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Nabatean Tent Sites on the Ruhot Plain, Central Negev, and Nomadic Visibility

Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev — 2025 — WHE00BF060D92

Research on Nabatean tent sites in the Ruhot Plain, Central Negev, reveals a lesser-known pastoral nomadic component of Nabatean society that contrasts with the established caravan route and urban centers. Analysis of architectural, geographic, and ceramic data from four sites shows these campsites differ significantly from those linked to the classic Incense Road, offering insights into the nomadic lifestyle of the Nabateans. The study compares these findings with earlier Timnian and later Byzantine/Early Islamic desert pastoral systems, as well as modern desert societies, providing a unique perspective on the archaeology of pastoral camps, often considered inaccessible.

Nada além de contas

Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site — 2025 — WHED8027B3027

A striking contrast emerges between the glass beads found with African captives buried at Rio de Janeiro’s Pretos Novos cemetery and those recovered from the Valongo Wharf. The analysis of 223 beads revealed an overwhelming prevalence of low-value, small, simple, and white beads—likely reflecting the extreme deprivation endured by newly arrived captives. This finding challenges earlier typologies associated with established enslaved communities in Rio de Janeiro. The study employed quantitative and qualitative methods to establish a standard for these artifacts, offering new insights into the material culture of African captives during the transatlantic slave trade.

Nape Coloration Varies with Sex, not Age, Among Great Shearwaters Ardenna gravis

Gough and Inaccessible Islands — 2025 — WHE399276F020

Nape coloration in Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) varies significantly with sex, not age, contrary to previous suggestions. A study analyzing 328 birds—through necropsies and colony photographs from Gough Island (South Atlantic) and Massachusetts Bay (USA)—found no significant difference in nape color ratios between age classes, with classification accuracy based on putative variation only at chance levels (52%). However, light-colored napes were more prevalent in adult females in Massachusetts Bay, hinting at a potential sexual function. The research challenges the use of nape coloration as an age indicator and proposes it may instead play a role in mate choice, warranting further behavioral studies.

National Park Service cave paleontology: 2002-2023

Carlsbad Caverns National Park — 2025 — WHE5484EF8961

A groundbreaking inventory of paleontological resources within Carlsbad Caverns National Park, part of the National Park Service (NPS), has uncovered significant Permian fossils embedded in cavern bedrock and bones of Quaternary megafauna. This study builds on a 2001 NPS report by expanding documentation across multiple parks, including notable discoveries such as mummified Pleistocene–Holocene bats in Grand Canyon NP and an American cheetah skull from Rampart Cave. The research also highlights the use of photogrammetry to study in situ specimens, addressing challenges posed by cave environments. Additionally, it reassesses Quaternary fossils, particularly avifauna, and documents extinct or locally extirpated taxa, contributing to a broader understanding of paleontological resources across NPS units.

Natural Forest Clearings Enable the Persistence of Stable Spotted Hyena Populations in Congo Basin Rainforests

Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua — 2025 — WHEC49A69F4AB

Research reveals that spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) can sustain stable populations within Congo Basin rainforests, challenging the long-held assumption that they are primarily transient through such ecosystems. A study conducted over five years in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (OKNP), Republic of Congo, used camera trap imagery, GPS telemetry data from hyenas, and remote sensing to analyze their presence across 10 natural forest clearings known as bais. The findings indicate that hyena persistence is linked to the availability of large prey and open-canopy areas surrounding these clearings, suggesting remarkable behavioral adaptability in this species. This discovery prompts a reevaluation of spotted hyena distribution maps, potentially extending their recognized range to include forested regions beyond OKNP.

Natural Interaction in Virtual Heritage: Enhancing User Experience with Large Language Models

San Cristóbal de La Laguna — 2025 — WHE5ECEC2A67A

A novel virtual reality (VR) system enhances user experience at UNESCO World Heritage Site San Cristóbal de La Laguna by integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) to enable natural, unscripted dialogue with virtual humans. This approach, combining Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech synthesis, prioritizes usability, immersion, and dialogue quality while addressing user-centered design principles. Preliminary studies highlighted the importance of historically adapted language and feedback mechanisms for virtual guides, with a qualitative test revealing preferences for gender selection options. Although limitations such as latency in dialogue generation and reduced performance in non-English languages persist, the research offers a generalist methodology for unscripted virtual human interactions in VR applications, providing actionable recommendations for future implementations.

Natural Language Processing in the Tourism Industry of Oman: A Study on Bahla Fort

Bahla Fort — 2025 — WHED65AAB8987

A sentiment analysis of Bahla Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Oman, reveals predominantly positive visitor perceptions, with terms like 'nice,' 'well,' and 'heritage' frequently highlighted. While the fort is recognized for its cultural significance, the study identifies subtle negative sentiments and areas for improvement that could enhance its appeal as a tourist destination. Using Natural Language Processing (NLP), researchers analyzed visitor feedback to provide actionable insights for strategic improvements, aiming to align Bahla Fort's offerings more closely with visitor preferences and address concerns effectively.

Natural resource conditions at Mesa Verde National Park: Findings and management considerations for selected resources

Mesa Verde National Park — 2025 — WHE20CA1E184E

A comprehensive Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) at Mesa Verde National Park reveals critical stressors threatening its ecosystems, with climate change, increased fire incidence, and the spread of non-native plants identified as primary drivers. The study evaluated six focal resources—avifauna, deer & elk, rare plants, the Mancos River, upland vegetation, and seeps & springs—using condition assessments and gap analyses where data was limited. Key findings indicate deteriorating conditions for passerines, hummingbirds, rare plants, and riparian ecosystems, while also highlighting significant knowledge gaps in raptor populations, deer & elk dynamics, and upland vegetation outside piñon-juniper woodlands. Management recommendations are provided to address these challenges, offering actionable insights for preserving the park's biodiversity and ecological integrity.

Nature in the poet’s school: Festivals of Santiniketan

Santiniketan — 2025 — WHE3E1D67C6BC

Santiniketan, founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1901, revolutionized education by integrating nature into its pedagogical approach. The institution's festivals served as a cornerstone of this philosophy, aiming to liberate learning from conventional classroom confines and foster creativity through open-air experiences. This study highlights how Santiniketan's emphasis on natural settings shaped its educational ethos, reflecting Tagore's lifelong critique of rigid colonial education systems. By analyzing the nature festivals, the research underscores their role in nurturing young minds while challenging traditional pedagogic norms.

Navigating Heritagescapes: a spatial-cognitive mapping approach for optimal tour route recommendations

Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram — 2025 — WHE4BC5415B48

Visitors to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS) with varying spatial awareness navigate and perceive heritage landscapes differently, leading to distinct tour routes. A study on Mahabalipuram’s monuments revealed that visitors’ spatial cognitive mapping—how they mentally organize and relate monuments—significantly influences their mobility patterns. Using a framework combining behavioural geography and Lefebvre’s socio-spatial theory, researchers analyzed how spatially oriented and non-oriented groups interacted with the site, uncovering key differences in route preferences. These findings provide actionable insights for optimizing tour recommendations, enhancing visitor experience while preserving heritage integrity.

Navigating uncertainty in environmental DNA detection of a nuisance marine macroalga

Papahānaumokuākea — 2025 — WHE9564292557

A novel environmental DNA (eDNA) assay demonstrates high sensitivity and reliability for detecting the nuisance marine macroalga Chondria tumulosa at low abundances, with detection probabilities of at least 92% at occupied sites in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The study validated the assay using site-occupancy modeling from quantitative PCR (qPCR) data and high-throughput sequencing, achieving false-positive rates of 3% or less and false-negative errors of 11% or less. This cost-effective tool enhances early detection capabilities for invasive species, supporting timely conservation interventions in shallow marine environments (< 10 m). The research addresses uncertainties in eDNA analyses, providing a robust framework for balancing molecular and visual detection methods in ecological monitoring.

Negotiating Constraints to Recreation in Everglades National Park Among Underserved South Florida Residents

Everglades National Park — 2025 — WHEB6E5C8E149

Underserved South Florida residents face significant constraints to visiting Everglades National Park, with barriers identified at individual, interpersonal, contextual, and systemic levels. This study reveals that while these constraints limit park visitation, residents employ both collective and individual strategies to negotiate them. The research highlights the importance of place-based approaches in understanding wilderness recreation among traditionally underserved communities, offering critical insights for park managers aiming to better serve diverse urban populations like Miami-Dade County's 2.7 million residents, 71.6% of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino. By using semistructured interviews, the study provides a nuanced, qualitative perspective that critiques quantitative modeling approaches, emphasizing the need for collective negotiation strategies to address these barriers.

Negotiating the past and present: a critical re-evaluation of public sector tourism strategies in Teotihuacan, Mexico’s world heritage

Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan — 2025 — WHE83ED78489D

Teotihuacán, Mexico’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, exemplifies the tensions between global heritage prestige and localized sociocultural marginalization. A critical re-evaluation of public sector tourism strategies reveals how neoliberal policies prioritize mass visitation economies over community agency in heritage management. Despite UNESCO designation enhancing Teotihuacán's scientific and symbolic capital, institutionalized 'top-down' frameworks like Mexico’s Programa Pueblos Mágicos (PPM) commodify cultural heritage, favoring infrastructural investments for tourism over inclusive development. This study employs mixed-methods, including interviews with policymakers, stakeholders, and discourse analysis of tourism legislation, to expose the paradoxical coexistence of global recognition and localized disenfranchisement.

Neogene sedimentary processes forming the NAMIB sand sea

Namib Sand Sea — 2025 — WHED95DF8869D

The Namib Sand Sea (NSS) originated from long-distance sediment transport fueled by high-latitude climate dynamics, with its formation intricately linked to the behavior of the Benguela Current. Research reveals that while sediment transport and climatic conditions have remained largely stable since the Early Miocene, the Benguela Current's behavior—shifting westward during less arid periods—serves as a key indicator of past climate variability. Analysis of Neogene formations (Oligocene to Pliocene) in the NSS, including detrital modes, heavy mineral assemblages, and cosmogenic-nuclide modeling, demonstrates that the modern NSS's sediment composition differs significantly from its past state. Notably, the Late Miocene Tsondab Sand Sea was primarily sourced by local rivers rather than the Orange River, challenging assumptions about its origin. Additionally, the last major aridification phase occurred approximately 2 million years ago, with northern sand deposits having a residence time of ~1.5 million years during northward transport.

Nepenthes megastoma (Nepenthaceae), a micro-endemic pitcher plant from Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan, Philippines

Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park — 2025 — WHED70F96558C

Researchers have discovered and described Nepenthes megastoma, a new species of carnivorous pitcher plant endemic to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Palawan, Philippines. This micro-endemic species is critically endangered, known only from three locations within the Mount Saint Paul karst formation, where it thrives on vertical limestone walls. N. megastoma is distinguished by its highly branched stems, bell-shaped pitchers, and unique floral morphology, including dimorphic upper pitchers and unidirectionally upturned female flowers. Phylogenetic analysis suggests a close affinity with the widespread Palawan endemic N. philippinensis, despite morphological convergence with Borneo's N. campanulata. The discovery underscores the park's biodiversity significance while highlighting urgent conservation concerns due to its restricted range and small population size.

Network analysis of jade artifacts in Liangzhu: Exploring the relationships between Liangzhu Ancient City, Fuquanshan, and Sidun

Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City — 2025 — WHE435D720C3F

A network analysis of jade artifacts from Liangzhu reveals that the Liangzhu culture underwent a significant shift from a centralized to a multi-centered social structure, challenging the notion of a single dominant power. The study identifies three key sites—Liangzhu Ancient City, Fuquanshan, and Sidun—as central nodes in this transition, with Liangzhu Ancient City dominating early phases, Fuquanshan emerging as a significant node in later stages, and Sidun exhibiting distinct local features. By analyzing jade artifacts, including types and combinations, the research constructs three networks: within Liangzhu society, jade artifacts symbolizing power and status, and a jade cong network, providing novel insights into the evolution of political power and social organization within the Liangzhu culture.

Network and Radial Layouts for Visual Representation of Knowledge Graphs for Cultural Heritage Conservation-Restoration Activities

San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries — 2025 — WHE97E243FEF5

A novel approach to analyzing knowledge graphs for cultural heritage conservation reveals that combining network and radial layouts enhances the visibility of critical links, aiding decision-making. This study applied adjacency matrix analysis to count indirect relationships between nodes, providing deeper insights into the graph's communicative, semantical, and mathematical dimensions. The methodology compared these layouts using the San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries as a case study, demonstrating their complementarity in uncovering meaningful patterns within conservation-restoration data.

Neural network for archaeological glyph detection

Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia – The domus de janas — 2025 — WHEB60127FC42

A novel approach leveraging convolutional neural networks (CNNs) significantly enhances the detection and classification of ancient glyphs in Sardinia's Neolithic Domus de Janas tombs, addressing challenges posed by environmental degradation. By preprocessing images to isolate glyphs from backgrounds, researchers mitigated distortions caused by lighting and wear, improving analysis accuracy. The study employed AlexNet, GoogLeNet, and EfficientNet models to categorize glyphs and identify geometric features, offering a more efficient method for preserving and studying these culturally significant artifacts.

New Buildings in the Historic Centre of Prague 1990-2020

Historic Centre of Prague — 2025 — WHEDE839C6682

Between 1990 and 2020, the Historic Centre of Prague underwent significant transformation post-communist regime change, marked by new buildings that filled long-standing gaps, creating a distinct architectural layer. While some developments, like the Four Seasons or Quadrio, sparked controversy due to their size and commercial nature, others, such as the Langhans House or Hotel Metropol, were celebrated for their sensitive integration with historic surroundings. The study analyzes these projects in context, revealing a shift from pluralistic approaches in the 1990s—characterized by public debates and architectural diversity—to a later period dominated by administrative and commercial interests, exacerbated by weakened heritage institutions and relaxed urban regulations. This analysis highlights the dual impact of new constructions on Prague's architecture: both as potential enrichment and as threats to its historic integrity.

New Data on Late Paleozoic Conglomerates of Wrangel Island and Their Geological Interpretation

Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve — 2025 — WHEAA0A0066F8

A new geological interpretation of conglomerates on Wrangel Island reveals distinct age differences between two types found in the Central tectonic zone. The first type, dominated by metamorphic schists and mafic volcanics, likely predates the second type, which contains rounded quartz, limestone fragments, and faunal remains—similar to intraformational conglomerates from the Northern zone. Faunal analysis confirms the Guadalupian–Lopingian (Middle–Late Permian) age of the latter, suggesting local tectonic or sedimentary rearrangements during the Pennsylvanian Bashkirian Age and Middle–Late Permian periods. These findings mirror patterns observed in Canada’s Sverdrup basin, offering insights into Paleozoic geological dynamics.