HEAS deputy head Barbara Horejs has developed a temporary focus on archaeology with the bookshop musette shop (Neubaugasse 72, 1070 Vienna), which will run for several months from the 29th April 2025. For three months, the acclaimed bookshop will have a focus on Archaeology for their book and object selection. More information on their website https://www.musetteshop.com/ (the new focus will be announced there around the 27 April)
Cecconi, V., Nava, A., Lugli, F., Mittnik, A., Sawyer, S., Gadeyne, J., Brouillard, C., Pinhasi, R., Reich, D., Sperduti, A., 2025. A short and sickly life. Multi-indicator analysis of an infant from a late antique Italian burial site (Piano della Civita, Artena, 3rd-5th cent CE). International Journal of Paleopathology 49, 93-103. read more
HEAS members Philip R. Nigst and Marjolein D. Bosch published new paper on Fire Use during the Last Glacial Maximum at Korman' 9, Ukraine We are very pleased to announce our latest publication on our research on fire use and combustion activties during the Last Glacial Maximum in collaboration with William Chase Murphree, University of Algrave (Faro, Portugal). We analysed three combustion features at the Epigravettian site of Korman' 9 in the Middle Dnister valley, Ukraine. Our paper was published in Geoarchaeology. Open-access. The Last Glacial maximum (LGM), spanning from 26.5 to 19 thousand years before present (ka BP), is a period of extreme climatic degradation associated with reduced biomass production and resource stress throughout Eurasia. Arguably, one of the most fundamental tools for human survival during this cold and arid period was the ability to create, maintain and use fire. While fire is widely considered a ubiquitous tool in modern human behaviour, there are surprisingly few well‐described combustion features during the LGM in Europe. In this paper, we provide high‐resolution geoarchaeological research into three combustion features associated with Epigravettian occupations at the site of Korman' 9 (Ukraine) with ages falling in the LGM. Our results show distinct variations in the size and structure of the combustion features, potentially indicating multiple occupations within the same layer or reflect differences in…
Murphree, W.C., Ferro-Vázquez, C., Kulakovska, L., Usyk, V.I., Kononenko, O., Bosch, M.D., Haesaerts, P., Damblon, F., Pirson, S., Nigst, P.R., Aldeias, V., 2025. Fire Use During the Last Glacial Maximum: Evidence From the Epigravettian at Korman' 9, Middle Dniester Valley, Ukraine. Geoarchaeology 40, e70006. read more
HEAS deputy head Ron Pinhasi, has been awarded an FWF grant for his project on Geochemical ENhancEment of Ancient DNA from SedImentS along with Stephan Kraemer, Richard Kimber and Benjamin Vernot. More information here.
We are delighted to announce the results of the HEAS Seed Grants February 2025 round. They are: AI-Assisted Full-Spectrum p-XRF Analysis: A New Approach to Decoding Graphite Provenance Michaela Schauer and Georg Tiefengraber Refining dentine extraction methods for detecting metabolites indicative of tobacco use in archaeological teeth Leslie Quade, Laura van der Sluis , Manasij Pal Chowdhury, Thomas Köcher Genetic Excavation of Pathogens: Insights from the Bürgerspital Cesspit (17th-18th Century Vienna) Sojung Han, Ron Pinhasi, Andreas G. Heiss More information on the HEAS Seed Grants can be found here: https://www.heas.at/research/seed-grants/
HEAS Member Magdalena Blanz (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science and Austrian Archaeological Institute) was awarded an FWF Erwin Schrödinger grant to study compound-specific stable isotope ratios in bone collagen and plants for improved dietary modelling. FWF Erwin Schrödinger grants are awarded to highly qualified early-career postdocs to pursue career-enhancing stays at internationally renowned research institutions, and also provides them with support after their return to Austria. Amino acid isotope ratios to explore past plant consumption Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of bone collagen are frequently used to reconstruct past diets. However, bulk analyses of all extracted collagen suffer greatly from equifinality, whereby very different diets can result in the same bulk δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values. By separating collagen (a protein) into its constituent amino acids, and separately analysing the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of specific amino acids, much more nuanced palaeodietary information can be gained. In her Schrödinger project, Magdalena Blanz will be hosted at the University of Oxford, working with Prof. Amy Styring (Head of the Stable Isotope Ratio Laboratory) to gain more information has to how amino acid δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values reflect past diets. On her return to Vienna, she will be working at the Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science in collaboration with Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wanek. Magdalena Blanz obtained a…
We were very happy to welcome a group of early career researchers from the OeAW from the HEAS Partner Insitute the ÖAW to the University of Vienna Biology building (the UBB). The group had a tour of the UBB followed by a tour of the Vienna Micro-CT Lab by Gerhard Weber, a tour of the Higham and Douka labs by Tom Higham and of the Pinhasi Lab by Olivia Cheronet. We were happy to have such an enthuastic group visit us and we hope to have a lot more fruitful meetings in the future.
Gavranović, M., Webster, L.C., Kapuran, A., Waltenberger, L., Petschko, I.M., Dević, M., Mittermair, N., 2025. Absolute dating of Bronze Age urn burials in the central Balkans: Cemeteries of copper-producing societies in eastern Serbia. Radiocarbon, 1-26. read more
HEAS deputy head Barbara Horejs was recently interviewed on Austrian National Radio on Archaeogenetics. Show description: Genetics is becoming an important tool for archaeologists and historians, especially when looking far back into history. In recent years, science has frequently generated interest with new news about prehistory and early history. For example, the history of the spread of agriculture to Europe 8,000 years ago had to be rewritten. This was made possible by the introduction of genetics into archaeology. Archaeogenetics has repeatedly produced new methods in recent years: Today, DNA can be extracted from bone surfaces without drilling into the bones, or DNA can be analyzed from sediments – without bones at all. History has also recently begun using genetics, gaining new insights, for example, into the migration of peoples in the middle of the first millennium AD. Listen Here (in German): https://oe1.orf.at/player/20250311/788102
HEAS members Ron Pinhasi and Olivia Cheronet et al. published a paper in Nature on High continuity of forager ancestry in the Neolithic period of the eastern Maghreb. The study published in Nature and co-led by Ron Pinhasi, University of Vienna, David Reich and Mark Lipson, Harvard Medical School, Alfredo Coppa, Sapienza University of Rome, and Giulio Lucarini, National Research Council of Italy, analyzed genome-wide data for nine individuals from the Later Stone Age through the Neolithic period from the eastern Maghreb (Algeria and Tunisia). Their results challenge the assumption that the region was merely a passive recipient of Neolithic influences - instead, they identified a striking pattern of continuity. Read More https://www.heas.at/research/publications/high-continuity-of-forager-ancestry-in-the-neolithic-period-of-the-eastern-maghreb/
Authors: Valentina Laaha, Thomas Beard, Doris Jetzinger, and Doralice Klainscek From the 12th to the 14th of February 2025, the second edition of the ‘Geoarchaeology in Vienna’ workshop took place at the University of Vienna. It was generously funded by the HEAS research network and a joint events grant from the Doctoral School of Historical and Cultural Studies and the Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution. We organised this event because in geoarchaeology, as it is very interdisciplinary and uses a wide variety of different methods from different fields, many geoarchaeologists would otherwise never meet at the same place or conference. Therefore this event was aimed at getting to know each other and the geoarchaeological research ongoing in Austria and beyond, as last year´s workshop started a network for all geoarchaeologists and those interested in the parallel branches. We were also pleased to further establish collaborations, after noting some that have developed after our initial event. You can find the booklet with the workshop programme as well as the presentation and poster abstracts for this year’s event here. Geoarchaeology in Vienna Booklet You can read about the first workshop and the network in our blog here. The 2025 workshop was conceived and organised by Doris Jetzinger, Thomas Beard, Valentina Laaha, and Doralice Klainscek, all students from different departments…
Lipson, M., Ringbauer, H., Lucarini, G., Aouadi, N., Aoudia, L., Belhouchet, L., Cheronet, O., Dahmani, A.-R., Genchi, F., La Pastina, F., Lucci, M., de Lumley, H., Mansouri, N., Nava, A., Touj, F., Mallick, S., Rohland, N., Coppa, A., Pinhasi, R., Reich, D., 2025. High continuity of forager ancestry in the Neolithic period of the eastern Maghreb. Nature. read more
HEAS Member Karina Grömer be on the O1 radio show “im Gespräch” on March 7 at 16:05. It is a 50-minute program that was created entirely with her: https://oe1.orf.at/programm/20250307/787910/Karina-Groemer-Archaeologie-ist-faszinierend She will be talking about archaeology and archaeological research and the creator of the program, Andreas Obrecht, also interviewed her with regards to International Women's Day. The program will be repeated on 13.3. at 21h: Karina Grömer, Textilarchäologin und Direktorin der Prähistorischen Abteilung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien | DO | 13 03 2025 | 21:00 - oe1.ORF.at
Katharina Rebay-Salisbury and Barbara Horejs are organizing the opening of the Archaeo-Sexism exhibition on the 6th March with a talk on “Women in Prehistory” (in German) The exhibition will be on for two weeks: https://uha.univie.ac.at/news-events/ausstellung-archaeo-sexismus/ More information: https://uha.univie.ac.at/news-events/einzelseite/news/weltfrauentag-frauen-in-der-urgeschichte/
We are very happy to celebrate the achievements of our HEAS PhD candidates. In the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology alone we have had three defenses in the past few months with one more due to take place in the coming months. Constanze Schattke is currently in the last stages and wrapping up her PhD, aiming for her defense to take place later this year/ summer. It is about violence in osteological human remains collections in museums. Supervisors are Sabine Eggers (NHM Wien) and Harald Wilfing (Uni Wien). Victoria Oberreiter's defense was on Dec 18th and the title of her thesis is „Mineralogical Preservation of the Human Biome from the Depth of Time“, supervised by Ron Pinhasi and Thomas Rattei. Dr Oberreiter is currently working at the Genetics Lab at VetMed having previously hosted and produced the HEAS Podcast. Petra Šimková defended her theis on the 21st October 2024. The title of her thesis was Morphological variation and covariation in the human postcanine dentition. Her supervisor was Gerhard Weber. Dr Šimková is now working on an FWF Project on 3D morphology of human permanent and deciduous dentition Brina Zagorc 's defense was on the 7th January 2025 and her thesis title was: Tracing Life in Antiquity and Early Medieval Times: Paleogenomics, Dietary Stable Isotopes and Bioarchaeological Approaches in Central European Populations …
Hagmann, D., 2025. I walk an ancient road: A straightforward methodology for analyzing intra- and inter-regional connectivity systems along Roman Frontier Zones (c. 1st—5th century AD). Journal of Archaeological Science 176, 106151. read more
We are pleased to announce the publication of the new research article “I Walk an Ancient Road: A Straightforward Methodology for Analyzing Intra- and Inter-Regional Connectivity Systems along Roman Frontier Zones (c. 1st–5th century AD)” by Dominik Hagmann in the Journal of Archaeological Science: This study presents an innovative methodology for reconstructing ancient road networks in Roman hinterlands, focusing on the Danube Limes in Northern Noricum (modern Austria). By integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Least-Cost Analysis (LCA), Spatial Social Network Analysis (SSNA), and Visibility Analysis (VA), the research uncovers patterns of movement and connectivity between military, economic, and civilian sites along the Roman frontier. Key findings include: A detailed reconstruction of potential Roman roads and transportation networks in the hinterland of the Danube frontier. Insights into how military logistics, trade, and settlement patterns were influenced by infrastructure. Methodological advancements for applying digital archaeology, computational modeling, and open data in Roman studies. This approach enhances our understanding of mobility in ancient borderlands and offers a scalable method for future research on historical transportation networks. For more details, read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.106151 [caption id="attachment_4311" align="alignnone" width="300"] Fig. A schematic workflow illustrating the methodology for analyzing connectivity in Roman frontier hinterlands using spatial, least-cost, visibility, and social network approaches.[/caption] https://www.heas.at/research/publications/i-walk-an-ancient-road-a-straightforward-methodology-for-analyzing-intra-and-inter-regional-connectivity-systems-along-roman-frontier-zones-c-1st-5th-century-ad/
In a new study in Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, HEAS member Philip R. Nigst together with an international team, presents on their fieldwork and laboratory research at Ollersdorf-Heidenberg, an Upper Palaeolithic open-air site in Lower Austria. The site was dated to the time leading up to the Last Glacial Maximum. The Middle Danube region is a key area for understanding Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer behaviours in a climatic context due to its long loess–palaeosol sequences and rich archaeological record spanning from the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic to the Last Glacial Maximum and beyond. Recently, new approaches focusing on high-resolution studies of the stratigraphy, geoarchaeological studies at microscopic scale and investigations of organic matter at molecular scale (biomarker analyses) have shown great new insights in human behaviour. Many sites in the Middle Danube region have been excavated a long time ago without opportunity to apply such approaches. The aim of this paper is to introduce Ollersdorf-Heidenberg, a loess open-air site. The site is located ~ 26 km northeast of Vienna close to the Morava River valley and preserves several Upper Palaeolithic archaeological horizons. The site has been known since a pipeline construction in 1998. Here, we report the first results of new research at the site including new excavations in two trenches. We describe and analyse the stratigraphy, present a first radiocarbon date,…
Bosch, M.D., Pirson, S., Damblon, F., Jambrina-Enríquez, M., Mallol, C., Pryor, A., Murphree, W.C., Viola, B.T., Antl-Weiser, W., Nigst, P.R., 2025. A First Look at the Gravettian Open-Air Site Ollersdorf-Heidenberg (Austria): Recent Fieldwork and First Results on Stratigraphy, Chronology, Organic Preservation and Combustion Activity. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 8, 10. read more
Gelabert P., Pinhasi R., 2025. First farmers of Central Europe do not show family-related inequality. Nature Human Behaviour. read more
Schmid, V.C., Wadley, L., Brandl, M., Guillemard, I., Rhodes, S.E., Taipale, N., Witelson, D.M., Börner, M., Cnuts, D., Hodgskiss, T., Murungi, M., Nigst, P.R., Porraz, G., Puech, E., Rots, V., Stahlschmidt, M.C., Stelzer, S., Teyssandier, N., Tribolo, C., Val, A., van Schalkwyk, L., Archer, W., 2024. Renewed impetus for Stone Age research in the eastern Free State (South Africa) centred on Rose Cottage Cave. South African Archaeological Bulletin 79, 105. read more
The Global p-XRF Network (GopXRF.net) initiated by HEAS-member Michaela Schauer (VIAS) and the European Academy of Sciences & Arts/STEMAC Expert Group represented by Ioannis Liritzis, are organising a series of online colloquia to explore the use of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) in archaeology and cultural heritage. Since its introduction in the 1950s, pXRF has evolved from bulky, radioactive instruments to compact, handheld devices, now widely used across multiple industries. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in defining standards for accuracy, precision, and guidelines for archaeological and cultural heritage applications. The colloquia aim to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, offering expert presentations from both natural sciences and humanities. Each session includes 30-minute talks by specialists from archaeology and natural sciences, followed by a 30-minute discussion. The first lecture of the series is scheduled for 12th of February 2025 from 06:00–07:30 pm CET. Sofia Soares (with Teresa Pena and Patrícia Jodão) will present on the topic Which Rock is This? - Challenges for pXRF Studies in Raw Material Provenance Michelle Richards will be discussing pXRF for Geochemical Rock Classification in Archaeometry: A Pacific Case Study Interested participants are invited to join the lecture and share this information with their peers! The Zoom room can be accessed here. More information about the colloquium series is available on the networks website and the EASA website.…
Wang, K., Tobias, B., Pany-Kucera, D., Berner, M., Eggers, S., Gnecchi-Ruscone, G.A., Zlámalová, D., Gretzinger, J., Ingrová, P., Rohrlach, A.B., Tuke, J., Traverso, L., Klostermann, P., Koger, R., Friedrich, R., Wiltschke-Schrotta, K., Kirchengast, S., Liccardo, S., Wabnitz, S., Vida, T., Geary, P.J., Daim, F., Pohl, W., Krause, J., Hofmanová, Z., 2025. Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture. Nature. read more
Waldhoer, T., Kirchengast, S., Yang, L., 2024. Effect of Month of Birth on Mean Birth Length in Austrian Newborns Born Between 1984 and 2021. American Journal of Human Biology 36, e24146. read more
Weber, G.W., Šimková, P.G., Fernandes, D.M., Cheronet, O., Úry, E., Wilfing, H., Matiasek, K., Llano-Lizcano, A., Gelabert, P., Trinks, I., Douka, K., Ladstätter, S., Higham, T., Steskal, M., Pinhasi, R., 2025. The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos. Scientific Reports 15, 943. read more
Aydık, F., Ertuğrul, B., Windhager, S., Özener, B., 2024. Associations of Facial Shape With Physical Strength and 2D:4D in a Turkish Male and Female Sample. American Journal of Human Biology 36, e24155. read more
Gelabert, P., Oberreiter, V., Straus, L.G., Morales, M.R.G., Sawyer, S., Marín-Arroyo, A.B., Geiling, J.M., Exler, F., Brueck, F., Franz, S., Cano, F.T., Szedlacsek, S., Zelger, E., Hämmerle, M., Zagorc, B., Llanos-Lizcano, A., Cheronet, O., Tejero, J.-M., Rattei, T., Kraemer, S.M., Pinhasi, R., 2025. A sedimentary ancient DNA perspective on human and carnivore persistence through the Late Pleistocene in El Mirón Cave, Spain. Nature Communications 16, 107. read more
Llanos-Lizcano, A., Hämmerle, M., Sperduti, A., Sawyer, S., Zagorc, B., Özdoğan, K. T., Guellil, M., Cheronet, O., Kuhlwilm, M., Pinhasi, R., & Gelabert, P. (2025). Intra-individual variability in ancient plasmodium DNA recovery highlights need for enhanced sampling. Scientific Reports, 15(1), read more
HEAS Team Leader Katerina Douka was recently awarded a Consolidator ERC grant. ERC Consolidator Grants are awarded to exceptional mid-career researchers who have established themselves as independent investigators and are ready to further solidify their role as research leaders. These grants support groundbreaking projects with the potential to significantly advance their field. New fossils expected to reveal more about how humans evolved Modern humans (Homo sapiens) evolved in Africa, dispersed into Eurasia, and by ~60,000 years ago they reached Sahul, the supercontinent that connected present-day Australia, Papua New Guinea and Tasmania. This remarkable human migration, from the East African Rift to the Pacific Rim, enabled the genetic admixture of Homo sapiens with other hominin species, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, who evolved and lived outside Africa for millennia. The genetic exchanges between archaic hominins and Homo sapiens contributed to the diversity, resilience, and adaptive capacities of modern humans today. However, our knowledge of the human groups that inhabited Africa 100,000 years ago, and those who migrated and subsequently reached Sahul, remains limited due to the lack of fossil and molecular data. RIFT-to-RIM, the new ERC CoG project led by Assoc. Prof. Douka, aims to fill this gap. The project's principal objective is the discovery and analysis of new early modern human fossils from under-researched parts of the world. State-of-the-art paleoproteomic…
HEAS member Michaela Schauer was awarded the International Philippika Prize for her PhD on the 25th October 2024. More information on the prize and Michaela's work: https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/aktuell.ahtml https://www.archaeologie42.de/auszeichnung-award/internationaler-philippika-preis-2024-vergeben/5499/ https://www.uni-trier.de/universitaet/fachbereiche-faecher/fachbereich-iii/faecher/klassische-und-provinzialroemische-archaeologie/forschung-und-projekte/philippika-preis
Hackl, J. and X. Huang (2024). "Revisiting adaptive introgression at the HLA genes in Lithuanian genomes with machine learning." Infection, Genetics and Evolution: 105708. read more
Barzilai, O., Marder, O., Tejero, J.-M., Ayalon, A., Bar-Matthews, M., Abulafia, T., Lavi, R., Goder-Goldberger, M., Shemer, M., Edeltin, L., Wiegmann, A., Frumkin, A., Karasik, A., Yasur, G., Yeshurun, R., Zohar, I., Berna, F., Hans, M., Goldberg, J.S., McDermott, Y., Spurlock, L., Pokhojaev, A., Habashi, W., May, H., Sarig, R., Hershkovitz, I., 2024. Early human collective practices and symbolism in the Early Upper Paleolithic of Southwest Asia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121, e2404632121. read more
Hämmerle, M., Guellil, M., Trgovec-Greif, L., Cheronet, O., Sawyer, S., Ruiz-Gartzia, I., Lizano, E., Rymbekova, A., Gelabert, P., Bernardi, P., Han, S., Rattei, T., Schuenemann, V.J., Marques-Bonet, T., Guschanski, K., Calvignac-Spencer, S., Pinhasi, R., Kuhlwilm, M., 2024. Screening great ape museum specimens for DNA viruses. Scientific Reports 14, 29806. read more
Gelabert, P., Bickle, P., Hofmann, D., Teschler-Nicola, M., Anders, A., Huang, X., Hämmerle, M., Olalde, I., Fournier, R., Ringbauer, H., Akbari, A., Cheronet, O., Lazaridis, I., Broomandkhoshbacht, N., Fernandes, D.M., Buttinger, K., Callan, K., Candilio, F., Bravo Morante, G., Curtis, E., Ferry, M., Keating, D., Freilich, S., Kearns, A., Harney, É., Lawson, A.M., Mandl, K., Michel, M., Oberreiter, V., Zagorc, B., Oppenheimer, J., Sawyer, S., Schattke, C., Özdoğan, K.T., Qiu, L., Workman, J.N., Zalzala, F., Mallick, S., Mah, M., Micco, A., Pieler, F., Pavuk, J., Šefčáková, A., Lazar, C., Starović, A., Djuric, M., Krznarić Škrivanko, M., Šlaus, M., Bedić, Ž., Novotny, F., D. Szabó, L., Cserpák-Laczi, O., Hága, T., Szolnoki, L., Hajdú, Z., Mirea, P., Nagy, E.G., Virág, Z.M., Horváth M, A., Horváth, L.A., T. Biró, K., Domboróczki, L., Szeniczey, T., Jakucs, J., Szelekovszky, M., Zoltán, F., Sztáncsuj, S.J., Tóth, K., Csengeri, P., Pap, I., Patay, R., Putica, A., Vasov, B., Havasi, B., Sebők, K., Raczky, P., Lovász, G., Tvrdý, Z., Rohland, N., Novak, M., Ruttkay, M., Krošláková, M., Bátora, J., Paluch, T., Borić, D., Dani, J., Kuhlwilm, M., Palamara, P.F., Hajdu, T., Pinhasi, R., Reich, D., 2024. Social and genetic diversity in first farmers of central Europe. Nature Human Behaviour. read more
Blanz, M., Gröcke, D.R., Martin, P., Church, M., 2024. The effect of seaweed fertilisation on sulfur isotope ratios (δ³⁴S) and grain size in barley: Implications for agronomy and archaeological research. Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology 3, 1465082. read more
Bhavna Ahlawat is our first Junior Intern and is visiting HEAS currently working on exciting new research concerned with biomolecules from ancient Indian sites. I am a molecular biologist specializing in ancient DNA and population genetics, focusing on different archaeological sites in India. During my doctoral research at Panjab University and BSIP, India, I honed my skills in ancient DNA protocols while working in India's first dedicated aDNA facility, which specializes in analyzing degraded DNA from tropical samples. My expertise in diverse extraction and library preparation protocols was significant in generating high-quality data from critical human skeletal remains, including samples from the Vadnagar archaeological complex and the Indus Valley Civilization site at Lothal (∼2200 BCE). Currently, as a research intern with HEAS at the University of Vienna, I am exploring the application of Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) on a variety of bone remains of different species from South Asia—an under-researched region in this context. My work focuses on: 1. Species Identification: Utilizing peptide mass fingerprinting through MALDI-ToF-MS for South Asian samples. 2. Degraded Collagen Analysis: Investigating the potential of ZooMS for analyzing fragile and degraded bone collagen from this region. Through this research, I aim to bridge gaps in South Asian archaeogenetics and develop methodologies for studying ancient remains in challenging environments and understand the hman animal interaction. I…
Végh, E.I., Douka, K., 2024. SpecieScan: semi-automated taxonomic identification of bone collagen peptides from MALDI-ToF-MS. Bioinformatics 40. read more
HEAS member Gerhard Weber starts a new FWF Project to study the 3D morphology of human postcanine teeth. Petra Simkova will be employed as PostDoc, Jana Pfneiszl will start a PhD in the project. In this project we undertake the first comprehensive 3D study of human teeth, more precisely of the tooth crowns of canines, premolars, and molars from the upper and lower dentition. We will also include milk teeth. Despite the long history of dental research in anthropology and medicine, progress in studying the three-dimensional geometry of teeth has only been made recently. How the 3D shape and size of individual tooth types are related to each other, how they vary between different human populations, and which individual regions of these teeth show more or less variation remains largely unknown. This project fills the gaps in our knowledge on human dental anatomy, provides comparable data, and lays the foundations for future work to unravel the associations between teeth and genes. We have defined four major aims: 1) Investigate the 3D shape and size variation of the upper and lower dentition in a geographically diverse sample of modern humans, 2) study the shape variation in different tooth regions, namely those regions that touch each other during chewing and those which do not touch, 3) examine the 3D shape relationships between…
Webb, N.M., Fornai, C., Krenn, V.A., Watson, L.M., Herbst, E.C., Haeusler, M., 2024. Gradual exacerbation of obstetric constraints during hominoid evolution implied by re-evaluation of cephalopelvic fit in chimpanzees. Nature Ecology & Evolution. read more
