Why dig looted tombs? Two examples and some answers from Keushu (Ancash highlands, Peru)

Looted tombs at Andean archaeological sites are largely the result of a long tradition of trade in archaeological artefacts coupled with the 17th century policy of eradicating ancestor veneration and destroying mortuary evidence in a bid to “extirpate idolatry”. On the surface, looted funerary contexts often present abundant disarticulated and displaced human remains as well as an apparent absence of mortuary accoutrements. What kind of information can archaeologists and biological anthropologists hope to gather from such contexts? In order to gauge the methodological possibilities and interpretative limitations of targeting looted tombs, we fully excavated two collective funerary contexts at the archaeological site of Keushu (district and province of Yungay, Ancash, Peru; c. 2000 B.C.-A.D. 1600), which includes several dozen tombs, many built under large boulders or rock shelters, all of which appear disturbed by looting. The first is located in the ceremonial sector and excavation yielded information on four individuals; the second, in the funerary and residential sector, held the remains of seventy individuals - adults and juveniles. Here, we present and discuss the recovered data and suggest that careful, joint excavations by archaeologists and biological anthropologists can retrieve evidence of past mortuary practices, aid the biological characterisation of mortuary populations and help distinguish between a broad range of looting practices and post-depositional processes

Molecular modeling of a tandem two pore domain potassium channel reveals a putative binding Site for general anesthetics

[Image: see text] Anesthetics are thought to mediate a portion of their activity via binding to and modulation of potassium channels. In particular, tandem pore potassium channels (K2P) are transmembrane ion channels whose current is modulated by the presence of general anesthetics and whose genetic absence has been shown to confer a level of anesthetic resistance. While the exact molecular structure of all K2P forms remains unknown, significant progress has been made toward understanding their structure and interactions with anesthetics via the methods of molecular modeling, coupled with the recently released higher resolution structures of homologous potassium channels to act as templates. Such models reveal the convergence of amino acid regions that are known to modulate anesthetic activity onto a common three- dimensional cavity that forms a putative anesthetic binding site. The model successfully predicts additional important residues that are also involved in the putative binding site as validated by the results of suggested experimental mutations. Such a model can now be used to further predict other amino acid residues that may be intimately involved in the target-based structure–activity relationships that are necessary for anesthetic binding

Mutation Rate Switch inside Eurasian Mitochondrial Haplogroups: Impact of Selection and Consequences for Dating Settlement in Europe

R-lineage mitochondrial DNA represents over 90% of the European population and is significantly present all around the planet (North Africa, Asia, Oceania, and America). This lineage played a major role in migration “out of Africa” and colonization in Europe. In order to determine an accurate dating of the R lineage and its sublineages, we analyzed 1173 individuals and complete mtDNA sequences from Mitomap. This analysis revealed a new coalescence age for R at 54.500 years, as well as several limitations of standard dating methods, likely to lead to false interpretations. These findings highlight the association of a striking under-accumulation of synonymous mutations, an over-accumulation of non-synonymous mutations, and the phenotypic effect on haplogroup J. Consequently, haplogroup J is apparently not a Neolithic group but an older haplogroup (Paleolithic) that was subjected to an underestimated selective force. These findings also indicated an under-accumulation of synonymous and non-synonymous mutations localized on coding and non-coding (HVS1) sequences for haplogroup R0, which contains the major haplogroups H and V. These new dates are likely to impact the present colonization model for Europe and confirm the late glacial resettlement scenario

OPA1-related dominant optic atrophy is not strongly influenced by mitochondrial DNA background

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) are the most frequent forms of hereditary optic neuropathies. LHON is associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations whereas ADOA is mainly due to mutations in the OPA1 gene that encodes a mitochondrial protein involved in the mitochondrial inner membrane remodeling. A striking influence of mtDNA haplogroup J on LHON expression has been demonstrated and it has been recently suggested that this haplogroup could also influence ADOA expression. In this study, we have tested the influence of mtDNA backgrounds on OPA1 mutations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To define the relationships between OPA1 mutations and mtDNA backgrounds, we determined the haplogroup affiliation of 41 French patients affected by OPA1-related ADOA by control-region sequencing and RFLP survey of their mtDNAs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The comparison between patient and reference populations did not revealed any significant difference.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results argue against a strong influence of mtDNA background on ADOA expression. These data allow to conclude that OPA1 could be considered as a "severe mutation", directly responsible of the optic atrophy, whereas OPA1-negative ADOA and LHON mutations need an external factor(s) to express the pathology (i.e. synergistic interaction with mitochondrial background).</p

General Anesthetics Predicted to Block the GLIC Pore with Micromolar Affinity

Although general anesthetics are known to modulate the activity of ligand-gated ion channels in the Cys-loop superfamily, there is at present neither consensus on the underlying mechanisms, nor predictive models of this modulation. Viable models need to offer quantitative assessment of the relative importance of several identified anesthetic binding sites. However, to date, precise affinity data for individual sites has been challenging to obtain by biophysical means. Here, the likely role of pore block inhibition by the general anesthetics isoflurane and propofol of the prokaryotic pentameric channel GLIC is investigated by molecular simulations. Microscopic affinities are calculated for both single and double occupancy binding of isoflurane and propofol to the GLIC pore. Computations are carried out for an open-pore conformation in which the pore is restrained to crystallographic radius, and a closed-pore conformation that results from unrestrained molecular dynamics equilibration of the structure. The GLIC pore is predicted to be blocked at the micromolar concentrations for which inhibition by isofluorane and propofol is observed experimentally. Calculated affinities suggest that pore block by propofol occurs at signifcantly lower concentrations than those for which inhibition is observed: we argue that this discrepancy may result from binding of propofol to an allosteric site recently identified by X-ray crystallography, which may cause a competing gain-of-function effect. Affinities of isoflurane and propofol to the allosteric site are also calculated, and shown to be 3 mM for isoflurane and for propofol; both anesthetics have a lower affinity for the allosteric site than for the unoccupied pore

Les sépultures de l'atoll de Temoe (archipel des Gambier)

Marchesi H. (éd.)During archaeological research studies on the island of Temoe (Gambier archipelago) in 2002 and 2003, a thorough record of the structures, cairns and pavings, was carried out along with numerous test pits. The funeral function of the seaside cairns has been confirmed through the excavation of these particular coral structures. Here are presented the first elements of the funeral rites practised on Temoe. They appear to be quite complex, with diverse funeral behaviours, regarding as much the architecture of the cairns as the type of the burial (primary or secondary). The burial place of a premature baby and that of a perinatal child were identified. This is a particularly rare event in the Polynesian context. Radiocarbon dating shows that the settlement period occurred between the 14th and 17th centuries

Is the first rib a reliable indicator of age at death assessment? Test of the method developed by Kunos et al (1999)

International audienc

La population natoufienne de Mallaha (Eynan, Israël) : dénombrement, âge au décès et recrutement funéraire

International audienceThe reappraisal of the anthropological Natufian collection from Mallaha (12 000-10 300 BP), the largest available, includes all of the skeletons discovered from the 1950's up to the last campaign. The estimation of the number of individuals (N=102) and their age at death yields a new paleodemographic analysis, not for the assessment of a Natufian mortality pattern, but rather to recognize anomalous demographic patterns and determine possible criteria of burial selection. The results, concerning the three settlement and burial phases at Mallaha (Early, Recent and Final Natufian), do not fit the standard hypothesis of a Natufian demography affected by an overall under-representation of older adults and children. There is no sign of any deficit of older adults in the Mallaha sample, whatever the phase. A relatively low proportion of subadults appears only during the Late Natufian, together with numerous graves damaged by erosion. A large under-representation of infants (under one-year-old) is obvious solely among the Recent Natufian specimens and this burial selection can be related to another shift in mortuaiy practices : at the same period, funerary structures containing many individuals replace the single or double primary burials (standard practice during the Earlv and the Late Natufian).Une révision de l'importante collection natoufienne du site de Mallaha (12 000-10 300 BP) a concerné tous les squelettes découverts depuis les années cinquante jusqu'à la dernière campagne. Le dénombrement des individus (N=102) et l'estimation de l'âge au décès forment la hase d'une analyse paléodémographique qui n 'a pas pour but de proposer une reconstitution du profil de mortalité des Natoufiens mais de détecter des anomalies et de discuter une sélection des inhumés a Mallaha. Les résultats obtenus permettent d'analyser le recrutement des défunts pour chacune des trois phases d'occupation (Natoufien ancien, récent et final) et de rejeter l'hypothèse courante d'une sous-représentation générale des adultes âgés et des sujets immatures dans les populations natoufiennes. A Mallaha, pour les trois phases d'occupation confondues, on ne peut pas confirmer de déficit des adultes âgés. Une sous- représentation globale de la population immature par rapport à la population adulte n 'a été mise en évidence que pour la phase finale durant laquelle un fort processus d'érosion a endommagé la majorité des sépultures. En revanche, un important déficit des sujets de moins d'un an est constaté au Natoufien récent, phénomène de sélection rapproché d'autres changements dans les pratiques funéraires, à la même période : l 'abandon de l'inhumation primaire ou double (majoritaire dans le Natoufien ancien et final) au profit de l 'inhumation de nombreux sujets dans la même structure funéraire