Tropical Ulcer on a Human Tibia from 5000 Years Ago in Northern Italy
skin; Italy; Archaeology; Anthropology; disease; population; yaws; osteomyelitis; climate; semantic confusion; tropical ulcer
The term tropical ulcer, as applied to bone pathology, describes the specific pathologic phenomenon of the presence of a well-defined osteomatous shelf formation on the anteromedial aspect of the tibia. Despite the appellation 'tropical,' this pathology is not geographically limited to tropical regions, although it has not previously been reported from continental Europe. Observations of a 4583 BP burial from the Tanaro River area of Northern Italy represent the first such case. Dating of the site to the time of climate change at the end of the first Glacial suggests that hot-warm, humid conditions may have allowed the occurrence of this bone pathology, the first observed in continental Europe. A second explanation is the possible migration of an individual to Italy from an area that is more conventionally considered tropical. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cremasco M M; Merlo F; Fulcheri E; Rothschild B M
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
2015
2015-09
Journal Article or Conference Abstract Publication
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2356" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/oa.2356</a>
Measuring Microhabitat Temperature in Arboreal Primates: A Comparison of On-Animal and Stationary Approaches
Behavioral thermoregulation; Behavioral thermoregulation; body-temperature; Climate; costa-rica; environment; japanese macaques; measurement; Microclimate; national-park; neotropical primate; pan-troglodytes-verus; temperature; thermal; Thermal environment; thermoregulation; tropical forest; vervet monkeys; Zoology
Arboreal primates actively navigate a complex thermal environment that exhibits spatial, daily, and seasonal temperature changes. Thus, temperature measurements from stationary recording devices in or near a forest likely do not reflect the thermal microenvironments that primates actually experience. To better understand the thermal variation primates encounter, we attached automated temperature loggers to anklets worn by free-ranging mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) to record near-animal ambient temperatures. We compared these measures to conventional, stationary temperature measurements taken from within the forest, in nearby open fields, and at a remote weather station 38.6 km from the field site. We also measured temperatures across vertical forest heights and assessed the effects of wind speed, solar radiation, rain, and vapor pressure on primate subcutaneous temperatures (collected via implanted loggers). Ambient temperatures at measurement sites commonly used by researchers differed from those experienced by animals. Moreover, these differences changed between seasons, indicating dynamic shifts in thermal environment occur through space and time. Temperatures increased with height in the forest, with statistically significant, albeit low magnitude, differences between vertical distances of one meter. Near-animal temperatures showed that monkeys selected relatively warmer microhabitats during nighttime temperature lows and relatively cooler microhabitats during the day. Lastly, the thermal variables wind speed, solar radiation, vapor pressure, and rain were statistically associated with primate subcutaneous temperatures. Our data indicate that the temperatures arboreal primates experience are not well reflected by stationary devices. Attaching automated temperature loggers to animals provides a useful tool for more directly assessing primate microhabitat use.
Thompson C L; Williams S H; Glander K E; Vinyard C J
International Journal of Primatology
2016
2016-10
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-016-9917-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1007/s10764-016-9917-x</a>