possible signs of healing and/or inflammation. However, osteogenic reaction around the fragment is noted on computer tomography, indicating survival for a longer period. This is the earliest example of interpersonal violence recorded on the eastern Adriatic coast.

U špiljama i drugim speleološkim objektima kao arheološkim lokalitetima ponekad se nalaze ostaci ljudskih kostiju. Za većinu takvih špilja može se pretpostaviti kako predstavljaju mjesto ukopa, odnosno izvjestan oblik nekropole, mada je ponekad riječ i o slučajnome, pojedinačnom nalazu. Na osnovi okolnoga arheološkog konteksta ili provedenih dodatnih radiokarbonskih analiza na uzorcima kostiju, zaključujemo kako je uglavnom riječ o prapovijesnim razdobljima. Sličnu situaciju nalazimo na širem dubrovačkom području gdje su analizirane špilje na poluotoku Pelješcu (špilja Crno jezero u Ponikvama i špilja Gudnja u blizini Stona), Dubrovačkome primorju (Zmajeva peć u Čepikućama) te zapadnome dijelu grada Dubrovnika (Vilina špilja iznad izvora Omble, Močiljska špilja iznad Mokošice i Kukova peć u Brsečinama). Kod pojedinih ljudskih osteoloških nalaza u navedenim špiljama obavljena je i bioarheološka analiza, što upotpunjuje još uvijek slabo poznavanje korištenja špilja kao mjesta pokapanja u prošlosti., Caves and other speleological features as archaeological sites can contain the remains of human bones. Most of these caves can be assumed to be a burial site, or a sort of a necropolis, but they can also contain single chance finds. The surrounding archaeological contexts or additional radiocarbon analyses of the bone samples lead us to conclude that they mostly originate from prehistoric periods. A similar situation can be seen in the wider Dubrovnik area, with analysed caves on the peninsula of Pelješac (Crno Jezero Cave in Ponikve, Gudnja Cave near Ston), the Dubrovnik littoral (Zmajeva Peć in Čepikuće), and the western part of the city of Dubrovnik (Vilina Cave above the source of the Ombla, Močiljska Cave above Mokošica, Kukova Peć in Brsečine). Bioarchaeological analyses have been done for some of the human osteological finds from these caves, complementing the scant information on caves as burial sites from the past.

In this paper we present three prehistoric cases (two previously reported and one recently discovered) of trepanation from Croatia: Rudine, Bezdanjača and Jagodnjak, all dated to the Bronze Age. By using a detailed macroscopic analysis as well as radiographic imaging (x-ray and CT scanning) of the skulls, we provide a new assessment and interpretation for this type of surgical intervention during the Bronze Age. The first case was that of an adult male from the Rudine site dated to the Early Bronze Age ; the second trepanation was recorded on an adult female from the Bezdanjača Cave, dated to the Middle/Late Bronze Age ; the third case was observed on a juvenile cranium from the Jagodnjak site, dated to the Middle Bronze Age. All three cases exhibit several similarities: (i) all are located on the right side of the frontal bone ; (ii) all three are of similar dimension/shape ; (iii) in all cases all three layers of calvarium were breached ; and (iv) similar techniques for trepanation procedure were used in all cases. These three crania represent the oldest cases of intentional medical interventions in the territory of modern-day Croatia, while the Jagodnjak individual is the youngest person thus far discovered with this kind of treatment in the region.

U radu su prikazani rezultati bioarheološke analize ljudskih koštano-dentalnih ostataka iz dva kasnoantička groba (4. st.) iz Prozora (Arupium). U tekstuse donose povijesno-prostorni okvir, kao i osnovni podaci o historijatu istra- živanja Prozora i šireg područja. Dva analizirana kostura pripadaju odraslim osobama (muškarcu i ženi). Kosturi pokazuju različite patološke promjene, kao što je to linearna hipoplazija cakline u grobu 2 (žena) kao dokaz pretrpljenog fiziološkog stresa koji je osoba doživjela u djetinjstvu. S druge strane, kostur muške osobe iz groba 1 upućuje na lošu higijenu usne šupljine, intenzivnu fizičku aktivnost (osobito u području kralježnice) te mogućnost da je ta osoba bila jahač. Podaci u ovom radu predstavljaju prve (zasad i jedine) spoznaje o biološkim karakteristikama stanovnika Like za vrijeme kasne antike.

Multiwall carbon nanotubes and conducting polyaniline, doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, are blended by employing the solubility of both materials in chloroform. Pellets are made by pressing the dried powder of the obtained composite, and films by sedimentary deposition onto a plastic substrate. In these composites, the advantageous properties of carbon nanotubes can be utilized in fully conducting bulk and planar structures while the strong decrease of the conductivity of doped polyaniline at low temperatures is simultaneously suppressed. The nanotube content in pellets can be as high as 40% by weight, and this wide range leads to a control over the shape and magnitude of the conductivity versus temperature curves. As the nanotube content grows, the temperature dependence of the conductivity becomes less steep, which is similar to the effect of annealing temperature on the conductivity of certain polycrystalline graphene films. In our case, this change is most likely caused by the increase of the density of highly conducting channels and not by homogeneous delocalization effects.

Objectives: To provide a comprehensive analysis of perimortem cranial injuries foundon human remains from the Eneolithic (ca. 4200 BCE) mass grave discovered at Potočani, Croatia, to test if the assemblage is a result of a deliberate violent episode on a massive scale. Materials and Methods: Standard bioarchaeological analysis, including inventory of the preserved elements, minimum number of individuals, sex determination, age at death, as well as pattern and distribution of trauma, was recorded. Results: A minimum of 41 people are present in the sample. Both sexes and almost all age groups are represented, with a prevalence of children and young adults. Four blunt force antemortem injuries are registered in three adult males and one subadult while perimortem injuries are recorded on 13 crania with a total of 28 injuries. The distribution of perimortem injuries is not patterned with age, sex, or siding, and their location is on lateral, posterior, or superior parts of the crania. No “defensive wounds” or other type of injuries are observed on postcranial elements. Discussion: The injuries, manner of disposal of the bodies, radiocarbon dates, and other available data strongly suggest that the Potočani sample represents a single episode of execution during which the Potočani people were unable to defend them-selves. The Potočani massacre is the oldest such example in southeastern Europe and provides additional evidence that indiscriminate violence on a massive scale is not a product of modern societies.

Steppe-pastoralist-related ancestry reached Central Europe by at least 2500 bc, whereas Iranian farmer-related ancestry was present in Aegean Europe by at least 1900 bc. However, the spread of these ancestries into the western Mediterranean, where they have contributed to many populations that live today, remains poorly understood. Here, we generated genome-wide ancient-DNA data from the Balearic Islands, Sicily and Sardinia, increasing the number of individuals with reported data from 5 to 66. The oldest individual from the Balearic Islands (~2400 bc) carried ancestry from steppe pastoralists that probably derived from west-to-east migration from Iberia, although two later Balearic individuals had less ancestry from steppe pastoralists. In Sicily, steppe pastoralist ancestry arrived by ~2200 bc, in part from Iberia; Iranian-related ancestry arrived by the mid-second millennium bc, contemporary to its previously documented spread to the Aegean; and there was large-scale population replacement after the Bronze Age. In Sardinia, nearly all ancestry derived from the island’s early farmers until the first millennium bc, with the exception of an outlier from the third millennium bc, who had primarily North African ancestry and who—along with an approximately contemporary Iberian—documents widespread Africa-to-Europe gene flow in the Chalcolithic. Major immigration into Sardinia began in the first millennium bc and, at present, no more than 56–62% of Sardinian ancestry is from its first farmers. This value is lower than previous estimates, highlighting that Sardinia, similar to every other region in Europe, has been a stage for major movement and mixtures of people., D.M.F. was supported by an Irish Research Council grant GOIPG/2013/36. Radiocarbon work was supported in part by the NSF Archaeometry program BCS-1460369 (to D.J.K. and B.J.C). C.L.-F. was supported by Obra Social La Caixa and by FEDER-MINECO (BFU2015-64699-P and PGC2018-095931-B-100). D.C. was supported by grant 20177PJ9XF MIUR PRIN 2017. D.Reich is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and his ancient-DNA laboratory work was supported by National Science Foundation HOMINID grant BCS-1032255, a National Institutes of Health grant GM100233, an Allen Discovery Center grant, and grant no. 61220 from the John Templeton Foundation.

Human culture, biology, and health were shaped dramatically by the onset of agriculture ~12,000 years before present (BP). Subsistence shifts from hunting and gathering to agriculture are hypothesized to have resulted in increased individual fitness and population growth as evidenced by archaeological and population genomic data alongside a simultaneous decline in physiological health as inferred from paleopathological analyses and stature reconstructions of skeletal remains. A key component of the health decline inference is that relatively shorter statures observed for early farmers may (at least partly) reflect higher childhood disease burdens and poorer nutrition. However, while such stresses can indeed result in growth stunting, height is also highly heritable, and substantial inter-individual variation in the height genetic component within a population is typical. Moreover, extensive migration and gene flow were characteristics of multiple agricultural transitions worldwide. Here, we consider both osteological and ancient DNA data from the same prehistoric individuals to comprehensively study the trajectory of human stature variation as a proxy for health across a transition to agriculture. Specifically, we compared ‘predicted’ genetic contributions to height from paleogenomic data and ‘achieved’ adult osteological height estimated from long bone measurements on a per-individual basis for n=160 ancient Europeans from sites spanning the Upper Paleolithic to the Iron Age (~38,000-2,400 BP). We found that individuals from the Neolithic were shorter than expected (given their individual polygenic height scores) by an average of −4.47 cm relative to individuals from the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic (P=0.016). The average osteological vs. expected stature then increased relative to the Neolithic over the Copper (+2.67 cm, P=0.052), Bronze (+3.33 cm, P=0.032), and Iron Ages (+3.95 cm, P=0.094). These results were partly attenuated when we accounted for genome-wide genetic ancestry variation in our sample (which we note is partly duplicative with the individual polygenic score information). For example, in this secondary analysis Neolithic individuals were −3.48 cm shorter than expected on average relative to individuals from the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic (P=0.056). We also incorporated observations of paleopathological indicators of non-specific stress that can persist from childhood to adulthood in skeletal remains (linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis) into our model. Overall, our work highlights the potential of integrating disparate datasets to explore proxies of health in prehistory.