Our posterior probability threshold of 0.95 for sex estimate corresponds to the traditional sectioning point used in osteological studies. DSP2 software is replacing the former version that should not be used anymore. DSP2 is a robust and reliable technique for sexing adult os coxae, and is also user friendly.

Very little is known about Neanderthal cultures, particularly early ones. Other than lithic implements and exceptional bone tools, very few artefacts have been preserved. While those that do remain include red and black pigments and burial sites, these indications of modernity are extremely sparse and few have been precisely dated, thus greatly limiting our knowledge of these predecessors of modern humans. Here we report the dating of annular constructions made of broken stalagmites found deep in Bruniquel Cave in southwest France. The regular geometry of the stalagmite circles, the arrangement of broken stalagmites and several traces of fire demonstrate the anthropogenic origin of these constructions. Uranium-series dating of stalagmite regrowths on the structures and on burnt bone, combined with the dating of stalagmite tips in the structures, give a reliable and replicated age of 176.5 thousand years (±2.1 thousand years), making these edifices among the oldest known well-dated constructions made by humans. Their presence at 336 metres from the entrance of the cave indicates that humans from this period had already mastered the underground environment, which can be considered a major step in human modernity.

Entheseal changes have been widely used in anthropology to study activity patterns, but there is an increasing awareness that ageing is associated with these changes. The aim of this study was to test each feature of the new Coimbra method for its variability, side asymmetry and its relationship with age. In addition to this, an overall relationship with age was tested for a larger sample. Males 16 and over from the Coimbra skeletal collection of historically identified individuals were recorded using the new method (N = 260). To reduce the impact of occupation, side variability in asymmetry and age were only tested in the labourers (N = 51). All occupation groups were included to test the overall relationship with age using a random forest test. The results show that scores lack variability for many of the features and entheses. Where there is side asymmetry this is typically in favour of higher scores in the right side, excepting the biceps brachii insertion. Most of the features scored show a relationship with ageing, but this is not uniform for all features or entheses. Some features are associated with an increase in age (bone formation and erosions), while others generally occur in younger individuals (fine porosity and textural change). Logistic regression showed that ageing explains at most 44% of the variability. This alongside the side asymmetry may indicate that biomechanics has an explanatory role.