Review of \u3ci\u3e NEBRASKAland Magazine\u27s The Cellars of Time: Paleontology and Archaeology in Nebraska\u3c/i\u3e Vol 72, No. I. Lincoln: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 1994

This is a popular-oriented work designed to acquaint Nebraskans with the paleontology and archaeology of their state. The work is divided in halves. The first half summarizes the paleontological work in Nebraska. The second half summarizes the archaeological culture history of the state. The paleontology portion is a must read, holistic work. It is written almost entirely by Michael R. Voorhies with one insert by Margaret R. Bolick. Voorhies has a wonderful writing style that enables him to translate complicated, technical subjects into plain English. Thus, the paleontology is summarized in wonderful prose that is a delight to read. The technical subjects that Voorhies presents are numerous. He describes the role of microfauna as a gauge of evolution that is also useful for finding oil and other essential commodities. His description of the advance and retreat of seas and glaciers in the context of paleoenvironmental studies is clearly written and easily understandable. He details the way that less dramatic climatic changes can be studied by examining changes in vertebrate fauna such as tortoises, snakes, shrews and other animals. Bolick\u27s description of pollen studies, and floral studies combined with Voorhies\u27s discussion of stratigraphy, and other paleontological techniques brings the reader to a clear understanding of the nature of paleontological research. These discussions are interspersed with captivating descriptions of a multitude of ancient animal species and significant paleontologic sites. In these descriptions, Voorhies makes clear the methods by which paleontologists determine how extinct animals lived, what their habitats were like, and the nature of their behaviors. The history of paleontology in the state is summarized and major personalities in that history are presented in vignelle form. Current paleontologists, curators, preparators, and exhibits staff are pictured or described. Importantly, he goes beyond the description of professionals. Throughout his section, Voorhies gives credit to non-professionals, ranging from ranchers to high school students, responsible for making important finds. In doing so, he provides the important impression that Nebraska\u27s paleontology is an ancient legacy for all of the state\u27s citizens to responsibly investigate and report. In short, the paleontology section is information packed and makes for fascinating reading. It serves as an inspiration for academic researchers who have an interest in public writing

Review of \u3ci\u3eRivers of Change: Essays on Early Agriculture in Eastern North America\u3c/i\u3e by Bruce D. Smith

Between 1970 and 1990 there was a burst of paleoethnobotanical research into prehistoric Native American subsistence practices across North America which has resulted recently in numerous regional syntheses. No synthesis is more salient or cogent than that presented for eastern North America by Bruce D. Smith who has been a key researcher in the area of prehistoric subsistence

Review of \u3ci\u3e NEBRASKAland Magazine\u27s The Cellars of Time: Paleontology and Archaeology in Nebraska\u3c/i\u3e Vol 72, No. I. Lincoln: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 1994

This is a popular-oriented work designed to acquaint Nebraskans with the paleontology and archaeology of their state. The work is divided in halves. The first half summarizes the paleontological work in Nebraska. The second half summarizes the archaeological culture history of the state. The paleontology portion is a must read, holistic work. It is written almost entirely by Michael R. Voorhies with one insert by Margaret R. Bolick. Voorhies has a wonderful writing style that enables him to translate complicated, technical subjects into plain English. Thus, the paleontology is summarized in wonderful prose that is a delight to read. The technical subjects that Voorhies presents are numerous. He describes the role of microfauna as a gauge of evolution that is also useful for finding oil and other essential commodities. His description of the advance and retreat of seas and glaciers in the context of paleoenvironmental studies is clearly written and easily understandable. He details the way that less dramatic climatic changes can be studied by examining changes in vertebrate fauna such as tortoises, snakes, shrews and other animals. Bolick\u27s description of pollen studies, and floral studies combined with Voorhies\u27s discussion of stratigraphy, and other paleontological techniques brings the reader to a clear understanding of the nature of paleontological research. These discussions are interspersed with captivating descriptions of a multitude of ancient animal species and significant paleontologic sites. In these descriptions, Voorhies makes clear the methods by which paleontologists determine how extinct animals lived, what their habitats were like, and the nature of their behaviors. The history of paleontology in the state is summarized and major personalities in that history are presented in vignelle form. Current paleontologists, curators, preparators, and exhibits staff are pictured or described. Importantly, he goes beyond the description of professionals. Throughout his section, Voorhies gives credit to non-professionals, ranging from ranchers to high school students, responsible for making important finds. In doing so, he provides the important impression that Nebraska\u27s paleontology is an ancient legacy for all of the state\u27s citizens to responsibly investigate and report. In short, the paleontology section is information packed and makes for fascinating reading. It serves as an inspiration for academic researchers who have an interest in public writing

Paleoamerican diet, migration and morphology in Brazil

During the early Holocene two main paleoamerican cultures thrived in Brazil: the Tradição Nordeste in the semi-desertic Sertão and the Tradição Itaparica in the high plains of the Planalto Central. Here we report on paleodietary singals of a Paleoamerican found in a third Brazilian ecological setting--a riverine shellmound, or sambaqui, located in the Atlantic forest. Most sambaquis are found along the coast. The peoples associated with them subsisted on marine resources. We are reporting a different situation from the oldest recorded riverine sambaqui, called Capelinha. Capelinha is a relatively small sambaqui established along a river 60 km from the Atlantic Ocean coast. It contained the well-preserved remains of a Paleoamerican known as Luzio dated to 9,945±235 years ago; the oldest sambaqui dweller so far. Luzio's bones were remarkably well preserved and allowed for stable isotopic analysis of diet. Although artifacts found at this riverine site show connections with the Atlantic coast, we show that he represents a population that was dependent on inland resources as opposed to marine coastal resources. After comparing Luzio's paleodietary data with that of other extant and prehistoric groups, we discuss where his group could have come from, if terrestrial diet persisted in riverine sambaquis and how Luzio fits within the discussion of the replacement of paleamerican by amerindian morphology. This study adds to the evidence that shows a greater complexity in the prehistory of the colonization of and the adaptations to the New World

\u3ci\u3eCryptosporidium parvum\u3c/i\u3e among Coprolites from La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (600–800 CE), Rio Zape Valley, Durango, Mexico

In the present study, 90 coprolites from La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (CMC) were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests for 3 diarrhea-inducing protozoan parasites, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia duodenalis, and Cryptosporidium parvum, to determine whether these parasites were present among the people who utilized this cave 1,200–1,400 yr ago. These people, the Loma San Gabriel, developed as a culture out of the Archaic Los Caracoles population and lived throughout much of present-day Durango and Zacatecas in Mexico. The Loma San Gabriel persisted through a mixed subsistence strategy of hunting-gathering and agricultural production. The results of ELISA testing were negative for both E. histolytica and G. duodenalis across all coprolites. A total of 66/90 (~73% prevalence) coprolites tested positive or likely positive for C. parvum. The high prevalence of C. parvum among CMC coprolites contributes to our growing knowledge of the pathoecology among the Loma San Gabriel who utilized CMC. Herein, we report the successful recovery of C. parvum coproantigens from prehistoric coprolites. The recovery of these coproantigens demonstrates the existence of C. parvum in Mesoamerica before European contact in the 1400s

Diagnosing Ancient Diphyllobothriasis from Chinchorro Mummies

Diphyllobothrium pacificum has been reported as a human parasite from coprolites and skeletons in Peru and Chile. Our analysis of Chinchorro mummies from Chile provides the oldest evidence of D. pacificum directly associated with human mummies. These mummies date between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. The basis for our diagnosis is presented. We find that the size of the eggs in the mummies is smaller than other discoveries of D. pacificum. We suggest that this is due to the peculiar circumstances of preservation of parasite eggs within mummies and the release of immature eggs into the intestinal tract as the tapeworms decompose after the death of the host. This information is important to consider when making diagnoses from mummies

Archaeoparasitology

Parasites are the major cause of ill health and early death in the world today. Malaria, sleeping sickness, amoebic dysentery, and hookworm infection are examples of commonplace parasitic diseases that are endemic in most parts of the world (see Health, Healing, and Disease). They were significant threats in prehistory, especially in cultures whose social complexity outstripped the development of effective sanitation, hygiene, and germ theory awareness

PREHISTORIC CREMATIONS FROM NOGALES, ARIZONA *

In October, 1969, the Highway Salvage Section of the Arizona State Museum conducted emergency salvage excavations in conjunction with the construction of the Tucson-Nogales Highway. Ten cremations were recovered from a backhoe trench which had been placed within the city limits of Nogales, Arizona. Analysis of the cremations indicated cultural contact between the Trincheras culture of Sonora, Mexico, and the Hohokam culture of the Santa Cruz River Valley in southern Arizona

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of \u3ci\u3eEnterobius vermicularis\u3c/i\u3e (Nematoda: Oxyuridae) in the Prehistoric Americas

Investigations of Enterobius sp. infection in prehistory have produced a body of data that can be used to evaluate the geographic distribution of infection through time in the Americas. Regional variations in prevalence are evident. In North America, 119 pinworm positive samples were found in 1,112 samples from 28 sites with a prevalence of 10.7%. Almost all of the positive samples came from agricultural sites. From Brazil, 0 pinworm positive samples were found in 325 samples from 7 sites. For the Andes region, 22 pinworm positive samples were found in 411 samples from 26 sites for a prevalence of 5.3%. Detailed analyses of these data defined several trends. First, preagricultural sites less frequently show evidence of infection compared to agricultural populations. This is especially clear in the data from North America, but is also evident in the data from South America. Second, there is an apparent relationship between the commonality of pinworms in coprolites and the manner of constructing villages. These analyses show that ancient parasitism has substantial value in documenting the range of human behaviors that influence parasitic infections