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Metabolomics reveals diet-derived plant polyphenols accumulate in physiological bone
Plant-derived secondary metabolites consumed in the diet, especially polyphenolic compounds, are known to have a range of positive health effects. They are present in circulation after ingestion and absorption and can be sequestered into cells within particular organs, but have rarely been investigated systematically in osteological tissues. However, a small number of polyphenols and similar molecules are known to bind to bone. For example alizarin, a plant derived anthraquinone and tetracycline (a naturally occurring antibiotic), are both absorbed into bone from circulation during bone formation and are used to monitor mineralization in osteological studies. Both molecules have also been identified serendipitously in archaeological human bones derived from natural sources in the diet. Whether an analogous mechanism of sequestration extends to additional diet-derived plant-polyphenols has not previously been systematically studied. We investigated whether a range of diet-derived polyphenol-like compounds bind to bone using untargeted metabolomics applied to the analysis of bone extracts from pigs fed an acorn-based diet. We analysed the diet which was rich in ellagitannins, extracts from the pig bones and surrounding tissue, post-mortem. We found direct evidence of multiple polyphenolic compounds in these extracts and matched them to the diet. We also showed that these compounds were present in the bone but not surrounding tissues. We also provide data showing that a range of polyphenolic compounds bind to hydroxyapatite
in vitro
. The evidence for polyphenol sequestration into physiological bone, and the range and specificity of polyphenols in human and animal diets, raises intriguing questions about potential effects on bone formation and bone health. Further studies are needed to determine the stability of the sequestered molecules post-mortem but there is also potential for (palaeo)dietary reconstruction and forensic applications.
Journal Article
Korean treasures : rare books, manuscripts and artefacts in the Bodleian libraries and museums of Oxford University
\"Many important and valuable rare books, manuscripts, and artifacts related to Korea have been acquired by donations throughout the long history of the Bodleian Libraries and the museums of the University of Oxford. However, due to an early lack of specialist knowledge in this area, many of these items were largely neglected at first. Following on the publication of the first volume of these forgotten treasures, this book assembles further unique and important Korean antiquities. Notable items include the only surviving Korean example of an eighteenth-century world map, hand-drawn, with a set of twelve globe gores on a single sheet, and official correspondence from the archives of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, which shine a light on the history of Anglican Christian missions in Korea. Additionally, the collection boasts a wealth of photographs, coins, charms, clothing, weaponry, decorative objects, manuscripts, and much, much more\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Tracking the impacts of El Niño drought and fire in human-modified Amazonian forests
With humanity facing an unprecedented climate crisis, the conservation of tropical forests has never been so important – their vast terrestrial carbon stocks can be turned into emissions by climatic and human disturbances. However, the duration of these effects is poorly understood, and it is unclear whether impacts are amplified in forests with a history of previous human disturbance. Here,we focus on the Amazonian epicenter of the 2015–16 El Niño, a region that encompasses 1.2% of the Brazilian Amazon. We quantify, at high temporal resolution, the impacts of an extreme El Niño (EN) drought and extensive forest fires on plant mortality and carbon loss in undisturbed and human-modified forests. Mortality remained higher than pre-El Niño levels for 36 mo in EN-drought–affected forests and for 30 mo in EN-fire–affected forests. In EN-fire–affected forests, human disturbance significantly increased plant mortality. Our investigation of the ecological and physiological predictors of tree mortality showed that trees with lower wood density, bark thickness and leaf nitrogen content, as well as those that experienced greater fire intensity, were more vulnerable. Across the region, the 2015–16 El Niño led to the death of an estimated 2.5 ± 0.3 billion stems, resulting in emissions of 495 ± 94 Tg CO₂. Three years after the El Niño, plant growth and recruitment had offset only 37% of emissions. Our results show that limiting forest disturbance will not only help maintain carbon stocks, but will also maximize the resistance of Amazonian forests if fires do occur.
Journal Article
The Nabataean temple at Khirbet et-Tannur, Jordan. Volume 1, Architecture and religion : final report on Nelson Glueck's 1937 excavation
Khirbet et-Tannur is a Nabataean site dating from the second century B.C. to the fourth to sixth centuries A.D. In 1937, Nelson Glueck excavated the site on behalf of the American Schools of Oriental Research, but died before completing a report. Now, in two extensively illustrated volumes, the results of Glueck's excavations are finally published.
Book
Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in small island developing states: a systematic review
IntroductionSmall Island Developing States (SIDS) are disproportionately affected by climate change, with impacts threatening their communities, ecosystems, and economies. Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer a promising approach to address these challenges, yet their effectiveness in SIDS remains poorly understood.MethodsWe systematically reviewed 49 studies reporting 53 NbS interventions across 26 SIDS, coding intervention types, ecosystems, climate hazards, adaptation effectiveness, broader outcomes (social, ecological, economic, mitigation), and reported socio-ecological resilience mechanisms.ResultsNearly three-quarters of cases reported positive climate outcomes, though only half provided clear evidence, and fewer employed baselines, counterfactuals, or thresholds. Evidence was skewed toward croplands and agroforestry, while coastal ecosystems were underrepresented. Broader outcomes were mostly positive, but reporting on ecological and social resilience mechanisms was limited, equity considerations were largely absent, and formal economic appraisals and direct comparisons with non-NbS alternatives were scarce. Large geographic gaps were also evident, with more than half of SIDS unrepresented in the literature.DiscussionOverall, the evidence indicates that NbS can reduce climate risks in SIDS and deliver ‘triple wins’ for climate, biodiversity, and people, but decision confidence is constrained by uneven geographic coverage, agricultural bias, lack of counterfactuals and baselines, limited equity reporting, and scarce economic appraisal. Future research priorities include: (1) stronger representation of under-studied SIDS contexts, (2) greater focus on coastal and ocean-related NbS, (3) evidence linked to baselines and counterfactuals, (4) holistic, long-term monitoring and evaluation, (5) national- and regional-scale synthesis of grey literature, and (6) integration of equity and knowledge pluralism in NbS design and evaluation. These steps would help governments design, finance, and account for high-integrity NbS in NDCs, NAPs, adaptation investment plans, and disaster-risk strategies.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://osf.io/wcb68, identifier wcb68.
Journal Article
The Nabataean temple at Khirbet et-Tannur, Jordan. Volume 2, Cultic offerings, vessels, and other specialist reports : final report on Nelson Glueck's 1937 excavation
Khirbet et-Tannur is a Nabataean site dating from the second century B.C. to the fourth to sixth centuries A.D. In 1937, Nelson Glueck excavated the site on behalf of the American Schools of Oriental Research, but died before completing a report. Now, in two extensively illustrated volumes, the results of Glueck's excavations are finally published.
Book
Impact of host age on viral and bacterial communities in a waterbird population
Abstract Wildlife harbour pathogens that can harm human or livestock health and are the source of most emerging infectious diseases. It is rarely considered how changes in wildlife population age-structures or how age-stratified behaviours might alter the level of pathogen detection within a species, or risk of spillover to other species. Micro-organisms that occur in healthy animals can be an important model for understanding and predicting the dynamics of pathogens of greater health concern, which are hard to study in wild populations due to their relative rarity. We therefore used a metagenomic approach to jointly characterise viral and prokaryotic carriage in faeces collected from a healthy wild bird population ( Cygnus olor ; mute swan) that has been subject to long-term study. Using 223 samples from known individuals allowed us to compare differences in prokaryotic and eukaryotic viral carriage between adults and juveniles at an unprecedented level of detail. We discovered and characterised 77 novel virus species, of which 21% belong putatively to bird-infecting families, and described the core prokaryotic microbiome of C. olor . Whilst no difference in microbiota diversity was observed between juveniles and adult individuals, 50% (4/8) of bird-infecting virus families (picornaviruses, astroviruses, adenoviruses and bornaviruses) and 3.4% (9/267) of prokaryotic families (including Helicobacteraceae , Spirochaetaceae and Flavobacteriaceae families) were differentially abundant and/or prevalent between juveniles and adults. This indicates that perturbations that affect population age-structures of wildlife could alter circulation dynamics and spillover risk of microbes, potentially including pathogens.
Journal Article