Sex is a biological trait fundamental to the study of hominin fossils. Among the many questions that can be addressed are those related to taxonomy, biological variability, sexual dimorphism, paleoobstetrics, funerary selection, and paleodemography. While new methodologies such as paleogenomics or paleoproteomics can be used to determine sex, they have not been systematically applied to Pleistocene human remains due to their destructive nature. Therefore, we estimated sex from the coxal bone of the newly discovered pelvic remains of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal (Southwest France, MIS 5) based on morphological and metric data employing two methods that have been recently revised and shown to be reliable in multiple studies. Both methods calculate posterior probabilities of the estimate. The right coxal bone of Regourdou 1 was partially reconstructed providing additional traits for sex estimation. These methods were cross validated on 14 sufficiently preserved coxal bones of specimens from the Neandertal lineage. Our results show that the Regourdou 1 individual, whose postcranial skeleton is not robust, is a male, and that previous sex attributions of comparative Neandertal specimens are largely in agreement with those obtained here. Our results encourage additional morphological research of fossil hominins in order to develop a set of methods that are applicable, reliable, and reproducible.

• MeSH
• genomika MeSH
• Hominidae * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neandertálci * anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• zkameněliny MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Francie MeSH

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most dangerous human pathogenic viruses found in all corners of the world. Recent sequencing of ancient HBV viruses revealed that these viruses have accompanied humanity for several millenia. As G-quadruplexes are considered to be potential therapeutic targets in virology, we examined G-quadruplex-forming sequences (PQS) in modern and ancient HBV genomes. Our analyses showed the presence of PQS in all 232 tested HBV genomes, with a total number of 1258 motifs and an average frequency of 1.69 PQS per kbp. Notably, the PQS with the highest G4Hunter score in the reference genome is the most highly conserved. Interestingly, the density of PQS motifs is lower in ancient HBV genomes than in their modern counterparts (1.5 and 1.9/kb, respectively). This modern frequency of 1.90 is very close to the PQS frequency of the human genome (1.93) using identical parameters. This indicates that the PQS content in HBV increased over time to become closer to the PQS frequency in the human genome. No statistically significant differences were found between PQS densities in HBV lineages found in different continents. These results, which constitute the first paleogenomics analysis of G4 propensity, are in agreement with our hypothesis that, for viruses causing chronic infections, their PQS frequencies tend to converge evolutionarily with those of their hosts, as a kind of 'genetic camouflage' to both hijack host cell transcriptional regulatory systems and to avoid recognition as foreign material.

• MeSH
• biologická evoluce MeSH
• G-kvadruplexy * MeSH
• genom lidský MeSH
• genomika MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• virus hepatitidy B * genetika   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

• MeSH
• antropologie fyzická * MeSH
• genom lidský MeSH
• Hominidae * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH

At the time when the importance of the interdisciplinary research increases, the nuclear analytical techniques supported by the small research reactors represent a useful tool for investigation of human society, culture, history etc. The historical, archaeological, and palaeontological samples and objects of cultural heritage can be easily studied using the radioanalytical methods such as the neutron activation analysis. This paper deals with the detailed investigation of fragments of mammoth remains from the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic site Pavlov VI by means of the instrumental neutron activation analysis at the Training Reactor VR-1 of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Six mammoth hard tissue samples (fragments of bones, tusk, and molar) from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences were irradiated in the dry vertical irradiation channel with thermal neutron field (φ=2×109cm-2s-1) at maximum reactor power (80 W). The activated mammoth samples were analysed employing the nuclear γ-spectrometry and semiconductor HPGe detector, and the composition of the remains was determined (qualitative and quantitative analysis). The presence of Na, Cl, K, As, Fe, Sr, Mn, Br, I, Ba, and U was revealed in studied mammoth samples. Based on obtained production rates, the concentrations of Fe, Sr, Na, K, As, and U were determined. The results presented in this paper show clearly that the low-power Training Reactor VR-1 is excellent tool for the neutron activation analysis experiments within the interdisciplinary research and can provide experimental data important for archaeologists and palaeontologists.

• MeSH
• atomové reaktory MeSH
• kovy analýza   MeSH
• mamuti anatomie a histologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• neutronová aktivační analýza metody   MeSH
• paleontologie metody   MeSH
• prvky MeSH
• radionuklidy analýza   MeSH
• spektrometrie gama MeSH
• zkameněliny MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

The Deltaretrovirus genus of retroviruses (family Retroviridae) includes the human T cell leukemia viruses and bovine leukemia virus (BLV). Relatively little is known about the biology and evolution of these viruses, because only a few species have been identified and the genomic 'fossil record' is relatively sparse. Here, we report the discovery of multiple novel endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) derived from ancestral deltaretroviruses. These sequences-two of which contain complete or near complete internal coding regions-reside in genomes of several distinct mammalian orders, including bats, carnivores, cetaceans, and insectivores. We demonstrate that two of these ERVs contain unambiguous homologs of the tax gene, indicating that complex gene regulation has ancient origins within the Deltaretrovirus genus. ERVs demonstrate that the host range of the deltaretrovirus genus is much more extensive than suggested by the relatively small number of exogenous deltaretroviruses described so far, and allow the evolutionary timeline of deltaretrovirus-mammal interaction to be more accurately calibrated.

• MeSH
• Deltaretrovirus genetika   MeSH
• endogenní retroviry genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genom virový MeSH
• geny pX MeSH
• hostitelská specificita * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• molekulární evoluce * MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• savci virologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

A Neanderthal endocast, naturally formed by travertine within the crater of a thermal spring, was found at Gánovce, near Poprad (Slovakia), in 1926, and dated to 105 ka. The endocast is partially covered by fragments of the braincase. The volume of the endocast was estimated to be 1320 cc. The endocast was first studied by the Czech paleoanthropologist Emanuel Vlček, who performed metric and morphological analyses which suggested its Neanderthal origin. Vlček published his works more than fifty years ago, but the fossil is scarcely known to the general paleoanthropological community, probably because of language barriers. Here, we review the historical and anatomical information available on the endocasts, providing additional paleoneurological assessments on its features. The endocast displays typical Neanderthal traits, and its overall appearance is similar to Guattari 1, mostly because of the pronounced frontal width and occipital bulging. The morphology of the Gánovce specimen suggests once more that the Neanderthal endocranial phenotype had already evolved at 100 ka.

• MeSH
• Hominidae anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• lebka anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mozek anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• neandertálci anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   fyziologie   MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Slovenská republika MeSH

In this review, we describe some of the central philosophical issues facing origins-of-life research and provide a targeted history of the developments that have led to the multidisciplinary field of origins-of-life studies. We outline these issues and developments to guide researchers and students from all fields. With respect to philosophy, we provide brief summaries of debates with respect to (1) definitions (or theories) of life, what life is and how research should be conducted in the absence of an accepted theory of life, (2) the distinctions between synthetic, historical, and universal projects in origins-of-life studies, issues with strategies for inferring the origins of life, such as (3) the nature of the first living entities (the "bottom up" approach) and (4) how to infer the nature of the last universal common ancestor (the "top down" approach), and (5) the status of origins of life as a science. Each of these debates influences the others. Although there are clusters of researchers that agree on some answers to these issues, each of these debates is still open. With respect to history, we outline several independent paths that have led to some of the approaches now prevalent in origins-of-life studies. These include one path from early views of life through the scientific revolutions brought about by Linnaeus (von Linn.), Wöhler, Miller, and others. In this approach, new theories, tools, and evidence guide new thoughts about the nature of life and its origin. We also describe another family of paths motivated by a" circularity" approach to life, which is guided by such thinkers as Maturana & Varela, Gánti, Rosen, and others. These views echo ideas developed by Kant and Aristotle, though they do so using modern science in ways that produce exciting avenues of investigation. By exploring the history of these ideas, we can see how many of the issues that currently interest us have been guided by the contexts in which the ideas were developed. The disciplinary backgrounds of each of these scholars has influenced the questions they sought to answer, the experiments they envisioned, and the kinds of data they collected. We conclude by encouraging scientists and scholars in the humanities and social sciences to explore ways in which they can interact to provide a deeper understanding of the conceptual assumptions, structure, and history of origins-of-life research. This may be useful to help frame future research agendas and bring awareness to the multifaceted issues facing this challenging scientific question.

• MeSH
• biologie dějiny   MeSH
• chemie dějiny   MeSH
• dějiny 16. století MeSH
• dějiny 17. století MeSH
• dějiny 18. století MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• dějiny 20. století MeSH
• dějiny 21. století MeSH
• filozofie dějiny   MeSH
• historiografie * MeSH
• informatika dějiny   MeSH
• molekulární biologie dějiny   MeSH
• paleontologie dějiny   MeSH
• původ života * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny 16. století MeSH
• dějiny 17. století MeSH
• dějiny 18. století MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• dějiny 20. století MeSH
• dějiny 21. století MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

• MeSH
• botanika MeSH
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• geologie MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• zeměpis MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny 19. století MeSH
• Publikační typ
• biografie MeSH
• historické články MeSH

• O autorovi
• Purkyně, Jan Evangelista, 1787-1869 Autorita
• Purkyně, Emanuel, 1831-1882 Autorita
• Purkyně, Cyrill, 1862-1937 Autorita

Monitor lizards (genus Varanus) inhabited Europe at least from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. Their fossil record is limited to about 40 localities that have provided mostly isolated vertebrae. Due to the poor diagnostic value of these fossils, it was recently claimed that all the European species described prior to the 21st century are not taxonomically valid and a new species, Varanus amnhophilis, was erected on the basis of fragmentary material including cranial elements, from the late Miocene of Samos (Greece). We re-examined the type material of Varanus marathonensis Weithofer, 1888, based on material from the late Miocene of Pikermi (Greece), and concluded that it is a valid, diagnosable species. Previously unpublished Iberian material from the Aragonian (middle Miocene) of Abocador de Can Mata (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Barcelona) and the Vallesian (late Miocene) of Batallones (Madrid Basin) is clearly referable to the same species on a morphological basis, further enabling to provide an emended diagnosis for this species. Varanus amnhophilis appears to be a junior subjective synonym of V. marathonensis. On the basis of the most complete fossil Varanus skeleton ever described, it has been possible to further resolve the internal phylogeny of this genus by cladistically analyzing 80 taxa coded for 495 morphological and 5729 molecular characters. Varanus marathonensis was a large-sized species distributed at relatively low latitudes in both southwestern and southeastern Europe from at least MN7+8 to MN12. Our cladistic analysis nests V. marathonensis into an eastern clade of Varanus instead of the African clade comprising Varanus griseus, to which it had been related in the past. At least two different Varanus lineages were present in Europe during the Neogene, represented by Varanus mokrensis (early Miocene) and V. marathonensis (middle to late Miocene), respectively.

• MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• fylogeografie MeSH
• ještěři anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• zkameněliny anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH

The largest insects to have ever lived were the giant meganeurids of the Late Palaeozoic, ancient stem relatives of our modern dragonflies. With wingspans up to 71 cm, these iconic insects have been the subject of varied documentaries on Palaeozoic life, depicting them as patrolling for prey through coal swamp forests amid giant lycopsids, and cordaites. Such reconstructions are speculative as few definitive details of giant dragonfly biology are known. Most specimens of giant dragonflies are known from wings or isolated elements, but Meganeurites gracilipes preserves critical body structures, most notably those of the head. Here we show that it is unlikely it thrived in densely forested environments where its elongate wings would have become easily damaged. Instead, the species lived in more open habitats and possessed greatly enlarged compound eyes. These were dorsally hypertrophied, a specialization for long-distance vision above the animal in flight, a trait convergent with modern hawker dragonflies. Sturdy mandibles with acute teeth, strong spines on tibiae and tarsi, and a pronounced thoracic skewness are identical to those specializations used by dragonflies in capturing prey while in flight. The Palaeozoic Odonatoptera thus exhibited considerable morphological specializations associated with behaviours attributable to 'hawkers' or 'perchers' among extant Odonata.

• MeSH
• křídla zvířecí anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• let zvířat fyziologie   MeSH
• mandibula anatomie a histologie   fyziologie   MeSH
• paleontologie MeSH
• predátorské chování * MeSH
• vážky anatomie a histologie   fyziologie   MeSH
• velikost orgánu MeSH
• zkameněliny * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH