Autor: Maeve Nic Samhradáin

News Allgemein

HEAS Member Gerhard Weber’s research cited in New Scientist article on brain evolution

Gerhard Weber recently had his publication on 'Quantum Leaps in Human Biocultural Evolution and the Relationship to Cranial Capacity' cited in a New Scientist article on 'Why did humans evolve big brains? A new idea bodes ill for our future'. The article considers his suggestions that the rise of artificial intelligence might become even less important for humans to maintain large brains.. Barras.C.2024.New.Scientist.Brain.Evolution       https://www.heas.at/research/publications/quantum-leaps-in-human-biocultural-evolution-and-the-relationship-to-cranial-capacity/   https://homepage.univie.ac.at/gerhard.weber/selected-publications/

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Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction

Slimak, L., Vimala, T., Seguin-Orlando, A., Metz, L., Zanolli, C., Joannes-Boyau, R., Frouin, M., Arnold, L.J., Demuro, M., Devièse, T., Comeskey, D., Buckley, M., Camus, H., Muth, X., Lewis, J.E., Bocherens, H., Yvorra, P., Tenailleau, C., Duployer, B., Coqueugniot, H., Dutour, O., Higham, T., Sikora, M., 2024. Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction. Cell Genomics 4. read more

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HEAS Head Tom Higham et al. publishes on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with its gigantic statues and treeless landscape has fascinated researchers for centuries. A new genetic study published in this week’s Nature disproves the popular theory that the Rapanui population collapsed as a result of an “ecocide”—a human-caused environmental suicide—and shows that the Rapanui admixed with Indigenous Americans centuries before Europeans arrived on the island.   https://www.heas.at/research/publications/ancient-rapanui-genomes-reveal-resilience-and-pre-european-contact-with-the-americas/   Press Release   Media Coverage ORF

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Ancient DNA from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) refutes best-selling population collapse theory and reveals pre-European contact with Indigenous Americans

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with its gigantic statues and treeless landscape has fascinated researchers for centuries. A new genetic study published in this week's Nature disproves the popular theory that the Rapanui population collapsed as a result of an "ecocide"—a human-caused environmental suicide—and shows that the Rapanui admixed with Indigenous Americans centuries before Europeans arrived on the island.   Rapa Nui or Te Pito o Te Henua (the navel of the world), also known as Easter Island, is one of the most isolated inhabited places in the world. Located in the Pacific, it lies over 1,900 km east of the closest inhabited Polynesian island and 3,700 km west of South America. Although the island, its inhabitants and their rich culture have been extensively studied by archaeologists, anthropologists and geneticists, two key elements of Rapanui history remain very controversial to this day. One of these is the theory of population collapse through "ecocide" or "ecological suicide" in the 1600s, thought to be the result of overpopulation and resource mismanagement. The other major contention is whether the Polynesian ancestors of the Rapanui interacted with Indigenous Americans before contact with Europeans in 1722. This week's issue of Nature features a genetic study that sheds light on these two debates related to Rapanui history by examining the genomes of 15 Rapanui individuals who lived…

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Maximizing efficiency in sedimentary ancient DNA analysis: a novel extract pooling approach

Oberreiter, V., Gelabert, P., Brück, F., Franz, S., Zelger, E., Szedlacsek, S., Cheronet, O., Cano, F.T., Exler, F., Zagorc, B., Karavanić, I., Banda, M., Gasparyan, B., Straus, L.G., Gonzalez Morales, M.R., Kappelman, J., Stahlschmidt, M., Rattei, T., Kraemer, S.M., Sawyer, S., Pinhasi, R., 2024. Maximizing efficiency in sedimentary ancient DNA analysis: a novel extract pooling approach. Scientific Reports 14, 19388.   read more

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Bioarchaeological Perspectives on Late Antiquity in Dalmatia: Paleogenetic, Dietary, and Population Studies of the Hvar Radošević burial site

Zagorc, B., Blanz, M., Gelabert, P., Sawyer, S., Oberreiter, V., Cheronet, O., Chen, H.S., Carić, M., Visković, E., Olalde, I., Ivanova-Bieg, M., Novak, M., Reich, D., Pinhasi, R., 2024. Bioarchaeological Perspectives on Late Antiquity in Dalmatia: Paleogenetic, Dietary, and Population Studies of the Hvar—Radošević burial site. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 16, 150. read more

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Human dispersal and plant processing in the Pacific 55 000–50 000 years ago.

Gaffney, D., Tanudirjo, D.A., Djami, E.N.I., Mas'ud, Z., Macap, A.R., Russell, T., Dailom, M., Ray, Y., Higham, T., Bradshaw, F., Petchey, F., Florin, S.A., Roberts, P., Lucas, M., Tromp, M., Greig, K., Xhauflair, H., Montenegro, A., Hall, R., Boulanger, C., Ono, R., Oertle, A., Scholz, D., Spitzer, M., Szabo, K., Bertelli, I., Ribechini, E., Haberle, S., 2024. Human dispersal and plant processing in the Pacific 55 000–50 000 years ago. Antiquity, 1-20.   read more

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Blog Posts

Roman Cuisine: A Vegan and Organic Feast? Our Kinderuni Session on Ancient Diets

Authors: Dominik Hagmann and Nisa Iduna Kirchengast Description: In this blog post, we, Dominik and Nisa, reflect on our Kinderuni session "Römisches Essen: alles bio und vegan? Mit der Archäologie der antiken Ernährung auf der Spur" (Roman Food: All Organic and Vegan? Tracing Ancient Diet with Archaeology). On Monday, July 8th, we had the pleasure of diving into the world of Roman cuisine with a group of curious young researchers aged 7 to 12. This session was part of the wider Kinderuni initiative, which also includes a virtual session on ancient diets available online since 2020: "Parrots, Fish Sauce, and Dogs" (https://kinderuni.online/kurs/papageien-fischsauce-und-hunde/). What did we do? We explored what the ancient Romans ate, discussing not only the ingredients but also how we can still discover what was on people's plates nearly 2000 years ago. We examined archaeological finds, peeked into ancient cookbooks, and even considered how one could cook Roman food today – with a modern twist, of course! What went well: Lively discussions: The children were enthusiastic and surprised us with their questions and ideas. They wanted to know everything, from the Romans' favorite dishes to the spices they used. Interactive elements: We cooked "ancient" recipes together (with modern ingredients, of course!) and the children could even try their hand at it. This was not only fun but also…

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Program for Conference on Methodological Innovations in P-XRF-Studies released!

The first Conference on Methodological Innovations in P-XRF-Studies will be held on 24th of September 2024 at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science with an Ice-breaker Event at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien on the 23rd of September. It will give space to discuss portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF), a method widely used in a variety of research fields including archaeometry, conservation, geology, heritage studies, and many more. However, despite its widespread use, there still remains a lack of understanding of the specific requirements and best practices for handling the instrument across different research applications and materials: The simplicity of the instrument, as easy as pulling a trigger, gives the impression that, compared to laboratory methods, it does not require a specialist to operate it. As a result, there is a lack of training opportunities for practitioners, a deficit of groundwork and innovative studies and a tendency to apply p-XRF in a repetitive manner to the ever-same research questions. This sidelines p-XRF and neglects its innovative potential. Therefore, this conference will provide a platform to present cutting-edge methods and strategies for p-XRF data acquisition, processing and interpretation. It aims to highlight practical and software innovations, handling techniques and the new ways of the application of p-XRF to a variety of materials. Presentations from a variety of fields utilizing p-XRF will be presented…

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Temporal dynamics of woolly mammoth genome erosion prior to extinction

Dehasque, M., Morales, H.E., Díez-del-Molino, D., Pečnerová, P., Chacón-Duque, J.C., Kanellidou, F., Muller, H., Plotnikov, V., Protopopov, A., Tikhonov, A., Nikolskiy, P., Danilov, G.K., Giannì, M., van der Sluis, L., Higham, T., Heintzman, P.D., Oskolkov, N., Gilbert, M.T.P., Götherström, A., van der Valk, T., Vartanyan, S., Dalén, L., 2024. Temporal dynamics of woolly mammoth genome erosion prior to extinction. Cell 187, 3531-3540.e3513. read more

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HEAS Member Sylvia Kirchengast awarded funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)’s 1000 Ideas Program

HEAS Team Leader Sylvia Kirchengast (Department of Evolutionary Anthropology) has recently received new funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)’s 1000 Ideas Program. Her research project, „Gender-associated infant mortality in archaeological samples“, will examine the still unexplained female deficit in prehistoric and historic cemeteries.   The demographic interpretation of prehistoric and historic cemeteries is challenged by a frequent female deficit, with male skeletons often outnumbering female skeletons by a factor of two or more, contrary to expected natural sex ratios. Methodological issues such as inaccurate morphological sex diagnosis and possibly faster decomposition of female skeletons have been suggested but remain unproven. Additionally, gender stereotypes may influence the sex classification of human remains.   Sylvia's interdisciplinary project posits a new explanation: the female deficit is not a methodological artifact but a result of the subordinate role of women in patriarchal societies. This deficit may stem from lower societal investment in female offspring or from deliberate neglect. The project explores this question through interdisciplinary collaboration between Roman Archaeology and Biological Anthropology.   The team, consisting of HEAS members Sylvia Kirchengast, Dominik Hagmann, and other experts from HEAS and beyond, will analyze a Roman-era cemetery from today’s Wels, Austria, known for its female deficit. The research will include aDNA analysis of subadult individuals to detect excess female mortality, 14C dating, and material culture…

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HEAS Member Elmira Mohandesan awarded FWF Grant

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Elmira Mohandesan has been awarded an FWF stand-alone research grant (PAT 3594624). She and her international team will explore the genetic diversity and cultural interactions of Late Bronze to Middle Iron Age human communities in the Carpathian Basin. Their multidisciplinary study will investigate how eastern population influxes and horses influenced these societies, providing a comprehensive understanding of their socio-cultural transformations." More information

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Early developmental masculinization among boys: More prenatal testosterone action (assessed via 2D: 4D) renders their faces perceived as masculine but not pretty or cute.

Schaefer, K., Seidl-Berger, A., Windhager, S., 2024. Early developmental masculinization among boys: More prenatal testosterone action (assessed via 2D: 4D) renders their faces perceived as masculine but not pretty or cute. Early Human Development, 106071.   read more

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HEAS Keynote by Eszter Bánffy took place on the 28th June 2024.

The HEAS Keynote with Eszter Bánffy took place on Friday the 28th June in the beautiful Theatersaal in the HEAS Partner Institution The Austrian Academy of Sciences. We welcomed almost 100 people online and in-person for her talk on 'New strategies and coping practices of early farmers taking the Danubian route (6000-5350 cal BC)'.   The recording from this event will be available on our YouTube channel later this week.

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Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago

Mylopotamitaki, D., Weiss, M., Fewlass, H., Zavala, E.I., Rougier, H., Sümer, A.P., Hajdinjak, M., Smith, G.M., Ruebens, K., Sinet-Mathiot, V., Pederzani, S., Essel, E., Harking, F.S., Xia, H., Hansen, J., Kirchner, A., Lauer, T., Stahlschmidt, M., Hein, M., Talamo, S., Wacker, L., Meller, H., Dietl, H., Orschiedt, J., Olsen, J.V., Zeberg, H., Prüfer, K., Krause, J., Meyer, M., Welker, F., McPherron, S.P., Schüler, T., Hublin, J.-J., 2024. Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago. Nature 626, 341-346. read more

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Pinhasi Lab featured on ARTE documentary

HEAS members Ron Pinhasi and Olivia Cheronet were recently featured on an arte documentary series 'Das Steinzeit Menu' in the second episode on 'Als Homo sapiens zum Bauern wurde'   The documentary (in German) can be viewed on the link below until the 24th July 2024.   https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/106261-000-A/das-steinzeit-menue/

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HEAS tribute to Board Member Sabine Ladstätter

It is with profound shock and sadness that we have learned of the passing of our esteemed and highly respected colleague, Sabine Ladstätter. As the head of the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the first female Director of the Ephesos excavations, Sabine was an outstanding archaeologist and a gifted science communicator. Sabine was integral to HEAS as one of the central team leaders in that she shared the HEAS approach of interdisciplinary research. She spearheaded the integration of archaeological sciences methods and approaches with Classical Archaeology. Her contributions have left an indelible mark on Austrian archaeology and touched the lives of everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her, both peers and the public alike. Sabine shared our vision for excellence in archaeological research in Vienna and beyond. We knew her as an enthusiastic, captivating, hardworking, devoted, caring, and down-to-earth colleague. Her passing creates a significant void in Austrian archaeology, both nationally and internationally. Sabine will be deeply missed.   Additional Tributes: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/oeai/medien/newsarchiv/news-detail/das-oeai-trauert-um-sabine-ladstaetter    

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HEAS board member Martin Steskal appointed as the new director of the Ephesos excavations

The prestigious excavations of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Ephesos/Türkiye will be led by Martin Steskal from this year. For many years, Steskal has been committed to interdisciplinary research approaches and the establishment of archaeology as an interface between the humanities and sciences. His planned research includes questions on circular economy, resource management, human-environment relationships, production and consumption. He deals with the key question of how the living conditions of an ancient populations can be reconstructed.

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Analyses invasives, micro-invasives et non-invasives des vestiges anthropobiologiques: quelles évolutions des pratiques actuelles et recommandations? Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris.

Goude, G., Le Maître, A., Bertrand, B., Mounier, A., 2024. Analyses invasives, micro-invasives et non-invasives des vestiges anthropobiologiques: quelles évolutions des pratiques actuelles et recommandations? Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris. BMSAP 36. read more

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HEAS Member awarded Fellow status at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Human Behaviour and Evolution Society (HBES).

HEAS Member, Bernhard Fink was recently awarded Fellow status at the recent 35th Annual Meeting of the Human Behaviour and Evolution Society (HBES). Fellow status is conferred to members of the Society for sustained outstanding contributions to the study/teaching of evolution and human behaviour, and to the service of the Society. There are currently 7 fellows (2 from Europe). https://www.hbes.com/awards/#toggle-id-3

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Cervidae antlers exploited to manufacture prehistoric tools and hunting implements as a reliable source of ancient DNA

Tejero, J.-M., Cheronet, O., Gelabert, P., Zagorc, B., Álvarez-Fernández, E., Arias, P., Averbouh, A., Bar-Oz, G., Barzilai, O., Belfer-Cohen, A., Bosch, M.D., Brück, F., Cueto, M., Dockner, M., Fullola, J.M., Gárate, D., Giannakoulis, M., González, C., Jakeli, N., Mangado, X., Meshveliani, T., Neruda, P., Nigst, P., Ontañón, R., Shemer, M., Šimková, P.G., Tapia, J., Sánchez de la Torre, M., Schwab, C., Weber, G., Pinhasi, R., 2024. Cervidae antlers exploited to manufacture prehistoric tools and hunting implements as a reliable source of ancient DNA. Heliyon 10, e31858. read more

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Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM) Members

Nicole GRUNSTRA

I am an evolutionary anthropologist and morphometrician. I obtained a PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and am currently based at the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna as an ESPRIT fellow. I am interested in which sense the human lineage is unique and in which sense we are “just another unique species.” Central to my research, therefore, is placing human evolution in a wider comparative and theoretical biology context. I study complex traits such as the pelvis, cranium, inner ear, and the entire dentition. Currently, my main research focus is on the study of evolutionary trade-offs in the human and non-human placental mammalian pelvis in pursuit of understanding what constrains human pelvic canal size and flexibility, leading to a tight fit and difficult childbirth (an "obstetrical dilemma"). I lead an FWF-funded project devoted to this question, in which I aim to disentangle the relative contributions of reproduction, locomotion, posture, body mass support, and phylogenetic heritage in hard and soft tissue anatomy of the mammalian, including human, pelvis.  

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Call for Paper for p-XRF conference – deadline on 7th of June

The Call for Papers for the upcoming conference on Methodological Innovations in p-XRF Studies, hosted by the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (VIAS) and sponsored by HEAS, closes in just a couple of days on the 7th of June! The conference will provide a platform for presenting cutting-edge methods and strategies for p-XRF data acquisition, processing, and interpretation. We invite 20-minute presentations from all fields utilizing p-XRF, with a focus on practical and software innovations, handling techniques, and new applications across diverse materials. Key details: Abstract Submission Deadline: June 7th, 2024 (max. 250 words) Conference Registration Deadline: August 11th, 2024 Conference Date: September 24th, 2024 Ice-breaker Event: September 23rd, 2024 Location: VIAS and NHM Conference Proceedings: Will be published Participation: Free of charge For more information, please refer to the Conference_pXRF_CfP or visit the conference website: https://vias.univie.ac.at/projekte/conference-methodological-innovations-in-p-xrf-studies/ This conference is being organised by HEAS Member Michaela Schauer  

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HEAS UXO workshop

Workshop on Explosive ordnance identification for archaeologists Archaeological fieldwork often takes place in areas that were the scene of historical conflicts. This increases the probability of encountering explosive ordnance during excavations. It can be assumed that on average 10% of all explosive devices fired in conflicts did not explode. These unexploded ordnance (UXO) pose a risk to the safety of excavating archaeologists. Currently, many lack the necessary awareness and training to identify and properly handle ordnance found during fieldwork. This workshop aims to raise risk awareness and to close knowledge gaps in order to increase safety. Participants should be able to recognise potentially dangerous explosive ordnance, ammunition and ammunition parts during field work and react appropriately. This workshop is funded by the HEAS research network and supported by the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science, the Institute for Prehistory and Historical Archaeology, and the Austrian Archaeological Institute. Date and location: Saturday June 8th 2024, 9:30 until ca. 15:00, Franz-Klein-Gasse 1, HS7, 1190 Vienna Speaker: Vice-Lieutenant Jürgen Zeitlhofer Workshop language:  German For registrations please email immo.trinks@univie.ac.at   Download flyer  

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HEAS Member Verena Schuenemann Publishes Research on How Leprosy Spread Between Red Squirrels And People in Medieval England

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that continues to sicken 200,000 people each year in many places around the world, according to the World Health Organization, spread through close contact over months with someone who has untreated leprosy. But new evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester reported in Current Biology on May 3, 2024, shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for the Mycobacterium leprae strains responsible for leprosy in people. The findings may have implications for understanding the spread of leprosy today, including why it has not been successfully eradicated, according to the researchers. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, they also highlight the importance of a collaborative One Health approach for understanding infectious diseases and health outcomes more broadly. One Health refers to an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely linked to the health of animals and the environment.   Read Press Release Link to article

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HEAS Member wins Poster Price

HEAS Member Michelle Haemmerle recently won a poster prize for her work on the 'Monkeypox virus in museum samples of orangutans' at the VDSEE Symposium in the University of Vienna Biology Building (UBB). The publication the poster was based on was published earlier this month.

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