The multidisciplinary study of soils, past and present, and the deposits around the Salada de Chiprana Lake (Central Ebro Basin, Spain) has provided valuable insights into the genesis of the lake, with important palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic implications. The presence of a Middle Pleistocene (322.2 +/- 21.6 ka) palaeosoil developed on perched aeolian deposits (CHI2) near the lake shore is evidence of ancient stages of lake bottom exposition under rather arid conditions, representing one of the oldest dated aridification episodes in the Quaternary of the Ebro Basin, coinciding with cold periods. Texture analysis of the soils and deposits, and the application of wind models to the reconstruction of the palaeowinds responsible for its genesis, helped to reconstruct the origin and conditions under which such deposits and soils developed. Regarding the genesis of the depression, the characteristics of the geological units in the lake basin, the relationship of the lake basin with fluvial terraces of the surrounding rivers, and the present morphology of the lake body, together with other indirect morphological indicators, point to the subsurface evacuation of soft sediments, very likely through piping-related processes. Additionally, a second soil (CHI1) was studied on a lacustrine terrace level at 152 m a.s. l., 8 m higher than the current level of the lake. It was dated at 9.0 +/- 0.7 ka and corresponds to a period of more severe flooding of the lake during the early Holocene, an interpretation consistent with previous studies that established a Holocene age for the bottom sediments of the current lake. Altogether, our dataset indicates longstanding persistence of this lacustrine system and confirms its highly fluctuating character, typical of semiarid regimes such as the one that currently prevails in the centre of the Ebro Depression.
The Chalbi Desert, located in eastern Africa, is a significant but overlooked archive of the Pleistocene and Holocene periods that could add insight into investigations on human evolution. We revisited southeastern Chalbi Desert landforms between the towns of Kargi and Maikona to improve the chronostratigraphy and provide paleoenvironmental context. Direct U-series and electron spin resonance dating of various fossil teeth recovered from a deflated dune (Qzs) landform at the Farre locality return a mean age of ∼545 ka, which is compatible with biostratigraphic inferences. While this numerical age result should probably be regarded as mostly indicative given the existing uncertainty on the environmental dose rate evaluation, the data set available nevertheless strongly suggests a Middle Pleistocene age for at least some of the fauna. Sedimentology, luminescence, and 14 C dating further suggest that this Qzs landform and its contents were modified by alluvial fan development and weathering during denudation in a proximal fan setting through the late Pleistocene into the Holocene. The Qzs landform currently experiences aeolian additions, erosion, and salt-affected soil development in an arid climate. Pedogenic carbonate isotope geochemistry suggests that deflated sand dunes were covered by woody grasslands during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 and 3 pluvials, consistent with nearby fan progradation constrained at >35 ka. The desert experienced increased hydrologic activity during late Pleistocene and African humid period pluvials, as evidenced by additional optically stimulated luminescence and 14 C dating from fan, dune, and playa contexts. The last significant pluvial episode ended after 4.4 ± 0.3 cal ka BP, which coincides with the final regression of nearby Lake Turkana. This study extends the chronology of Quaternary sediments in the Chalbi Desert to the Middle Pleistocene and offers paleoenvironmental insights into the conditions experienced by Middle Stone Age tool users in the region.
Forensic facial approximation methods are implemented in bioarchaeology to visualise the appearances of individuals from the past. This study introduces the first three-dimensional (3D) facial approximation of a pre-Columbian individual from the Caribbean, and specifically from Cuba, with intentional cranial modification (ICM). The research team designed a pipeline based on verified methods and documented the steps followed to produce the facial approximation. A detailed digital model of a pre-Columbian skull was created using high-resolution structured-light scans. Biological profile and ICM type were determined. The workflow followed standardised approximation methods to predict soft-tissue thickness and morphological facial features, while photos of Native-descendant Cuban populations were additionally considered. The final model was sculpted and textured with professional 3D modelling and digital illustration software to achieve a realistic representation. Research results suggest that the skull corresponds to an adult female with fronto-occipital ICM. Morphological indicators informed the reconstruction of a rectangular face with prominent cheekbones, a broad nose, and a subtle cleft chin. Eye placement followed anatomical parameters, and lip projection reflected maxillary prognathism for thicker lips. Ear positioning adhered to craniofacial standards; pigmentation and hair colour values were based on genetic studies of modern-day Native American populations. The final model was rendered with controlled lighting to achieve a portrait-like appearance, balancing anatomical fidelity and visual realism. Despite the methodological limitations of facial approximations, the results obtained expand understanding of the identities of pre-Columbian people in the Caribbean, and of their human history and cultural evolution in the Americas. This project goes beyond giving a face to a pre-Columbian individual: it opens a window to expand the value of bioarchaeological museum collections for both the general public and researchers in this field. Ultimately, the objective is to contribute to the increasing efforts to decolonise museum narratives, ethically representing a face from Caribbean past populations.
Torralba has been a key locality for Middle Pleistocene paleoanthropology since its discovery by the Marqués de Cerralbo in the early 1900s. It yielded numerous elephant bones and lithic artifacts, leading to its first interpretation as an elephant kill site, and provoking subsequent studies and debates about that interpretation. After Cerralbo, Torralba was excavated by a multidisciplinary team led by the American paleoanthropologist F. Clark Howell between 1961 and 1963. This work generated a large body of documentation, including maps, photographs, catalogs, drawings, and notes. Here, we present previously unpublished stratigraphic sections and georeferenced and digitalized distribution maps. Combined with newly digitized archival photographs of the original excavations, these resources provide long sought and critically important spatial and stratigraphic positioning of 1,541 bones, 428 artifacts and 1,678 additional stones (among other elements). The work was carried out considering all these elements, discussing their possible stratigraphic attribution through the study of distribution and orientation patterns by applying spatial analysis methods. The results have provided important data regarding the importance of recovering documentation from old excavations and processing it with innovative analytical methods, as well as regarding the formation processes of the deposit that bear directly on previous behavioral inferences and provide valuable data for future studies.
In this study, we analysed the carbon and oxygen isotopic values of dental enamel and carbon and nitrogen bone collagen in cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) remains from Galería 1, inside the Cueva de Guantes (Palencia, Spain). Likewise, luminescence dating was carried out on the stratigraphic level corresponding to these specimens. The results obtained from dating showed that these bears lived during early Last Pleistocene (OSL 1904; 93,97 ± 8,06 ka). On the other hand, the carbon isotopic values in enamel and collagen indicate that cubs, adult and senile specimens had similar isotopic signals. Additionally, oxygen isotopic values also suggest that the sources of water consumed were isotopically similar. On the other hand, the δ15NAIR values of collagen are exceptionally high for the Iberian Peninsula, however, they also exhibited no significant differences in cubs, adults and seniles.
