Date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a major fruit crop of arid regions that were domesticated ∼7,000 y ago in the Near or Middle East. This species is cultivated widely in the Middle East and North Africa, and previous population genetic studies have shown genetic differentiation between these regions. We investigated the evolutionary history of P. dactylifera and its wild relatives by resequencing the genomes of date palm varieties and five of its closest relatives. Our results indicate that the North African population has mixed ancestry with components from Middle Eastern P. dactylifera and Phoenix theophrasti , a wild relative endemic to the Eastern Mediterranean. Introgressive hybridization is supported by tests of admixture, reduced subdivision between North African date palm and P. theophrasti , sharing of haplotypes in introgressed regions, and a population model that incorporates gene flow between these populations. Analysis of ancestry proportions indicates that as much as 18% of the genome of North African varieties can be traced to P. theophrasti and a large percentage of loci in this population are segregating for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are fixed in P. theophrasti and absent from date palm in the Middle East. We present a survey of Phoenix remains in the archaeobotanical record which supports a late arrival of date palm to North Africa. Our results suggest that hybridization with P. theophrasti was of central importance in the diversification history of the cultivated date palm.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/116/5/1651.full.pdf

Cross-species hybridization and the origin of North African date palms.

Use of dental microstructure to investigate the role of prenatal and early life physiological stress in age at death

OBJECTIVES The Osteological Paradox posits that skeletal lesions may differentially be interpreted as representing resilience or frailty However, specific consideration of the etiologies and demographic distributions of individual skeletal indicators can inform the criteria on which to differentiate stress, frailty, and resilience Adopting a life history approach and adaptive plasticity model, this study proposes a framework for the analysis and interpretation of a commonly reported skeletal lesion, cribra orbitalia, which considers the underlying mechanisms of the condition, the clinical and epidemiological literature relating to anemia and malnutrition, and the bioarcheological evidence MATERIALS AND METHODS Data were extracted from the European (n = 33 populations) and American (n = 19 populations) modules of the Global History of Health Project Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were applied, where time was the age-at-death, and the factor or covariate was presence or absence of cribra orbitalia RESULTS Of 37 samples that produced significant results, 21 demonstrated a change in relationship when the subadults were excluded from analysis When subadults were included, individuals with cribra orbitalia present had statistically significant lower survival time With subadults excluded, the relationship either became nonsignificant or was reversed DISCUSSION We demonstrate that in many cases the inclusion of subadults in analysis impacts upon the apparent mortality associated with cribra orbitalia Examining cribra orbitalia in children and adults has two separate goals: in children, to determine the prevalence and risk of death associated with active lesions and stress; and in adults, to determine whether childhood health assaults that cause cribra orbitalia are associated with frailty or resilience

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.24091

A paleoepidemiological approach to the osteological paradox: Investigating stress, frailty and resilience through cribra orbitalia

Teeth contain an incremental record of their growth in the form of periodic growth markings that are literally embodied within the structure of enamel. These can be revealed when ground sections of teeth are prepared for transmitted light microscopy. This chapter sets out one method for estimating the time taken to form the crowns of permanent teeth. First, the daily rates of enamel formation are estimated at three positions within the crown close to the enamel dentine junction (EDJ). Then a 200 μm length along an enamel prism that take ∼80 days to form is followed out from the EDJ at the dentine horn. From this point a line is then tracked back along the direction of the oblique striae of Retzius that are contained within enamel to a lower position further along the EDJ. This procedure is repeated until the cervix of the tooth is reached. The total time for enamel formation is estimated by summing the number of 80 day segments traced out.

A histological method that can be used to estimate the time taken to form the crown of a permanent tooth.

Spoilage of oat bran by sporogenic microorganisms revived from soil buried 4000 years ago in Iranian archaeological site

During the tenth season of excavations at Shahr-i Sokhta excavations continued in the Graveyard, and Craftsman's areas. This work revealed new graves, including one containing an artificial eye. Su...

Sistan and Baluchistan Project: Short Reports on the Tenth Campaign of Excavations at Shahr-I Sokhta

Synchrotron radiation micro X-Ray Fluorescence (SR-μXRF) elemental mapping of ancient hair: Metals and health at 3rd millennium BCE Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran

S.M.S. Sajjadi

Papers

Use of dental microstructure to investigate the role of prenatal and early life physiological stress in age at death

Sistan and Baluchistan Project: Short Reports on the Tenth Campaign of Excavations at Shahr-I Sokhta

Synchrotron radiation micro X-Ray Fluorescence (SR-μXRF) elemental mapping of ancient hair: Metals and health at 3rd millennium BCE Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran