Museum of the History of Science

The Deep Maniots, an isolated population at the southernmost tip of mainland Greece, have drawn scholarly interest for their unique dialect, culture, and patrilineal clan structure. Geographically shielded by the Mani Peninsula, they are thought to have been minimally affected by 6th-century CE migrations that transformed Balkan demography. To investigate their genetic origins, we analysed Y-DNA and mtDNA from 102 Deep Maniots using next-generation sequencing. Paternally, Deep Maniots exhibit an exceptional prevalence (~80%) of West Asian haplogroup J-M172 (J2a), with subclade J-L930 accounting for ~50% of lineages. We identify Bronze Age Greek ancestry in Y-haplogroups nearly absent elsewhere, highlighting their longstanding genetic isolation. The absence of northeast European-related paternal lineages, common in other mainlandGreeks, suggests preservation of southern Greece's pre-Medieval genetic landscape. Y-haplogroup phylogeny reveals strong founder effects dated to ~380-670 CE, while the emergence of clan-based social structure is estimated around 1350 CE, centuries earlier than previously thought. In contrast, maternal lineages display greater heterogeneity, primarily originating from ancient Balkan, Levantine, and West Eurasian sources. These results align with historical and anthropological accounts, showcasing Deep Maniots as a genetic snapshot of pre-Medieval southern Greece, offering new perspectives on population continuity and mobility in the Late Antique eastern Mediterranean.

This paper examines the Church of England’s internal conflict over the ordination of women and the role of the Five Guiding Principles. It highlights the theological incoherence of fully affirming women’s priestly ordination while simultaneously accommodating those who reject it. This compromise, rooted in the 1993 Act of Synod, effectively created two parallel churches. The paper traces how parliamentary pressure, especially from the Ecclesiastical Committee, forced the Church into granting structural concessions, most importantly Provincial Episcopal Visitors, that undermined sacramental unity. Many MPs prioritised protecting dissenters over promoting gender equality, which resulted in permanent division. This is briefly contrasted with the 2014 women bishops’ legislation, where Parliament was much clearer in its demand for full equality. It concludes by suggesting the Church’s current division over women’s ministry stems from decisions made in 1993, reflecting panicked compromises rather than coherent ecclesiology.

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This community case study presents the process a multi-partner project took to develop accessible and engaging science-related activities for children with SEND and their families. Designed for use in museums, community outreach events, or at home, these resources reinforce science learning beyond the classroom. The History of Science Museum, RAL Space and Iffley Academy—a specialist school for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)—co-created a suite of outreach activities to be used by educators, ambassadors, parents or guardians to engage pupils with SEND in science. The project followed a relational model of engagement with classroom consultations with the same 11 pupils over several months, guided by a community outreach officer. Students made direct, significant contributions to the design and content of the resources. Co-creation ensured the resources were accessible and fostered an inclusive whole-family learning experience. The project has influenced the museum's and RAL Space's approaches to inclusive resource development and evaluation, while significantly improving the students' science capital and social-emotional development.

Abstract In the early 19th century J.-B. Rousseau included the following phrase in his reading of the well-known inscription from the Umayyad site of Qaṣr al-Ḥayr al-Sharqī – ‘… This town (madīna) was built by order of ʿAbd Allāh Hishām, Commander of the Believers …’. A century later Charles Clermont-Ganneau argued that the Arabic term in question was miʾdhana rather than madīna. The revised reading was rejected (or ignored) by successive generations of scholars, but new data shows that Clermont-Ganneau was right. This paper examines the reasons for the rejection of the miʾdhana reading and outlines the implications of its reinstatement.

Contraceptive side effects are consistently given as the main reason why women are dissatisfied with contraception or choose not to use it. However, why some women suffer more from side effects remains unknown. Through inductive analysis of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 40 contraceptive users and 3 key informants in Central Oromia, Ethiopia, we explored women's rationales for variation in side-effect experiences. The data first reveal the wide diversity in type and severity of side-effect experiences reported by users of contraception. Second, we found that women's rationales for why some individuals suffer more side effects from contraception invoke economic and physical hardship (food insecurity and heavy workloads), as well as interindividual differences in biology (one's blood must 'fit' with contraception). Finally, the analysis revealed the tension many women face in trying to negotiate the trade-off between the consequences of these side effects and those of an unwanted pregnancy. The results show the value of using a biosocial approach, which centres women's voices and experiences, for informing the measurement of contraceptive side effects within population health surveys and clinical trials. Additionally, the findings helpgain an understanding of how an individual's social, biological, and cultural contexts drive variation in when and why different side effects manifest.

Abstract Trace fossils record the interactions between organisms and their surroundings, and can therefore provide unique insights into the coevolution of trace makers and the environment. However, identifying the producers of trace fossils is challenging because different animals can create very similar traces and many ichnotaxa can therefore only be attributed to broad morphological grades. For example, simple horizontal traces like Gordia are generally suggested to have been produced by vermiform organisms, potentially encompassing a range of animal phyla. This uncertainty makes it difficult to decipher their palaeobiological significance through major evolutionary events and episodes of environmental change. We have developed new mathematical approaches for identifying previously unrecognized signatures left by the trace makers of simple marine locomotory traces. We calculated the deviation angle series of self‐crossing traces made by extant isopods, polychaetes, gastropods and nematodes, computing the frequency spectrum and autocorrelation function in each case. The results reveal that each of these taxa left unique markers during the trace‐making process, reflecting differences in their anatomy and locomotory behaviour. We were able to identify the possible trace makers of several early Palaeozoic Gordia specimens, demonstrating that ichnospecies within the same ichnogenus can be created by distantly related animals with very different morphologies and/or behaviours. This novel mathematical framework has great potential for identifying the possible producers of diverse trace fossils through deep time, helping to uncover the earliest evidence of certain animals or behaviours. It also has great potential for quantifying ichnotaxonomy, consolidating the link between ichnology and palaeobiology.

Comune: Tivoli (Rome) Provincia: Rome Regione: Lazio The Universities of Pavia and Oxford continued their investigations in Villa Adriana, in the area called Plutonium, traditionally interpreted as a reproduction of the Underworld, and located on one of the highest rises of the complex, in the East part of the Villa. 1

Burying beetles (Silphidae) and mites (Acari) have a well-established mutualistic interaction, and the phoretic mites will accompany their host even after its death. A voucher specimen of Nicrophorus vespillo (L., 1758) housed in the historical collection at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) was examined for its 456 plus phoretic mites, which were carefully glued to cardboard slides and preserved together with the beetle carrier. Due to the fragility of the samples, only the Mesostigmata mites were prepared for mounting and further species identification. With the addition of 6 hypopi of Histiostomatidae, a total of 462 mites were identified. Four hypopi were found attached on the Parasitidae dorsal shields and two glued to the cardboard surface. The remaining 456 were composed of 445 specimens of two populations of Poecilochirus carabi Canestrini and Canestrini, 1882 (Parasitidae), and 11 specimens identified as two populations of Macrocheles nataliae Bregetova et Koroleva, 1960. We discuss the interaction and diversity of the numerous mites recorded on a single N. vespillo host. We propose that the presence of different populations of phoretic mites on a single carrier is beneficial to the mites, increasing their chances of outbreeding, adding to their genetic diversity. This study reports a new record of Acari-to-Acari hyperphoresy.