"Until death do us part". A multidisciplinary study on human- Animal co- burials from the Late Iron Age necropolis of Seminario Vescovile in Verona (Northern Italy, 3rd-1st c. BCE).

Animal remains are a common find in prehistoric and protohistoric funerary contexts. While taphonomic and osteological data provide insights about the proximate (depositional) factors responsible for these findings, the ultimate cultural causes leading to this observed mortuary behavior are obscured by the opacity of the archaeological record and the lack of written sources. Here, we apply an interdisciplinary suite of analytical approaches (zooarchaeological, anthropological, archaeological, paleogenetic, and isotopic) to explore the funerary deposition of animal remains and the nature of joint human-animal burials at Seminario Vescovile (Verona, Northern Italy 3rd-1st c. BCE). This context, culturally attributed to the Cenomane culture, features 161 inhumations, of which only 16 included animal remains in the form of full skeletons, isolated skeletal parts, or food offerings. Of these, four are of particular interest as they contain either horses (Equus caballus) or dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)-animals that did not play a dietary role. Analyses show no demographic, dietary, funerary similarities, or genetic relatedness between individuals buried with animals. Isotopic data from two analyzed dogs suggest differing management strategies for these animals, possibly linked to economic and/or ritual factors. Overall, our results point to the unsuitability of simple, straightforward explanations for the observed funerary variability. At the same time, they connect the evidence from Seminario Vescovile with documented Transalpine cultural traditions possibly influenced by local and Roman customs

Hallstatt miners consumed blue cheese and beer during the Iron Age and retained a non-Westernized gut microbiome until the Baroque period

21openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorWe subjected human paleofeces dating from the Bronze Age to the Baroque period (18th century AD) to in-depth microscopic, metagenomic, and proteomic analyses. The paleofeces were preserved in the underground salt mines of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hallstatt in Austria. This allowed us to reconstruct the diet of the former population and gain insights into their ancient gut microbiome composition. Our dietary survey identified bran and glumes of different cereals as some of the most prevalent plant fragments. This highly fibrous, carbohydrate-rich diet was supplemented with proteins from broad beans and occasionally with fruits, nuts, or animal food products. Due to these traditional dietary habits, all ancient miners up to the Baroque period have gut microbiome structures akin to modern non-Westernized individuals whose diets are also mainly composed of unprocessed foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. This may indicate a shift in the gut community composition of modern Westernized populations due to quite recent dietary and lifestyle changes. When we extended our microbial survey to fungi present in the paleofeces, in one of the Iron Age samples, we observed a high abundance of Penicillium roqueforti and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA. Genome-wide analysis indicates that both fungi were involved in food fermentation and provides the first molecular evidence for blue cheese and beer consumption in Iron Age Europe.openMaixner, Frank; Sarhan, Mohamed S; Huang, Kun D; Tett, Adrian; Schoenafinger, Alexander; Zingale, Stefania; Blanco-Míguez, Aitor; Manghi, Paolo; Cemper-Kiesslich, Jan; Rosendahl, Wilfried; Kusebauch, Ulrike; Morrone, Seamus R; Hoopmann, Michael R; Rota-Stabelli, Omar; Rattei, Thomas; Moritz, Robert L; Oeggl, Klaus; Segata, Nicola; Zink, Albert; Reschreiter, Hans; Kowarik, KerstinMaixner, F.; Sarhan, M.S.; Huang, K.D.; Tett, A.; Schoenafinger, A.; Zingale, S.; Blanco-Míguez, A.; Manghi, P.; Cemper-Kiesslich, J.; Rosendahl, W.; Kusebauch, U.; Morrone, S.R.; Hoopmann, M.R.; Rota-Stabelli, O.; Rattei, T.; Moritz, R.L.; Oeggl, K.; Segata, N.; Zink, A.; Reschreiter, H.; Kowarik, K

Genomic Correlates of Atherosclerosis in Ancient Humans

Paleogenetics offers a unique opportunity to study human evolution, population dynamics, and disease evolution in situ. Although histologic and computed x-ray tomographic investigations of ancient mummies have clearly shown that atherosclerosis has been present in humans for more than 5,000 years, limited data are available on the presence of genetic predisposition for cardiovascular disease in ancient human populations. In a previous whole-genome study of the Tyrolean Iceman, a 5,300-year-old glacier mummy from the Alps, an increased risk for coronary heart disease was detected. The Iceman’s genome revealed several single nucleotide polymorphisms that are linked with cardiovascular disease in genome-wide association studies. Future genetic studies of ancient humans from various geographic origins and time periods have the potential to provide more insights into the presence and possible changes of genetic risk factors in our ancestors. The study of ancient humans and a better understanding of the interaction between environmental and genetic influences on the development of heart diseases may lead to a more effective prevention and treatment of the most common cause of death in the modern world

The \u3ci\u3ePrevotella copri\u3c/i\u3e Complex Comprises Four Distinct Clades Underrepresented in Westernized Populations

Prevotella copri is a common human gut microbe that has been both positively and negatively associated with host health. In a cross-continent metaanalysis exploiting \u3e6,500 metagenomes, we obtained \u3e1,000 genomes and explored the genetic and population structure of P. copri. P. copri encompasses four distinct clades (\u3e10% inter-clade genetic divergence) that we propose constitute the P. copri complex, and all clades were confirmed by isolate sequencing. These clades are nearly ubiquitous and co-present in non-Westernized populations. Genomic analysis showed substantial functional diversity in the complex with notable differences in carbohydrate metabolism, suggesting that multi-generational dietary modifications may be driving reduced prevalence in Westernized populations. Analysis of ancient metagenomes highlighted patterns of P. copri presence consistent with modern non-Westernized populations and a clade delineation time pre-dating human migratory waves out of Africa. These findings reveal that P. copri exhibits a high diversity that is underrepresented in Western-lifestyle populations

The Iceman's Last Meal Consisted of Fat, Wild Meat, and Cereals

The history of humankind is marked by the constant adoption of new dietary habits affecting human physiology, metabolism, and even the development of nutrition-related disorders. Despite clear archaeological evidence for the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture in Neolithic Europe [1], very little information exists on the daily dietary habits of our ancestors. By undertaking a complementary -omics approach combined with microscopy, we analyzed the stomach content of the Iceman, a 5,300-yearold European glacier mummy [2, 3]. He seems to have had a remarkably high proportion of fat in his diet, supplemented with fresh or dried wild meat, cereals, and traces of toxic bracken. Our multipronged approach provides unprecedented analytical depth, deciphering the nutritional habit, meal composition, and food-processing methods of this Copper Age individual

Herniation Pits in Human Mummies: A CT Investigation in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Sicily

Herniation pits (HPs) of the femoral neck were first described in a radiological publication in 1982 as round to oval radiolucencies in the proximal superior quadrant of the femoral neck on anteroposterior radiographs of adults. In following early clinical publications, HPs were generally recognized as an incidental finding. In contrast, in current clinical literature they are mentioned in the context of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) of the hip joint, which is known to cause osteoarthritis (OA). The significance of HPs in chronic skeletal disorders such as OA is still unclear, but they are discussed as a possible radiological indicator for FAI in a large part of clinical studies

Illustrationen als Paratext beim Ubersetzen : Mit Beispielen aus einem Werk von O. Preusler

Purpose: The authors tested associations between (a) parent-reported temporary vs. persistent vocabulary delay and (b) parent-reported behavioral/emotional problems in a sample of 5,497 young Dutch children participating in a prospective population-based study. Method: Mothers completed the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory-Netherlands (Zink & Lejaegere, 2003) at age 18 months and the Language Development Survey (Rescorla, 1989) at age 30 months, with expressive vocabulary delay defined as scores in the lowest 15th age-and gender-specific percentiles. The Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000) was completed by mothers when their children were age 18 months and by both parents when their children were age 36 months, from which Internalizing Problems and Externalizing Problems scores were analyzed. Results: All analyses were adjusted for covariates. Expressive vocabulary delay at age 18 months was weakly related to Internalizing Problems scores at age 18 months as well as mother-reported Externalizing and Internalizing Problems scores at age 36 months (the latter for boys only). Expressive vocabulary delay at age 30 months was weakly associated with mother-reported Externalizing and Internalizing Problems scores (the latter for boys only) and father-reported Internalizing Problems scores. Persistent expressive vocabulary delay predicted the highest risk of mother-reported internalizing and externalizing problems at age 36 months. Conclusion: This population-based study showed modest associations between vocabulary delay and behavioral/emotional problems detectable from 18 months onward