Latest news with #UniversityofFerrara
Business Wire
02-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
BREZTRI met primary endpoints in KALOS and LOGOS Phase III trials in asthma
WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Positive high-level results from the Phase III KALOS and LOGOS trials in patients with uncontrolled asthma showed that AstraZeneca's fixed-dose triple-combination therapy BREZTRI AEROSPHERE (budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate or BGF (320/28.8/9.6μg)) met all primary endpoints, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in lung function compared with dual-combination inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta2-agonist (ICS/LABA) medicines. KALOS and LOGOS were replicate, randomized, double-blind trials designed to investigate BREZTRI as a potential treatment for asthma. 1,2 The trials evaluated the efficacy and safety of BREZTRI versus maintenance treatment with ICS/LABA in adults and adolescents with uncontrolled asthma. 1,2 Asthma is a common, chronic respiratory disease characterized by inflammation and muscle tightening in the airway (bronchoconstriction), which can make it difficult to breathe. 3 As many as 262 million people worldwide are affected by asthma, 3 and it is estimated that nearly half of those treated with dual therapy remain uncontrolled, which can significantly limit lung function and decrease quality of life. 4,5 Alberto Papi, Professor and Chair of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Ferrara, and Director of the Respiratory Unit, CardioRespiratory Department, S. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara, Italy, and primary investigator, said: 'Despite advancements in asthma treatments, millions of patients remain uncontrolled, which can cause frequent breathlessness, coughing and wheezing, significantly impacting their ability to perform daily activities. The results from the KALOS and LOGOS trials are exciting and demonstrate the potential of budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol to evolve the standard of care to more effectively treat asthma in a single inhaled triple therapy for patients who remain uncontrolled with dual maintenance therapy.' Sharon Barr, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: 'We are excited by the positive results from the KALOS and LOGOS trials, which demonstrate that BREZTRI could help improve the lives of the millions of patients living with asthma. These asthma data build on the well-established profile of BREZTRI in COPD, and we look forward to sharing with regulatory authorities to bring this important medicine to a wider group of patients.' There were no new safety or tolerability signals identified for BREZTRI in KALOS or LOGOS. Full results from the two Phase III trials will be shared with regulatory authorities and presented at an upcoming medical meeting. BREZTRI is an inhaled triple-combination therapy approved for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults in more than 80 countries worldwide including the US, EU, China and Japan. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION BREZTRI AEROSPHERE ® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol BREZTRI is contraindicated in patients who have a hypersensitivity to budesonide, glycopyrrolate, formoterol fumarate, or product excipients BREZTRI is not indicated for treatment of asthma. Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) monotherapy for asthma is associated with an increased risk of asthma-related death. These findings are considered a class effect of LABA monotherapy. When a LABA is used in fixed-dose combination with ICS, data from large clinical trials do not show a significant increase in the risk of serious asthma-related events (hospitalizations, intubations, death) compared with ICS alone. Available data do not suggest an increased risk of death with use of LABA in patients with COPD BREZTRI should not be initiated in patients with acutely deteriorating COPD, which may be a life-threatening condition BREZTRI is NOT a rescue inhaler. Do NOT use to relieve acute symptoms; treat with an inhaled short-acting beta2-agonist BREZTRI should not be used more often than recommended; at higher doses than recommended; or in combination with LABA-containing medicines, due to risk of overdose. Clinically significant cardiovascular effects and fatalities have been reported in association with excessive use of inhaled sympathomimetic drugs Oropharyngeal candidiasis has occurred in patients treated with orally inhaled drug products containing budesonide. Advise patients to rinse their mouths with water without swallowing after inhalation Lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, have been reported following ICS. Physicians should remain vigilant for the possible development of pneumonia in patients with COPD as the clinical features of pneumonia and exacerbations frequently overlap Due to possible immunosuppression, potential worsening of infections could occur. Use with caution. A more serious or fatal course of chickenpox or measles can occur in susceptible patients Particular care is needed for patients transferred from systemic corticosteroids to ICS because deaths due to adrenal insufficiency have occurred in patients during and after transfer. Taper patients slowly from systemic corticosteroids if transferring to BREZTRI Hypercorticism and adrenal suppression may occur with regular or very high dosage in susceptible individuals. If such changes occur, consider appropriate therapy Caution should be exercised when considering the coadministration of BREZTRI with long-term ketoconazole and other known strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors. Adverse effects related to increased systemic exposure to budesonide may occur If paradoxical bronchospasm occurs, discontinue BREZTRI immediately and institute alternative therapy Anaphylaxis and other hypersensitivity reactions (eg, angioedema, urticaria or rash) have been reported. Discontinue and consider alternative therapy Use caution in patients with cardiovascular disorders, especially coronary insufficiency, as formoterol fumarate can produce a clinically significant cardiovascular effect in some patients as measured by increases in pulse rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, and also cardiac arrhythmias, such as supraventricular tachycardia and extrasystoles Decreases in bone mineral density have been observed with long-term administration of ICS. Assess initially and periodically thereafter in patients at high risk for decreased bone mineral content Glaucoma and cataracts may occur with long-term use of ICS. Worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma may occur, so use with caution. Consider referral to an ophthalmologist in patients who develop ocular symptoms or use BREZTRI long term. Instruct patients to contact a healthcare provider immediately if symptoms occur Worsening of urinary retention may occur. Use with caution in patients with prostatic hyperplasia or bladder-neck obstruction. Instruct patients to contact a healthcare provider immediately if symptoms occur Use caution in patients with convulsive disorders, thyrotoxicosis, diabetes mellitus, and ketoacidosis or unusually responsive to sympathomimetic amines Be alert to hypokalemia or hyperglycemia Most common adverse reactions in a 52-week trial (incidence ≥ 2%) were upper respiratory tract infection (5.7%), pneumonia (4.6%), back pain (3.1%), oral candidiasis (3.0%), influenza (2.9%), muscle spasms (2.8%), urinary tract infection (2.7%), cough (2.7%), sinusitis (2.6%), and diarrhea (2.1%). In a 24-week trial, adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 2%) were dysphonia (3.3%) and muscle spasms (3.3%) BREZTRI should be administered with extreme caution to patients being treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants, as these may potentiate the effect of formoterol fumarate on the cardiovascular system BREZTRI should be administered with caution to patients being treated with: Strong cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors (may cause systemic corticosteroid effects) Adrenergic drugs (may potentiate effects of formoterol fumarate) Xanthine derivatives, steroids, or non-potassium sparing diuretics (may potentiate hypokalemia and/or ECG changes) Beta-blockers (may block bronchodilatory effects of beta-agonists and produce severe bronchospasm) Anticholinergic-containing drugs (may interact additively). Avoid use with BREZTRI Use BREZTRI with caution in patients with hepatic impairment, as budesonide and formoterol fumarate systemic exposure may increase. Patients with severe hepatic disease should be closely monitored INDICATION BREZTRI AEROSPHERE is indicated for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). LIMITATIONS OF USE Not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm or for the treatment of asthma. Please see full BREZTRI Prescribing Information, including Patient Information. You may report side effects related to AstraZeneca products. Notes Asthma Asthma is a prevalent, chronic respiratory disease affecting as many as 262 million people worldwide, 3 including over 25 million in the US. 6 When uncontrolled, inflammation and muscle tightening in the airway (bronchoconstriction) may cause wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, coughing, and even death. 3,7 Many patients remain uncontrolled despite the availability of standard of care medicines and continue to experience significant limitations on lung function and reduced quality of life. 4,5 KALOS and LOGOS Phase III trials KALOS and LOGOS are replicate confirmatory, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel group, multi-centre, 24-to-52-week variable length Phase III trials to assess the efficacy and safety of BGF (320/28.8/9.6μg and 320/14.4/9.6μg) compared with two fixed-dose, dual-combination therapies of budesonide, an ICS, and formoterol fumarate, a LABA: PT009 (in anAEROSPHERE inhaler) and SYMBICORT pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI). 1,2 KALOS and LOGOS included approximately 4,400 randomized patients. The trial design was optimized to evaluate the 320/28.8/9.6μg dose of BGF. The primary efficacy endpoints for the two individual trials were a change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) area under the curve 0 to 3 hours (AUC0-3) at Week 24 and trough FEV1 over 12-24 weeks and over 24 weeks. 1,2 In addition to the two registrational trials, KALOS and LOGOS, two qualifying trials, LITHOS and VATHOS, 8,9 also met their primary endpoints. LITHOS and VATHOS included approximately 1,000 randomized patients. AstraZeneca in Respiratory & Immunology Respiratory & Immunology, part of AstraZeneca BioPharmaceuticals is a key disease area and growth driver to the Company. AstraZeneca is an established leader in respiratory care with a 50-year heritage and a growing portfolio of medicines in immune-mediated diseases. The Company is committed to addressing the vast unmet needs of these chronic, often debilitating, diseases with a pipeline and portfolio of inhaled medicines, biologics and new modalities aimed at previously unreachable biologic targets. Our ambition is to deliver life-changing medicines that help eliminate COPD as a leading cause of death, eliminate asthma attacks and achieve clinical remission in immune-mediated diseases. AstraZeneca AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 125 countries, and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information, please visit and follow us on social media @AstraZeneca. References Study to Assess PT010 in Adult and Adolescent Participants with Inadequately Controlled Asthma (KALOS) [Online]. Available at: [Last accessed: May 2025]. Study to Assess PT010 in Adult and Adolescent Participants with Inadequately Controlled Asthma (LOGOS) [Online]. Available at: [Last accessed: May 2025]. Global Asthma Network. The Global Asthma Report 2022. [Online]. Available at: [Last accessed: May 2025]. Davis J, et al. Burden of asthma among patients adherent to ICS/LABA: A real-world study. J Asthma. 2019 Mar;56(3):332-340. Buhl R, et al. One-year follow up of asthmatic patients newly initiated on treatment with medium- or high-dose inhaled corticosteroid-long-acting β2-agonist in UK primary care settings. Respir Med. 2020 Feb: 162:105859. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most Recent National Asthma Data. [Online]. Available at: [Last accessed: May 2025]. Fernandes AG, et al. Risk factors for death in patients with severe asthma. J Bras Pneumol. 2014; 40 (4): 364-372. A 12-week Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate Metered Dose Inhaler Relative to Budesonide Metered Dose Inhaler in Participants with Inadequately Controlled Asthma (LITHOS) [Online]. Available at: [Last Accessed: May 2025]. A 24-Week Efficacy and Safety Study to Assess Budesonide and Formoterol Fumarate Metered Dose Inhaler in Adult and Adolescent Participants with Inadequately Controlled Asthma (VATHOS) [Online]. Available at: [Last Accessed: May 2025]. AstraZeneca Data on File. 2025. REF-270910.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Did Neanderthals migrate as far east as China? Discovery of stone tools suggests it's a possibility
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Stone tools unearthed in southwest China helped a mysterious group eke out a living in a cold and harsh environment 60,000 to 50,000 years ago. But whose hands shaped them? The answer could shake up what's known about human origins during this period of the Stone Age, according to new research. Archaeologists excavating the Longtan site in Yunnan province, on the southwestern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, uncovered hundreds of stone artifacts from two trenches dug into the region's reddish, silty clay. The research team determined many of the tools were crafted in the style known as Quina, which is typically regarded as an archaeological signature of Neanderthals, a species of ancient human. The style, or complex, hasn't been found in East Asia before, the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said. 'The discovery at the Longtan site is remarkable, as it documents this particular tradition far (at least 7,000 or 8,000 kilometers) from the region traditionally associated with this techno-cultural complex,' study coauthor Davide Delpiano, a postdoctoral fellow in Paleolithic archaeology at the University of Ferrara in Italy, said via email. Neanderthals roamed Eurasia for some 400,000 years before disappearing 40,000 years ago, but there is no evidence of their remains east of the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia. Neanderthal bones and skeletons have previously been found alongside Quina stone tools at several sites in Western Europe including at the namesake site of La Quina in southwest France. Quina is one of a number of stone tool styles associated with Neanderthals that archaeologists call Mousterian culture. The unprecedented discovery at Longtan had 'significant implications,' Delpiano said, raising two competing possibilities. Neanderthals could have migrated east and reached what's now China, or a different species of ancient human possibly made stone tools uncannily similar to those being made in Europe during this period known as the Middle Paleolithic. The tool set unearthed at Longtan in 2019 and 2020 include scrapers, used to work hides or wood with one sharp side, stone points that might have been attached to wooden spears, and tools that had notches a bit like a saw. In Europe, Neanderthals used Quina stone tools during a dry and cold period 60,000 to 50,000 years ago in a landscape of open woodland. The tools would have helped Neanderthals hunt migrating herds of reindeer, giant deer, horses and bison, according to the study. Quina tools typically had a long period of use and were often retouched and recycled — suggesting they were a response to patchy resources and a highly mobile lifestyle, the researchers wrote. Analysis of ancient pollen grains from Longtan revealed the climate and environment would have been similar in southwestern China to that of Europe. However, the authors found no animal remains at the site, so it's not known whether the humans who lived there hunted similar animals, they said. 'The Quina package represents an adaptation to highly developed mobility strategies: these artifacts were designed to last a long time, as nomadic human groups were forced to search for resources that, due to increasingly harsh climatic conditions, were becoming scarcer,' Delpiano said. It was possible Neanderthals made it as far east as southwest China, or perhaps they encountered other human species in their home territory, an interaction that allowed their stone tool technology to spread eastward, he said. Fossils from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains show Neanderthals lived there about 200,000 years ago at roughly the same time as a sister species known as the Denisovans, who are thought to have lived throughout Asia. The study authors added that skulls found in Xuchang in central China's Henan province also displayed some Neanderthal features, which 'might indicate that human interactions occurred between the West and the East.' 'I would not be surprised if Neanderthals made occasional incursions into Chinese said, the issue is that we currently lack this technological package in the rest of Asia, leaving us without a clear 'breadcrumb trail' to connect in a hypothetical migration path,' Delpiano said. An equally plausible explanation put forward by the study was that the hominins who once called Longtan home — perhaps Denisovans or another unknown species — separately developed the same style of stone tool as Neanderthals in response to the similarly harsh environment. 'While we cannot yet confirm the presence of Neanderthals in China — who were responsible for the Middle Paleolithic (tools) in Europe and Central Asia — we know that their 'sister' species, the Denisovans, were present in the region,' he said.'It is thus tentatively possible to attribute these innovations and ecological adaptations to them,' he said. 'Starting from a base of knowledge — a technological foundation common to European Neanderthals — local groups might have 'reinvented' this tool-making tradition because it was well-suited to their ecological conditions,' Delpiano said. Dongju Zhang, an archaeologist and professor at China's Lanzhou University who wasn't involved in the study, said both hypotheses were plausible, if speculative. More concrete evidence was needed to understand who made the tools, she said. 'To me, it is far too early to give an explanation of the producers of this style in Longtan. I am looking forward to seeing more new finds and more certain human fossil or ancient DNA or paleoproteomic (ancient protein) evidences in East Asia,' she said via email. The only way to prove Neanderthals lived in what's now China is for paleontologists working there to find a Neanderthal fossil in China, said John Shea, a professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University in New York. 'Stone tools are not ID cards,' he said. The new study adds to a body of unresolved questions about how the human story unfolded in Asia before the large-scale arrival of our own species, Homo sapiens, in the region. 'For me, the significance of this paper is that it contributes to an ever-growing list of recent discoveries that highlight Eastern and Southeastern Asia as hotspots for human origins research,' said Ben Utting, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of anthropology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. 'While archaeologists and anthropologists long considered Eastern and Southeastern Asia to be cultural 'backwaters,' these discoveries are helping to reverse that narrative and demonstrate that the humans living in these regions were every bit as behaviorally dynamic and complex as humans living elsewhere at the same time.'
CNN
01-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Did Neanderthals migrate as far east as China? Discovery of stone tools suggests it's a possibility
Stone tools unearthed in southwest China helped a mysterious group eke out a living in a cold and harsh environment 60,000 to 50,000 years ago. But whose hands shaped them? The answer could shake up what's known about human origins during this period of the Stone Age, according to new research. Archaeologists excavating the Longtan site in Yunnan province, on the southwestern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, uncovered hundreds of stone artifacts from two trenches dug into the region's reddish, silty clay. The research team determined many of the tools were crafted in the style known as Quina, which is typically regarded as an archaeological signature of Neanderthals, a species of ancient human. The style, or complex, hasn't been found in East Asia before, the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said. 'The discovery at the Longtan site is remarkable, as it documents this particular tradition far (at least 7,000 or 8,000 kilometers) from the region traditionally associated with this techno-cultural complex,' study coauthor Davide Delpiano, a postdoctoral fellow in Paleolithic archaeology at the University of Ferrara in Italy, said via email. Neanderthals roamed Eurasia for some 400,000 years before disappearing 40,000 years ago, but there is no evidence of their remains east of the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia. Neanderthal bones and skeletons have previously been found alongside Quina stone tools at several sites in Western Europe including at the namesake site of La Quina in southwest France. Quina is one of a number of stone tool styles associated with Neanderthals that archaeologists call Mousterian culture. The unprecedented discovery at Longtan had 'significant implications,' Delpiano said, raising two competing possibilities. Neanderthals could have migrated east and reached what's now China, or a different species of ancient human possibly made stone tools uncannily similar to those being made in Europe during this period known as the Middle Paleolithic. The tool set unearthed at Longtan in 2019 and 2020 include scrapers, used to work hides or wood with one sharp side, stone points that might have been attached to wooden spears, and tools that had notches a bit like a saw. In Europe, Neanderthals used Quina stone tools during a dry and cold period 60,000 to 50,000 years ago in a landscape of open woodland. The tools would have helped Neanderthals hunt migrating herds of reindeer, giant deer, horses and bison, according to the study. Quina tools typically had a long period of use and were often retouched and recycled — suggesting they were a response to patchy resources and a highly mobile lifestyle, the researchers wrote. Analysis of ancient pollen grains from Longtan revealed the climate and environment would have been similar in southwestern China to that of Europe. However, the authors found no animal remains at the site, so it's not known whether the humans who lived there hunted similar animals, they said. 'The Quina package represents an adaptation to highly developed mobility strategies: these artifacts were designed to last a long time, as nomadic human groups were forced to search for resources that, due to increasingly harsh climatic conditions, were becoming scarcer,' Delpiano said. It was possible Neanderthals made it as far east as southwest China, or perhaps they encountered other human species in their home territory, an interaction that allowed their stone tool technology to spread eastward, he said. Fossils from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains show Neanderthals lived there about 200,000 years ago at roughly the same time as a sister species known as the Denisovans, who are thought to have lived throughout Asia. The study authors added that skulls found in Xuchang in central China's Henan province also displayed some Neanderthal features, which 'might indicate that human interactions occurred between the West and the East.' 'I would not be surprised if Neanderthals made occasional incursions into Chinese said, the issue is that we currently lack this technological package in the rest of Asia, leaving us without a clear 'breadcrumb trail' to connect in a hypothetical migration path,' Delpiano said. An equally plausible explanation put forward by the study was that the hominins who once called Longtan home — perhaps Denisovans or another unknown species — separately developed the same style of stone tool as Neanderthals in response to the similarly harsh environment. 'While we cannot yet confirm the presence of Neanderthals in China — who were responsible for the Middle Paleolithic (tools) in Europe and Central Asia — we know that their 'sister' species, the Denisovans, were present in the region,' he said.'It is thus tentatively possible to attribute these innovations and ecological adaptations to them,' he said. 'Starting from a base of knowledge — a technological foundation common to European Neanderthals — local groups might have 'reinvented' this tool-making tradition because it was well-suited to their ecological conditions,' Delpiano said. Dongju Zhang, an archaeologist and professor at China's Lanzhou University who wasn't involved in the study, said both hypotheses were plausible, if speculative. More concrete evidence was needed to understand who made the tools, she said. 'To me, it is far too early to give an explanation of the producers of this style in Longtan. I am looking forward to seeing more new finds and more certain human fossil or ancient DNA or paleoproteomic (ancient protein) evidences in East Asia,' she said via email. The only way to prove Neanderthals lived in what's now China is for paleontologists working there to find a Neanderthal fossil in China, said John Shea, a professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University in New York. 'Stone tools are not ID cards,' he said. The new study adds to a body of unresolved questions about how the human story unfolded in Asia before the large-scale arrival of our own species, Homo sapiens, in the region. 'For me, the significance of this paper is that it contributes to an ever-growing list of recent discoveries that highlight Eastern and Southeastern Asia as hotspots for human origins research,' said Ben Utting, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of anthropology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. 'While archaeologists and anthropologists long considered Eastern and Southeastern Asia to be cultural 'backwaters,' these discoveries are helping to reverse that narrative and demonstrate that the humans living in these regions were every bit as behaviorally dynamic and complex as humans living elsewhere at the same time.'
CNN
01-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Did Neanderthals migrate as far east as China? Discovery of stone tools suggests it's a possibility
Stone tools unearthed in southwest China helped a mysterious group eke out a living in a cold and harsh environment 60,000 to 50,000 years ago. But whose hands shaped them? The answer could shake up what's known about human origins during this period of the Stone Age, according to new research. Archaeologists excavating the Longtan site in Yunnan province, on the southwestern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, uncovered hundreds of stone artifacts from two trenches dug into the region's reddish, silty clay. The research team determined many of the tools were crafted in the style known as Quina, which is typically regarded as an archaeological signature of Neanderthals, a species of ancient human. The style, or complex, hasn't been found in East Asia before, the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said. 'The discovery at the Longtan site is remarkable, as it documents this particular tradition far (at least 7,000 or 8,000 kilometers) from the region traditionally associated with this techno-cultural complex,' study coauthor Davide Delpiano, a postdoctoral fellow in Paleolithic archaeology at the University of Ferrara in Italy, said via email. Neanderthals roamed Eurasia for some 400,000 years before disappearing 40,000 years ago, but there is no evidence of their remains east of the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia. Neanderthal bones and skeletons have previously been found alongside Quina stone tools at several sites in Western Europe including at the namesake site of La Quina in southwest France. Quina is one of a number of stone tool styles associated with Neanderthals that archaeologists call Mousterian culture. The unprecedented discovery at Longtan had 'significant implications,' Delpiano said, raising two competing possibilities. Neanderthals could have migrated east and reached what's now China, or a different species of ancient human possibly made stone tools uncannily similar to those being made in Europe during this period known as the Middle Paleolithic. The tool set unearthed at Longtan in 2019 and 2020 include scrapers, used to work hides or wood with one sharp side, stone points that might have been attached to wooden spears, and tools that had notches a bit like a saw. In Europe, Neanderthals used Quina stone tools during a dry and cold period 60,000 to 50,000 years ago in a landscape of open woodland. The tools would have helped Neanderthals hunt migrating herds of reindeer, giant deer, horses and bison, according to the study. Quina tools typically had a long period of use and were often retouched and recycled — suggesting they were a response to patchy resources and a highly mobile lifestyle, the researchers wrote. Analysis of ancient pollen grains from Longtan revealed the climate and environment would have been similar in southwestern China to that of Europe. However, the authors found no animal remains at the site, so it's not known whether the humans who lived there hunted similar animals, they said. 'The Quina package represents an adaptation to highly developed mobility strategies: these artifacts were designed to last a long time, as nomadic human groups were forced to search for resources that, due to increasingly harsh climatic conditions, were becoming scarcer,' Delpiano said. It was possible Neanderthals made it as far east as southwest China, or perhaps they encountered other human species in their home territory, an interaction that allowed their stone tool technology to spread eastward, he said. Fossils from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains show Neanderthals lived there about 200,000 years ago at roughly the same time as a sister species known as the Denisovans, who are thought to have lived throughout Asia. The study authors added that skulls found in Xuchang in central China's Henan province also displayed some Neanderthal features, which 'might indicate that human interactions occurred between the West and the East.' 'I would not be surprised if Neanderthals made occasional incursions into Chinese said, the issue is that we currently lack this technological package in the rest of Asia, leaving us without a clear 'breadcrumb trail' to connect in a hypothetical migration path,' Delpiano said. An equally plausible explanation put forward by the study was that the hominins who once called Longtan home — perhaps Denisovans or another unknown species — separately developed the same style of stone tool as Neanderthals in response to the similarly harsh environment. 'While we cannot yet confirm the presence of Neanderthals in China — who were responsible for the Middle Paleolithic (tools) in Europe and Central Asia — we know that their 'sister' species, the Denisovans, were present in the region,' he said.'It is thus tentatively possible to attribute these innovations and ecological adaptations to them,' he said. 'Starting from a base of knowledge — a technological foundation common to European Neanderthals — local groups might have 'reinvented' this tool-making tradition because it was well-suited to their ecological conditions,' Delpiano said. Dongju Zhang, an archaeologist and professor at China's Lanzhou University who wasn't involved in the study, said both hypotheses were plausible, if speculative. More concrete evidence was needed to understand who made the tools, she said. 'To me, it is far too early to give an explanation of the producers of this style in Longtan. I am looking forward to seeing more new finds and more certain human fossil or ancient DNA or paleoproteomic (ancient protein) evidences in East Asia,' she said via email. The only way to prove Neanderthals lived in what's now China is for paleontologists working there to find a Neanderthal fossil in China, said John Shea, a professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University in New York. 'Stone tools are not ID cards,' he said. The new study adds to a body of unresolved questions about how the human story unfolded in Asia before the large-scale arrival of our own species, Homo sapiens, in the region. 'For me, the significance of this paper is that it contributes to an ever-growing list of recent discoveries that highlight Eastern and Southeastern Asia as hotspots for human origins research,' said Ben Utting, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of anthropology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. 'While archaeologists and anthropologists long considered Eastern and Southeastern Asia to be cultural 'backwaters,' these discoveries are helping to reverse that narrative and demonstrate that the humans living in these regions were every bit as behaviorally dynamic and complex as humans living elsewhere at the same time.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
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Most ancient Europeans had dark skin, eyes and hair up until 3,000 years ago, new research finds
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Most prehistoric Europeans had dark skin, hair and eyes well into the Iron Age, about 3,000 years ago, new research finds. Scientists found that the genes that cause lighter skin, hair and eyes emerged among early Europeans only about 14,000 years ago, during the late stages of the Paleolithic period — also known as the "Old Stone Age." But these light features were only sporadic until relatively recently, said study senior author Silvia Ghirotto, a geneticist at the University of Ferrara in Italy. Lighter skin may have carried an evolutionary advantage for Europeans because it enabled people to synthesize more vitamin D — needed for healthy bones, teeth and muscles — in Europe's weaker sunlight. But lighter eye color — blue or green, for example — does not seem to have had major evolutionary advantages, and so its emergence may have been driven by chance or sexual selection, Ghirotto told Live Science in an email. Ghirotto and her colleagues analyzed 348 samples of ancient DNA from archaeological sites in 34 countries in Western Europe and Asia, according to research published Feb. 12 on the preprint server bioRxiv, which hasn't been peer-reviewed. The oldest, from 45,000 years ago, was from the Ust'-Ishim individual discovered in 2008 in the Irtysh River region of western Siberia; and another high-quality DNA sample came from the roughly 9,000-year-old SF12 individual from Sweden. But many of the older samples were badly degraded, and so the researchers estimated those individual's pigmentation using "probabilistic phenotype inference" and the HIrisPlex-S system, which can predict eye, hair, and skin color from an incomplete DNA sample. Related: Nearly 170 genes determine hair, skin and eye color, CRISPR study reveals Palaeoanthropologists think the first Homo sapiens permanently arrived in Europe between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago, which meant they weren't that far removed from their modern human ancestors in Africa. As a result, early Europeans initially only had genetics for dark skin, hair and eyes, which rely on hundreds of interconnected genes, Ghirotto said. Even after lighter traits emerged in Europe about 14,000 years ago, however, they only appeared sporadically in individuals until relatively recent times — about 3,000 years ago — when they became widespread, she said. The new study showed that the frequency of people with dark skin was still high in parts of Europe until the Copper Age (also known as the Chalcolithic period, which started about 5,000 years ago in Europe) and in some areas dark skin appeared frequently until even later, Ghirotto said. The researchers found that light eyes emerged among people in Northern and Western Europe between about 14,000 and 4,000 years ago, although dark hair and dark skin were still dominant at that time. (There are outliers, however. A 2024 genetic analysis showed a 1-year-old boy who lived in Europe about 17,000 years ago had dark skin, dark hair and blue eyes.) The genetic basis for lighter skin seems to have emerged in Sweden at about the same time as lighter eyes, but initially it remained relatively rare, Ghirotto said. The researchers also reported a statistical "spike" in the incidence of light eye color at this time, which suggested that blue or green eyes were more prevalent at that time than earlier or later. RELATED STORIES —1,500 ancient European genomes reveal previously hidden waves of migration, study finds —The first Europeans had a striking combination of features —India's evolutionary past tied to huge migration 50,000 years ago and to now-extinct human relatives Carles Lalueza Fox, a palaeogeneticist at Barcelona's Institute of Evolutionary Biology, is an expert on early European pigmentation but was not involved in the latest study. It was a "surprise" to learn that some European individuals had inherited genes for darker pigmentation up until the Iron Age, which was relatively recent in genetic terms, he told Live Science in an email. While the new research charts the emergence of traits like lighter skin, hair and eyes, the reasons these traits could have become an evolutionary advantage are still not well understood, he added.
