Paleontology provides insights into the history of the planet, from the origins of life billions of years ago to the biotic changes of the Recent. The scope of paleontological research is as vast as it is varied, and the field is constantly evolving. In an effort to identify “Big Questions” in paleontology, experts from around the world came together to build a list of priority questions the field can address in the years ahead. The 89 questions presented herein (grouped within 11 themes) represent contributions from nearly 200 international scientists. These questions touch on common themes including biodiversity drivers and patterns, integrating data types across spatiotemporal scales, applying paleontological data to contemporary biodiversity and climate issues, and effectively utilizing innovative methods and technology for new paleontological insights. In addition to these theoretical questions, discussions touch upon structural concerns within the field, advocating for an increased valuation of specimen-based research, protection of natural heritage sites, and the importance of collections infrastructure, along with a stronger emphasis on human diversity, equity, and inclusion. These questions offer a starting point—an initial nucleus of consensus that paleontologists can expand on—for engaging in discussions, securing funding, advocating for museums, and fostering continued growth in shared research directions.

The River Thames, winding through the English capital of London, is the source of a substantial archaeological assemblage that includes hundreds of human bones, but the lack of a robust chronology for these finds limits interpretation. Here, 30 new radiocarbon dates are reported for the human remains. In combination with other available dates (some of which are also published here for the first time), this improved chronological framework demonstrates a predominance of Bronze and Iron Age dates and emphasises the need to explore the Thames assemblage in the broader context of watery deposition practices of later prehistoric north-west Europe.

The expensive-tissue hypothesis (ETH) posited a brain–gut trade-off to explain how humans evolved large, costly brains. Versions of the ETH interrogating gut or other body tissues have been tested in non-human animals, but not humans. We collected brain and body composition data in 70 South Asian women and used structural equation modelling with instrumental variables, an approach that handles threats to causal inference including measurement error, unmeasured confounding and reverse causality. We tested a negative, causal effect of the latent construct ‘nutritional investment in brain tissues’ (MRI-derived brain volumes) on the construct ‘nutritional investment in lean body tissues’ (organ volume and skeletal muscle). We also predicted a negative causal effect of the brain latent on fat mass. We found negative causal estimates for both brain and lean tissue (−0.41, 95% CI, −1.13, 0.23) and brain and fat (−0.56, 95% CI, −2.46, 2.28). These results, although inconclusive, are consistent with theory and prior evidence of the brain trading off with lean and fat tissues, and they are an important step in assessing empirical evidence for the ETH in humans. Analyses using larger datasets, genetic data and causal modelling are required to build on these findings and expand the evidence base.

The washing of synthetic materials has been named as the largest contributor of microplastic pollution to our oceans. With the consumption of petrochemical-based synthetic materials expected to grow, due to an increased demand, the release of microplastic fibres to our environments is expected to also accelerate. To combat microplastic fibre release, this study explores source-directed interventions within the design and manufacturing process of textiles to reduce the amount of pollution released from the surface and the edges of the fabric structure. Using standardised wash tests and polyester fabric swatches that were created in-house with systematic structural adjustments, single jersey knit fabrics were shown to release over three times more microplastic pollution than twill woven fabric. This illustrates that increasing the tightness of a fabric could be implemented within the design of fabrics for environmental benefits. Additionally, the laser cutting technique reduced microplastic fibres released by over a third compared to scissor cutting and overlock serging, showing that the edge of the fabric is a significant source of microplastic pollution released during laundering. This research highlights the adaptable and innovative eco-design approaches to clothing production which is necessary to help the sector reach international sustainability targets and regulations.

This paper describes a collaborative approach to professional learning that has provided an opportunity for refreshed practices and growth in capacity in schools supporting students with various learning needs in several schools that are part of the Association of Independent Schools in the Australian Capital Territory. An action research approach to professional learning for school staff was facilitated with the participating schools in 2018/2019, centred on the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability.

Two new conulariid species, Conularia clarkei Babcock and C. paraguayensis Babcock from the Vargas Peña Shale, are the first Silurian conulariids to be described from Paraguay. They increase to three the number of Silurian species to be described from South America. The concept of Conularia Miller in Sowerby, 1820, is emended. It includes as junior synonyms Conularia (Plectoconularia) Bouček, 1939, Diconularia Sinclair, 1952, and Yangoconularia Xu and Li, 1985. The age of the Vargas Peña Shale has long been disputed, but conclusions based on organic-walled microfossils indicate an Early Silurian (Llandoverian) age for the unit.

Child neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment in the United States, and poses a serious public health concern. Children who survive such episodes go on to experience long-lasting psychological and behavioral problems, including higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, depression, alcohol and drug abuse, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and cognitive deficits. To date, most research into the causes of these life-long problems has focused on well-established targets such as stress responsive systems, including the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis. Using the maternal separation and early weaning model, we have attempted to provide comprehensive molecular profiling of a model of early-life neglect in an organism amenable to genomic manipulation: the mouse. In this article, we report new findings generated with this model using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, diffuse tensor magnetic resonance imaging, and behavioral analyses. We also review the validity of the maternal separation and early weaning model, which reflects behavioral deficits observed in neglected humans including hyperactivity, anxiety, and attentional deficits. Finally, we summarize the molecular characterization of these animals, including RNA profiling and label-free proteomics, which highlight protein translation and myelination as novel pathways of interest.

Normative and reliability data for the Excluded Letter Fluency (ELF) Test are provided. A stratified random sample of 399 healthy young adults aged 18 to 34 years from Sydney, Australia, completed the ELF Test as well as a full-length WAIS-R, as part of a larger battery of tests. After a 1-year interval 99 of these individuals were retested on the same forms of the tests. The influence of age, sex and education was investigated on the ELF and only education was found to have a significant overall effect on the total scores. However, gender was found to have an effect on the error scores, with males making more rule-breaks than females. Tables are provided for converting ELF raw scores, corrected for years of education, to standard scores with 90% and 95% confidence intervals for both test and retest purposes. A table for calculating the base rate of errors, for males and for females, on the ELF is also provided.

An assessment of the long-term outcome for depression and anxiety disorders in a general population was made as part of the Stirling County Study. Measuring outcome as a dichotomy between experiencing recurrent episodes or not during a 17-year cohort interval, it was found that 56% of the ‘cases’ had a poor prognosis. While sex, age and level of severity were not significantly related to outcome, an initial diagnosis of depression was predictive of unfavourable prognosis. Only a few of these ‘cases’ received psychiatric specialty treatment. Some disorders in the community appear, however, to be as serious as those that come to the attention of psychiatrists.

A computer programme (DPAX) was constructed for a longitudinal study of psychiatric epidemiology in Stirling County (Canada). It identifies disorders involving the syndromes of depression and anxiety based on responses given in structured questionnaire interviews. The programme follows a diagnostic algorithm that uses criteria for: (1) essential features; (2) number, frequency, and pattern of associated symptoms; (3) impairment; and (4) duration. The programme reproduces case evaluations provided by psychiatrists, as conveyed by a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 98%.

At the IAU XXVI General Assembly in 2006, the Division I decided to create the Working Group on Astrometry by Small Ground-Based Telescopes (WG-ASGBT). Its scientic goals are to foster the follow-up of small bodies detected by the large surveys including the NEOs; to set-up a dedicated observation network for the follow-up of objects which will be detected by Gaia; to contribute to the observation campaigns of the mutual events of natural satellites, stellar occultations, and binary asteroids; and to encourage teaching astrometry for the next generation. The present report gives the main activities carried out in these areas with small telescopes (diameter less than 2m).

Throughout their lives massive stars modify their environment through their ionizing photons and strong stellar winds. Here, I present coupled radiation-hydrodynamic calculations of the evolution of the bubbles and nebulae surrounding massive stars. The evolution is followed from the main sequence through the Wolf-Rayet stage and shows that structures are formed in the ISM out to some tens of parsecs radius. Closer to the star, instabilities lead to the breakup of swept-up wind shells. The photoevaporated flows from the resulting clumps interact with the stellar wind from the central star, which leads to the production of soft X-rays. I examine the consequences for the different observable structures at all time and size scales and evaluate the impact that the massive star has on its environment.