Aurochs, genetics, indigenous people and colonists: apropos of the neolithization of Europe

Las analíticas genéticas realizadas sobre los uros (Bos primigenius) del yacimiento de Mendandia (Treviño), han ofrecido un resultado sorprendente: uno de los individuos pertenece al haplotypo T3, generalmente asociado a animales domésticos (Bos taurus). La datación de la muestra (7265 ± 70 BP; Ua 34366) es acorde con las otras conocidas de su nivel, el III-superior, incidiendo en la antigüedad de su Neolítico. El dato es la excusa para reflexionar sobre el proceso neolitizador y adentrarnos en el debate sobre el papel que pudiera corresponder a los indígenas y a los colonos. Para ello se valora la información más actual sobre genética de las poblaciones del principio del Holoceno, las medias promediadas de la extensión por Europa del nuevo modo de vida, así como otros indicios de neolitización prematura. Un compendio de razones que nos lleva a pensar que estamos frente a un fenómeno cultural muy complejo

Aurochs, genetics, indigenous people and colonists: apropos of the neolithization of Europe

El presente trabajo se ha preparado en el seno de los intereses de los proyectos de investigación: HAR2011-26364 “Las Comunidades humanas de la alta Cuenca del Ebro en la Transición Pleistoceno-Holoceno” del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y CGL2009-12703-C03-03 “Geología, geocronología y paleobiología de los Yacimientos de la Sierra de Atapuerca” del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. Así mismo se encuadra en el trabajo del Grupo de Investigación en Prehistoria de la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) IT-288-07/ UFI 11-09.[ES] Las analíticas genéticas realizadas sobre los uros (Bos primigenius) del yacimiento de Mendandia (Treviño), han ofrecido un resultado sorprendente: uno de los individuos pertenece al haplotypo T3, generalmente asociado a animales domésticos (Bos taurus). La datación de la muestra (7265 ± 70 BP; Ua 34366) es acorde con las otras conocidas de su nivel, el III-superior, incidiendo en la antigüedad de su Neolítico. El dato es la excusa para reflexionar sobre el proceso neolitizador y adentrarnos en el debate sobre el papel que pudiera corresponder a los indígenas y a los colonos. Para ello se valora la información más actual sobre genética de las poblaciones del principio del Holoceno, las medias promediadas de la extensión por Europa del nuevo modo de vida, así como otros indicios de neolitización prematura. Un compendio de razones que nos lleva a pensar que estamos frente a un fenómeno cultural muy complejo.[EN] The mt-DNA analysis of auroch (Bos primigenius) bones from the site of Mendandia (Treviño), has produced a surprising result: one of the specimens has been identified with the genetic haplotype T3, the most common in European domestic cattle and generally considered unique (and indicative) of domestic livestock (Bos taurus). The direct radiocarbon dating of the sample (7265 ± 70 BP; Ua 34366) is consistent with the older Neolithic age of the level that yielded the sample (Level III-superior). This result is an opportunity to think about the process of Neolitization and enter into the debate about the role that may correspond to the indigenous people and immigrants. We evaluate the latest information on population genetics from the beginning of the Holocene as well as the average extension throughout Europe of early Neolithic settlements and lifestyle. The discussion leads us to believe that we are facing a very complex cultural phenomenon

Archaeological sites as Distributed Long-term Observing Networks of the Past (DONOP)

The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation, specifically the Arctic Social Sciences Program, and RANNIS (The Icelandic Center for Research).Archaeological records provide a unique source of direct data on long-term human-environment interactions and samples of ecosystems affected by differing degrees of human impact. Distributed long-term datasets from archaeological sites provide a significant contribution to establish local, regional, and continental-scale environmental baselines and can be used to understand the implications of human decision-making and its impacts on the environment and the resources it provides for human use. Deeper temporal environmental baselines are essential for resource and environmental managers to restore biodiversity and build resilience in depleted ecosystems. Human actions are likely to have impacts that reorganize ecosystem structures by reducing diversity through processes such as niche construction. This makes data from archaeological sites key assets for the management of contemporary and future climate change scenarios because they combine information about human behavior, environmental baselines, and biological systems. Sites of this kind collectively form Distributed Long-term Observing Networks of the Past (DONOP), allowing human behavior and environmental impacts to be assessed over space and time. Behavioral perspectives are gained from direct evidence of human actions in response to environmental opportunities and change. Baseline perspectives are gained from data on species, landforms, and ecology over timescales that long predate our typically recent datasets that only record systems already disturbed by people. And biological perspectives can provide essential data for modern managers wanting to understand and utilize past diversity (i.e., trophic and/or genetic) as a way of revealing, and potentially correcting, weaknesses in our contemporary wild and domestic animal populations.PostprintPeer reviewe

Genetic Analyses of Bovid Remains and the Origin of Early European Cattle

The aurochs Bos primigenius, extinct since 1627, was the wild progenitor of cattle. It is believed that all European cattle originate from one domestication event in the Near East 10 000 years ago. However, it is evident from the archaeological record that the aurochs survived into historic time and spent many years existing alongside domestic cattle. Thus, a question posed is whether aurochsen were locally domesticated or incorporated into early domestic cattle stock. In this thesis, genetic techniques are applied to ancient and modern DNA from bovids in order to study questions relating to the origin of early European cattle. DNA from ancient specimens is fragmented and in greatly reduced quantity. Therefore mitochondrial DNA, present in many copies in the living cell, has long been dominating the ancient DNA research field. Analyses of ancient DNA presented in this work are based on both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA, through the study of Single Nuclear Polymorohism (SNPs). A method for typing ancient SNPs was developed and applied to ancient cattle bones. Mitochondrial DNA of cattle is structured into five geographically distributed lineages, the dominant lineage in Europe is also found in the Near East where additional lineages are found. This pattern has been attributed to the proposed domestication event in the Near East from where cattle carrying the single lineage were brought to Europe. However, the results presented here show that cattle domestication was more complicated than previously suggested. SNP data from extant cattle and bones from cattle and aurochs point towards a hybridisation event. European cattle appear indeed to have been domesticated in the Near East and brought in to the European continent from there. However, once in Europe, hybridisation with local aurochsen took place. It appears therefore that today’s cattle descend both from both Anatolian and European aurochsen

Genetic Analyses of Bovid Remains and the Origin of Early European Cattle

The aurochs Bos primigenius, extinct since 1627, was the wild progenitor of cattle. It is believed that all European cattle originate from one domestication event in the Near East 10 000 years ago. However, it is evident from the archaeological record that the aurochs survived into historic time and spent many years existing alongside domestic cattle. Thus, a question posed is whether aurochsen were locally domesticated or incorporated into early domestic cattle stock. In this thesis, genetic techniques are applied to ancient and modern DNA from bovids in order to study questions relating to the origin of early European cattle. DNA from ancient specimens is fragmented and in greatly reduced quantity. Therefore mitochondrial DNA, present in many copies in the living cell, has long been dominating the ancient DNA research field. Analyses of ancient DNA presented in this work are based on both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA, through the study of Single Nuclear Polymorohism (SNPs). A method for typing ancient SNPs was developed and applied to ancient cattle bones. Mitochondrial DNA of cattle is structured into five geographically distributed lineages, the dominant lineage in Europe is also found in the Near East where additional lineages are found. This pattern has been attributed to the proposed domestication event in the Near East from where cattle carrying the single lineage were brought to Europe. However, the results presented here show that cattle domestication was more complicated than previously suggested. SNP data from extant cattle and bones from cattle and aurochs point towards a hybridisation event. European cattle appear indeed to have been domesticated in the Near East and brought in to the European continent from there. However, once in Europe, hybridisation with local aurochsen took place. It appears therefore that today’s cattle descend both from both Anatolian and European aurochsen

Genetic Analyses of Bovid Remains and the Origin of Early European Cattle

The aurochs Bos primigenius, extinct since 1627, was the wild progenitor of cattle. It is believed that all European cattle originate from one domestication event in the Near East 10 000 years ago. However, it is evident from the archaeological record that the aurochs survived into historic time and spent many years existing alongside domestic cattle. Thus, a question posed is whether aurochsen were locally domesticated or incorporated into early domestic cattle stock. In this thesis, genetic techniques are applied to ancient and modern DNA from bovids in order to study questions relating to the origin of early European cattle. DNA from ancient specimens is fragmented and in greatly reduced quantity. Therefore mitochondrial DNA, present in many copies in the living cell, has long been dominating the ancient DNA research field. Analyses of ancient DNA presented in this work are based on both mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA, through the study of Single Nuclear Polymorohism (SNPs). A method for typing ancient SNPs was developed and applied to ancient cattle bones. Mitochondrial DNA of cattle is structured into five geographically distributed lineages, the dominant lineage in Europe is also found in the Near East where additional lineages are found. This pattern has been attributed to the proposed domestication event in the Near East from where cattle carrying the single lineage were brought to Europe. However, the results presented here show that cattle domestication was more complicated than previously suggested. SNP data from extant cattle and bones from cattle and aurochs point towards a hybridisation event. European cattle appear indeed to have been domesticated in the Near East and brought in to the European continent from there. However, once in Europe, hybridisation with local aurochsen took place. It appears therefore that today’s cattle descend both from both Anatolian and European aurochsen

Tuotantohenkilöstön osaamisen tunnistaminen ja kehittäminen

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli tutkia kuinka kohdeyrityksessä tunnistetaan tuotantohenkilöstön osaaminen ja miten sitä on mahdollista kehittää, eritoten työkier-ron avulla. Tavoitteena oli antaa ehdotuksia ja keinoja osaamisen kehittämiseen ja sen laajentamiseen kohti moniosaajuutta ja löytää mahdollisuuksia työnkierron li-säämiseksi. Tutkimuksen teoriaosassa perehdyttiin osaamiseen ja sen kehittämiseen yleisesti, kä-siteltiin työkiertoa, perehdyttämistä ja osaamisen johtamista. Tutkimuksen empiirinen osa toteutettiin kvantitatiivista menetelmää käyttäen kysely-lomakkein joihin oli myös yhdistetty kvalitatiivisia kysymyksiä. Kysely suoritettiin tuotantohenkilöstölle ja heidän esimiehilleen. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että oma osaaminen tunnistetaan hyvin, muttei tiedetä minkälaista osaamista löytyy muualta yrityksestä. Omaa osaamista arvostetaan kor-kealle ja työhön ollaan tyytyväisiä. Halukkuus työkiertoon omalla linjalla on huomat-tavasti korkeampi, kuin linjojen välillä. Tiedonkulussa ja perehdyttämisessä on pa-rannettavaa ja työntekijät toivoivat lisää mahdollisuuksia ja kannustusta osaamisensa kehittämiseen. Työkierrosta ja osaamisen kehittämisestä saatavat edut on perusteltava työntekijöille paremmin. Nykytilan pohjalta suosittelin kohdeyritykselle keinoja osaamisen kehittämiseen ja osaamisrekisterin luomista jolla oikea osaaminen löytyy yrityksestä.The purpose of this thesis was to find out how the competence among the production staff is recognized within the case company and how it is possible to be developed especially with the help of job rotation. The objective was to present suggestions for developing and expanding the competence, and expanding the job rotation inside the case company. The theoretical section was based on the competence and its development in a gen-eral level. The theoretical part also examined job rotation, orientation and talent management. The empirical part of study was conducted by using quantitative methods in form of survey. The survey was held for production personnel and their managers. The study showed that personnel recognize their own competence well but are un-known of the kind of competence that lies within other parts of the company. Per-sonnel appreciate their own competence highly and the job satisfaction is at a good level. Willingness to participate in job rotation inside the person’s own production line is considerably higher than between different production lines. Improvement is needed in the flow of information and in the job orientation process. Personnel also wished for more opportunities and encouragement for developing their competence. The benefits of job rotation and competence development have to be explained and reasoned to employees. Based on the present situation, suggestions were made to the case company for de-veloping the competence and for creating a knowledge-based database that can be used to search for specific competence inside the company