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Spatial analysis has been much used to examine the distribution of archaeological remains at Pleistocene sites. However, little is known about the distribution patterns at sites identified as hunting camps, i.e., places occupied over multiple short periods for the capture of animals later transported to a base camp. The present work examines a Neanderthal hunting camp (the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter in Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain) to determine whether different activities were undertaken in different areas of the site. A spatial pattern was detected with a main cluster of materials (lithic tools, faunal remains, and coprolites) clearly related to the presence of nearby hearths—the backbone of the utilised space. This main cluster appears to have been related to collaborative and repetitive activities undertaken by the hunting parties that used the site. Spatial analysis also detected a small, isolated area perhaps related to carcasses processing at some point in time and another slightly altered by water., Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. AM is funded by a grant from the Junta de Castilla y León, financed in turn by European Social Funds via the Consejería de Educación (BDNS 376062). AA-F is supported by a Ph.D. grant from the Reale Foundation via the Fundación Atapuerca. This research was conducted within projects under the auspices of the Dirección General de Investigación of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PGC 2018–094125-B-100 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE), PGC 2018–093925-B-C32 (MICINN-FEDER), AGAUR (2017SGR1040 IPHES-URV), PGC 2018–093612-B-100, PID2021-122355NB-C31, PID2021-122355NB-C32 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Agencia Estatal de Investigación), and funded by the I + D activities program for research groups run by the Education Secretariat of the Madrid Regional Government H2019/HUM-5840 (co-financed by the European Social Fund). The study was also partly funded by the Museo Arqueológico Regional de la Comunidad de Madrid (MAR) and Canal de Isabel II-Gestión.

Three-week-old alfalfa (Medicago sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and maize (Zea mays) were exposed for 7 d to 30 µm of mercury (HgCl2) to characterize the Hg speciation in root, with no symptoms of being poisoned. The largest pool (99%) was associated with the particulate fraction, whereas the soluble fraction (SF) accounted for a minor proportion (<1%). Liquid chromatography coupled with electro-spray/time of flight mass spectrometry showed that Hg was bound to an array of phytochelatins (PCs) in root SF, which was particularly varied in alfalfa (eight ligands and five stoichiometries), a species that also accumulated homophytochelatins. Spatial localization of Hg in alfalfa roots by microprobe synchrotron X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy showed that most of the Hg co-localized with sulphur in the vascular cylinder. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) fingerprint fitting revealed that Hg was bound in vivo to organic-S compounds, i.e. biomolecules containing cysteine. Albeit a minor proportion of total Hg, Hg–PCs complexes in the SF might be important for tolerance to Hg, as was found with Arabidopsis thaliana mutants cad2-1 (with low glutathione content) and cad1-3 (unable to synthesize PCs) in comparison with wild type plants. Interestingly, high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-time of flight analysis showed that none of these mutants accumulated Hg–biothiol complexes., Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y Microbiología, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

The unexpected death of Javier Abadía, Research Professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), deeply shocked all who knew him [...]

This work examines the possible behaviour of Neanderthal groups at the Cueva Des-Cubierta (central Spain) via the analysis of the latter’s archaeological assemblage. Alongside evidence of Mousterian lithic industry, Level 3 of the cave infll was found to contain an assemblage of mammalian bone remains dominated by the crania of large ungulates, some associated with small hearths. The scarcity of post-cranial elements, teeth, mandibles and maxillae, along with evidence of anthropogenic modifcation of the crania (cut and percussion marks), indicates that the carcasses of the corresponding animals were initially processed outside the cave, and the crania were later brought inside. A second round of processing then took place, possibly related to the removal of the brain. The continued presence of crania throughout Level 3 indicates that this behaviour was recurrent during this level’s formation. This behaviour seems to have no subsistence-related purpose but to be more symbolic in its intent.

Most plant species develop stress symptoms when exposed to high ammonium (NH4+) concentrations. The root is the first organ in contact with high NH4+ and therefore the first barrier to cope with ammonium stress. In this work, we focused on root adaptation to ammonium nutrition in the model plant Brachypodium distachyon. Proteome analysis revealed changes associated with primary metabolism, cell wall remodelling, and redox homeostasis. In addition, it showed a strong induction of proteins related to methionine (Met) metabolism and phytosiderophore (PS) synthesis in ammonium-fed plants. In agreement with this, we show how ammonium nutrition impacts Met/S-adenosyl-Met and PS metabolic pathways together with increasing root iron content. Nevertheless, ammonium-fed plants displayed higher sensitivity to iron deficiency, suggesting that ammonium nutrition triggers impaired iron utilization and root to shoot transport, which entailed an induction in iron-related responses. Overall, this work demonstrates the importance of iron homeostasis during ammonium nutrition and paves a new way to better understand and improve ammonium use efficiency and tolerance.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation carried out by the interaction between legumes and diazotrophic bacteria known as rhizobia requires relatively large levels of transition metals. These elements are cofactors of many key enzymes involved in this process. Metallic micronutrients are obtained from soil by the roots and directed to sink organs by the vasculature, in a process mediated by a number of metal transporters and small organic molecules that facilitate metal delivery in the plant fluids. Among the later, nicotianamine is one of the most important. Synthesized by nicotianamine synthases (NAS), this molecule forms metal complexes participating in intracellular metal homeostasis and long-distance metal trafficking. Here we characterized the NAS2 gene from model legume Medicago truncatula. MtNAS2 is located in the root vasculature and in all nodule tissues in the infection and fixation zones. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation requires of MtNAS2 function, as indicated by the loss of nitrogenase activity in the insertional mutant nas2-1, phenotype reverted by reintroduction of a wild-type copy of MtNAS2. This would result from the altered iron distribution in nas2-1 nodules shown with X-ray fluorescence. Moreover, iron speciation is also affected in these nodules. These data suggest a role of nicotianamine in iron delivery for symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

Main conclusion The ratio of nicotianamine to deoxymugenic acid controls tissue-specific metal homeostasis in rice and regulates metal delivery to the endosperm. Abstract The metal-chelating phytosiderophores nicotianamine (NA) and 2′deoxymugenic acid (DMA) are significant factors for the control of metal homeostasis in graminaceous plants. These compounds are thought to influence metal homeostasis, but their individual roles and the effect of altering the NA:DMA ratio are unknown. We purposely generated rice lines with high and low NA:DMA ratios (HND and LND lines, respectively). The HND lines accumulated more iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) in the endosperm through the mobilization of Fe, Zn and Mn from the seed husk to the endosperm. In contrast, Fe, Zn and Mn were mobilized to the husk in the LND lines, whereas Cu accumulated in the endosperm. Different groups of metals are, therefore, taken up, transported and sequestered in vegetative tissues in the HND and LND lines to achieve this metal distribution pattern in the seeds. We found that different sets of endogenous metal homeostasis genes were modulated in the HND and LND lines to achieve differences in metal homeostasis. Our findings demonstrate that the NA:DMA ratio is a key factor regulating metal homeostasis in graminaceous plants. These findings can help formulate refined strategies to improve nutrient composition and nutrient use efficiency in crop plants.

El pasado domingo 5 de mayo 'De Puertas al Campo' emitió un programa especial sobre la Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, grabado íntegramente en nuestras instalaciones. En él participaron el director del Instituto, Jesús Val, los responsables de los cuatro departamentos: Ana Casas (en nombre de Ernesto Igartua), Miguel Alfonso, Arancha Arbeloa y Nery Zapata, quienes dieron a conocer todas las líneas de trabajo que se desarrollan en la EEAD. También intervinieron Mª Pilar Vallés, Ana Álvarez, Marian Moreno y Leticia Gaspar que comentaron sus proyectos de investigación., Cada sábado y domingo, Aragón Radio emite 'De Puertas al Campo', un programa dirigido y presentado por Carlos Espatolero que se centra en la agricultura, la ganadería, la alimentación, el medio ambiente y el medio rural en la comunidad autónoma. El objetivo de cada uno de los programas es entender mejor un sector del que viven, de forma directa o indirecta, más de 30.000 aragoneses.

Introduction: Pneumonia is a serious health problem because it is a frequent cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide.Objective: To describe the behavior of severe pneumonia in a group of patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Borrás-Marfán Pediatric Hospital.Material and Methods: An observational, descriptive and retrospective study was conducted in 223 patients with the diagnosis of severe pneumonia admitted to the aforementioned intensive care service from August 2015 to December 2019. The sample was characterized according to demographic variables, complications, invasive procedures performed, microbiological isolation, type of antibiotics used, and the number of days spent in the hospital. Descriptive statistics was used for the analysis of results.Results: The most representative age group was 1-4 years, with a slight predominance of males. The most frequent complications were pleural effusion, pneumatocele and pneumothorax. In this group, 40.81 % of the cases required thoracentesis and 33.18 % underwent pleurotomy. The main isolated germ was the Streptococcus Pneumoniae and most of the patients needed treatment with two antibiotics.Conclusions: During the period studied, the principal complication of pneumonia was the pleural effusion. Approximately half of the cases underwent thoracentesis and pleurotomy and good results were achieved. The use of two antibiotics according to established protocols were effective, too., Introducción: Las neumonías constituyen un grave problema de salud al ser causa frecuente de morbilidad y mortalidad infantil en el mundo.Objetivo: Describir el comportamiento de las neumonías graves en un grupo de pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica (UTIP) del Hospital Pediátrico Docente “Borrás-Marfán”. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo, en 223 pacientes que ingresaron en el servicio de terapia intensiva mencionado, entre agosto de 2015 y diciembre de 2019, con diagnóstico de neumonía grave. Se caracterizó la muestra según variables demográficas, complicaciones, procederes invasivos realizados, aislamiento microbiológico, antibióticos utilizados y estadía en el servicio. Para el análisis de los resultados se empleó la estadística descriptiva.Resultados: El grupo de edades más representativo fue el de 1-4 años, con un ligero predominio de varones. Las complicaciones más frecuentes fueron el derrame pleural, el neumatocele y el neumotórax. Requirieron toracocentesis el 40,81 % de los casos y pleurotomía el 33,18 %. El principal germen aislado fue el Streptococcus Pneumoniae y la mayoría de los pacientes necesitaron dos antibióticos para el tratamiento.Conclusiones: En el período estudiado, la principal complicación de la neumonía fue el derrame pleural y se realizó toracocentesis y pleurotomía en aproximadamente la mitad de los casos con buenos resultados. El uso de dos antibióticos en la mayoría de los pacientes según los protocolos establecidos resultó efectivo.

La contracultura surgió de la mano de una generación de jóvenes norteamericanos que se enfrentó al sistema impuesto por una sociedad rígida y jerárquica. El movimiento reivindicaba cuestiones como el fin de la guerra, la libertad de expresión, los derechos de las minorías o la defensa del medio ambiente. En este contexto, la arquitectura se convirtió en una herramienta para la divulgación de los ideales defendidos. Además, sirvió como un medio por el cual alcanzar la libertad, la sostenibilidad y la autosuficiencia perseguidas por estos jóvenes inconformistas. Así, se produjeron experimentos como Drop City, donde se estableció una comunidad alternativa que se basaba en la defensa de la vuelta al campo y del trabajo manual. Del mismo modo que el sistema social, la arquitectura también fue objeto de revisión. Contribuyeron a esta renovación personalidades como Buckminster Fuller, quien mostró abiertamente su apoyo al movimiento, pero también otros como Charles Moore, quien nunca se posicionó a favor de la contracultura. De esta manera, se establecía una red global de relaciones en la que incluso llegaban a participar arquitectos europeos como Ettore Sottsass. La contracultura buscaba una vuelta al origen desde la tecnología. La juventud contracultural encontró en el desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías un nuevo horizonte en el que plasmar sus convicciones y abrir paso así a un futuro más adaptado a los nuevos tiempos.

Flavin synthesis and secretion is an integral part of the toolbox of root-borne Fe facilitators used by Strategy I species upon Fe deficiency. The Fe-deficiency responses of the wild legume Medicago scutellata grown in nutrient solution have been studied at two different pH values (5.5 and 7.5). Parameters studied include leaf chlorophyll, nutrient solution pH, concentrations and contents of micronutrients, flavin accumulation in roots, flavin export to the medium, and root ferric chelate reductase and acidification activities. Results show that M. scutellata behaves upon Fe deficiency as a Strategy I species, with a marked capacity for synthesizing flavins (riboflavin and three hydroxylated riboflavin derivatives), which becomes more intense at high pH. Results also show that this species is capable of exporting a large amount of flavins to the external medium, both at pH 5.5 and 7.5. This is the first report of a species having a major flavin secretion at pH 7.5, in contrast with the very low flavin secretion found in other flavin-producing species such as Beta vulgaris and M. truncatula. These results provide further support to the hypothesis that flavin secretion is relevant for Fe acquisition at high pH, and open the possibility to improve the Fe-efficiency responses in legumes of agronomic interest.

Iron and Zn deficiencies are worldwide nutritional disorders that can be alleviated by increasing the metal concentration of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grains via bio-fortification approaches. The overproduction of the metal chelator nicotianamine (NA) is among the most effective ones, but it is still unclear whether this is due to the enrichment in NA itself and/or the concomitant enrichment in the NA derivative 2′-deoxymugineic acid (DMA). The endosperm is the most commonly consumed portion of the rice grain and mediates the transfer of nutrients from vegetative tissues to the metal rich embryo. The impact of contrasting levels of DMA and NA on the metal distribution in the embryo and endosperm of rice seeds has been assessed using wild-type rice and six different transgenic lines overexpressing nicotianamine synthase (OsNAS1) and/or barley nicotianamine amino transferase (HvNAATb). These transgenic lines outlined three different DMA/NA scenarios: (i) in a first scenario, an enhanced NA level (via overexpression of OsNAS1) would not be fully depleted because of a limited capacity to use NA for DMA synthesis (lack of -or low- expression of HvNAATb), and results in consistent enrichments in NA, DMA, Fe and Zn in the endosperm and NA, DMA and Fe in the embryo; (ii) in a second scenario, an enhanced NA level (via overexpression of OsNAS1) would be depleted by an enhanced capacity to use NA for DMA synthesis (via expression of HvNAATb), and results in enrichments only for DMA and Fe, both in the endosperm and embryo, and (iii) in a third scenario, the lack of sufficient NA replenishment would limit DMA synthesis, in spite of the enhanced capacity to use NA for this purpose (via expression of HvNAATb), and results in decreases in NA, variable changes in DMA and moderate decreases in Fe in the embryo and endosperm. Also, quantitative LA-ICP-MS metal map images of the embryo structures show that the first and second scenarios altered local distributions of Fe, and to a lesser

Traceological method is based on the identification and analysis of the stone tools surface modifications as a result of the use, hafting or manufacturing procedures, among others. Traditionally, use-wear analyses have been conducted using Optical Light Microscopy (OLM) or even, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), normally basing the interpretations on subjective descriptions. Although there are general protocols successfully followed and good results in this field, researchers have always been conscious about the need to advance towards a quantitative an objective method. In response to that concern, techniques as Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) are being applied successfully to functional analyses, thus improving the metrological studies. The main goal of this research is the characterization and quantification of those alterations caused by butchering activities in comparison with unused areas in order to recognize modification patterns on the chert natural surface. Wood working has been also included in this study as a comparative sample. Also, a quantitative distinction between micropolishes produced by butchering activities and wood working has been carried out. The results show that discrimination between unused areas and wood micropolishes is possible. Meanwhile, butchering activities modify lightly the chert surface. On the other hand, quantitative parameters statistically differ between worked materials proving this method to be useful to identify them., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)/FEDER, Reale Foundation, Fundación Atapuerca, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub