A multidisciplinary approach to investigate the osteobiography of the Roman Imperial population from Muracciola Torresina (Palestrina, Rome, Italy)

The present research provides the osteobiographical reconstruction of the Roman Imperial population of the rural area of Muracciola Torresina (Palestrina, Rome, Italy) through an innovative multidisciplinary approach, combining evidence from skeletal biology, biomolecules and archaeobotany. The excavation of the site, unearthed 76 individuals: 84.2% adults and 15.8% non-adults. Morphological examination showed a higher prevalence of females with respect to males (M:F = 0.89). Musculoskeletal stress marker analysis highlighted a probable division of daily tasks between sexes; the observed modifications mainly affected the upper limbs with a particular involvement of shoulder and elbow joints. The population seems to have experienced physically strenuous life conditions, as suggested by the high frequency of degenerative and infectious diseases. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data supported an omnivorous diet mainly based on C3 plants and terrestrial animal protein. No statistically significant difference was found between sexes or age classes, even though a discrete variability of nitrogen isotopic values was observed which was hypothesized to reflect the consumption of pulses by certain individuals with the lowest values. Microscopic analysis of dental calculus detected Triticeae starch granules in the majority of the analyzed individuals. Chromatographic profiles additionally revealed the presence of ephedrine derivatives in the calculus of two individuals, an alkaloid which might indicate the consumption of Ephedra species used as medicinal plant due to its bronchodilator, nasal decongestant and vasoconstrictor properties. This use of multiple cutting-edge techniques has revealed a detailed snapshot of the diet and lifeways of the first Roman Imperial population to be recovered from the area of ancient Praeneste

Le Tumulus - Cromlech de Millagate IV. Etude des Restes Humains.

El túmulo - cromlech de Millagate IV ha ofrecido restos incinerados de un solo individuo adulto, probablemente masculino. El esqueleto del tronco se encuentra poco representado respecto a la cabeza y miembros. Esto puede deberse a un proceso de destrucción diferencial por el fuego. Metodológicamente, en lo que concierne a la cuantificación relativa de las diferentes partes del cuerpo, el peso parece un mejor parámetro que el número de fragmentos

Analyse préliminaire et discussion sur la nature d’un dépôt dentaire très particulier

International audienceL’un des squelettes découverts lors de la fouille d’une partie du cimetière médiéval de Clarensac (Gard) présente un dépôt dentaire particulier dont l’importance nous a conduits à nous interroger sur son origine. Les seules observations macroscopiques ne permettent pas de conclure : il pourrait s’agir, soit d’un phénomène biologique de type tartre, soit d’un processus taphonomique. Pour approfondir notre réflexion, nous avons mené une analyse de la composition atomique de ce dépôt à l’aide d’un microscope électronique à balayage (MEB). Celle-ci a révélé la présence des atomes constitutifs de la fraction inorganique du tartre. Toutefois une calcification post mortem sur un dépôt de tartre déjà présent ne doit pas être exclue. L’existence d’un autre cas, bien que moins étendu, au sein de la série anthropologique étudiée montre enfin l’importance de la perte des dents antagonistes dans la mise en place de tels dépôts

Formation of ammonium in saline solution treated by nanosecond pulsed cold atmospheric microplasma: a route to fast inactivation of E-coli bacteria

International audienceHe/N-2 cold atmospheric plasma treatment of E. coli suspension leads to a fast and efficient inactivation process. Significant generation of ammonium is reported. The formation of NH4+ species in saline solution treated by cold atmospheric plasma is proposed for the first time as the main process responsible for the fast bacterial inactivation in pH-buffered solutions, at ambient temperature and physiological pH

Dispersal and contraction of human populations since the end of the Pleistocene in the Horn of Africa: a physical anthropological view

International audienc

Cumes

International audienc

Study of Reactive Oxygen or/and Nitrogen Species Binding Processes on E. coli Bacteria with Mass Spectrometry Isotopic Nanoimaging.

International audienceToday, it is necessary to better understand the role of reactive species in plasmas on biological objects in order to use plasma processes for biomedical applications. Even when well-known plasma set-ups producing one main reactive species in a controlled environment are used, it is still difficult to understand reactive species interaction processes with biological systems. In this study, nanoimaging with the most sensitive mass spectrometry technology, and the use of isotopic 15N2 or/and 18O2 containing-Ar gas mixtures to produce the plasma is proposed in order to obtain isotopic and elemental data on microwave late afterglow treated Escherichia coli bacteria. By this way, new data dealing with reactive species binding processes on plasma treated bacteria by using NanoSIMS50 mass spectrometer are obtained

The seashells from the Mesolithic necropolis of La Vergne (Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Charente-Maritime, France): From collection to staging human corpses

International audienceThe Mesolithic burials of La Vergne delivered 3,297 marine shells, mostly from marine environments and collected on a foreshore located at less than 30 kilometers away. Most of the shells are pierced, through an anthropic action when nature had not already done its work. Traces of wear, as well as for many other detailed observations, were compared with the place of each item in the grave. These data, for example, make it possible to identify many perishable objects and some elements of body adornment that participated in the staging of the funeral. After describing both, the search for the shells on the beach, their use and their deposition with the mortal remains, the exceptional nature of this discovery is discussed in a broader context, geographically on a Western European scale, and chronologically by comparing them locally to some of the graves of the region's first farmers, who delivered many pieces of adornment made from this same raw material. © 2021 CNRS Editions. All rights reserved. [Cet article est une traduction de : Les coquilles marines de la nécropole mésolithique de La Vergne (Saint-Jean-d’Angély, Charente-Maritime, France) : de leur collecte à la mise en scène des corps humains

Le Buisson-de-Cadouin. Grotte de Cussac

National audienc

Grotte de Cussac (Le Buisson-de-Cadouin, Dordogne) : un exemple de comportement original pour le Gravettien

National audienc