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Publications

Showing 2841 – 2860 of 15962 publications

Revisiting lakes within the Rideau Canal system (Ontario, Canada) to assess the impacts of multiple environmental stressors over the past ~25 years using diatom-based paleolimnology

Rideau Canal — 2025 — WHE3517C4D322

Recent diatom-based paleolimnological analysis of five lakes within the Rideau Canal system (Ontario, Canada) reveals that environmental changes over the past ~25 years, marked by increases in small planktonic diatoms and declines in large-celled Aulacoseira taxa, are best explained by regional warming and declining wind speeds rather than nutrient enrichment. Despite significant historical disturbances such as deforestation and canal construction, the most ecologically notable shifts occurred during this recent period, coinciding with rising chlorophyll-a levels inferred from sediment cores collected in 2019-2020. These findings suggest that climate-driven changes are reshaping lake ecosystems, even in the absence of increased nutrient levels, and may contribute to the emergence of cyanobacterial blooms. The study builds on earlier paleolimnological work by reassessing diatom compositional trends over the past >200 years using visible range spectroscopy.

Revisiting Lineage: A Bioarchaeological Life Course Approach to Relatedness at the Late Shang Capital of Yinxu (ca. 1200-1050 BCE)

Yin Xu — 2025 — WHE09BC3CECB0

A groundbreaking bioarchaeological study of the Late Shang capital of Yinxu (ca. 1200–1050 BCE) challenges the long-held assumption that kinship in early Chinese society was rigidly patrilineal, instead revealing a dynamic system shaped by age and life stages. Analyzing 158 skeletal remains from Dasikong Cun—a non-elite neighborhood—alongside mortuary contexts, researchers found that burial practices evolved significantly over time, particularly among subadults, suggesting fluid forms of relatedness beyond formal lineage structures. The study applies life course theory for the first time at Yinxu, demonstrating how age-based seriations can track micro- and macro-scale changes in social organization. It proposes a new framework of 'yang' (care) and 'laiwang' (come-and-go) relatedness to characterize quotidian interactions, offering fresh insights into kinship theory, mortuary practices, and non-elite social dynamics during a pivotal period of Chinese civilization.

Revisiting the fall of the Veramin meteorite

Golestan Palace — 2025 — WHE31BD0772F9

Historical records of the Veramin meteorite, one of the few witnessed falls of a rare mesosiderite, reveal significant inconsistencies regarding its fall location and date. The study clarifies that the meteorite likely fell in the Booghin-Eshtehard area west of Tehran between February and April 1880, not near the village of Karand as previously reported. Key sources include accounts by Ferdinand Dietzsch (1881), Iranian official Mohammad Hassan Khan Sani' od-Dowlah, explorer Sven Hedin, and a preserved Persian text from Golestan Palace. The research relies on historical documentation and eyewitness reports, including those from the Shahsevan-e Baghdadi tribal confederacy. Geologist Henry A. Ward's 1901 description confirmed the meteorite's composition, securing its scientific significance.

Revisiting the Santiniketan as a Cultural Landscape: A Study in Cultural Geography

Santiniketan — 2025 — WHEAEF832C41F

Santiniketan is revealed as a dynamic cultural landscape that embodies the philosophical vision of Rabindranath Tagore. This study demonstrates how Santiniketan serves as a spatial manifestation of universal humanism, blending education, culture, and nature into a cohesive paradigm for place-making and cultural sustainability. Through archival research, spatial analysis, and interpretive frameworks, the study uncovers the interplay between constructed forms, creative expressions, and environmental elements that create its distinct cultural milieu. It also highlights contemporary challenges posed by commercialization, modernization, and shifts in cultural memory, offering a critical perspective on the site's evolving identity.

Revitalization Practices of World Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of Yungang Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes — 2025 — WHE1660968B34

Cultural heritage, when influenced by consumerism, transforms into market-driven public history, expanding its value system and enriching historical consumption forms. This study highlights that rational utilization of World Cultural Heritage, such as the Yungang Grottoes, is crucial for sustainable development. It employs qualitative methods—field investigation, observation, and literature analysis—to explore how heritage revitalization can generate diverse social needs while preserving cultural values. The findings offer universal insights applicable to global heritage conservation efforts.

RHINO: a large horn antenna for detecting the 21 cm global signal

Jodrell Bank Observatory — 2025 — WHE12788D9218

RHINO, a novel experiment at Jodrell Bank Observatory, introduces a large horn antenna designed to detect the faint 21 cm global signal from neutral hydrogen, a critical probe of the intergalactic medium's thermal state during Cosmic Dawn and Reionization. The signal, measuring tens to hundreds of millikelvin, is spectrally smooth but challenging to isolate due to foreground radio emissions and instrumental noise. RHINO leverages the high characterizability and environmental shielding of horn antennas, alongside a continuous wave calibration source to monitor gain fluctuations without rapid switching. Initial simulations demonstrate its potential for recovering physical signal parameters despite bandwidth limitations. A scaled-down prototype is currently under construction, marking a significant step toward advancing our understanding of the early universe's thermal history.

Rhodolith Diversity in Panama: A Baseline for Future Research and Conservation Actions

Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection — 2025 — WHEBB90D31925

A total of 21 rhodolith species, predominantly from the Corallinaceae family and Lithophylloideae subfamily, have been identified along Panama's coast, marking them as significant indicators of ocean acidification and biodiversity hotspots. These calcareous red algae host diverse species within their three-dimensional structures but remain underrepresented in conservation efforts, particularly in Coiba National Park (PNC). This review consolidates existing literature, field observations, and molecular data to establish a baseline for future research and advocacy for rhodolith inclusion in protected area management plans. Despite limited knowledge on their conservation status, increasing sampling efforts and integrated studies are expected to enhance diversity estimates and inform conservation strategies.

Richard Wittman, Ricostruire la Chiesa. San Paolo fuori le mura nella Roma dell’Ottocento, 2023

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura — 2025 — WHE9CC05E2D2C

Richard Wittman's Ricostruire la Chiesa offers a detailed examination of the reconstruction of San Paolo fuori le Mura during 19th-century Rome, revealing how architectural restoration intersected with religious and political narratives. The study highlights the basilica's transformation from a medieval structure to its neoclassical form, emphasizing the role of ecclesiastical authority in shaping urban heritage. Wittman's approach combines archival research with architectural analysis, providing insights into the conservation challenges and ideological motivations behind the reconstruction. This work contributes significantly to the understanding of how World Heritage Sites navigate cultural preservation amid historical and political pressures.

Rise and spread of a social tradition of interspecies abduction

Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection — 2025 — WHE3674F2E2B0

Researchers document the emergence and spread of a non-adaptive social tradition—'howler abduction'—in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus imitator) within Coiba National Park, Panama. Over 15 months, five immature males were observed carrying infant howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata coibensis), a behavior with no clear adaptive function. The tradition originated from a single subadult male innovator and spread to four others in one capuchin group, which is also known for its unique stone tool-use tradition. The study suggests that the same ecological and social conditions fostering adaptive cultural innovations, such as tool-use, may also drive non-adaptive traditions in non-human primates.

Risk allocation and contract models in renewable energy PPPs: A comparative study

Lake Turkana National Parks — 2025 — WHE689B7D7363

A structured risk allocation framework for renewable energy Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) enhances project bankability, reduces disputes, and improves resilience. This study compares PPP contract models—BOT, BOOT, DBFO, and FIDIC-based EPC—in India, Australia, and Africa, including Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Project. It identifies that assigning risks to the party best able to manage them, supported by donor backing, sovereign guarantees, and transparent procurement, mitigates challenges like land acquisition, regulatory volatility, and technology failure. The framework integrates global best practices, advancing sustainable energy transitions and providing actionable guidance for policymakers and investors.

Risk Analysis of Stratified Landscapes: Toward an Integrated System for Documenting and Managing Cultural Heritage in Southern Sicily

Archaeological Area of Agrigento — 2025 — WHE0872857B81

An advanced geospatial database, ARPAS, demonstrates significant potential for enhancing the study, preservation, and risk assessment of cultural landscapes. By integrating heterogeneous datasets—including archaeological, architectural, and environmental data—ARPAS improves information completeness and supports predictive analyses for heritage conservation in southern Sicily. The system addresses methodological challenges related to data heterogeneity and limitations of existing tools, offering a centralized platform for real-time analytical processing and collaborative research. Pilot deployment across four provinces (Agrigento, Catania, Ragusa, Siracusa) highlights its ability to manage temporal stratification and support interdisciplinary landscape research, marking a step forward in digital innovation for cultural heritage management.

Risk, Transgression and Substance Use: An Ethnography of Young British Tourists in Ibiza

Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture — 2025 — WHE2063A28C44

British youth engage in binge drinking, drug use, and other risk behaviors during their holidays in Ibiza primarily to escape the constraints of work and family life in the UK and as part of constructing their identities. These behaviors are also aggressively endorsed by various aspects of Ibiza's social context. The study, based on ethnographic research including participant observation and 17 focus groups with 97 young people aged 17 to 31, provides a deeper understanding of why these behaviors occur, moving beyond survey data to explore the underlying motivations and social dynamics.

Risks and Benefits of Weight Gain in Children With Undernutrition

Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) — 2025 — WHEE6DF57CA43

A 21-year longitudinal study of children in the Dogon villages of Mali's Bandiagara Escarpment reveals that weight gain during early childhood, while associated with modest increases in adult systolic blood pressure and obesity prevalence, offers significant benefits in terms of adult height. The research, involving over 1,300 participants, found that a one-standard-deviation increase in childhood weight was linked to a 3-4 cm taller stature in adulthood for both males and females, outweighing the risks of hypertension and obesity. This suggests that in undernourished populations, careful weight management during early years could enhance long-term health outcomes without significantly increasing cardiovascular risks.

Ritual Architecture and Cultural Identity: A Comparative Study of the Anahita Temples at Bishapur and Takht-e Soleyman

Takht-e Soleyman — 2025 — WHE202F8E16F2

A comparative analysis of the Anahita temples at Bishapur and Takht-e Soleyman reveals their pivotal role in sustaining Iran's ritual architectural traditions. These sacred sites, dedicated to the goddess of water (Anahita), were strategically located near water sources, symbolizing a deep spiritual connection with nature. The study highlights differences in architectural designs, religious functions, symbolic meanings, and construction materials between the two temples, emphasizing their significance in preserving cultural identity across historical periods. By integrating library-based research with field observations, this work underscores how these temples reflect Iran's enduring architectural and religious heritage.

Ritual Landscapes and Sacred Spaces: A Landscape Archaeology Perspective on Megalithic and Neolithic Monument Complexes An Investigation of Spatial Organization, Phenomenology, and Social Memory in Prehistoric Ritual Sites

Brú na Bóinne - Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne — 2025 — WHE3D643BBCED

Ritual landscapes, particularly those involving megalithic and Neolithic monument complexes, function as multisensory, performative spaces that encode cosmological beliefs and social relationships. This study reveals how prehistoric communities constructed sacred geographies through carefully choreographed spatial organization, leveraging topography, celestial phenomena, and environmental contexts. Using a combination of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, viewshed modeling, and phenomenological surveys, researchers demonstrate that these landscapes served as theaters of memory, where communities negotiated identity, power, and cosmological understanding through embodied practices. Comparative case studies from Stonehenge, Avebury, the Orkney Islands, and Brú na Bóinne highlight the interconnections between monument morphology and social memory, offering new insights into how prehistoric societies ritualized their environments.

Ritual re-representation and the making of sociality: rethinking elite burials in the Late Shang Yinxu

Yin Xu — 2025 — WHE8DC6874E53

Late Shang mortuary practices at Yin Xu were found to serve as 'ritual re-representation,' a form of bricolage that disassembled and reassembled tokens from ideal ritual ceremonies to re-enact the social existence of the dead. This approach, which emphasizes the spatial arrangement of burial contents, challenges traditional interpretations by highlighting how personhood and social relationships were framed through the treatment of the corpse and its surroundings. Artefacts placed in distinct spatial divisions expressed themes related to mortality, ceremonial conduct, moral transformation, feasting, music, dance, military authority, and mobility, while retainers were positioned based on their proximity to the tomb owner during life. Victims were placed outside the outer coffins, marking a boundary between the owner’s domain and those whose subjectivities were ritually denied. This symbolic structure embodied Late Shang notions of elite personhood, which prevailed from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age in northern China, playing a significant role in social stratification through a 'sacred' mode.

Ritual, Ceremony, Dwelling: A function-space analysis of Iranian columned Halls from Hasanlu to Pasargadae (1300–540 BC)

Pasargadae — 2025 — WHEE3CFC06139

A comparative function-space analysis of Iranian columned halls from Hasanlu to Pasargadae (1300–540 BC) reveals that functional needs were the primary determinant of spatial organization. Ritual halls, such as those at Hasanlu II, feature strong central axes, controlled access, and hierarchical circulation, while multifunctional halls like Nush-i Jan and Godin exhibit flexible, open spaces with multiple access points and lack rigid hierarchies. Residential halls, exemplified by Baba Jan II, prioritize daily functionality through asymmetry, decentralized columns, and integrated service spaces. The study identifies distinct patterns in movement (guided vs. free), spatial relationships (self-contained vs. integrated), and scale/height (monumental in ceremonial contexts).

Riverine Civilizations and Ecological Adaptation: An Archaeological Perspective on Water Management in Ancient India

Dholavira: a Harappan City — 2025 — WHEB187DB1728

Ancient Indian civilizations, particularly those along the Indus-Saraswati and Gangetic river systems, developed sophisticated water management practices that were central to their settlement patterns, subsistence strategies, and social organization. Archaeological evidence from sites like Dholavira, Mohenjo-daro, and Lothal reveals advanced techniques for water harvesting, storage, and distribution, indicating a proactive response to hydrological uncertainty. The study highlights the relationship between climatic shifts—such as the weakening of the monsoon and the desiccation of the Saraswati river—and the transformation or decline of these settlements. By analyzing excavation data, the research argues that indigenous water-management knowledge remains relevant for modern environmental planning in water-stressed regions.

Road to Violence: Land Alienation, Road Deaths and State-Making in the Lower Omo Valley, South-West Ethiopia

Lower Valley of the Omo — 2025 — WHEA0B85F7F64

Violence linked to large-scale commercial agriculture, particularly road deaths, is often overlooked. In Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley, the development of sugar cane plantations has led to numerous fatalities and injuries among agro-pastoralists, triggering retaliatory killings primarily targeting vehicle users. These acts have been interpreted as resistance to land alienation. However, this study refines that understanding by examining the selective legal prosecution of homicides in the region. It reveals how competing social orders—those of the agro-pastoralists and the state—interact, highlighting a process where the state monopolizes violence by determining 'which violences matter.' The research underscores the official silence around road deaths and the state's violent response to revenge killings as indicative of broader state-making dynamics.

Rock Buntings in Central Europe: Phylogeographic connectivity and a current inventory in the Upper Middle Rhine valley

Upper Middle Rhine Valley — 2025 — WHE6A7A8D0001

A long-term study of the Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia) in Germany's Upper Middle Rhine Valley reveals unexpected genetic connectivity among its subpopulations, despite a continuous decline. Contrary to expectations, analysis of 122 samples—using mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b gene) and nuclear microsatellite markers—showed no geographic clustering, indicating ongoing gene flow between populations along the Middle Rhine, Nahe, Main, Moselle, and Ahr rivers. This challenges assumptions about isolation in fragmented habitats, such as rocky vineyards, where the species is increasingly threatened.