Ancient DNA

2019 ◽  
pp. 205-223
Author(s):  
Noreen Tuross ◽  
Michael G. Campana
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Roman History ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Before And After ◽  
History Of ◽  
Adna Analysis

This chapter examines how ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis has helped reconstruct ancient history. It focuses in particular on cases investigating Roman history. History leaves traces in the human genome as well as those of pathogens and domesticates. While much can be gleaned from the genetic fossils preserved in extant genomes, genomes are palimpsests, with more recent events overwriting previous ones in part. The study of aDNA—DNA preserved in archaeological, paleontological, and museum sources—permits investigations into the genome before and after historic events and observations into how it evolves in real time. The field of aDNA also has a palimpsestic nature in which older results are not only extended and revised, but totally discarded due to rapid technological advances. The chapter briefly describes biochemistry of ancient DNA and the history of its research. Through several key case studies, it shows the potential for aDNA research to clarify the course of ancient history, and also highlights some of its weaknesses and limitations.

scholarly journals Towards a new history and geography of human genes informed by ancient DNA

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Pickrell ◽  
David Reich
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Population Replacement ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Geographic Locations ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Human Genes ◽  
Genome Wide Data ◽  
History Of

Genetic information contains a record of the history of our species, and technological advances have transformed our ability to access this record. Many studies have used genome-wide data from populations today to learn about the peopling of the globe and subsequent adaptation to local conditions. Implicit in this research is the assumption that the geographic locations of people today are informative about the geographic locations of their ancestors in the distant past. However, it is now clear that long-range migration, admixture and population replacement have been the rule rather than the exception in human history. In light of this, we argue that it is time to critically re-evaluate current views of the peopling of the globe and the importance of natural selection in determining the geographic distribution of phenotypes. We specifically highlight the transformative potential of ancient DNA. By accessing the genetic make-up of populations living at archaeologically-known times and places, ancient DNA makes it possible to directly track migrations and responses to natural selection.

From the Archaeology of Childhood to Modern Children Visiting Archaeological Museums

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Lambrugo
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
General Public ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Interesting Point ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of Art ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Children And Childhood ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter addresses three interconnected topics, beginning with a short overview of the archaeology of children and childhood in Italy, explaining how and why the Italian contribution to the topic has been very recent. The chapter then moves on to explore the relationship between modern children, Italian scholars of ancient history of art and archaeology, and museums; it notes that for a very long time Italian universities and museums have not been interested in developing didactic archaeology at all, especially when the spectators were children, whether of pre-school or older age. Finally, returning to children in the past, two noteworthy case studies of the presentation of ancient children at exhibitions are illustrated as an interesting point of convergence between current archaeological studies in Italy on childhood in the ancient world, and the newly generated need to communicate to the general public the result of research works.

Virtual Microscopy in Haematology and Histopathology Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 140-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod Gopalan ◽  
Abishek B. Santhakumar ◽  
Indu Singh
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Virtual Microscopy ◽  
Student Interaction ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Routine Diagnostics ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Class Room ◽  
Technical Considerations

Virtual microscopy is a method by which real-time microscopic illustrations get transmitted digitally via computer networks. There is increasing evidence to suggest that virtual microscopy combined with other didactic methods in teaching make significant improvements in student interaction and curiosity in histopathology and haematology teaching. The introduction of virtual microscopy has opened up a big arena in the field of e-learning in histopathology and haematology curriculum. Case studies prove the technological benefits of virtual microscopy in interacting off-campus students and educators. Recent technological advances have improved the use of virtual microscopy and enabled them to complement students learning in class room as well as for routine diagnostics. In this chapter, the authors discuss the significance, usefulness, and limitations of virtual microscopy in education. In addition, the chapter has provided several technical considerations to develop a friendly web-based virtual microscopy tool in teaching.

Roman History

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-241
Author(s):  
Lucy Grig
Keyword(s):  
Literary Tradition ◽  
Roman History ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Clear Case ◽  
Classical Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
First Time ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Future Reference

Let's start at the very beginning: that is, at the beginning of the history of Rome. This latest volume of the Oxford Readings in Classical Studies makes a clear case for the virtue of reprinting old articles even in an age of supposedly wide digital availability. An obvious virtue here is the fact this collection includes no fewer than seven articles that have been translated into English for the first time. In making this collection, the editors hope to show the continuing lively debate on the nature of the ancient historiographical tradition. Rather than taking a particular editorial line, the collection includes scholars with differing views as to the reliability of this tradition when it comes to early Roman history. That being said, it is not surprising that scholarship that aims wholeheartedly to uphold the historicity of the traditional accounts is definitely outnumbered by studies demonstrating instead the construction of historiographical tradition(s). Nonetheless, Andrea Carandini begins the collection by arguing once more for the congruence of the archaeological evidence and the literary tradition. The articles that follow vary somewhat in approach and in degrees of scepticism – for instance, Fausto Zevi admits a historical core to stories about Demoratus and the Tarquins, whereas Michael Crawford is forthright in his rejection of historicity in the earliest list of Roman colonies. The editors have taken the helpful decision to focus rather more on ‘stories’ than individual authors and this certainly helps shape a thought-provoking collection that can be read with profit rather than just put on the shelf for future reference. In particular, the editors’ suggestion that this volume could profitably be given to students in place of a single ‘authoritative’ version of the history of early Rome, so that they can see that there are indeed different ways of ‘doing’ ancient history, is persuasive. Finally, any selection of papers is, of course, subjective but an article focusing rather more particularly on non-literary historical traditions might have rounded out the picture more fully.

scholarly journals The birth of the electric machines: a commentary on Faraday (1832) ‘Experimental researches in electricity’

2015 ◽  
Vol 373 (2039) ◽  
pp. 20140208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Al-Khalili
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Induction ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Royal Institution ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Experimental Researches ◽  
Paradigm Shifting

The history of science is filled with examples of key discoveries and breakthroughs that have been published as landmark texts or journal papers, and to which one can trace the origins of whole disciplines. Such paradigm-shifting publications include Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543), Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) and Albert Einstein's papers on relativity (1905 and 1915). Michael Faraday's 1832 paper on electromagnetic induction sits proudly among these works and in a sense can be regarded as having an almost immediate effect in transforming our world in a very real sense more than any of the others listed. Here we review the status of the subject—the relationship between magnetism and electricity both before and after Faraday's paper and delve into the details of the key experiments he carried out at the Royal Institution outlining clearly how he discovered the process of electromagnetic induction, whereby an electric current could be induced to flow through a conductor that experiences a changing magnetic field. His ideas would not only enable Maxwell's later development of his theory of classical electromagnetism, but would directly lead to the development of the electric dynamo and electric motor, two technological advances that are the very foundations of the modern world. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society .

Speaking of research: oral history and marketing history

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Crawford ◽  
Matthew Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Oral Histories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing History ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
History Of ◽  
Retail Property

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its utility. These case studies are framed within a theme of market research and its historical development in two industries: advertising and retail property. Design/methodology/approach This study examines oral histories from two marketing history projects. The first, a study of the advertising industry, examines the globalisation of the advertising agency in Australia over the period spanning the 1950s to the 1980s, through 120 interviews. The second, a history of the retail property industry in Australia, included 25 interviews with executives from Australia’s largest retail property firms whose careers spanned from the mid-1960s through to the present day. Findings The research demonstrates that oral histories provide a valuable entry port through which histories of marketing, shifts in approaches to market research and changing attitudes within industries can be examined. Interviews provided insights into firm culture and practices; demonstrated the variability of individual approaches within firms and across industries; created a record of the ways that market research has been conducted over time; and revealed the ways that some experienced operators continued to rely on traditional practices despite technological advances in research methods. Originality/value Despite their ubiquity, both the advertising and retail property industries in Australia have received limited scholarly attention. Recent scholarship is redressing this gap, but more needs to be understood about the inner workings of firms in an historical context. Oral histories provide an avenue for developing such understandings. The paper also contributes to broader debates about the role of oral history in business and marketing history.

scholarly journals Art. XXI.—Some Problems of Ancient Indian History

1903 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-570
Author(s):  
A. F. Rudolf Hoernle
Keyword(s):  
Ancient History ◽  
Indian History ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
History Of

It has long been a puzzle to me that no coins of the two great emperors Vikramāditya and Harsha Vardhana should have survived, when we have, in comparatively large numbers, coins of most minor kings before and after them. I believe, however, that coins of these two emperors do exist, though they have not been recognized hitherto. My attention was drawn to them recently, while writing a sketch of the ancient history of India.

A Revolution in Roman History?

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 233-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Osborne ◽  
Caroline Vout
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Roman History ◽  
Political Transformation ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Convincing Case ◽  
Republican Rome ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Individual

Whether or not Syme made a convincing case for revolution at Rome, his Roman Revolution did not effect a revolution in Roman history. To be sure, his choice of where to start and where to end his discussion was unorthodox (if orthodoxy was the old edition of the Cambridge Ancient History or Rice Holmes or the periodization of Oxford Greats), but his relentless focus on individual political actors and their relations with one another differs from the emphasis of earlier scholars only in its priorities and intensity. Whether or not Wallace-Hadrill makes a convincing case for revolution at Rome, Rome's Cultural Revolution is revolutionary. To be sure, the individual parts of the book have been variously anticipated in particular studies, but the insistence that what happens in the history of buildings, instrumentum domesticum, dress, and monuments constitutes not simply the background to a political story, but is itself the story of Late Republican Rome — in W.-H.'s own words ‘that the political transformation of the Roman world is integrally connected to its cultural transformation’ (xix) — challenges the assumptions on which Roman historians have built the history of the Republic ever since Asinius Pollio.

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