Dating of Bush Turkey Rockshelter 3 in the Calvert Ranges establishes Early Holocene Occupation of the Little Sandy Desert, Western Australia

Systematic excavation of occupied rockshelters that occur in ranges along the Canning Stock Route of the Western Desert has seen the establishment of both a Pleistocene signal (c.24ka BP) as well as the fleshing out of a Holocene sequence. Recent dating of a perched rockshelter in the Calvert Ranges, east of the Durba Hills, has provided a Holocene record filling in previous occupational gaps from the Calvert Ranges. The extrapolated basal date of the site is in the order of 12,000 BP. Assemblages from this site illustrate repeated occupation through the Holocene with a notable shift in raw materials procured for artefact production and their technology of manufacture in the last 1000 years. Engraved and pigment art is thought to span the length of occupation of the shelter. The site illustrates a significant increase in the discard of cultural materials during the last 800 years, a trend observed at other desert sites. Much of the pigment art in this shelter seems likely to date to this most recent period

Leang Lemdubu: Preliminary Report On Excavation Conducted By The Joint Indonesian-Australian Project, Prehistory Or The Aru Islands

The Aru Islands were connected to Greater Australia until approximately 8.000 years ago, when they were separated by rising sea levels. While now forming part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. for a long time they comprised an elevated land mass on the edge of the Sahul continent. The presence on Aru of numerous marsupials and the cassowary attest to this shared history. Indeed the biogeographical significance of the Aru Islands has long been highlighted by naturalists such as Wallace. While the waters to the east of the Aru Islands are relatively shallow reflecting the previous land bridge with Irian and Northwest Australia the continental shelf to the west slopes steeply with the 100 m isobath located as little as 10 km away. Due to their optimal position, the Aru Islands have the potential to register a multitude of maritime colonising events through time.The Aru Islands were connected to Greater Australia until approximately 8.000 years ago, when they were separated by rising sea levels. While now forming part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. for a long time they comprised an elevated land mass on the edge of the Sahul continent. The presence on Aru of numerous marsupials and the cassowary attest to this shared history. Indeed the biogeographical significance of the Aru Islands has long been highlighted by naturalists such as Wallace. While the waters to the east of the Aru Islands are relatively shallow reflecting the previous land bridge with Irian and Northwest Australia the continental shelf to the west slopes steeply with the 100 m isobath located as little as 10 km away. Due to their optimal position, the Aru Islands have the potential to register a multitude of maritime colonising events through time

Prokaryotic respiration and production in the meso- and bathypelagic realm of the eastern and western North Atlantic basin

We measured prokaryotic production and respiration in the major water masses of the North Atlantic down to a depth of,4,000 m by following the progression of the two branches of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) in the oceanic conveyor belt. Prokaryotic abundance decreased exponentially with depth from 3 to 0.4 3 105 cells mL21 in the eastern basin and from 3.6 to 0.3 3 105 cells mL21 in the western basin. Prokaryotic production measured via 3H-leucine incorporation showed a similar pattern to that of prokaryotic abundance and decreased with depth from 9.2 to 1.1 mmol C m23 d21 in the eastern and from 20.6 to 1.2 mmol C m23 d21 in the western basin. Prokaryotic respiration, measured via oxygen consumption, ranged from about 300 to 60 mmol C m23 d21 from,100 m depth to the NADW. Prokaryotic growth efficiencies of,2 % in the deep waters (depth range 1,200–4,000 m) indicate that the prokaryotic carbon demand exceeds dissolved organic matter input and surface primary production by 2 orders of magnitude. Cell-specific prokaryotic production was rather constant throughout the water column, ranging from 15 to 32 3 1023 fmol C cell21 d21 in the eastern and from 35 to 58

How to get to Australia … more than 50,000 years ago

[Extract] Over just the past few years, new archaeological findings have revealed the lives of early Aboriginal Australians in the Northern Territory’s Kakadu potentially as early as 65,000 years ago, from the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia by about 50,000 years ago, and the Flinders Ranges of South Australia by around 49,000 years ago. But how was it even possible for people to get to Australia in the first place? And how many people must have made it to Australia to explain the diversity of Aboriginal people today? In a study published in Quaternary Science Reviews this week, we use new environmental reconstructions, voyage simulations, and genetic population estimates to show for the first time that colonisation of Australia by 50,000 years ago was achieved by a globally significant phase of purposeful and coordinated marine voyaging

Palaeogeography and voyage modeling indicates early human colonization of Australia was likely from Timor-Roti

Anatomically Modern Humans (AMHs) dispersed rapidly through island southeast Asia (Sunda and Wallacea) and into Sahul (Australia, New Guinea and the Aru Islands), before 50,000 years ago. Multiple routes have been proposed for this dispersal and all involve at least one multi-day maritime voyage approaching 100 km. Here we use new regional-scale bathymetry data, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, an assessment of vertical land movements and drift modeling to assess the potential for an initial entry into northwest Australia from southern Wallacea (Timor-Roti). From ∼70,000 until ∼10,000 years ago, a chain of habitable, resource-rich islands were emergent off the coast of northwest Australia (now mostly submerged). These were visible from high points close to the coast on Timor-Roti and as close as 87 km. Drift models suggest the probability of accidental arrival on these islands from Timor-Roti was low at any time. However, purposeful voyages in the summer monsoon season were very likely to be successful over 4–7 days. Genomic data suggests the colonizing population size was >72–100 individuals, thereby indicating deliberate colonization. This is arguably the most dramatic early demonstration of the advanced cognitive abilities and technological capabilities of AMHs, but one that could leave little material imprint in the archaeological record beyond the evidence that colonization occurred

Cave dig shows the earliest Australians enjoyed a coastal lifestyle

[Extract] Archaeological excavations in a remote island cave off northwest Australia reveal incredible details of the early use by people of the continent’s now-submerged coast. Our latest study reveals that at lower sea levels, this island was used as a hunting shelter between about 50,000 and 30,000 years ago, and then as a residential base for family groups by 8,000 years ago

Building a sustainable national Indigenous representative body - issues for consideration

Issues of Indigenous disadvantage and dysfunction are before our eyes more frequently and more prominently than ever before. Barely a day goes by without another chilling and heartbreaking story of abuse, violence or neglect; or of demonstrations of the impact of entrenched poverty and despair among our communities. Without proper engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, (Indigenous peoples) governments will struggle in their efforts to make lasting progress in improving the conditions of Indigenous people and in our communities. A National Indigenous Representative Body is a fundamental component of any future action if we are to achieve positive change. At present, there is not a transparent, rigorous process for engaging with Indigenous peoples in determining the policy settings and to hold governments accountable for their performance

Chemical Synthesis of the Fluorescent, Cyclic Dinucleotides c(th)GAMP

The cGAS-STING pathway is known for its role in sensing cytosolic DNA introduced by a viral infection, bacterial invasion or tumorigenesis. Free DNA is recognized by the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) catalyzing the production of 2',3'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (2',3'-cGAMP) in mammals. This cyclic dinucleotide acts as a second messenger, activating the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) that finally triggers the transcription of interferon genes and inflammatory cytokines. Due to the therapeutic potential of this pathway, both the production and the detection of cGAMP via fluorescent moieties for assay development is of great importance. Here, we introduce the paralleled synthetic access to the intrinsically fluorescent, cyclic dinucleotides 2'3'-c(th)GAMP and 3'3'-c(th)GAMP based on phosphoramidite and phosphate chemistry, adaptable for large scale synthesis. We examine their binding properties to murine and human STING and confirm biological activity including interferon induction by 2'3'-c(th)GAMP in THP-1 monocytes. Two-photon imaging revealed successful cellular uptake of 2'3'-c(th)GAMP in THP-1 cells

A Click-Chemistry Linked 2’3’-cGAMP Analog

2’3’-cGAMP is an uncanonical cyclic dinucleotide where one A and one G base are connected via a 3’-5’ and a unique 2’-5’ linkage. The molecule is produced by the cyclase cGAS in response to cytosolic DNA binding. cGAMP activates STING and hence one of the most powerful pathways of innate immunity. cGAMP analogs with uncharged linkages that feature better cellular penetrability are currently highly desired. Here, we report the synthesis of a cGAMP analog with one amide and one triazole linkage. The molecule is best prepared via a first Cu(I) catalysed click reaction which establishes the triazole, while the cyclization is achieved by macrolactamization