National Museum Scotland

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    Did sturgeon ever breed in Britain? Evaluating historical evidence and conservation implications
    (2026-07-01)
    Turvey, Samuel T
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    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.
      4
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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.
      4
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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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    Ceramic Resource disc 10 - Thistle Pottery Portobello Buchan's hand painted stoneware
    (2006)
    Haggarty, George
    All the ceramic material catalogued on the enclosed CD ROM. originating from the Buchan’s pottery Portobello was recovered during a program of work carried out by CFA Archaeology, Project Code (Leit 4), for the City of Edinburgh, under the management of John Lawson. It has been catalogued by fabric, type, and decoration, in Microsoft Word Files 1 to 25 and marked with the accession number beginning AR 643 / 1 / 10. The material will be housed in the City of Edinburgh storage facility at Broughton Market where it can be inspected on request. A few glass bottles and some waste were also recovered and these items have been catalogued in Word File 26 beginning with accession number AR 643 / 123 / 10.
      2  1
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    Lancefield Quay Ceramic Resource Disc 5 (Verreville Pottery)
    Haggarty, George
    The ceramic material listed, described, and photographed, on the enclosed ceramic resource disk, comes from an archaeological excavation funded by, and carried out at Lancefield Quay on the banks of the River Clyde and almost certainly a dumping ground in the 1850 for the nearby Verreville pottery and later from a Stoneware pottery. The ceramic material is generally in a very poor state as much of it has been stained by iron etc. I have sorted out from the mass what I thought important by fabric type, decoration, and form, into (30 Word Files). This material has been assigned to Glasgow Museums and was catalogued using there accession numbers (GM 2006. 06. 1 to 96) and (illus 1 to 92). The material will be housed in Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, 200 Woodland Road, South Nitshill Industrial Estate, Glasgow G53 7NN: Tel 0141 276 9300 where it will be available for study
      1  1
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    The laboratories of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland volume 1
    (1980)
    Tate, Jim
    This modest booklet, compiled and edited by members of staff in the laboratories, is intended to outline and exemplify activities currently in progress.
      1
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    Ceramic resource disc: later pottery & porcelain from Ronaldson Wharf Leith
    Haggarty, George
    The Leith Ronaldson’s Wharf excavations carried out by the City of Edinburgh Archaeological Servicein 1997. This large urban excavation covered two large areas either side of the medieval main street Sandport Street laid out formally in the 12th century overlying and incorporating the pre burgh fishing settlement and port. The excavations uncovered extensive remains dating from the early foundation of the settlement (thought to be in the 10/11th centuries) up to the 20th century.
      18  1
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