New insights into the Tyrolean Iceman's origin and phenotype as inferred by whole-genome sequencing

The Tyrolean Iceman, a 5,300-year-old Copper age individual, was discovered in 1991 on the Tisenjoch Pass in the Italian part of the Otztal Alps. Here we report the complete genome sequence of the Iceman and show 100% concordance between the previously reported mitochondrial genome sequence and the consensus sequence generated from our genomic data. We present indications for recent common ancestry between the Iceman and present-day inhabitants of the Tyrrhenian Sea, that the Iceman probably had brown eyes, belonged to blood group O and was lactose intolerant. His genetic predisposition shows an increased risk for coronary heart disease and may have contributed to the development of previously reported vascular calcifications. Sequences corresponding to similar to 60% of the genome of Borrelia burgdorferi are indicative of the earliest human case of infection with the pathogen for Lyme borreliosis

Assessing learning and memory in pigs

In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in (mini) pigs (Sus scrofa) as species for cognitive research. A major reason for this is their physiological and anatomical similarity with humans. For example, pigs possess a well-developed, large brain. Assessment of the learning and memory functions of pigs is not only relevant to human research but also to animal welfare, given the nature of current farming practices and the demands they make on animal health and behavior. In this article, we review studies of pig cognition, focusing on the underlying processes and mechanisms, with a view to identifying. Our goal is to aid the selection of appropriate cognitive tasks for research into pig cognition. To this end, we formulated several basic criteria for pig cognition tests and then applied these criteria and knowledge about pig-specific sensorimotor abilities and behavior to evaluate the merits, drawbacks, and limitations of the different types of tests used to date. While behavioral studies using (mini) pigs have shown that this species can perform learning and memory tasks, and much has been learned about pig cognition, results have not been replicated or proven replicable because of the lack of validated, translational behavioral paradigms that are specially suited to tap specific aspects of pig cognition. We identified several promising types of tasks for use in studies of pig cognition, such as versatile spatial free-choice type tasks that allow the simultaneous measurement of several behavioral domains. The use of appropriate tasks will facilitate the collection of reliable and valid data on pig cognition

Simulated changes in vegetation distribution, land carbon storage, and atmospheric CO2 in response to a collapse of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation

Measurements on glacial ice show that atmospheric CO2 varied by 20ppmv with large iceberg discharges into the North Atlantic (NA) and themost prominent Dansgaard/ Oeschger (D/O) climate fluctuations. CO2variations during less pronounced D/O events were smaller than a fewppm. The D/O fluctuations have been linked to changes in the NAThermohaline Circulation (THC). Here, we analyse how abrupt changes inthe NA THC affect the terrestrial carbon cycle by forcing theLund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model with climateperturbations from freshwater experiments with the ECBILT-CLIOgeneral circulation model. Changes in the marine carbon cycle are notaddressed. Modelled NA THC collapsed and recovered after about amillennium in response to prescribed freshwater forcing. The initialcooling of several Kelvin over Eurasia causes a reduction ofextant boreal and temperate forests and a decrease in carbon storage inhigh northern latitudes, whereas improved growing conditions andslower soil decomposition rates lead to enhanced storage inmid-latitudes. The magnitude and evolution of global terrestrialcarbon storage in response to abrupt THC changes depends sensitivelyon the initial climate conditions. Terrestrial storage varies between-67 and +50 PgC for arange of experiments that start at different times during the last21,000 years. Simulated peak-to-peak differences in atmospheric CO2and d13C are between {6 and 18 ppmv} and $0.18$ and $0.30$~\mypermil and compatible with the ice core CO2 record

New insights into the Tyrolean Iceman's origin and phenotype as inferred by whole-genome sequencing.

International audienceThe Tyrolean Iceman, a 5,300-year-old Copper age individual, was discovered in 1991 on the Tisenjoch Pass in the Italian part of the Ötztal Alps. Here we report the complete genome sequence of the Iceman and show 100% concordance between the previously reported mitochondrial genome sequence and the consensus sequence generated from our genomic data. We present indications for recent common ancestry between the Iceman and present-day inhabitants of the Tyrrhenian Sea, that the Iceman probably had brown eyes, belonged to blood group O and was lactose intolerant. His genetic predisposition shows an increased risk for coronary heart disease and may have contributed to the development of previously reported vascular calcifications. Sequences corresponding to ~60% of the genome of Borrelia burgdorferi are indicative of the earliest human case of infection with the pathogen for Lyme borreliosis