UCL Archaeological Conference 2017 (Update)

There's some interesting stuff out there.  Check out these abstracts from the UCL conference coming up next week.

Link updated.  Abstract book and conference booklet under "Abstract Submission and Sessions"
The Conference booklet has all the details.

Something here for everybody across time and space.  Here's some items of interest.  I'll expand on the first one:

 -  "Disentangling the expansion of major European mitochondrial DNA lineages"

 "Phylogenetics aims to investigate the evolutionary history within or between species by identifying relationships between DNA sequences comparing multiple genomes. Looking at the female line of descent, the majority of themodern-day European population (~40%) belongs to mitochondrial (mt)DNA haplogroup H. However, its sister clades within HV(xH,V) areobserved at higher frequencies in Southern Europe and the Near East and most of these show a post-glacial expansion, suggestive of a Near Eastern origin and subsequent Mesolithic spread into Europe. On the other hand, analysis of ancient DNA infers that haplogroup H first appeared in the Early Neolithic, with the lineages that subsequently came to dominate across Europe becoming established during the Middle Neolithic period. H reached higher frequencies again during the appearance of the Bell Beaker culture in the Copper Age, but its complex evolutionary history makes it still uncertain when and how H became the dominant European haplogroup. Its most common subclades in Western Europe are H1 and H3, which peak in their abundance in modern Iberia. Using phylogenetic and founder analysis, we estimate arrival times of HV(xH,V), H1 and H3 in Central Europe and the British Isles, thus disentangling population movements out of Iberia at different times. Our results show differences in the arrival times of H1 and H3 to Central Europe and the British Isles, with H1 having been involved in more expansions than H3."

-  "Metals and networks on the steppes crossroads:  Bronze Age metallurgy in Semirechye, Kazakhstan"

This study looks deeper into the spread of Chernykh's metallurgical zones and the link between the spread of metallurgy, pastoralism and increasing social complexity.

-  "Understanding the herd:  An ancient DNA study of the cattle of Cladh Hallan"

-  "Different People, Same Communities: a multi-isotope approach at the onset of social complexity in the Western Pyrenees (Basque Country, Spain)

Basically, local and (however) non-local people are buried together, although having an identical diet.  "Individuals from different backgrounds" could just mean differing geologies.  However, the way the abstract is worded in a certain context is a bit tempting.