Initial Upper Palaeolithic humans in Europe had recent Neanderthal ancestry.

Modern humans appeared in Europe by at least 45,000 years ago1-5, but the extent of their interactions with Neanderthals, who disappeared by about 40,000 years ago6, and their relationship to the broader expansion of modern humans outside Africa are poorly understood. Here we present genome-wide data from three individuals dated to between 45,930 and 42,580 years ago from Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria1,2. They are the earliest Late Pleistocene modern humans known to have been recovered in Europe so far, and were found in association with an Initial Upper Palaeolithic artefact assemblage. Unlike two previously studied individuals of similar ages from Romania7 and Siberia8 who did not contribute detectably to later populations, these individuals are more closely related to present-day and ancient populations in East Asia and the Americas than to later west Eurasian populations. This indicates that they belonged to a modern human migration into Europe that was not previously known from the genetic record, and provides evidence that there was at least some continuity between the earliest modern humans in Europe and later people in Eurasia. Moreover, we find that all three individuals had Neanderthal ancestors a few generations back in their family history, confirming that the first European modern humans mixed with Neanderthals and suggesting that such mixing could have been common.

Safety, Pharmacodynamics, and Efficacy of High- Versus Low-Dose Ascorbic Acid in Severely Burned Adults.

In sepsis and burns, ascorbic acid (AA) is hypothesized advantageous during volume resuscitation. There is uncertainty regarding its safety and dosing. This study evaluated high dose AA (HDAA: 66 mg/kg/h for 24 hours) versus low dose AA (LDAA: 3.5 g/days) administration during the first 24 hours in severely burned adults. We conducted a retrospective study comparing fluid administration before and after switching from low dose to HDAA in severely burned adults. A total of 38 adults with burns >20% TBSA, who received either HDAA or LDAA were included in this retrospective study. AA serum concentrations were quantified at 0, 24, and 72 hours postburn. HDAA impact on hemodynamics, acid-base homeostasis, acute kidney injury, vasopressor use, resuscitation fluid requirement, urinary output, and the incidence of adverse effects was evaluated; secondary clinical outcomes were analyzed. AA plasma levels were 10-fold elevated in the LDAA and 150-fold elevated in the HDAA group at 24 hours and decreased in both groups afterwards. HDAA was not associated with a significantly increased risk of any complications. A significant reduction in colloid fluid requirements was noted (LDAA: 947 ± 1722 ml/24 hours vs HDAA: 278 ± 667 ml/24 hours, P = 0.029). Other hemodynamic and resuscitation measures, as well as secondary clinical outcomes were comparable between groups. HDAA was associated with higher AA levels and lower volumes of colloids in adults with severe burns. The rate of adverse events was not significantly higher in patients treated with HDAA. Future studies should consider prolonged administration of AA.

A genetic analysis of the Gibraltar Neanderthals.

The Forbes' Quarry and Devil's Tower partial crania from Gibraltar are among the first Neanderthal remains ever found. Here, we show that small amounts of ancient DNA are preserved in the petrous bones of the 2 individuals despite unfavorable climatic conditions. However, the endogenous Neanderthal DNA is present among an overwhelming excess of recent human DNA. Using improved DNA library construction methods that enrich for DNA fragments carrying deaminated cytosine residues, we were able to sequence 70 and 0.4 megabase pairs (Mbp) nuclear DNA of the Forbes' Quarry and Devil's Tower specimens, respectively, as well as large parts of the mitochondrial genome of the Forbes' Quarry individual. We confirm that the Forbes' Quarry individual was a female and the Devil's Tower individual a male. We also show that the Forbes' Quarry individual is genetically more similar to the ∼120,000-y-old Neanderthals from Scladina Cave in Belgium (Scladina I-4A) and Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave in Germany, as well as to a ∼60,000- to 70,000-y-old Neanderthal from Russia (Mezmaiskaya 1), than to a ∼49,000-y-old Neanderthal from El Sidrón (El Sidrón 1253) in northern Spain and other younger Neanderthals from Europe and western Asia. This suggests that the Forbes' Quarry fossil predates the latter Neanderthals. The preservation of archaic human DNA in the warm coastal climate of Gibraltar, close to the shores of Africa, raises hopes for the future recovery of archaic human DNA from regions in which climatic conditions are less than optimal for DNA preservation.