Analysis of the first inhabitants of Santiago de Compostela. Doing Science: From Reflections to Scientists

Patxi Pérez Ramallo has a degree in History with a triple major in Archeology, Medieval and Prehistory, after specializing in Bone and Biomolecular Analysis, he participates in the forensic program at the University of the Basque Country and is currently on scholarship at the Max Planck Institute for Geosciences. In recent years, she has analyzed human remains from the cemetery of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and from nearly 30 sites found along the northern and French routes: A Coruña, Lugo, Oviedo, Logroño, Burgos, Pamplona, ​​Roncevalles, Jaca. … In all, the remains of more than 200 people who lived along the Camino de Santiago in the Middle Ages, or who died while performing a pilgrimage, have been analysed. The latest study he leads, which was published recently, focuses on the early medieval inhabitants of Santiago de Compostela. The remains that I analyzed appeared in the crypt of the cathedral. In all, 33 individuals who lived between the ninth and twelfth centuries had their graves salvaged from reconstruction work carried out on the cathedral in the mid-20th century. Their studies allow to obtain information about their origin, diet and social class.

This Thursday, November 3, at 7:00 pm, a new edition of the “They Do Science” course will begin in the Piedbarretta Library Boardroom. One of the strengths of the month is particularly rich in outreach activities. Elisa Garrido Moreno (Researcher and Professor of Art History at the Autonomous University of Madrid) will give a lecture entitled “Less Ideas, More Scholars: Revision of Art History”.

We are familiar with the work of researcher at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics Maurizio de Pittà, one of the authors of the first cognitive circuit model that includes, in addition to neurons, glial cells. When their existence was discovered, these cells were thought to serve only to support neurons, the true architects of thought. However, glial cells have been detected for years as an active and essential part of our cognitive abilities. The newly presented model has implications for technology, including the role of glial cells in the concept of neural networks used in artificial intelligence.