Most Chinese lithic industries dated between 300,000 and 40,000 are characterized by the absence of Levallois debitage, the persistence of core-and-flake knapping, the rarity of prepared cores, their reduction with direct hard hammer percussion, and the rarity of retouched flakes. Here we report the discovery of seven bone soft hammers at the early hominin Lingjing site (Xuchang County, Henan) ...

Humans and chimpanzees are more sensitive to endotoxin than are mice or monkeys, but any underlying differences in inflammatory physiology have not been fully described or understood. We studied innate immune responses in Cmah-/- mice, emulating human loss of the gene encoding production of Neu5Gc, a major cell surface sialic acid. CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) loss occurred ∼2...

The chronology and environmental context of the first hominin dispersal in Europe have been subject to debate controversy. oldest settlements Eurasia (e.g., Dmanisi, ?1.8 Ma) suggest a scenario which Caucasus southern Asia were occupied ?0.4 Ma before peopling Europe. Barranco León (BL) Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3), two Early Pleistocene archeological localities dated ?1.4 Orce (Guadix-Baza Depression,...

We analyze a radius bone fragment of a raven (Corvus corax) from Zaskalnaya VI rock shelter, Crimea. The object bears seven notches and comes from an archaeological level attributed to a Micoquian industry dated to between 38 and 43 cal kyr BP. Our study aims to examine the degree of regularity and intentionality of this set of notches through their technological and morphometric analysis, comp...

The territory of present day Armenia is a geographic contact zone between the Near East and the northern Caucasus. Armenian Middle and Upper Paleolithic records are both few and patchy as a result of the historical paucity of systematic archaeological research in the country. Consequently, it is currently difficult to correlate the Armenian Middle and Upper Paleolithic records with those from o...

Small flake industries are a commonly identified component of Lower Paleolithic archaeological assemblages in Eurasia. Utilized as blanks for tools, at many sites, their functions often poorly understood. Here we present preliminary traceological analysis lithics from Marathousa 1 (MAR-1; Megalopolis, Greece). MAR-1 dates to ca. 400-500 ka BP and is one the oldest open-air sites South-Eastern E...

Abstract Background Anthrax continues to be a disease of public health importance in Zimbabwe, with sporadic outbreaks reported annually many parts the country. A human anthrax outbreak occurred wards 22 and 23 Makoni District from mid-June 2013 end January 2014, following cattle deaths wards. Laboratory tests confirmed as cause for deaths. This study investigated clinical characteristics, dist...

Experiments based on the premise of uniformitarism are an effective tool to establish patterns taphonomic processes acting either before, or after, burial. One process that has been extensively investigated experimentally is impact trampling large mammal bones. Since marks caused by sedimentary friction strongly mimic cut made humans using stone tools during butchery, distinguishing origin such...