Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Analyse des ossements humains
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Paléopathologie du ventre : apport de l’étude des tissus mous et des calcifications biologiques
- Cet article traite de l’apport de l'étude des tissus mous et des calcifications biologiques à la connaissance des pathologies du ventre des populations du passé. Il aborde le type de matériel analysé, les méthodes d’étude employées ainsi que des exemples d’application datant principalement de l’Antiquité, du Moyen Âge et de l’Époque moderne. En plus des précieuses données paléo-épidémiologiques collectées, ce type de recherche permet d’en savoir plus sur les conditions de vie et les habitudes de nos ancêtres. This paper discusses how studies on soft tissue and biological calcification contribute to greater knowledge of abdominal pathologies from past populations. The paper looks at the type of material analysed, the study methods used and examples of application which date mainly from the Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Modern Era. In addition to the valuable palaeo-epidemiological data collected, this type of research allows us to learn more about the living conditions and past habits of our ancestors.
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Sexing the bony labyrinth: A morphometric investigation in a subadult and adult Belgian identified sample
- In forensic anthropology, sex estimation is a fundamental step in assessing individual biological profiles when analyzing human skeletons. Yet, current methods are not reliable enough to allow an accurate sex identification of highly fragmented, burnt, or subadult remains. This paper aims to investigate sexual dimorphism of the bony labyrinth on both identified subadult and adult individuals. The bony labyrinth is of particular interest for sex estimation since it is alleged to complete size and maturation pre-pubertally and is located inside the petrous part of the temporal bone which protects it from taphonomic processes. The study was performed on 93 CT scans of identified individuals from two Belgian osteological collections (19-20th century) and from current pediatric images (Erasme hospital, Brussels). Linear and angular measurements were taken on 2D slices of right bony labyrinths. Intra- and interobservers error measurements were calculated. Statistical tests were used to unravel any morphological variations between subadult and adult bony labyrinths and to highlight differences between females and males, separately in subadults and adults. Linear discriminant functions were established by cross-validation and tested on an independent sample from Belgium. Some measurements were significantly different between subadults and adults, and between females and males within both subadult and adult samples. Univariate functions achieved 72.7% in subadults and 68.4% in adults whereas multivariate equations increased accuracy respectively up to 84.9% and 78.4%. This study entails promising results to design a sex estimation method suitable for fragmented and/or subadult remains. Further metric approaches are needed to explore bony labyrinth sexual dimorphism.
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Entheseal changes and estimation of adult age-at-death
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Bruniquel-Grotte. Fouille programmée (2015)
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Speleothem-based chronology and environmental context of deposits from the Mishin Kamik Cave, NW Bulgaria–A contribution to the archaeological study of the Late Pleistocene human occupation in the Balkans
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Speleothem science - A short review and state of the art - in press
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What's going on in (published) cave science? in press
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Did Neanderthals visit the Mishin Kamik cave, western Stara Planina, Bulgaria, 200 000 years ago (MIS7)? in press
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Sedimentary evolution of the Bruniquel cave, France. in press
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Human presence in the Salle de la structure of the Bruniquel cave, France, inferred from speleothem studies. in press
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Caves And Global Change; Carbon dioxide, temperature and vegetation rise. in press
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The elite Predynastic cemetery at Hierakonpolis HK6: 2011–2015 progress report
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Industrial Food Production during the Naqada II period at HK11C, Hierakonpolis
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From toad to frog, a CT-based reconsideration of Bufo servatus, an Eocene anuran mummy from Quercy (France)
- In the 19th century, natural mummies of amphibians were discovered in the Quercy Phosphorites. The specific collection site was never formally reported, which hampers precise dating of these specimens. Still, the name Bufo servatus was erected based on the external morphology of one of the mummified specimens. A tomography of a similarly preserved specimen revealed a preserved skeleton, soft tissues and gut contents. We analyze here the holotype of Bufo servatus using CT-scanning in order to investigate its potentially preserved internal features. Like the previous specimen, a subcomplete articulated skeleton was identified in the B. servatus holotype. Surprisingly, this skeleton is almost identical to that of Thaumastosaurus gezei, an Eocene anuran from Western Europe to which other specimens from this mummy series were previously assigned. The few differences between the specimen skeletons highlight ontogenetic and intraspecific variations, making T. gezei a junior synonym of B. servatus and creating the new combination Thaumastosaurus servatus. Given its association with previously described Quercy specimens, this redescribed anuran is probably from the same time interval as T. gezei. Previous phylogenetic analyses assigned T. servatus to Ranoides, with natatanuran affinities. Using data from this newly described specimen, we tested here further its taxonomic affinities. Our analyses confirm this position, and formally identify T. servatus as a Natatanuran member of Pyxicephalidae (currently endemic of equatorial Africa) and more precisely, a stem-Pyxicephalinae. This result confirms the origin of Thaumastosaurus, a member of the African herpetofauna occupying Western Europe before the Grande Coupure at the Eocene/Oligocene transition.
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Additional vertebral material of Thaumastophis (Serpentes: Caenophidia) from the early Eocene of India provides new insights on the early diversification of colubroidean snakes
- The Ypresian Cambay Shale Formation at Vastan, Mangrol, and Tadkeshwar lignite mines in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich vertebrate fauna including madtsoiid, palaeophiid, booid, and colubroideanlike snakes. The latter are particularly abundant, but their systematic affinities are difficult to resolve. Here we describe new specimens of the colubroidean-like snake Thaumastophis missiaeni, including anterior, middle, and posterior trunk vertebrae, as well as caudal vertebrae. The combination of primitive and derived caenophidian and colubroidean vertebral characters confirms Thaumastophis as the earliest known stem-colubriform snake while Procerophis, from the same beds, is more derived and considered to represent a crown-Colubriformes. Additionally, Thaumastophis shares with Renenutet enmerwer from the late Eocene of Egypt a unique combination of vertebral characters that suggests an exchange with North Africa was possible along the southern margin of the Neotethys. We erect the new family Thaumastophiidae for Thaumastophis and Renenutet on the basis of their shared derived vertebral morphology.
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Presence of the large aquatic snake Palaeophis africanus in the middle Eocene marine margin of the Congo Basin, Cabinda, Angola
- Ten isolated snake vertebrae from Landana and Sassa-Zao, Cabinda Exclave, Angola, present a ‘‘primitive” grade morphology with a weak lateral compression and do not belong to Palaeophis aff. typhaeus as originally referred to. They well belong to a single taxon and are here attributed to Palaeophis africanus for which the intracolumnar variation is described and illustrated. This species is Lutetian (middle Eocene) in age and originates from a marine coastal environment confirming again the aquatic capabilities of palaeophiid snakes. It represents the third largest species of Palaeophis with P. colossaeus and P. maghrebianus to which it is closely related in our tentative phylogenetic analysis, indicating that these three taxa could belong to an African clade. This study also contributes to the debate on the existence of primitive and advanced grades among palaeophiid snakes. Palaeophis presents laterally compressed anterior trunk vertebrae that could have been often erroneously considered as representing advanced grade species and potential parataxonomy.
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A new basal raoellid artiodactyl (Mammalia) from the middle Eocene Subathu Group of Rajouri District, Jammu and Kashmir, northwest Himalaya, India
- A new artiodactyl of moderate size, Rajouria gunnelli nov. gen., nov. sp., is described on the basis of several dentaries, maxillae and isolated teeth from the middle Eocene Subathu Group of the Kalakot area, Rajouri District, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Despite its general resemblance with the family Dichobunidae by the retention of a paraconid on m1-2 and a simple P4 where endocristids do not form an anterior loph, this taxon shares with Raoellidae two unambiguous characters: the presence of a hypoconid on p4, and an asymmetrical P4. The phylogenetic position of the new taxon within the Cetacea–Raoellidae clade is strongly supported by seven non ambiguous synapomorphies, among which a cristid obliqua on lower molars anteriorly pointing towards the postectoprotocristid, and a P3 with only two roots. The presence of a new basal raoellid in the middle Eocene Subathu Group sheds new light on the phylogeny and paleobiogeography of raoellid artiodactyls.
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Cross-calibration of different radar systems for monitoring nocturnal bird migration across Europe and the Near East
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Activity and behaviour of Nathusius’ pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii at low and high altitude in a North Sea offshore wind farm
- Several bat species are known to migrate long distances between summer and winter roosts. During migration, many bats even cross the North Sea. The developments of offshore wind farms in the North Sea could therefore pose a collision risk for migrating bats. While bats have been observed inside offshore wind farms, their activity at turbine rotor height yet remains unknown. We therefore installed acoustic bat detectors at wind turbines in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Seven detectors were installed on the service platform of the transition piece (16 m above mean sea level) and four were installed on the nacelle of the turbines, in the centre of the rotor swept area (93 m above mean sea level). A total of 151 recordings of call sequences of Pipistrellus nathusii (Nathusius’ pipistrelle) were made during 20 nights over an entire autumn migration season (8 August – 30 November 2017). 45 recordings contained more than 10 calls. These were further investigated for behavioural clues. We identified 32 recordings of animals in transit and 10 sequences of animals passing by while simultaneously exploring. Only three detections contained feeding buzzes and/or intense exploratory behaviour. The number of recordings at 93 m were around 10% of the number of recordings made at 16 m. This indicates that the activity of P. nathusii at our study site, measured at that particular altitude is low. Our observations therefore suggest that the collision risk might be lower than what could be expected from low altitude observations. However, a low number of recordings at nacelle height does not necessarily mean that only a low number of bats will collide with the turbines. The activity in the outer parts of the rotor swept zone, outside the detection range of our acoustic detectors, remains unknown and should be further investigated.
