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Article Reference New insights into the Spanish Levantine rock art pigments combining pXRF and stylistic approach: the Coco de la Gralla site (mas de Barberans, Tarragona, Spain) as a case study.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference BASE – BAsicranial Sex Estimation: An R package for sexing adult western European individuals from the cranial base morphometry in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology
Sexing an adult human skeleton from its fragmented remains is a tremendous challenge in both archaeological and forensic contexts. Although reliable sex estimation methods using the os coxae do exist, as well as the possibility of performing a secondary sexual diagnosis within a funerary assemblage, it is essential in the case of fragmented individuals to set up an alternative sex estimation method based on a skeletal element that is both sexually dimorphic and has a high taphonomic survival rate. This study investigated the sexual dimorphism of the cranial base (occipital and temporal bones), through an exclusively metric approach, in 537 identified western European adults. Using logistic regressions, thirteen predictive models were built up, which yielded up to 86.8% accuracy after cross-validation and with a decision threshold of 0.70. BASE is an R package with a graphic user interface that can be used to apply these predictive models to a target adult individual (https://archive.softwareheritage.org/browse/directory/5e3e3753e1f9c360b0ddbebaa2d2b42e5d7686d9). This paper provides measurement definitions, practical details and user recommendations. BASE is a new sex estimation tool which is free of charge, fast and easy to use, and allows anthropologists to collect biological data from larger numbers of individuals, even when their skeletons are highly fragmented and damaged. This new method can certainly contribute to a better understanding of past populations and will be of considerable value to forensic investigations in today’s context of steadily rising numbers of missing persons. BOUCHERIE A. , POLET C. , MARTINE V., LEFÈVRE P., SANTOS F., 2025. BASE – BAsicranial Sex Estimation: An R package for sexing adult western European individuals from the cranial base morphometry in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. , (2) :
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Assessing the Impact of Wear on the Recordability of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia: A Quantitative Approach
Objectives: This study proposes a standardized, empirically grounded framework for assessing the recordability of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in archeological dental samples. Despite the frequent use of LEH as a skeletal stress indicator, there is no consensus on whether and how to account for dental wear in recording protocols. Materials and methods: We analyzed the permanent right teeth of 497 medieval and early modern individuals to assess how dental wear affects the visibility and diagnostic utility of hypoplastic defects across different crown regions. For a given tooth, we assessed if there is a region that tends to be (1) less (or more) recordable than others, (2) less (or more) frequently affected by LEH than others, and (3) less (or more) informative with respect to the presence or absence of LEH than others. Results: The occlusal third was significantly less recordable and rarely provides additional data beyond the middle and cervical thirds. Excluding the occlusal third has minimal effect on overall LEH prevalence, while omitting the middle or cervical thirds leads to marked underestimation. Discussion: These results highlight the importance of incorporating wear-based inclusion criteria into LEH recording protocols. We recommend including only teeth with dental wear affecting less than half of the crown. These findings support the development of standardized inclusion criteria based on crown wear to enhance the consistency and comparability of data on enamel hypoplastic defects across studies and populations.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Earliest perissodactyls reveal large-scale dispersals during the PETM
Perissodactyls were a diverse order of mammals in the Northern Hemisphere during the Paleogene, but very few species remain today. They first appear during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; 56 Ma) on the three continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Because they lack modern diversity, the study of their evolutionary history remains difficult, relying almost exclusively on fossils. In addition, their origin and early diversification remain elusive since all main groups appear at the same time with several genera and are already diverse, contrary to other modern mammal orders. Here, we investigate the early evolution of perissodactyls by analyzing a new dataset focusing on early species to obtain a new expansive phylogeny. This new topology, in combination with new observations and comparisons demonstrates that several genera are synonymous, simplifying the evolutionary picture of early perissodactyls. We show that the number of genera was overestimated and should be significantly reevaluated. These results also highlight fast dispersals of two genera, Pliolophus and Cardiolophus, on the three Northern continents, reflecting that of other modern mammals. The phylogeny also supports a potential Indo-Pakistani origin of perissodactyls. In addition, this large-scale phylogeny shows that many species that were named as “Hyracotherium” in the past (or sometimes “Eohippus”, the “dawn-horse”) and considered as “horses”, are not actually closely related to horses (Hippomorpha), including Hyracotherium itself, but can be considered as basal perissodactyls.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference First occurrence of hadrosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) remains from the Nenjiang Formation (early Campanian) in the Songliao Basin, Northeast China
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Article Reference Weakened pelagic-benthic coupling on an Arctic outflow shelf (Northeast Greenland) suggested by benthic ecosystem changes
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference A new gastrotrich, Musellifer leasiae sp. nov. (Paucitubulatina: Muselliferidae), from Antarctica—the first Muselliferidae species description from the Southern Hemisphere
A new gastrotrich species, Musellifer leasiae sp. nov., is described from the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The species is recognised by its considerable size, up to 415 μm, and by its conspicuous three-lobed, keeled head scales. Besides the new species, the genus Musellifer accommodates five additional species known from the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Central-West Atlantic, the Northeast Atlantic, and the Northeast Pacific, and from depths ranging from sublittoral to 5.485 m depth. A representative of Musellifer has previously been reported from Antarctica, but M. leasiae sp. nov. represents the first formally described Muselliferidae species from the Southern Hemisphere, and from the polar regions.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Assessing Histotaphonomy: A Pilot Study Using Image Analysis for Quantitative Scoring of Bone Diagenesis
ABSTRACT This pilot study focusses on improving the methodological approach of histotaphonomy by integrating image analysis software for assessing bone diagenesis in both bone histological sections and microcomputed tomography (μ-CT) scans of the same bone slice. Femurs and ribs from six individuals buried at the churchyard of St. Anne in Koekelberg (Belgium, 1833–1916) were analyzed with μ-CT and histology (light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy). Bone diagenesis was scored visually by the assessor, as well as quantitatively by image analysis. The results suggest that image analysis is an effective quantitative scoring method, eliminating subjectivity bias, specifically regarding the precision in percentage calculation of preserved areas which aids in assigning the right category of the Oxford Histological Index. However, algorithm limitations can affect the accuracy and reliability of the results, hence specialized expertise is advised. The taphonomic results show that bacterial degradation was similar within and between rib and femur of the same individual but varied between individuals depending on burial treatment (wooden versus zinc-lined coffins). Other inter-skeletal differences were caused by biological parameters such as the amount of primary lamellar bone. This study demonstrates the accuracy of quantitative scoring by advancements in technology such as image analysis, creating a basis for the incorporation of machine learning algorithms in future histotaphonomy studies. It also stresses the importance of using both histology and μ-CT as complementary methods.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Integrating terrestrial and canopy laser scanning for comprehensive analysis of large old trees: Implications for single tree and biodiversity research
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Ant Diversity and Stratification in an Amazonian Rainforest
This study focuses on species occupying the three strata of an Amazonian rainforest: the ground and leaf litter, the understorey and the canopy. We employed only two sampling techniques: Winkler extraction for ground-dwelling ants and direct observations for understorey and canopy species on large branches cut off by a climber. We identified 494 ant species from 10 subfamilies and 77 genera over approximately 3.0 ha (Chao1 = 607 species; 95% CI: 566-670 species). Although we found fewer arboreal ants compared to approaches using insecticide fogging, this study confirms similarities between the ant diversity in Amazonian and Mesoamerican rainforests. The functional traits of these ants (i.e., diet, nest-site preference, population size of the colony) allowed us to identify seven clusters. Cluster 1 is a "hodgepodge" grouping arboreal or ground-dwelling species with different-sized colonies (76 species). Cluster 2 primarily includes small colonies of ground-nesting generalist feeders (142 species). Cluster 3 comprises all arboreal species from the understorey inhabiting myrmecophyte domatia or palm trees plus arboreal species with medium-sized colonies (37 species). Cluster 4 includes all territorially dominant arboreal ants plus one ground-dwelling species (21 species). All fungus-growing species belong to Cluster 5, which also contains ground-nesting generalist feeders and generalist predators (148 species). All doryline army ants are grouped in Cluster 6 along with one ponerine known for its nomadic behavior (15 species). Almost all specialized predators belong to Cluster 7 (55 species); however, Cluster 5 includes two ponerine species that prey exclusively on termites. Based on a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), we confirmed that the position of these clusters corresponded fairly well to the three forest strata. Thus, analyzing functional traits enables the trophic position of most ants and their place in the vertical strata of Neotropical rainforests to be determined.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025