Ancient Life Research Articles

COLLECTION OF RASAYANA DRUGS MENTIONED IN BRHATRAYI: A REVIEW

Ayurveda is one of the most ancient life sciences and has always been practised in the form of Ashtanga Ayurveda. Rasayana tantra (Geriatrics) is one of the eight major clinical disciplines aiming at rejuvenation and geriatric care. It fulfils both the aims of Ayurveda, i.e. maintaining & promoting the positive health of healthy individuals and curing the diseases of the diseased . Descriptions of various single Rasayana drugs & Rasayana formulations, along with their particular uses, are available in various texts of different periods, but no separate samhita or book is found for it. Hence, here, an effort has been made to compile the scattered Rasayana drugs (as single or formulations) mainly mentioned in Brihatrayi.

A miniaturized method for HPLC-MS/MS identification of wine markers in figured pottery

The study of Organic Residue Analysis (ORA) in archaeological pottery aims to detect traces of organic materials, such as food and beverages, that were once contained in the vessels. Chemical analysis of organic residues can confirm hypotheses made by archaeologists regarding some important aspects of ancient daily life, from ancient diet to rituals. If non-invasive analytical techniques, such as spectroscopies, could provide issues with overinterpretation of the data, chromatographic techniques combined with various detectors may be more suitable for separating and identifying the different components within a complex matrix, like archaeological pottery. This research aims to develop a new rapid, reproducible and efficient method for the identification of organic acids as wine markers in archaeological figured vessels through HPLC-MS/MS. The procedure included a derivatization step and an extraction step, both designed based on green analytical chemistry principles. It employed ultrasound-assisted liquid extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (dLLME). dLLME allowed to remove compounds that induce signal suppression, thereby minimizing the matrix effect. Except for tartaric acid, which had a recovery around 20%, the other analytes had recoveries that ranged from 40% to 60%, while LODs were comprised between 0.01 and 0.05 ng mL−1. This method was applied to examine the potential presence of wine in figural pottery, validating the method on historical samples in the frame of the wide-scope project Imag-ORA.

Об исследовании узбекской версии дастана «Идегей»

To present the study of the Uzbek version of the dastan “Idegey”. Research materials: Uzbek versions of the epic “Idegey” and archival materials. The scientific novelty of the study: The Uzbek version of the epic “Idegey” were studied in a comparative approach. For the first time, archival records of the epic with live performances in the epic tradition were analyzed and comparatively studied. Important theoretical conclusions were made regarding the study of the epic. Results of the study and its scientific novelty: The article proved that variants and versions of the epic about Idegey are widespread in Central Asia among Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, Kazakhs, especially in Khiva City, Khiva District and Khanka District, Nukus City, and the Chimboy District of the Khorezm oasis. The work compares the versions recorded by researchers A. Belyaev, Erpolat zhyrau, and Kiyos zhyrau, demonstrating how the differences in their interpretation reflect the peculiarities of the epic tradition of each respective people. The conclusions of the study emphasize the richness of the language, artistic expressiveness, and historical significance of the epic. The work contributes to the study of the folklore of the Turkic peoples, highlighting the relationship between oral tradition and written sources. It is scientifically substantiated that the Kiyos zhyrau version is the richest in linguistic composition, the most beautiful in artistic coloring, and in the excellent description of traditions associated with ancient life, even acquiring historicity. In this version, an individual strong improvisational quality is manifested in the performance of the epic “Idegey”, thus manifesting all the talent and ability of Kiyos zhyrau.

A vorticity budget for theoretical and convectively coupled equatorial Rossby waves: Dynamical propagation and growth mechanisms

AbstractConvectively coupled equatorial Rossby waves (CCERWs) are westward‐propagating tropical weather systems that can trigger extreme precipitation and flooding. Here, vorticity budgets are used to determine their dynamical mechanisms of propagation and growth. First, an analytical solution to the vorticity budget of theoretical dry equatorial Rossby waves is presented. Westward propagation arises entirely from the planetary vorticity advection () term, where high‐magnitude planetary vorticity is advected equatorward from higher latitudes to the west of cyclonic perturbations in the Rossby‐wave structure. This is the classical Rossby‐wave propagation mechanism. There is one other non‐zero term in the vorticity budget: the vortex stretching () term has a (weak) eastward propagation tendency, mainly due to the convergence in the meridional wind structure to the east of the cyclonic perturbations. This acts to slow the overall westward propagation down. Both these terms are in quadrature with the vorticity structure and hence the theoretical waves are neutral. A vorticity budget of observed CCERWs is then presented, using reanalysis data. The primary westward propagation mechanism is still the planetary vorticity advection term. However, the convergence centres are now aligned with the cyclonic vorticity centres, rather than a quarter cycle to the east. Hence the vortex stretching () term is now in phase with the vorticity, leading to growth of CCERWs. There is an even stronger growth contribution from the nonlinear vortex stretching term. Horizontal vorticity advection and subgrid‐scale processes both act to damp the CCERW. The total source term is one of westward propagation and growth. This diagnostic vorticity‐budget approach can be applied to inform the assessment of forecast skill and model development.

Wild fruits, forager children and secret treats in pre-Columbian South Florida

The archaeology of childhood has shown that research is possible on even the most ephemeral aspects of ancient human lives if we ask the correct questions of the material record. Children are now visible members of ancient societies and their impact on the physical environment in which they lived can be identified. This paper looks at food remains possibly recovered by children as a lens into one of the secret places and spaces of childhood. Fruit is often gathered by children in forager societies, in small peer groups that incorporate play, learning and socialisation into food provisioning. Using palaeobotanical and environmental data from the hunter-fisher-gatherer Tequesta society situated at the mouth of the Miami River along Biscayne Bay in south Florida, this paper suggests the human biological predilection for sugar facilitated a uniquely powerful relationship between plants, children and fruit trees. Fruit would have satisfied a powerful biological craving for sugar in this marine-resources focused culture. The relationship between children, fruit and wild food gathering shaped the foodscape of ancestral south Florida and the children who lived there. The lens of plant studies allows us to better appreciate the active role plants had in shaping human behaviour and landscape experiences.

Weakly supervised bounding‐box generation for camera‐trap image based animal detection

AbstractIn ecology, deep learning is improving the performance of camera‐trap image based wild animal analysis. However, high labelling cost becomes a big challenge, as it requires involvement of huge human annotation. For example, the Snapshot Serengeti (SS) dataset contains over 900,000 images, while only 322,653 contains valid animals, 68,000 volunteers were recruited to provide image level labels such as species, the no. of animals and five behaviour attributes such as standing, resting and moving etc. In contrast, the Gold Standard SS Bounding‐Box Coordinates (GSBBC for short) contains only 4011 images for training of object detection algorithms, as the annotation of bounding‐box for animals in the image, is much more costive. Such a no. of training images, is obviously insufficient. To address this, the authors propose a method to generate bounding‐boxes for a larger dataset using limited manually labelled images. To achieve this, the authors first train a wild animal detector using a small dataset (e.g. GSBBC) that is manually labelled to locate animals in images; then apply this detector to a bigger dataset (e.g. SS) for bounding‐box generation; finally, we remove false detections according to the existing label information of the images. Experiments show that detector trained with images whose bounding‐boxes are generated using the proposal, outperformed the existing camera‐trap image based animal detection, in terms of mean average precision (mAP). Compared with the traditional data augmentation method, our method improved the mAP by 21.3% and 44.9% for rare species, also alleviating the long‐tail issue in data distribution. In addition, detectors trained with the proposed method also achieve promising results when applied to classification and counting tasks, which are commonly required in wildlife research.

An empirical assessment of the role of independence filters in temporal activity analyses using camera trapping data

Independence filters are commonly applied to camera trapping data when determining the temporal activity patterns of species or populations. However, recent research challenges the validity of independence filters, stating that it leads to flawed inferences of temporal activity patterns and a substantial reduction in sample sizes, and should not be used. This study presents an empirical counter-argument using data from Snapshot Serengeti. By manually applying 60-minute independence filters, common behaviours influencing the reliability of activity patterns derived from density-based analyses in African savanna species were identified. Results showed that applying independence filters primarily leads to decreased midday activity densities, mainly due to herding behaviour and the prevalent use of shade in a tree-sparse savanna. Idle herds or individuals that feed or rest in front of camera traps also influenced derived activity patterns. Furthermore, it is confirmed that adequate sample sizes are generally maintained after applying independence filters. The findings from this study highlight the shortcomings of the recent research disputing the use of independence filters in temporal activity analyses and underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach of inspecting data, understanding species behaviour, and considering regional environmental characteristics. This will ensure more accurate representations of species’ true temporal activity patterns.

Twenty-Two Centuries of Nostalgia in Classical Chinese Poetry

A burgeoning literature on nostalgia has identified the construct’s features, affective content, triggers, and psychological benefits across cultures. It has been argued that nostalgia is a fundamental human emotion. If so, these properties of nostalgia ought to be detected historically. We tested this possibility by relying on classical Chinese poetry, a unique vehicle given its historical relevance to ancient life and ability to express emotion. Content analyses of 600 poems revealed that, across dynasties, nostalgia was perceived and experienced similarly to today. In particular, the central (and also peripheral) features of the construct “nostalgia” were similar, the affective tone of nostalgia was mostly positive, its triggers paralleled contemporary ones (with visual stimuli and close others being most salient), and its psychological benefits were the same (with social connectedness being most prominent). The findings point to nostalgia as fundamental human emotion and open up promising directions of inquiry.

Investigation of morphodynamic response to the storm-induced currents and waves in the Bay of Bengal

Storm surges, driven by Tropical Cyclones (TCs), pose a threat to the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal (BoB), causing sediment transport and beach erosion. This study introduces a coupled hydrodynamic (TELEMAC-2D) -wave (TOMAWAC) -morphodynamic (GAIA) model to investigate morphodynamic changes during storm surges. The cyclonic wind is crucial for precisely predicting storm surges, wind waves, and morphodynamic bed evolution. Thus, this study introduced a modified parametric wind model to enhance wind field representation near and far from the cyclone center. The simulated storm surges and wind waves were validated against in-situ observations for TC Hudhud (2014) and TC Varadah (2016), and the simulated morphodynamic bed evolution was validated with field-measured data collected for TC Nivar (2020). Further, this study evaluates the performance of different bed load transport formulations for predicting morphodynamic bed evolution during TC Nivar (2020) under storm-induced currents and waves. Results indicate that the Engelund-Hansen model is most effective for currents alone, while the Bijker model excels for combined currents and waves along the open coast of BoB. The results also indicate that the incorporation of the effect of waves along with currents has enhanced the predictive capability of the coupled model framework.

An Analysis of English Translation of The Book of Poetry from the Perspective of Feminist Translation Theory

The Book of Poetry is the earliest collection of poems in China, reflecting the ancient social life of 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, which is a microcosm of the society at that time, and also an important work for the study of female consciousness in the years during the Book of Poetry. Feminist translation theory is the combination of translation theory and culture, which emphasizes the translator’s intervention in the text, which is of great significance to the text translation with bright feminist color. This paper takes the translated texts of Xu Yuanchong and James Legge as the research object, makes a comparison between the two English versions of the Book of Poetry under the guidance of feminist translation theory, analyzes the embodiment of feminist consciousness in the two versions, for the purpose of exploring how feminist translators’ self-consciousness plays a specific role in translation practice, and how the two translators use the strategies in the theory to intervene the translations.

Old cities, new pathways: approaches to Roman urbanism in Italy

Throughout the twentieth century, considerable research has been dedicated to understanding the rise, development and end of ancient cities. In recent years, there has been a remarkable upsurge of new methodological and theoretical approaches applied in urbanism studies, which enables us to improve, validate or question our knowledge about ancient urban life. The three books reviewed here concern the development, transformation and experience of ancient Roman cities; leading experts in urban history and archaeology discussing the potential of new technologies and conceptual frameworks for analysing Roman urban space.

Application of LIBS and LA-ICP-MS analysis to Hellenistic tableware

Greek and Hellenistic painted vases have attracted scholars of classical archaeology for centuries, either because of the artistic value of the painted decorations or because of the depicted scenes of ancient everyday life. Due to the application of thin slips on the surface, different methods are used for the chemical characterisation of the slips and the body of the same vase. The slips are commonly analysed by X-ray microanalysis, offering point-by-point analysis of mostly major elements, while different tools, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), are used for bulk body analysis. This can cause difficulties in comparing the bulk composition and thus in determining the similarities and differences in the preparation process of the clay paste for the slips and bodies of an object. Given the artistic value of these objects, museum curators tend to be reluctant to provide samples for invasive characterisation. Micro-destructive laser ablation methods offer a robust solution to addressing both the relationships between ceramic body and surface treatment chemistry and destructive sampling. To provide a proof-of concept, we analysed slips and bodies of a small sample of Hellenistic fine wares from the Greek colony of Issa in modern Croatia with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Laser ablation-ICP-MS. Results show remarkable diversity in the use of clay types and processing techniques.

Alunite in Cross Crater, Mars: Evidence for a Possible Site of Ancient Life.

Cross Crater is a 65-km impact crater located in the Noachian highlands of the Terra Sirenum region of Mars. Geochemical modeling has indicated that alunite detected on the southwest wall of Cross Crater could have been formed by a fumarole upwelling into Cross Crater Lake and could indicate that an environment favorable to the development of life may have existed several billion years ago. Alunite did not form when Noachian precipitation reacted with basalt nor when the sediments and groundwater resulting from this reaction were reacted with a fumarole. Only when Cross Crater Lake water was equilibrated with sulfuric acid, thought to be a major component of the atmosphere in the Hesperian, following reaction with fumarole groundwater, did alunite precipitate from solution. Kaolinite, silica, or an Al-smectite such as montmorillonite also formed. The proximity of Cross Crater to the Tharsis volcanic region relative to Columbus crater, where alunite has also been detected, may have resulted in larger amounts of magmatic water input to the lake from sources along fractures that extend westward from Tharsis. This could explain the more extensive deposit of alunite at Cross Crater relative to Columbus crater.

Rapid Destruction of Lipid Biomarkers Under Simulated Cosmic Radiation.

Understanding how organics degrade under galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) is critical as we search for traces of ancient life on Mars. Even if the planet harbored life early in its history, its surface rocks have been exposed to ionizing radiation for about four billion years, potentially destroying the vast majority of biosignatures. In this study, we investigated for the first time the impact of simulated GCRs (using gamma rays) on several types of lipid biosignatures (including hopane C30, sterane C27, alkanes, and fatty acids [FAs]) in both the presence and absence of salts (NaCl, KCl, and MgCl2). We measured that the lipids degraded 6-20 times faster than amino acids in similar conditions; moreover, when irradiated in the presence of a salt substrate, degradation was at least 4-6 times faster than without salt, which suggests that salty environments that are often preferred targets for astrobiology warrant caution. We detected radiolytic by-products only for FAs-in the form of alkanes and aldehydes. These results expand our understanding of the degradation of organic molecules in Mars analog environments and underscore the urgent need to direct rover missions to sampling sites protected from GCRs, for example, sites on Mars that have been recently exposed by a wind scarp retreat or meteoritic impact.

Acidophilic sulphate-reducing bacteria: Diversity, ecophysiology, and applications.

Acidophilic sulphate-reducing bacteria (aSRB) are widespread anaerobic microorganisms that perform dissimilatory sulphate reduction and have key adaptations to tolerate acidic environments (pH <5.0), such as proton impermeability and Donnan potential. This diverse prokaryotic group is of interest from physiological, ecological, and applicational viewpoints. In this review, we summarize the interactions between aSRB and other microbial guilds, such as syntrophy, and their roles in the biogeochemical cycling of sulphur, iron, carbon, and other elements. We discuss the biotechnological applications of aSRB in treating acid mine drainage (AMD, pH <3), focusing on their ability to produce biogenic sulphide and precipitate metals, particularly in the context of utilizing microbial consortia instead of pure isolates. Metal sulphide nanoparticles recovered after AMD treatment have multiple potential technological uses, including in electronics and biomedicine, contributing to a cost-effective circular economy. The products of aSRB metabolisms, such as biominerals and isotopes, could also serve as biosignatures to understand ancient and extant microbial life in the universe. Overall, aSRB are active components of the sulphur and carbon cycles under acidic conditions, with potential natural and technological implications for the world around us.

Ancient Greek and Roman Crip Lit

Abstract: The study of disability in the ancient world is a burgeoning field and is rapidly garnering interest outside of academia, as well. This brief article argues that we can expand our engagement with the topic—and with ancient literature broadly—by acknowledging the disabled status of some Greek and Roman authors, many of whom are mainstays of our traditional literary canon. Disability-informed approaches to themes like embodiment and phenomenology can contribute to a more complex and grounded under-standing of ancient life and experience, as well as deepen our understanding of topics like Stoic philosophy, ancient temporalities, Greek tragedy and the discourse of disability in the ancient world.

Analyzing coherent structures in the tropical cyclone boundary layer using large eddy simulations

Turbulence within the tropical cyclone boundary layer plays a crucial role in the exchange of heat, moisture, and momentum between the surface and the atmosphere. This study investigates the characteristics of coherent structures, specifically streaks and rolls, using large eddy simulations. Our results highlight significant differences across the three radius cases, with smaller radius exhibiting more intense and organized turbulence and streak/roll structures. Our analyses reveal that thermodynamic conditions significantly impact the timing of initial streak/roll development but do not affect their intensity in the steady state. Wind structures closer to the tropical cyclone center lead to stronger and more rapidly developing streaks/rolls, indicating their critical role in determining the intensity and formation of these features. Sensitivity tests on the Coriolis parameter (f) and radial decay parameter of tangential wind (n) show minimal impact on the development of streaks/rolls, suggesting these factors are less influential compared to wind and thermodynamic conditions.

Desertic siliciclastic stromatolites in the Upper Jurassic Guará Formation from southwestern Gondwana: Trapping and binding in a non-marine setting

Abstract Siliciclastic stromatolites are rare in the geologic record, and their occurrence recorded in the literature is restricted to marine and coastal environments. The Upper Jurassic Guará Formation, from the Paraná Basin in southern Brazil, hosts unique non-marine siliciclastic stromatolites, providing a rare opportunity to study trapping and binding mechanisms by microbial mats in a continental setting. These microbialites occur interbedded with eolian and fluvial facies. The structural layering of the stromatolite domes is formed by the intercalation of sandy layers, resulting from trapping and binding of siliciclastic grains by microbial mats and in situ precipitation of amorphous to cryptocrystalline silica, which directly replaced the microbial colonies. The silica layers contain partially preserved spherical to ovoid bodies interpreted as colonies of coccoid microorganisms. These siliciclastic stromatolites were formed due to a specific balance of environmental factors, namely water chemistry and sediment supply, which enhanced the processes of trapping and binding and in situ precipitation. They record the presence of microbial life in a non-marine, silica-rich, fluvial-eolian environment in which there were no previous published occurrences of agglutinated stromatolites. These specimens record macroscopically identifiable evidence of microbial life in a continental environment that must be accounted for in the search for ancient life on Earth and Mars.

Automatic Estimation of Tropical Cyclone Centers from Wide-Swath Synthetic-Aperture Radar Images of Miniaturized Satellites

Automatic Estimation of Tropical Cyclone Centers from Wide-Swath Synthetic-Aperture Radar Images of Miniaturized Satellites

Dynamics of Extreme Surface Winds Inside North Atlantic Midlatitude Cyclones

AbstractNorth Atlantic midlatitude cyclones are among the most severe weather systems, causing enormous economic damages and threatening human lives. The cyclone is typically characterized by cyclonic convergent surface winds, strong updrafts, and precipitation. However, extreme surface winds are often observed within the cyclone where downdrafts develop. The present study investigates the dynamical and thermodynamical characteristics of the horizontal winds impinging on the cold frontal surface and the associated downdrafts. It is shown that the cyclonic winds into the cold frontal surface are mainly responsible for the downdrafts that transport the high‐altitude horizontal momentum to the surface and cause intense surface winds. About half of the North Atlantic midlatitude cyclones are accompanied by the downdrafts especially in the southern and western parts of the cyclone center.