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    Item type:Journal article,
    Did sturgeon ever breed in Britain? Evaluating historical evidence and conservation implications
    (2026-07-01)
    Turvey, Samuel T
    ;
    Mccormick, Hannah
    ;
    Colclough, Steve R
    ;
    Snyderman, Lucia S
    ;
    Collins Rupert A
    Historical archives can provide unique perspectives on past biodiversity and have the potential to reconstruct life-history cycles for lost populations. Two sturgeon species (Acipenser sturio and A. oxyrinchus) are historically documented from Britain, but evidence for whether sturgeon formerly bred in British rivers has not been systematically evaluated. British sturgeon records mainly sourced from nineteenth- and twentieth-century newspapers contain >10 records from 24 rivers and >50 records from nine rivers, with 196 records from the Severn. River records show strong spring–summer seasonality matching the timing of spawning migrations in extant populations, with multiple individuals often reported together and numerous records of fish in spawning condition. Historical accounts and historical and archaeological specimens document individuals below the size at which young sturgeon leave natal estuaries, and indicate small individuals remained in estuaries outside the spawning period. The species identity of sturgeon mentioned in historical accounts is hard to determine, although most juvenile British specimens probably represent A. oxyrinchus. Assessment of multiple archives provides strong evidence of past sturgeon breeding in many British rivers throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century, establishing a new baseline for interpreting sturgeon as native British species with important implications for their potential reintroduction.
      3
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    Phylogenomic discordance and ancestral variation in rapidly radiating felids
    (2026-08-03)
    Yuan, Jiaqing
    ;
    Jiangzuo, Qigao
    ;
    Ting, Sun
    ;
    Ren, Yandong
    ;
    Zhou, Qianting
    Phylogenetic discordance, where genetic and phenotypic signals conflict, challenges our understanding of evolutionary histories in rapidly radiating species. In this study, we investigated these dynamics in the felid genera Otocolobus, Prionailurus, and Felis, focusing on Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul), to elucidate how genetics and natural selection shape rapid radiations. Comparative morphological analyses and whole-genome comparisons among these cats, combined with whole-genome resequencing, reveal a complex evolutionary history shaped by extensive ancestral incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) together with ancient introgression. Despite its predominantly Prionailurus-like genome background, Pallas’s cat shares marked cranial and ecological similarities with Felis species inhabiting arid environments. These similarities may reflect the contribution of standing ancestral variation together with later habitat-associated selection. Genes associated with craniofacial development, lipid metabolism, and fur development were enriched among candidate regions and may have contributed to the Pallas’s cat’s observed phenotypic differentiation. Our findings suggest that ancestral genomic variation retained in discordant genealogical backgrounds may provide material for later ecological selection.
      3
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    Scottish seal matrices: a Treasure Trove dataset
    (2025)
    Paul, Ella
    ;
    Blackwell, Alice
    This paper introduces a research project into the rich but much understudied dataset of seal matrices recorded by Scotland’s Treasure Trove Unit. The project synthesises the data and, for the first time, considers the development of late medieval Scottish matrices in a wider British context. Preliminary observations suggest the Scottish material has some key differences, for example in form and material choice, legend types, and matrices of women. The paper also touches upon the difficult question of regionalised variances and explores some of the limits of the dataset. There is a predominant focus on seal matrices of lower status individuals and this is placed into the wider context of chance finds in Britain, mostly recovered through the increasingly popular activity of metal detecting.
      3
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    Fieldwork images taken at the German Spy Museum, Berlin, Germany_2022
    Gledhill, Jim
    ;
    National Museums Scotland
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    Item type:Collection,
      247
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    Fieldwork images taken at at IWM, Duxford, England_2022
    Douthwaite, Jessica
    ;
    National Museums Scotland
      5
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    Item type:Exhibition,
      4