Even though children’s malignant bone tumours are rare, it is crucial to understand how to identify and stage them accurately to develop an appropriate treatment plan. Ewing’s sarcoma and osteosarcoma are the two main paediatric bone malignancies and require multidisciplinary treatment involving radiologists, orthopaedists, oncologists, pathologists, and paediatricians. These neoplasms may be associated with genetic syndromes but typically occur in patients with no known germline abnormalities. With a frequency of 4.4 per million, osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumour in children. Ewing’s sarcoma has an incidence of 2.5 to 3 per million, making it the second most prevalent. Clinically, these neoplasms present with pain and inflammation in the bones and joints, nocturnal pain unresponsive to drug therapy, systemic symptoms such as fever or weight loss, and persistent symptoms—all of which should prompt clinicians to initiate further diagnostic investigations. The gold standard for diagnosis includes X-ray examination and MRI, which provide an accurate assessment of tumour extension into the medullary canal and surrounding soft tissues. Fluorine-18-labelled FDG-PET scans or fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography are valuable for evaluating tumour aggressiveness and excluding metastases. A biopsy is mandatory once all other diagnostic tests have been completed. Accurate diagnosis and timely referral to an experienced clinic are essential for ensuring prompt access to treatment and improving patient outcomes.

Our Palaeolithic ancestors did not make good representations of themselves on the rocky surfaces of caves and barring certain exceptions – such as the case of La Marche (found on small slabs of stone or plaquettes) or the Cueva de Ambrosio – the few known examples can only be referred to as anthropomorphs. As such, only hand stencils give us a real picture of the people who came before us. Hand stencils and imprints provide us with a large amount of information that allows us to approach not only their physical appearance but also to infer less tangible details, such as the preferential use of one hand over the other (i.e., handedness). Both new and/or mature technologies as well as digital processing of images, computers with the ability to process very high resolution images, and a more extensive knowledge of the Palaeolithic figures all help us to analyse thoroughly the hands in El Castillo cave. The interdisciplinary study presented here contributes many novel developments based on real data, representing a major step forward in knowledge about our predecessors.

The application of advanced imaging techniques, particularly computed tomography (CT), photogrammetric scanning, and three-dimensional reconstructions of body surfaces and skeletal remains, is becoming a crucial component of Forensic Anthropology. These tools enable a non-invasive and highly standardized analysis of both intact cadavers and human remains recovered from terrestrial or aquatic environments, providing reliable support in identification processes, traumatological reconstruction, and the assessment of taphonomic processes. In the context of estimating the Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) and the Post-Mortem Submersion Interval (PMSI), digital imaging allows for the objective and reproducible documentation of morphological changes associated with decomposition, saponification, skeletonization, and taphonomic patterns specific to the recovery environment. Specifically, CT enables the precise assessment of gas accumulation, transformations in residual soft tissues, and structural bone modifications, while photogrammetry and 3D reconstructions facilitate the longitudinal monitoring of transformative processes in both terrestrial and underwater contexts. These observations enhance the reliability of PMI/PMSI estimates through integrated models that combine morphometric, taphonomic, and environmental data. Beyond PMI/PMSI estimation, imaging techniques play a central role in anthropological bioprofiling, facilitating the estimation of age, sex, and stature, the analysis of dental characteristics, and the evaluation of antemortem or perimortem trauma, including damage caused by terrestrial or fauna. Three-dimensional documentation also provides a permanent, shareable archive suitable for comparative analyses, ensuring transparency and reproducibility in investigations. Although not a complete substitute for traditional autopsy or anthropological examination, imaging serves as an essential complement, particularly in cases where the integrity of remains must be preserved or where environmental conditions hinder the direct handling of osteological material. Future directions include the development of AI-based predictive models for PMI/PMSI estimation using automated analysis of post-mortem changes, greater standardization of imaging protocols for aquatic remains, and the use of digital sensors and multimodal techniques to characterize microstructural alterations not detectable by the naked eye. The integration of high-resolution imaging and advanced analytical algorithms promises to further enhance the reconstructive accuracy and interpretative capacity of Forensic Anthropology.

From more than 5,000 years ago until the Conquest, practices aimed to cause permanent cranial deformities in individuals were common in pre-Columbian societies. Its purpose was to produce signs of identity of different types: religious, magical, aesthetic, ethnic or social. These modifications were made with boards, fabrics, and elastic straps that applied pressure to the newborn's head. There are many morphological variants, but a classification into four groups is generally accepted: Straight Circular, Oblique Circular, Straight Tabular and Oblique Tabular. In the anthropological investigation of bone samples from the archaeological site of the Huallamarca pyramid (Lima, Peru), the classification process collected a significant sample with oblique tabular deformation, which show a variant of simultaneous deformation in both the skull and the bone. from the atlas. In this first cervical vertebra the so-called Ponticulus Posticus is shown, a bony bridge resulting from bone remodeling, in which one of the theories about its origin is its generation due to the alteration of natural loads of the neck joint. The purpose of this article is the development and application of biomechanical techniques to verify this point of view, focusing the study on the one hand on the correlation between possible changes in the location of the center of gravity of the skull and, on the other, the consequent changes of loads on the atlas as a result of the intentional shape change of the skull.

ANÁLISIS DE CONGLOMERADOS APLICADO A UNA POBLACIÓN TARDOANTIGUA EXCAVADA EN LUCENA, CÓRDOBA, ESPAÑA

Funerary spaces allow us to learn a large part of unwritten history through the application of archaeological methodology and techniques. In this way, they allow us to understand the beliefs of a society and its adaptation to ritual changes. In this paper, we will present the characterizations resulting from studies of funerary rituals, grave goods, and the bioarchaeological studies of a sample dated to Late Antiquity in the city of Lucena, Córdoba, Spain, conducted with the local Archaeological Museum, giving a preliminary overview of the variability in mortuary practices in the site during the period. The Cortijo Coracho necropolis features an associated basilica with a chronology ranging from the 4th to the 8th centuries AD, showing the adaptation of this religious building to different rituals, from the Roman Imperial period to the Visigothic period, including a brief Byzantine period. Likewise, burial typologies support this chronology, which ranges from the late Roman imperial era to the arrival of the Germanic peoples. 297 burials were recovered, containing 424 individuals. These burials were modestly structured, reused, and contained few grave goods. The objective is to demonstrate the connection between burial systems, grave goods, and the biological features of individuals during the Germanic period in ancient Baetica in Hispania, in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their conception of funerary ritual.