Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Belgisch Ringwerk. Overzicht van de in 2015 uitgevoerde activiteiten in België.
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PRÉSENTATION AU GRAND PUBLIC DES FAUCONS PÈLERINS NICHANT À BRUXELLES RAPPORT DE L’ÉDITION 2015
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Stratigraphy and Commissions. Do we need stratigraphic commissions ?
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H3O: Crossing borders in 3D geological modelling
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13th International Symposium on Aquatic Oligochaeta, Brno, Czech Republic, 7–11 September, 2015
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Comparative phylogeographies of six species of hinged terrapins (<i>Pelusios</i> spp.) reveal discordant patterns and unexpected differentiation in the <i>P. castaneus/P. chapini</i> complex and <i>P. rhodesianus</i>
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Two new Nogodinidae from Vietnam in the genera orthophana Melichar, 1923 and Goniopsarite's Meng, Wang & Wang, 2014 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Nogodinidae)
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Range shift of Oxythyrea funesta Poda, 14761 in Belgium (Coleoptera, Cetoniidae)
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Magura Cave, Bulgaria: A multidisciplinary study of Late Pleistocene human palaeoenvironment in the Balkans
- Abstract Two trenches excavated at Magura Cave, north-west Bulgaria, have provided Late Pleistocene lithic artefacts as well as environmental evidence in the form of large and small mammals, herpetofauna and pollen recovered from Crocuta coprolites. One of the trenches also has a visible tephra layer which has been confirmed as representing the major Campanian Ignimbrite eruption and is accurately dated at the source area to 39,280 ± 55 yrs and radiocarbon determinations have added to chronological resolution at the site. The palaeoenvironment of the region during the Late Pleistocene is discussed in the context of hominin presence and shows a mosaic landscape in a region considered a crucial refugium for both plants and mammals, including hominins.
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Charred olive stones: experimental and archaeological evidence for recognizing olive processing residues used as fuel
- After extracting oil from olives a residue is left usually referred to as the olive oil processing residue (OPR). This study explores the way in which ancient societies may have used OPR as fuel for fires to generate heat and the various issues that are related to the residues of this fuel. After drying, the high heating value and structure of OPR makes it an excellent and efficient fuel. Upgrading OPR further, through thermal conversion or charring, provides an even more efficient fuel (COPR), with a hotter and smoke free flame, a higher heating value and which is lighter in mass and thus easier to transport. After a fire is extinguished two types of remains of the fuel are left i.e. char and ash. Analyses on both remains, recovered from archaeological deposits, could be used as a source of information on fuel utilization. Laboratory experiments on charred modern OPR and stones show that by measuring their reflectance and analyzing their structure under reflected light microscopy, OPR and COPR can be distinguished in the charred material recovered from three archaeological sites in Greece and Syria. Based on these investigations it is suggested that on the three sites COPR was used as fuel. Ash, sampled together with the char, provides the possibility of investigating if other types of fuel were used, apart from OPR or COPR. On the investigated sites no ash was collected, but the analysis of the modern OPR showed that the properties of its ash could be used to distinguish it from other types of fuel. Ash from modern OPR and olive stones showed the presence of phytoliths. The often discussed issue related to the sharpness and smoothness of the edges of charred fragmented olive stones was investigated. The results showed that this is not a reliable criterion for recognizing olive oil production. It is recommended that in addition to the identification of the botanical material more properties of the remains of fuels should be analysed. To prevent destroying and losing char and ash as a result of excavation activities such as flotation and sieving, special measures have to be taken. The results show that analysing char and ash may provide valuable information on the (pyro)technology practised in ancient societies.
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A new record of Messapicetus from the Pietra leccese (late Miocene, southern Italy): antitropical distribution in a fossil beaked whale (Cetacea, Ziphiidae)
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Extreme wave deposits in coastal Lake Hamana, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan: a first step towards the extraction of a continuous tsunami inundation history
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Nankai Trough (Japan) palaeoseismology: progress since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake
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A history of mass transport complexes related to eruptions and earthquake shaking: the case of Lake Motosu (Japan)
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H3O – a better understanding of Campine cross-border Cenozoic stratigraphy
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Pleistocene gravels on the Belgian offshore investigated for composition and provenance, towards a reassessment of the transport models
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Belqua annual workshop, abstract book, 14pp.
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An extraordinary new site to study upper Frasnian cephalopods during the onset of anoxia in the Dinant basin.
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Ecological niche of Neanderthals from Spy Cave revealed by nitrogen isotopes of individual amino acids in collagen
- This study provides a refined view on the diet and ecological niche of Neanderthals. The traditional view is that Neanderthals obtained most of their dietary protein from terrestrial animals, especially from large herbivores that roamed the open landscapes. Evidence based on the conventional carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of bulk collagen has supported this view, although recent findings based on plant remains in the tooth calculus, microwear analyses, and small game and marine animal remains from archaeological sites have raised some questions regarding this assumption. However, the lack of a protein source other than meat in the Neanderthal diet may be due to methodological difficulties in defining the isotopic composition of plants. Based on the nitrogen isotopic composition of glutamic acid and phenylalanine in collagen for Neanderthals from Spy Cave (Belgium), we show that i) there was an inter-individual dietary heterogeneity even within one archaeological site that has not been evident in bulk collagen isotopic compositions, ii) they occupied an ecological niche different from those of hyenas, and iii) they could rely on plants for up to ∼20\% of their protein source. These results are consistent with the evidence found of plant consumption by the Spy Neanderthals, suggesting a broader subsistence strategy than previously considered.
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Reservoir capacity assessment and ranking of potential targets for geological storage of CO2 in Austria
