News

Phytolith BD winner of Unraveling Comics IV

The scientific dissemination association Hablando de Ciencia and the Zaidín Experimental Station in Granada, Spanish National Research Council (EEZ-CSIC), in collaboration with the dissemination project Ciencia en Cómic, announce the fourth edition of the BD prize Desgranando Cómics. The objective of the prize is to stimulate the use of comics as a tool for scientific […]

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Dr. Dongmei Jie’s phytolith research team in northeast China

Professor Dongmei Jie, who works at Northeast Normal University in China, first read a paper related to phytolith analysis in 2005, which kindled a strong interest in pursuing phytolith research. Over the next five years, she read and collected many relevant papers, and traveled to Beijing to personally consult with Professor Houyuan Lu, the pioneer […]

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Phytolith research in Brazil: An Overview – Carolina Glaeser Benincá, IPS Web Envoy

Brazil is South America’s biggest country, covering nearly half of the continent’s landmass. Home to over 20% of Earth’s biodiversity, the country encompasses a vast array of landscapes and environments, including tropical and subtropical domains, wetlands, great plateaus, and low hill ranges. The territory is divided into six biomes: Amazon Forest, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, […]

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The 14th IMPR will be held July 14-19, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain

The 14th International Meeting on Phytolith Research will take place in Barcelona (Spain), at the Institució Milà i Fontanals de Recerca en Humanitats, Spanish National Research Council (IMF-CSIC), from the 14th to the 19th of July 2025. Contributions are welcome on any aspect of archaeology, agronomy, geoarchaeology, paleoanthropology, paleobiogeography, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, pedology, plant physiology, systematics […]

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Phytolith Research in Southeastern China – First Envoy Post by Xinxin Zuo

The aims of our studies using phytolith analysis are four-fold: 1. Archaeological and cultural aspects To determine how and when prehistoric agriculture emerged and spread in southeastern China and its relationship to environmental changes. Located on the southeast coast of China, Fujian is a critical junction for the spread and migration of agriculture and populations […]

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Bioturbation: Unveiling the role of ants and termites in the phytolith assemblage of tropical soils – First IPS Envoy Post by Carolina Glaeser Benincá

Over two thousand years ago, the French naturalist Saint’ Hilaire said: “soit le Brésil finit avec la fourmi [saúva], soit la fourmi finit avec le Brésil” [Either Brazil ends the ants [leaf-cutter] or the ant ends Brazil], dramatically illustrating the profound impact that a single biological element can have on the balance and sustainability of an […]

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New Feature – IPS Envoys!

The IPS is delighted to introduce IPS Envoy posts, a new feature on the website designed to increase communication among phytolith researchers. Because the phytolith research community is so large and global, it is difficult to keep up with research conducted by laboratories outside one’s own region. The Board has chosen four regional envoys who […]

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Announcing the Launch of PHYTO-CHAT-L!

For many years, the phytolith research community communicated through the listserve PHY-TALK. Unfortunately, PHY-TALK became non-operational several years ago. The IPS Board is very happy to announce that PHYTO-CHAT-L, a new listserv dedicated to discussion of anything related to phytoliths, is now operational (a big thank you to Board member Chad Yost for making this […]

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International conference in Nice (France) about “Dung, manure and guano”

International conference in Nice (France) about “Dung, manure and guano: garbage or brown gold? Status, use and management of animal dung since prehistoric times; archaeological and paleoenvironmental potential” To know more https://www.cepam.cnrs.fr/evenement/colloque-fumier-bouses-et-guano-ordures-ou-or-brun https://www.cepam.cnrs.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/44_Rencontres_Nice_Dung_firstcircular.pdf  

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