Cinq millénaires de métallurgie en montagne basque. Les apports d'une démarche intégrée alliant palynologie et géochimie isotopique du plomb

National audienceUne démarche intégrée alliant palynologie et géochimie isotopique du plomb a été engagée dans une tourbière du Pays Basque, au coeur d'une région reconnue comme étant un foyer métallurgique ancien. Elle permet de reconstituer l'histoire des activités minières et métallurgiques et d'en apprécier l'impact sur l'environnement forestier au cours des cinq derniers millénaires. Plusieurs phases d'activités ont été repérées entre le début du IIIè millénaire av. J.-C. et l'époque moderne (Bronze moyen, Bronze final, Antiquité, époque moderne). La plupart sont clairement associées à des indices polliniques de réduction du couvert forestier, toutefois il ressort que localement l'impact de la métallurgie au bois sur les forêts n'atteint son paroxysme qu'à partir des XVè-XVIè siècles

Environmental impact of early Basque mining and smelting recorded in a high ash minerogenic peat deposit

International audienceMore than four metres of core, covering almost 5000 years of deposition, were collected in a high ash minerogenic peat deposit located in the High Aldudes valley (Basque country), an area well known for its mineral abundance, exploited from Roman Times at least.Although minerogenic peatlands are not generally considered as the best archives to reconstruct past atmospheric metal deposition history, lead isotopic geochemistry demonstrates the integrity of the Pb record at least within the three upper meters; that is to say over the last four millennia.Zn, Cd and Cumay have been widely redistributed either by biological cycling, advective groundwater movements, or diffusional processes.Anthr opogenic lead input phases are clearly pinpointed by positive shifts in PbySc ratios with concomitant sharp drops in 206Pby207Pb ratios.They are often accompanied by significant declines in tree taxa, interpreted as increasing demand for wood to supply energy for local mining andyor metallurgical operations.Periods of mining andyor smelting activity are identified during Antiquity and Modern Times, and are also confirmed by textual and field evidence.Inputs from the Rio Tinto (Southern Spain), often invoked as a major lead contributor to the European atmosphere during Roman Times, were not detected here.This remote source was probably masked by local inputs. Other mining andyor smelting phases, only suspected by archaeologists, are here identified as early as the Bronze Age.Although the durations of these phases are possibly overestimated because of detrital inputs consequent to the release of lead from polluted soils over a long period of time after major pollutant inputs, the periods at which pollution peaks occur are in good agreement with archaeological knowledge and palaeo-botanical data.Thecombination of geochemical and palaeo-botanical techniques with field archaeology, therefore provides a powerful tool in studying the interaction of early human societies with their environment, as regards early mining and smelting

Villes inondables : prévention, adaptation, résilience

International audienceLes villes européennes, souvent installées le long de fleuves ou sur des rivages maritimes, s’inquiètent de leur vulnérabilité aux inondations, un risque accru aujourd’hui par les dérèglements climatiques, la pression démographique et la compétitivité urbaine. La mise en valeur récréative et environnementale de ces rives par des projets urbains, en cherchant à mieux articuler la ville avec la présence de l’eau, entraîne des débats sur l’acceptabilité de ces aménagements potentiellement inondables. Entre prise en compte du risque et attractivité, de nouvelles stratégies innovantes voient le jour qui, tout en renforçant les techniques de prévention traditionnelles, proposent des dispositifs urbains et des modes de vie mieux adaptés à la présence de l’eau sur le territoire. Les exemples étudiés dans cet ouvrag montrent une forte capacité d’innovation de la part de ces villes pour gérer les ressources liées à l’eau, optimiser des stratégies fonctionnelles et temporelles d’aménagement du territoire, imaginer des dispositifs architecturaux et techniques résistants à l’eau, et mettre en valeur ces nouveaux paysages [d'après éd.

The risk of COVID-19 death is much greater and age dependent with type I IFN autoantibodies

International audienceSignificance There is growing evidence that preexisting autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) are strong determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia. It is important to estimate their quantitative impact on COVID-19 mortality upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, by age and sex, as both the prevalence of these autoantibodies and the risk of COVID-19 death increase with age and are higher in men. Using an unvaccinated sample of 1,261 deceased patients and 34,159 individuals from the general population, we found that autoantibodies against type I IFNs strongly increased the SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality rate at all ages, in both men and women. Autoantibodies against type I IFNs are strong and common predictors of life-threatening COVID-19. Testing for these autoantibodies should be considered in the general population

The risk of COVID-19 death is much greater and age dependent with type I IFN autoantibodies

International audienceSignificance There is growing evidence that preexisting autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) are strong determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia. It is important to estimate their quantitative impact on COVID-19 mortality upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, by age and sex, as both the prevalence of these autoantibodies and the risk of COVID-19 death increase with age and are higher in men. Using an unvaccinated sample of 1,261 deceased patients and 34,159 individuals from the general population, we found that autoantibodies against type I IFNs strongly increased the SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality rate at all ages, in both men and women. Autoantibodies against type I IFNs are strong and common predictors of life-threatening COVID-19. Testing for these autoantibodies should be considered in the general population