PLoS ONE at BBC: Did ancient Britons 'drank from skulls'?

Earliest Directly-Dated Human Skull-Cups

Background

The use of human braincases as drinking cups and containers has extensive historic and ethnographic documentation, but archaeological examples are extremely rare. In the Upper Palaeolithic of western Europe, cut-marked and broken human bones are widespread in the Magdalenian (~15 to 12,000 years BP) and skull-cup preparation is an element of this tradition.

Principal Findings

Here we describe the post-mortem processing of human heads at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Gough's Cave (Somerset, England) and identify a range of modifications associated with the production of skull-cups. New analyses of human remains from Gough's Cave demonstrate the skilled post-mortem manipulation of human bodies. Results of the research suggest the processing of cadavers for the consumption of body tissues (bone marrow), accompanied by meticulous shaping of cranial vaults. The distribution of cut-marks and percussion features indicates that the skulls were scrupulously 'cleaned' of any soft tissues, and subsequently modified by controlled removal of the facial region and breakage of the cranial base along a sub-horizontal plane. The vaults were also ‘retouched’, possibly to make the broken edges more regular. This manipulation suggests the shaping of skulls to produce skull-cups.

Conclusions

Three skull-cups have been identified amongst the human bones from Gough's Cave. New ultrafiltered radiocarbon determinations provide direct dates of about 14,700 cal BP, making these the oldest directly dated skull-cups and the only examples known from the British Isles.

Citation: Bello SM, Parfitt SA, Stringer CB (2011) Earliest Directly-Dated Human Skull-Cups. PLoS ONE 6(2): e17026. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017026

Read Media coverage at BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12478115

Watch BBC report below.

Remembering CV Raman and his Raman Effect: India's National Science Day

Each year, we Indians, celebrate February 28 as National Science Day to commemorate the discovery of the Raman effect in 1928 and to remember the hard work of CV Raman, the great son of India who won the first Nobel for India in Sciences. India desperately need continue the legacy of Sir Raman. Is young India serious of taking that forward?

New journal “Nature ONE” launched: that means PLoS ONE rocks at the end!

New journal “Nature ONE” launched

Exciting in PLoS ONE: Chernobyl Birds Have Smaller Brains

'Animals living in areas contaminated by radioactive material from Chernobyl suffer from increased oxidative stress and low levels of antioxidants. Therefore, normal development of the nervous system is jeopardized as reflected by high frequencies of developmental errors, reduced brain size and impaired cognitive abilities in humans. Alternatively, associations between psychological effects and radiation have been attributed to post-traumatic stress in humans.

Here we used an extensive sample of 550 birds belonging to 48 species to test the prediction that even in the absence of post-traumatic stress, there is a negative association between relative brain size and level of background radiation. We found a negative association between brain size as reflected by external head volume and level of background radiation, independent of structural body size and body mass. The observed reduction in brain size in relation to background radiation amounted to 5% across the range of almost a factor 5,000 in radiation level. Species differed significantly in reduction in brain size with increasing background radiation, and brain size was the only morphological character that showed a negative relationship with radiation. Brain size was significantly smaller in yearlings than in older individuals.

Low dose radiation can have significant effects on normal brain development as reflected by brain size and therefore potentially cognitive ability. The fact that brain size was smaller in yearlings than in older individuals implies that there was significant directional selection on brain size with individuals with larger brains experiencing a viability advantage'.

Read full story here: Møller AP, Bonisoli-Alquati A, Rudolfsen G, Mousseau TA (2011) Chernobyl Birds Have Smaller Brains. PLoS ONE 6(2): e16862. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016862

Read related coverage at BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9387000/9387395.stm

PLoS ONE gains further ground: PLoS author survey 2010

According to PLoS Author Survey 2010, one of the more explicit observations was the finding that PLoS ONE gained further ground as an attractive venue to publish primary research.  In the 2009 survey 23% of authors preferred PLoS ONE as first port to dock at, and in the 2010 data this figure had increased to 37%.

Hot in PLoS ONE: Added Value Measures in Education Show Genetic as Well as Environmental Influence

Does achievement independent of ability or previous attainment provide a purer measure of the added value of school? In a study of 4000 pairs of 12-year-old twins in the UK, we measured achievement with year-long teacher assessments as well as tests. Raw achievement shows moderate heritability (about 50%) and modest shared environmental influences (25%). Unexpectedly, we show that for indices of the added value of school, genetic influences remain moderate (around 50%), and the shared (school) environment is less important (about 12%). The pervasiveness of genetic influence in how and how much children learn is compatible with an active view of learning in which children create their own educational experiences in part on the basis of their genetic propensities. [Read the full report]

Haworth CMA, Asbury K, Dale PS, Plomin R (2011) Added Value Measures in Education Show Genetic as Well as Environmental Influence. PLoS ONE 6(2): e16006. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016006

Read the coverage of this article at BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12339798

Read New in Gut Pathogens: Acne vulgaris, probiotics and the gut-brain-skin axis - back to the future?

Over 70 years have passed since dermatologists John H. Stokes and Donald M. Pillsbury first proposed a gastrointestinal mechanism for the overlap between depression, anxiety and skin conditions such as acne. Stokes and Pillsbury hypothesized that emotional states might alter the normal intestinal microflora, increase intestinal permeability and contribute to systemic inflammation. Among the remedies advocated by Stokes and Pillsbury were Lactobacillus acidophilus cultures. Many aspects of this gut-brain-skin unifying theory have recently been validated. The ability of the gut microbiota and oral probiotics to influence systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, glycemic control, tissue lipid content and even mood itself, may have important implications in acne. The intestinal microflora may also provide a twist to the developing diet and acne research. Here we provide a historical perspective to the contemporary investigations and clinical implications of the gut-brain-skin connection in acne [Whitney P Bowe and Alan C Logan, 2011].
Free full text: http://www.gutpathogens.com/content/3/1/1/