Techniques that are currently available for estimating stature and body mass from European skeletal remains are all subject to various limitations. Here, we develop new prediction equations based on large skeletal samples representing much of the continent and temporal periods ranging from the Mesolithic to the 20th century. Anatomical reconstruction of stature is carried out for 501 individuals, and body mass is calculated from estimated stature and biiliac breadth in 1,145 individuals. These data are used to derive stature estimation formulae based on long bone lengths and body mass estimation formulae based on femoral head breadth. Prediction accuracy is superior to that of previously available methods. No systematic geographic or temporal variation in prediction errors is apparent, except in tibial estimation of stature, where northern and southern European formulae are necessary because of the presence of relatively longer tibiae in southern samples. Thus, these equations should bebroadly applicable to European Holocene skeletal samples.

Highlights d Four ancient Treponema pallidum genomes from early modern Europe were reconstructed d The genomes are highly diverse and include syphilis, yaws, and an unknown lineage d The new ancient T. pallidum lineage is a basal sister group to yaws and bejel d Molecular clock dating would allow a pre-Columbian origin of T. pallidum in Europe

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View related articles Citing articles: 22 View citing articles This paper forms part of a series describing the research and recommendations of a Subsistence Fisheries Task Group (SFTG), which was appointed in 1999 by the Chief Director of Marine & Coastal Management of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to develop recommendations for the future management of subsistence fishers in South Africa. Full details on the composition of the SFTG, the reasons for their appointment and the process followed are provided by Harris et al. (2002). At the start of their deliberations, the SFTG undertook to consult and inform themselves on the principal issues relating to the management of subsistence fishers. This was done through two nationwide surveys in which informants all over the country were questioned regarding the existence of subsistence fishers, the nature of their activities and their socioeconomic status. This paper documents the results of the first survey. The study was designed to obtain a broad overview of subsistence fishing activities in South Africa. The intention was to collect information from as many fishing communities across the country as possible, to provide a broad understanding of subsistence fishing activity in all parts of the country with a view to informing further, more detailed investigations, and to assist in the development of a more concise definition of what constitutes subsistence fishing activity in South Africa. Subsistence fishers have only recently been formally recognized in South Africa and there is still much debate about exactly what constitutes subsistence use of marine resources (see Branch et al. 2002). Until the Marine Living Resources Act came into force in 1998, these fishers were generally labeled as informal fishers or poachers. Numerous other studies have been undertaken on subsistence fishing activity in South Africa, but all have focused on relatively small areas, mostly along the East

Background and aims: The role of nutrition in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer is not fully understood. Milk products are an essential part of human nutrition in Western countries. Absorption of lactose, the main sugar of milk, is regulated by the activity of the lactase enzyme in the gut wall. The activity of lactase is genetically determined and is associated with a C/T single nucleotide polymorphism residing 13910 bp upstream of the lactase coding sequence. Here we have studied the relationship between the C/T 213910 polymorphism and colorectal cancer in Finnish, British, and Spanish populations. Patients and methods: A total of 2766 subjects, including 963 Finnish, 283 British, and 163 Spanish subjects with colorectal cancer, and 773 Finnish, 363 British, and 221 Spanish control subjects, were genotyped for the C/T 213910 variant by polymerase chain reaction minisequencing. Results: The C/C 213910 genotype, which is a robust molecular marker of low lactase activity (lactase nonpersistence), was found to significantly associate with the risk of colorectal cancer (p = 0.015) in the Finnish subjects, with an odds ratio of 1.40 (95% confidence interval 1.07-1.85). No association was found with site, histology, or stage of the tumour. No significant risk was detected in the British or Spanish populations. Conclusion: Low lactase enzyme activity, defined by genotyping of the C/T 213910 variant, may increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of milk and other dairy products in the pathogenesis of colon cancer in different populations.