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

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

nàlisi de les modificacions produïdes per llops en conjunts ossis actuals a Bialowieza i Biezcady (Polonia)

Projecte de recerca elaborat a partir d’una estada a la Université Toulouse-Le Mirail, França, entre octubre i novembre del 2006. Estudi experimental que s’emmarca en un projecte predoctoral que té com a objectius principals caracteritzar les modificacions produïdes per carnívors en conjunts ossis actuals, establir una metodologia que permeti identificar el predador o predadors que han intervingut i aplicar aquesta metodologia al registre arqueològic. S’han analitzat les modificacions produïdes per llops (Canis lupus) en conjunts ossis actuals procedents del Parc Nacional de Bialowieza y Biezcady a Polonia i que formen part de la neotafoteca amb dipòsit a la Universitat de Toulouse. L'anàlisi de les fractures i les mossegades als ossos fetes pels llops (Canis lupus) durant el consum, han revelat la important capacitat destructiva i modificadora d'aquests agents tafonòmics. Les dades obtingudes, d'aquest i altres estudis, serviran per confeccionar una metodologia vàlida per a l’estudi de la intervenció de llops en conjunts arqueològics. També serà possible crear un model del tipus de modificació que produeixen els llops. Aquest model estarà reforçat per experiments realitzats per altres investigadors i es podran aplicar als estudis tafonòmics de jaciments arqueo-paleontològics

Experimentación sobre la recogida de leña en el parque faunístico de los Pirineos “Lacuniacha” (Huesca). Una aproximación a la tafonomía del registro antracológico

Los análisis antracológicos, además de permitir el análisis taxonómico de los carbones recuperados en los yacimientos arqueológicos, pueden aportar más datos a partir del análisis tafonómico con el fin de entender el medio y el comportamiento humano de nuestro pasado. Este análisis permite profundizar, entre otros, sobre aspectos relacionados con la explotación del combustible a través de la experimentación. Los objetivos que nos interesan en este estudio son la cuantificación, la reducción de masa y las deformaciones anatómicas de la madera antes y después de la combustión. El Parque Faunístico de “Lacuniacha” (Piedrafita de Jaca, Huesca) nos proporciona el marco natural adecuado para reproducir los procesos que nos interesan, ya que se trata de un entrono vegetal similar al que encontramos en secuencias Pleistocenas del NE Peninsular.Charcoal analyses permit to obtain data using the taphonomic analyses as well as the obtaining of taxonomic results in order to understand past environments and human behaviour. Taphonomy permits to deep in the aspects related to fuel wood exploitation using experimental work. The aim of this study is the quantitative analyse, mass reduction, anatomical deformation of wood before and after combustion. The Parque Faunístico de los Pirineos “Lacuniacha” (Piedrafita de Jaca, Huesca), gives us the natural framework to reproduce the processes we are dealing with, due to the similarity with the Pleistocene sequences from the NE of the Iberian Peninsula

Des aiguisoirs/polissoirs aux enclumes en os : historiographie des os piquetés

Study of a lot of animal bones with particular marks. Theses pieces were anvils.Etude d'ossements animaux portant des séries de ponctuations et servant d'enclumes lors de la mise en forme des dents des faucille

Des aiguisoirs/polissoirs aux enclumes en os : l’historiographie des os piquetés

Depuis près d’un siècle et demi, des os d’animaux mis au jour en Midi-Pyrénées (France) et portant des séries de ponctuations ont fait l’objet de descriptions plus ou moins précises et d’interprétations variées. La dernière hypothèse en date, qui en faisait des polissoirs/aiguisoirs, a été contredite par la publication d’exemplaires ethnographiques similaires découverts en Espagne et au Portugal.Since the end of the 19th century, a lot of animal bones with particular marks have been discovered in Midi-Pyrénées (France). The most common bones come from Equus sp. and Bos t. and are often metapods. The faces of the bone have been wittled down, smoothed, and present rows of triangular-shaped dents. Many interpretations have been given for the French tools. The last of these, a sharpener/polisher hypothesis, is contradicted by the publication of ethnographical bone anvils from the Iberian peninsula.Seit dem späten 19. Jh. wurden im Land Midi-Pyrénées (Frankreich) zugerichtete Pferde- und Rinderknochen ergraben, die Reihen von dreieckigen Einkerbungen tragen. Sie wurden mehr oder minder genau beschrieben und unterschiedlich gedeutet. Die jüngste Hypothese, die darin Schleif- bzw. Poliergeräte sah, wird widerlegt durch die Publikation von ähnlichen Knochen, die in Spanien und Portugal von Volkskundlern entdeckt wurden

Osteophagia and dental wear in herbivores: Actualistic data and archaeological evidence

The ability of herbivores to produce damage in bones and antlers has recently been described by the present authors (. Cáceres etal., 2011), showing several cases of modified bones and various stages of bone modification due to osteophagic behavior by herbivores. Herbivores chew and eat bones and antlers to make up for mineral scarcity in their diet. In this paper we describe how the consumption of bone and antlers by herbivore can result in distinct differential tooth wear, breakage and the loss of some dental pieces. This damage has also been identified in fossils. These preliminary results are especially relevant in archaeological contexts, because this marked tooth wear can be mistaken for dental disease or lead to the incorrect assignment of age to the animals. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.The Ministerio de Ciencia y Investigación (CGL2009-12703-C03-02/BTE, CGL2007-66231, CGL2010-19825), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CGL2012-38434-C03-03)Peer Reviewe

Intergroup cannibalism in the European Early Pleistocene: The range expansion and imbalance of power hypotheses

In this paper, we compare cannibalism in chimpanzees, modern humans, and in archaeological cases with cannibalism inferred from evidence from the Early Pleistocene assemblage of level TD6 of Gran Dolina (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). The cannibalism documented in level TD6 mainly involves the consumption of infants and other immature individuals. The human induced modifications on Homo antecessor and deer remains suggest that butchering processes were similar for both taxa, and the remains were discarded on the living floor in the same way. This finding implies that a group of hominins that used the Gran Dolina cave periodically hunted and consumed individuals from another group. However, the age distribution of the cannibalized hominins in the TD6 assemblage is not consistent with that from other cases of exo-cannibalism by human/hominin groups. Instead, it is similar to the age profiles seen in cannibalism associated with intergroup aggression in chimpanzees. For this reason, we use an analogy with chimpanzees to propose that the TD6 hominins mounted low-risk attacks on members of other groups to defend access to resources within their own territories and to try and expand their territories at the expense of neighboring groups