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Negative responses of biotic communities as trackers of pollutant dispersion has shown that microfaunal distribution can play a useful role in investigating marine coastal ecosystems. A detailed study was carried out on Ostracoda and benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the contaminated environment of the Ex-Military Arsenal of the La Maddalena Harbour, located on the south-eastern coast of La Maddalena Island (Sardinia, Italy), to investigate the responses to pollution of these micro-organisms in this area using integrated multidisciplinary approaches. The area is affected by industrial waste, mainly heavy metals, as well as by seasonally intense maritime traffic. The analysis of surficial sediment shows enrichment in pollutants including As, Hg, Zn, Cu, Pd, Cd and hydrocarbon (chain length C>12). Variability of the assemblages, population density, species diversity and frequency of deformity suggest that these microorganisms are promising monitoring groups for contaminated marine areas. A total of 28 genera and 42 species of ostracods (three species were found alive; 17 species are autochthonous in at least one sampling station, while 28 are always allochthonous), were collected, while only 9 genera and 16 species of living benthic foraminifera were recognized. The biocoenosis is poorly represented, and shows low values of biotic indices. On the other hand, the foraminiferal thanatocoenosis is diverse and rich, but a high percentage of abnormal tests indicates degraded environmental conditions in almost the entire area. Changes in biotic indices, presence of tolerant species and development of abnormal tests constitute the main responses of Foraminifera and Ostracoda to pollution in the examined area.

In the literature, there are many studies concerning ostracods in the Italian seas. Among the most relevant are the evergreen monograph of Müller (1894) about the ostracods from the Gulf of Naples, the publications of BONADUCE et al., 1976 and BREMAN,1976 about the Adriatic Sea, PURI et al., 1964, again about the Gulf of Naples and BONADUCE et al., 1977 about the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. In addition, different authors centered their research in smaller areas of the Italian coasts (MONTENEGRO et al., 1998; SCIUTO & ROSSO, 2002; ARBULLA et al., 2004; SCIUTO, in progress;) proposed a synthesis of the most abundant and more easily identifiable ostracods from the Italian shelves, linking their occurrence to some environmental factors such as bathymetry and substrate. Ten different ostracod assemblages were observed in relation to the type of substrate, and nine bathymetric assemblages were detected. Evident changes of the autochthonous ostracod fauna were recorded at 50-60 m, 90-100 m and 125-150 m, corresponding to the infralittoral-circalittoral, inner-middle circalittoral and middle-outer circalittoral boundaries respectively. More recently, AIELLO & BARRA (2010) have published a checklist of the Italian marine ostracods, reporting 377 ostracod species from the screening of 84 papers. In this contribution, we present an updated database of the ostracod species pertaining to the infralittoral and circalittoral zones, together with those occurring in lagoon, intertidal, submarine cave and deep water settings. Furthermore, we intend to highlight the links between the ostracod assemblages...

The Mesozoic of the Trieste Karst is part of the 90th Congress of the Italian Geological Society, Trieste Italy, 2021. The guide aims at documenting selected outcrops located on the Karst plateau where fossil richness is related to particular carbonate platform facies associations to highlight the area as an important archive for marine and continental palaeodiversity. The Trieste Natural History Museum holds the most important collection of Late Cretaceous fossils, including exceptionally preserved dinosaurs (Tethyshadros insularis), reptiles, land plants, crustaceans, and fishes of the Villaggio del Pescatore geosite. At the Villaggio del Pescatore geosite fossil-rich carbonate rhythmites are spectacularly exposed on quarried surfaces. At Cava Romana it is possible to observe the Upper Cretaceous rudist-rich platform facies of the "Aurisina limestone". The Slivia quarry exposes a Cretaceous palaeokarst deposit made of large limestone blocks. The Cenomanian peritidal carbonate succession of the Moschenizza hill shows m-thick rudist limestone beds, and cm-thick dark-coloured, muddy wackestones sporadically rich in fossil land plants like Frenelopsis.

The Mompaderno cranium was found in 1883 at Baderna/Mompaderno in Croatian Istria. It was suspected to date from the Mesolithic or Neolithic period, but radiocarbon analyses, performed by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) on collagen extracted from two teeth, have provided an age range of 2,202– 1928 cal. BC, which corresponds to the Early Bronze Age in the investigated region. Macroscopic observations and X-ray micro-tomography (micro-CT) of the cranium have shown antemortem sharp force trauma on the frontal bones, probably caused by a bronze axe, and a related osteomyelitis likely caused by an infection of the wound. The study has also revealed a previous depressed fracture and an osteolytic area interpreted as intradiploic meningioma. Results provide rare and earliest evidence of interpersonal violence in the northern Adriatic region