Exceptional preservation of a prehistoric human brain from Heslington,Yorkshire, UK

Archaeological work in advance of construction at a site on the edge of York, UK, yielded human remains of prehistoric to Romano-British date. Amongst these was a mandible and cranium, the intra-cranial space of which contained shrunken but macroscopically recognizable remains of a brain. Although the distinctive surface morphology of the organ is preserved, little recognizable brain histology survives. Though rare, the survival of brain tissue in otherwise skeletalised human remains from wet burial environments is not unique. A survey of the literature shows that similar brain masses have been previously reported in diverse circumstances. We argue for a greater awareness of these brain masses and for more attention to be paid to their detection and identification in order to improve the reporting rate and to allow a more comprehensive study of this rare archaeological survival.     

Memory Politics and Ontological Security in Sino-Japanese Relations

Most international relations (IR) research on the role of collective memory and representations of the past gives the impression that these primarily matter for states constrained internationally by their history as aggressors, such as Japan. How former perpetrator states represent the past is seen as important for bilateral relations because it may affect perceptions in previously victimised states. Representations of the past in the victimised states are seldom dealt with. This article argues that war memory in victimised states is also highly relevant for bilateral relations, since it is closely connected to “ontological security”, or the “security of identity”. By analysing Chinese official documents and Japanese parliamentary debates the article shows how the Chinese government has used representations of the past for ontological security purposes, and how in response Japanese political actors have politicised exhibits at Chinese war museums that are seen as a threat to Japanese identity and interests.     

Island settings and their influence on geographical research methods

This study presents lessons learned from the application of mixed methods during three field visits to central Mediterranean islands over an eight-year period to learn about and from visitors who voluntarily paid to experience ecotourism. The study outlines various challenges encountered in research in small island settings. Such challenges include logistical difficulties to reach islands, including those originating from weather conditions, difficulty in practising observation in small communities, sampling dilemmas, different levels of trust and willingness to disclose views among interview participants, lack of standardised data, language barriers that may limit who conducts research on specific islands, and substantial fluctuations in population size throughout the year. Findings show that the choice and application of methods for island research need to be informed by island dynamics; this entails adapting methods and using different data collection techniques to mitigate challenges arising from island settings. The study also outlines the need of more research in the application of mixed methods when studying islands.