The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain): New age constrains to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times

Metastasis-associated C.,4A, A GPI-Anchored protein cleaved by Adam10 and Adam 17

Comunicaciones a congreso

Metastasis-associated C4. 4A, A GPI-anchored protein cleaved by ADAM10 and ADAM17

Comunicaciones a congreso

Cancer degradomics: ADAMI7 regulates TGF-BETA signaling through the cleavage of vasorin

Comunicaciones a congreso

Villafranchian large mammals from the Iberian Peninsula: paleobiogeography, paleoecology and dispersal events

The Pleistocene of the Iberian Peninsula is currently a focus of intense paleontological, archaeological and geological research. To a large extent, these inquiries are intended to decipher the ecological factors that might have conditioned early Homo dispersals into the European continent during the late Early Pleistocene. In this respect, the research carried out during the last twenty years in several areas of the Iberian Peninsula (the Guadix-Baza Basin, the Sierra de Atapuerca, the Vallparadís Section and the Banyoles-Besalú Basin) have yielded a large amount of new significant data. Here we review such data and provide for the first time a comprehensive synthesis from a faunal, geologi­cal and paleoecological perspectives, by focusing on the relationship between paleoenvironmental conditions and early human dispersals during the late Early Pleistocene in the Iberian Peninsula. In particular, the Iberian fossil record of Early to Late Villafranchian large mam­mals is synthesized, on the basis of recent publications and unpublished data collected by the authors during the last five years, in order to provide the adequate faunal and paleocological framework for understanding the factors that limited or conditioned human dispersal events.El Pleistoceno de la Península Ibérica es actualmente foco de intensa investigación paleontológica, arqueológica y geológica. En gran medida, estos trabajos están encaminados a descifrar los factores ecológicos que podrían haber condicionado las dispersiones de los Homo iniciales hacia Europa durante el Pleistoceno inferior. En este sentido, la investigación realizada durante los últimos veinte años en diversas zonas de la Península Ibérica (la Cuenca de Guadix-Baza, la Sierra de Atapuerca, la Sección de Vallparadís y la Cuenca de Banyoles- Besalú) ha proporcionado una gran cantidad de nuevos datos significativos. Aquí revisamos estos datos y se proporciona por primera vez una síntesis exhaustiva desde una perspectiva paleontológica, paleoecológica y geológica, centrándonos en las relaciones entre las condi­ciones paleoambientales y las dispersiones de los primeros humanos en el Pleistoceno inferior de la Península Ibérica. Concretamente, se sintetiza el registro fósil ibérico de grandes mamíferos villafranquienses en base a publicaciones recientes y datos inéditos recopilados por los autores en los últimos cinco años, para así proporcionar el marco faunístico y paleoecológico adecuado para comprender los factores que limitaron o condicionaron los eventos de dispersión humana

The primate fossil record in the Iberian Peninsula

During the last decade, new discoveries in several Iberian basins, together with the description of previously unpublished finds, have significantly increased the recorded paleodiversity of fossil Primates (Mammalia: Euarchonta) in the Iberian Peninsula. Here we provide an updated compendium of the primate fossil record in Iberia during the Cenozoic and further summarize the changes in primate paleo­diversity through time, which are then analyzed in the light of changing climatic conditions. Thanks to favorable climatic conditions, the highest diversity of Iberian primates was reached during the Eocene, thus reflecting the radiation of both adapoids and omomyoids; only a single plesiadapiform genus is in contrast recorded in the Iberian Peninsula. Near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, paleoclimatic changes led to a primate diversity crisis and other faunal changes, although two Iberian omomyoids survived the Grande Coupure. From the Middle Miocene onwards, catarrhine primates are recorded in the Iberian Peninsula. During the Middle and Late Miocene, they are represented by pliopithecoids and hominoids, restricted to NE Iberia. The Miocene hominoids from Iberia are of utmost significance for understanding the Eurasian hominoid radiation and its role in the origins of the great-ape-and-human clade. Following the local extinction of these taxa during the early Late Miocene, due to progressively increased seasonality and concomitant changes in plant communities, cercopithecoids are also recorded in the Iberian Peninsula from the latest Miocene through the Plio-Pleistocene, although they finally became locally extinct, whereas hominoids are again represented by fossil humans during the Pleistocene.Durante la última década, nuevos descubrimientos en varias cuencas ibéricas, junto con la descripción de hallazgos previos inéditos, han incrementado significativamente la paleodiversidad de Primates fósiles (Mammalia: Euarchonta) registrada en la Península Ibérica. Proporcionamos aquí un compendio actualizado del registro fósil de los primates en Iberia durante el Cenozoico, y resumimos además los cambios en paleodiversidad de los primates a lo largo del tiempo a la luz de las condiciones climáticas cambiantes. Gracias a condiciones climáticas favorables, la diversidad más alta de primates ibéricos se produjo durante el Eoceno, reflejando así la radiación tanto de los adapoideos como de los omomioideos; en cambio, sólo un único género de plesiadapiformes se registra en la Península Ibérica. Hacia el límite Eoceno-Oligoceno, los cambios paleoclimáticos condujeron a una crisis de diversidad de los primates y otros cambios faunísticos, aunque dos omomioideos ibéricos sobrevivieron a la Grande Coupure. Del Mioceno Medio en adelante, los primates catarrinos se registran en la Península Ibérica. Durante el Mioceno Medio y Superior, están representados por pliopitecoideos y hominoideos, restringidos al NE de Iberia. Los hominoideos del Mioceno de Iberia son de gran importancia para comprender la radiación de los hominoideos eurasiáticos y su papel en los orígenes del clado de los grandes antropomorfos y los humanos. A continuación de la extinción local de estos taxones du­rante el Mioceno Superior inicial, debido al incremento progresivo de la estacionalidad así como a cambios en las comunidades vegetales, los cercopitecoideos también se registran en la Península Ibérica a partir del Mioceno más terminal en adelante. Los cercopitecoideos se registran en la Península Ibérica durante todo el Plio-Pleistoceno, aunque finalmente también se extinguieron localmente, mientras que los hominoideos vuelven a estar representados otra vez por los humanos fósiles durante el Pleistoceno

Age and date for early arrival of the Acheulian in Europe (Barranc de la Boella, la Canonja, Spain)

The first arrivals of hominin populations into Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene are currently considered to have occurred as short and poorly dated biological dispersions. Questions as to the tempo and mode of these early prehistoric settlements have given rise to debates concerning the taxonomic significance of the lithic assemblages, as trace fossils, and the geographical distribution of the technological traditions found in the Lower Palaeolithic record. Here, we report on the Barranc de la Boella site which has yielded a lithic assemblage dating to ,1 million years ago that includes large cutting tools (LCT). We argue that distinct technological traditions coexisted in the Iberian archaeological repertoires of the late Early Pleistocene age in a similar way to the earliest sub-Saharan African artefact assemblages. These differences between stone tool assemblages may be attributed to the different chronologies of hominin dispersal events. The archaeological record of Barranc de la Boella completes the geographical distribution of LCT assemblages across southern Eurasia during the EMPT (Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition, circa 942 to 641 kyr). Up to now, chronology of the earliest European LCT assemblages is based on the abundant Palaeolithic record found in terrace river sequences which have been dated to the end of the EMPT and later. However, the findings at Barranc de la Boella suggest that early LCT lithic assemblages appeared in the SW of Europe during earlier hominin dispersal episodes before the definitive colonization of temperate Eurasia took place.The research at Barranc de la Boella has been carried out with the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economı´a y Competitividad (CGL2012- 36682; CGL2012-38358, CGL2012-38434-C03-03 and CGL2010-15326; MICINN project HAR2009-7223/HIST), Generalitat de Catalunya, AGAUR agence (projects 2014SGR-901; 2014SGR-899; 2009SGR-324, 2009PBR-0033 and 2009SGR-188) and Junta de Castilla y Leo´n BU1004A09. Financial support for Barranc de la Boella field work and archaeological excavations is provided by the Ajuntament de la Canonja and Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Paleontologia) de la Generalitat de Catalunya. A. Carrancho’s research was funded by the International Excellence Programme, Reinforcement subprogramme of the Spanish Ministry of Education. I. Lozano-Ferna´ndez acknowledges the pre-doctoral grant from the Fundacio´n Atapuerca. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

The circadian clock goes genomic

Staiger D, Shin J, Johansson M, Davis SJ. The circadian clock goes genomic. Genome Biology. 2013;14(6): 208.Large-scale biology among plant species, as well as comparative genomics of circadian clock architecture and clock-regulated output processes, have greatly advanced our understanding of the endogenous timing system in plants