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Commercial capture fisheries produce huge quantities of offal, as well as undersized and unwanted catch in the form of discards. Declines in global catches and legislation to ban discarding will significantly reduce discards, but this subsidy supports a large scavenger community. Understanding the potential impact of declining discards for scavengers should feature in an eco-system based approach to fisheries management, but requires greater knowledge of scavenger/fishery interactions. Here we use bird-borne cameras, in tandem with GPS loggers, to provide a unique view of seabird/fishery interactions. 20,643 digital images (one min(-1)) from ten bird-borne cameras deployed on central place northern gannets Morus bassanus revealed that all birds photographed fishing vessels. These were large (>15 m) boats, with no small-scale vessels. Virtually all vessels were trawlers, and gannets were almost always accompanied by other scavenging birds. All individuals exhibited an Area-Restricted Search (ARS) during foraging, but only 42% of ARS were associated with fishing vessels, indicating much 'natural' foraging. The proportion of ARS behaviours associated with fishing boats were higher for males (81%) than females (30%), although the reasons for this are currently unclear. Our study illustrates that fisheries form a very important component of the prey-landscape for foraging gannets and that a discard ban, such as that proposed under reforms of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, may have a significant impact on gannet behaviour, particularly males. However, a continued reliance on 'natural' foraging suggests the ability to switch away from scavenging, but only if there is sufficient food to meet their needs in the absence of a discard subsidy.

The relative contributions of genetics and environment to temporal and geographic variation in human height remain largely unknown. Ancient DNA has identified changes in genetic ancestry over time, but it is not clear whether those changes in ancestry are associated with changes in height. Here, we directly test whether changes over the past 38,000 y in European height predicted using DNA from 1,071 ancient individuals are consistent with changes observed in 1,159 skeletal remains from comparable populations. We show that the observed decrease in height between the Early Upper Paleolithic and the Mesolithic is qualitatively predicted by genetics. Similarly, both skeletal and genetic height remained constant between the Mesolithic and Neolithic and increased between the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Sitting height changes much less than standing height—consistent with genetic predictions—although genetics predicts a small post-Neolithic increase that is not observed in skeletal remains. Geographic variation in stature is also qualitatively consistent with genetic predictions, particularly with respect to latitude. Finally, we hypothesize that an observed decrease in genetic heel bone mineral density in the Neolithic reflects adaptation to the decreased mobility indicated by decreased femoral bending strength. This study provides a model for interpreting phenotypic changes predicted from ancient DNA and demonstrates how they can be combined with phenotypic measurements to understand the relative contribution of genetic and developmentally plastic responses to environmental change.

Atherosclerosis is thought to be a disease of modern human beings and related to contemporary lifestyles. However, its prevalence before the modern era is unknown. We aimed to evaluate preindustrial populations for atherosclerosis. We obtained whole body CT scans of 137 mummies from four different geographical regions or populations spanning more than 4000 years. Individuals from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, the Ancestral Puebloans of southwest America, and the Unangan of the Aleutian Islands were imaged. Atherosclerosis was regarded as definite if a calcified plaque was seen in the wall of an artery and probable if calcifications were seen along the expected course of an artery. Probable or definite atherosclerosis was noted in 47 (34%) of 137 mummies and in all four geographical populations: 29 (38%) of 76 ancient Egyptians, 13 (25%) of 51 ancient Peruvians, two (40%) of five Ancestral Puebloans, and three (60%) of five Unangan hunter gatherers (p=NS). Atherosclerosis was present in the aorta in 28 (20%) mummies, iliac or femoral arteries in 25 (18%), popliteal or tibial arteries in 25 (18%), carotid arteries in 17 (12%), and coronary arteries in six (4%). Of the five vascular beds examined, atherosclerosis was present in one to two beds in 34 (25%) mummies, in three to four beds in 11 (8%), and in all five vascular beds in two (1%). Age at time of death was positively correlated with atherosclerosis (mean age at death was 43 [SD 10] years for mummies with atherosclerosis vs 32 [15] years for those without; p<0·0001) and with the number of arterial beds involved (mean age was 32 [SD 15] years for mummies with no atherosclerosis, 42 [10] years for those with atherosclerosis in one or two beds, and 44 [8] years for those with atherosclerosis in three to five beds; p<0·0001). Atherosclerosis was common in four preindustrial populations including preagricultural hunter-gatherers. Although commonly assumed to be a modern disease, the presence of atherosclerosis in premodern human beings raises the possibility of a more basic predisposition to the disease. National Endowment for the Humanities, Paleocardiology Foundation, The National Bank of Egypt, Siemens, and St Luke's Hospital Foundation of Kansas City.

Assessing energy gain and expenditure in free ranging marine predators is difficult. However,such measurements are critical if we are to understand how variation in foraging efficiency,and in turn individual body condition, is impacted by environmentally driven changesin prey abundance and/or accessibility. To investigate the influence of oceanographic habitattype on foraging efficiency, ten post-breeding female southern elephant seals Miroungaleonina (SES) were equipped and tracked with bio-loggers to give continuous information ofprey catch attempts, body density and body activity. Variations in these indices of foragingefficiency were then compared between three different oceanographic habitats, delineatedby the main frontal structures of the Southern Ocean. Results show that changes in bodydensity are related not only to the number of previous prey catch attempts and to the bodyactivity (at a 6 day lag), but also foraging habitat type. For example, despite a lower dailyprey catch attempt rate, SESs foraging north of the sub-Antarctic front improve their bodydensity at a higher rate than individuals foraging south of the sub-Antarctic and polar fronts,suggesting that they may forage on easier to catch and/or more energetically rich prey inthis area. Our study highlights a need to understand the influence of habitat type on toppredator foraging behaviour and efficiency when attempting a better comprehension ofmarine ecosystems.Introduction

The rules and structure of human culture impact health as much as genetics or environment. To study these relationships, we combine ancient DNA ( n  = 230), skeletal metrics ( n  = 391), palaeopathology ( n  = 606) and dietary stable isotopes ( n  = 873) to analyse stature variation in Early Neolithic Europeans from North Central, South Central, Balkan and Mediterranean regions. In North Central Europe, stable isotopes and linear enamel hypoplasias indicate high environmental stress across sexes, but female stature is low, despite polygenic scores identical to males, and suggests that cultural factors preferentially supported male recovery from stress. In Mediterranean populations, sexual dimorphism is reduced, indicating male vulnerability to stress and no strong cultural preference for males. Our analysis indicates that biological effects of sex-specific inequities can be linked to cultural influences at least as early as 7,000 yr ago, and culture, more than environment or genetics, drove height disparities in Early Neolithic Europe. Evidence from genetics, skeletal remains and dietary isotopes indicates that sex-specific height disparities in Early Neolithic Europe can be linked to culture, more than environment or genetics. This suggests that a cultural preference for males may have had biological effects 7,000 yr ago.

In order to survive and later recruit into a population, juvenile animals need to acquireresources through the use of innate and/or learnt behaviors in an environment new tothem. For far-rangingmarine species, such as the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans,this is particularly challenging as individuals need to be able to rapidly adapt andoptimize their movement strategies in response to the highly dynamic and heterogeneousnature of their open-oceanpelagic habitats. Critical to this is the developmentand flexibility of dispersal and exploratory behaviors. Here, we examine the movementsof eight juvenile wandering albatrosses, tracked using GPS/Argos satellitetransmitters for eight months following fledging, and compare these to the trajectoriesof 17 adults to assess differences and similarities in behavioral strategies through time.Behavioral clustering algorithms (Expectation Maximization binary Clustering) werecombined with multinomial regression analyses to investigate changes in behavioralmode probabilities over time, and how these may be influenced by variations in dayduration and in biophysical oceanographic conditions. We found that juveniles appearedto quickly acquire the same large-scalebehavioral strategies as those employedby adults, although generally more time was spent resting at night. Moreover, individualswere able to detect and exploit specific oceanographic features in a mannersimilar to that observed in adults. Together, the results of this study suggest that whileshortly after fledging juvenile wandering albatrosses are able to employ similar foragingstrategies to those observed in adults, additional skills need to be acquired duringthe immature period before the efficiency of these behaviors matches that of adults.

This paper reports the preliminary results from three seasons of excavations in the Christian cemetery by the Tunisian-British Bulla Regia Archaeological Project. In 2017–2019, excavations in, and around, the Late Antique church in the western cemetery uncovered a complex funerary landscape with a variety of different tomb types, including mosaic caisson tombs, simple masonry tombs, amphora tombs, and earthen graves and multiple funerary mensae . The mosaics, inscriptions and finds (ceramics, glass, coins) studied in 2022 support a fourth to seventh century date for the main period of use of the cemetery. بولا ريجيا الجزء الثاني : أعمال التنقيب في المقبرة المسيحية تعرض هذه الورقة النتائج الأولية لثلاثة مواسم من التنقيب في المقبرة المسيحية من قبل مشروع بولا رييا التونسي -البريطاني الأثري . في 2017–2019، كشفت أعما التنقيب في الكنيسة العتيقة المتأخرة وما حولها عند المقبرة الغربية عن مشهد جنائزي معقد يضم مجموعة متنوعة من أنواع المقابر المختلفة، بما في ذلك صناديق الفسيفساء، والمقابر الحجرية البسيطة، ومقابر الأمفورا، وقبور ترابية (مدافن في الارض ) بالإضافة إلى عدد من الطاولات الجنائزية . إن الفسيفساء والنقوش والاكتشافات المختلفة من السيراميك والزجاج والعملات المعدنية و التي تمت دراستها في عام 2022 تدعم أن الفترة الرئيسية لاستخدام المقبرة هي من القرن الرابع إلى القرن السابع .

Using a large dataset of individuals from Early Neolithic Europe, we analysed DNA, diet and pathology to determine which factors most affected skeletal height. We found that the male–female height differences in north-central Europe were exceptionally large, and that the short stature of female individuals in this region possibly reflects a cultural preference to support male individuals. By contrast, in the Mediterranean, it is male individuals who were short, probably as a consequence of environmental stress.

Wildlife tunnels are often installed under busy roads to help a variety of animals, from small frogs to bears, safely cross roads that bisect their habitats. One of the first roadway wildlife tunnel systems designed specifically for amphibian use in the USA was installed along Henry Street in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1987 to protect spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). These salamanders cross Henry Street during their annual migration to their breeding pools. In recent years, volunteers monitoring the site suggested that salamanders were no longer using the tunnels. To evaluate this concern, we conducted salamander counts in 2016, 2017 and 2018 to quantify tunnel use. In 2016, 11% of observed salamanders used the tunnels—a substantial decrease from 68% in 1988, 1 year after tunnel installation, when the tunnels were last evaluated. Following 2016, we implemented two tunnel modifications: adding a light to the far end of tunnels (2017) and placing a ramp at tunnel entrances to reduce balking (2018). However, salamander tunnel use was not increased significantly by either the light modification or the ramp modification. Previous studies have demonstrated that salamanders prefer minimum tunnel apertures of >0.4 m, so it is likely that the 0.2 m apertures at Henry Street are too small. While many studies have evaluated amphibian tunnel use in laboratory and field settings, ours was one of the first studies to examine tunnel usage data long after initial installation. These long-term data are critical for evaluating factors necessary for maintaining wildlife tunnel effectiveness over decades.

Although atherosclerosis is widely thought to be a disease of modernity, computed tomographic evidence of atherosclerosis has been found in the bodies of a large number of mummies. This article reviews the findings of atherosclerotic calcifications in the remains of ancient people—humans who lived across a very wide span of human history and over most of the inhabited globe. These people had a wide range of diets and lifestyles and traditiol modern risk factors do not thoroughly explain the presence and easy detectability of this disease. Nontraditiol risk factors such as the inhalation of cooking fire smoke and chronic infection or inflammation might have been important atherogenic factors in ancient times. Study of the genetic and environmental risk factors for atherosclerosis in ancient people may offer insights into this common modern disease.