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Inproceedings Reference Transnational Belgian-Dutch geological knowledge base on marine aggregates. From 3D voxel modelling to 4D cross-border environmental assessments
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Transnational Belgian-Dutch geological knowledge base on marine aggregates. From 3D voxel modelling to 4D cross-border environmental assessments
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Standardisation of sediment data across transnational boundaries
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Integrated seabed mapping for management and industry: from 2D maps to 3D voxels to 4D evolution over time
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Transnational Belgian-Dutch geological knowledge base on marine aggregates. From 3D voxel modelling to 4D cross-border environmental assessments
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Code of sand
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Living conditions of captive baboons and their trade in ancient Egypt revealed through palaeopathological and demographic data
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Inproceedings Reference Paleogenomic insights into cat domestication in ancient Egypt
Situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe, Egypt is considered one of the two potential cradles of cat domestication. Zooarchaeological evidence points to cat-human relationships as old as the 4th millennium BC. Later, cats were object of a cult dedicated to the goddess Bastet, and from the 1st millennium BC until the 4th century AD were mummified as votive offerings. Previous ancient DNA (aDNA) investigation showed that cats in ancient Egypt possessed two maternal lineages commonly found in modern domestic cats. Haplotype-C, which spread all over the Old World since Classical Antiquity from Northern Africa, and haplotype-A, which was associated with an earlier cat dispersal from the Levant during the Neolithic. DNA from cat mummies represents a key tool to unravel the role of Egypt as a possible independent centre of domestication, even though the retrieval of aDNA from mummified tissues has greatly been challenged by DNA preservation. Here, we show the preliminary results of aDNA analyses conducted on more than 50 Egyptian cat mummies from Beni Hassan and Gourna (Luxor), dated to the Greco-Roman period. By comparing different methods (e.g. single and double stranded genomic library construction), we provide an extensive case for screening DNA preservation in arid regions, and within different tissues, such as hair, claws, and petrous bones. We also explore the potential to gain novel insights on the dispersal of domestic cats from Egypt in Classical Antiquity through mitochondrial and genome-wide data.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Inproceedings Reference Insights on zoonotic diseases in cat domestication through ancient pathogen genomics
The growing interest in paleopathogenomics and microbial archaeology of the last decade offered the chance to investigate the complex relationships between human hosts and microorganisms, making it possible to identify and characterize the etiologic agents of epidemics in our past [1]. The spread of zoonotic disease in human history was associated with the progressively closer contact with domestic animals[1]. However, the role of animal hosts in the emergence of zoonoses has been only marginally explored, the main focus of paleopathogenomic research being primarily on human hosts. Due to their pivotal role as pest control agents and their long-standing relationship with humans, cats are hosts of several zoonotic diseases representing a threat for human health. Here we present the results of the metagenomic screening for ancient pathogen identification on more than 100 ancient cat remains from different geographic locations (Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia) spanning several millennia from prehistory to historical times. Various bone substrates (teeth, postcranial skeletal elements, and petrous bones) were analyzed via shotgun sequencing and metagenomic screening with Kraken 2[2] and MetaPhlAn 4[3]. By applying strict authentication guidelines, we provide a framework of ancient microbial DNA preservation in cat remains across time and space, discussing the identification of potential zoonotic candidates. The identification of zoonotic microorganisms in ancient animals represents a yet overlooked field of research, which may offer unprecedented insights into zoonotic epidemics and inter-species transmissibility.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Inproceedings Reference Paleogenomics of European wild and domestic cats
Zooarchaeological and genetic evidence from the last two decades demonstrated that domestic cats originated from the North African and Near Eastern wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica. The commensal relationship between humans and cats most likely started 11 thousand years ago (kya) in the Neolithic Levant. More recently, ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evidence suggested that domestic cats spread to Southeast Europe as early as 4400 BC, however their dispersal to the rest of Europe is controversial due to the paucity of data. Furthermore, complex scenarios of admixture between domestic and wild populations (e.g., the European wildcat F. s. silvestris and the Asian wildcat F. s. ornata) may have taken place across time, thus leaving a mtDNA-based reconstruction unsatisfactory. Here we show the preliminary results of our paleogenomic investigation from more than 150 cat remains from European archaeological sites dated from 15 kya to the 18th century AD, with a peculiar focus on the Mediterranean area. By screening the samples for endogenous cat DNA content, we provide a framework of ancient DNA preservation in cat remains across time and space. Furthermore, by generating complete mtDNAs and low-coverage nuclear genome data (ranging from 0.2- to 1.4-fold), we were able to refine the chronology of cat dispersal in the Mediterranean region, and to address questions around potential admixture patterns between wild and domestic cat populations. Our paleogenomic dataset lay the foundations for future and more in-depth analyses aimed at understanding the factors determining the evolutionary success of the domestic cat.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023