A detailed morphological description of a proboscidean manus from the Gray Fossil Site (GFS), Gray, Tennessee is provided. Manus elements from an American mastodon (Mammut americanum), a Britt’s shovel-tusker (Amebelodon britti), an undescribed small gomphothere species, and a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) are used for comparisons. Linear measurements indicate proportional differences between the GFS mastodon and other proboscidean taxa ranging from the Hemphillian to Rancholabrean land mammal ages. Possible pathologies are also described. The purpose of this study is to determine how the GFS mastodon differs in manus morphology and locomotion from different proboscidean taxa, including size, environmental, evolutionary, and taxonomic factors. Morphological differences are more pronounced in carpals and metacarpals in regard to shape, size, and orientation of articular surfaces but are not statistically compared due to the small sample size.

A century ago, two large American mastodon Mammut americanum specimens from coastal South Carolina were mounted for display at Amherst College. Their robust build, broad and pentalophodont third molars, and well-developed mandibular tusks were noted as unusual. Here, these specimens are redescribed; three additional mastodon mandibles from the same region of South Carolina are also described. Though collection information on these specimens is sparse, they appear to span >150 ka in the Middle to Late Pleistocene, and probably include the first report of Mammut from the earliest-Rancholabrean Ten Mile Hill Formation. Some “unusual” features — moderately to extremely broad third molars, longitudinally-wrinkled enamel, very robust mandibles, large mandibular tusks — are present in most or all specimens, and may characterize regional mastodons. Description of these mastodons provides a useful starting point for more-thorough evaluation of the species in the Southeastern United States.

In der Geheimdienstoperation Unternehmen „Mammut“ und seiner Vorgeschichte spiegeln sich unterschiedliche Fragen und Probleme zur Geschichte Südkurdistans von 1918 bis in die Zeit des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Die Benennung „Mammut“ erinnert hierbei an den berühmten Kurdenführer Scheich Mahmud.In den britischen Akten sollte sich die völlige Bestätigung dieser Vermutung finden. Der Beginn dieser Geheimdienstoperation der deutschen Abwehr fällt in den Spätherbst 1942. Damals erschien eine Zangenbewegung zwischen dem Kaukasus und Nordafrika zu den Ölfeldern Mesopotamiens möglich. Zu ihrer Unterstützung sollte ein antibritischer Aufstand der südkurdischen Bevölkerung stattfinden. Ausgelöst werden sollte er durch einen deutschen Agententrupp, dem auch ein bis zwei einheimische Kurden aus der Region angehören sollten. Die Planungen verzögerten sich jedoch um einige Monate. Dadurch konnte es der Abwehr angesichts der strategischen Lage Mitte 1943 aber nur noch um eine Aktion zur Destabilisierung der britischen Machtposition durch kurdische Partisanen gehen. Weiterführende Ziele waren zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht mehr erreichbar. Zum Anführer dieser Aktion wurde der Leutnant Gottfried Johannes Müller bestimmt, der in den 30er Jahren schon einmal privat in dieser Region gewesen war. Mitte April 1943 wurde dann auch der Kurde Ramzi Nafi Rashid Agha von der Abwehr zur Mitarbeit am Unternehmen „Mammut“ überredet. Die Operation startete endlich nach weiteren Verzögerungen am 15. Juni 1943. Doch bereits am 28. Juni, genau elf Tage danach wurden die Deutschen entdeckt und verhaftet. Ramzi stellte sich einen Tag später den Behörden in Erbil. / In the intelligence operation "Mammut" and its prehistory, very different questions and problems of the southern history from 1918 up to the time of World War II are reflected. The name "Mammut" recalls the famous Kurdish leader, Sheik Mahmud. A complete confirmation of this assumption can supposedly be found in British records. The beginning of this covert operation by the German Abwehr falls into the late fall of 1942. At that time, a pincer movement between Caucasus and North Africa to the oil fields of Mesopotamia appeared possible. An anti-British uprising of the southern Kurdish people was to occur in support of this. It was to be started by a German agent squad, to which one or two local Kurds from the region supposedly belonged. The plans were delayed however for a few months. For that reason, in view of the strategic situation in mid-1943, this action could only serve as a destabilisation of the British position of power through Kurdish partisans. Further strategic goals were unreachable at this point of time. This action was led by Lieutenant Gottfried Johannes Müller, who had been in this region earlier in the 1930''s for private reasons. In mid-April 1943 the Kurd, Ramzi Nafi Rashid Agha, was also convinced to join the operation. It finally began after further delays on June 15, 1943. However, on June 28, exactly 11 days afterwards, the Germans were detected and arrested. One day after that Ramzi gave himself up to the authorities in Erbil

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The Ziegler Reservoir fossil site (ZRFS) in Colorado contains over 4000 mastodon bones that date from 140,000 to 100,000 years ago. At an elevation of ~2705 meters above sea level, ZRFS represents an alpine ecosystem dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. Formal descriptions of cheek teeth, mandibles, crania, and femora were completed. Statistical analyses of the upper and lower third molars, including a novel measurement of interloph(id) distances, indicate significant differences between ZRFS mastodons and Mammut pacificus, while falling within the ranges for Mammut americanum. This study agrees with the taxonomic assignment of ZRFS mastodons to Mammut americanum and not Mammut pacificus. Body mass estimates of ZRFS mastodons are between 3451 and 6244 kg, and a niche model indicates elevation and water availability influenced Mammut distribution during MIS 5. Incorporating ZRFS mastodons into large comparative datasets will contribute to ongoing research into Late Pleistocene Mammut.

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Abstract of Master essay - 10 HP Izabel Lind Färnstrand Mentor: Emma Kihl Examinator: Sigrid Sandström How to Prepare for Death In this essay I dwell into the failures of our moral senses in relation to the concept of death. How does modern death culture affect our way of life and our ability to take responsibility for the life and death of others? These questions are formed by these current times and affect both my art practice and my everyday life. When facing death within my family it occur- red to me that my and my family’s relationship to death is failing us. I have become frustra- ted with the fear and silence that seems too natural to my surrounding. Not being able to talk about a part of life that is inevitable seems irrational. It became clear when the lack of under- standing and acceptance of death caused relatives an immense suffering. The struggle seemed unnessesary and urged me to try to understand more, based on their deaths. Seeing how very different the experience of dying can be made me wonder what makes a ”good” death possible for some and others not. From there my interest in the topic death culture and fear emerged, and this essay touches on this in a variety of aspects. I use my personal experiences in combina- tion with thoughts of others to talk of layers of these issues through my artistic practice. This personal method is my way of trying to structure a thinking – in a way that I can use and make sense of it – with a varied level of success. I feel it is important to note that I don’t claim to have any answes. This essay is more an attempt to pose questions around human behaviour. Even though many of these ques- tions have been asked over and over again, throughout different times, I believe it is impor- tant to ask them again and again. As long as the Human is part and violently effecting this suffering world. Many of the thoughts in this essay are based on fragments of ideas by Judith Butler, espe- cielly from her book Frames of War: When is Life Grievable? (2009). I also reference Caitlin Doughty’s From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death (2017) and and Sogyal Rinpoche The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (1992). The themes gathered that I try to make use of in this essay and in my artistic practice are purpose, fear, death, health, happiness, narcissim and resposibility. / Abstract of Artistic work How to Prepare for Death @ Galleri Mejan, Exercisplan 3, october 2019 Media: Spatial installation with a performance (1 h) Materials: Clay, plaster, metal & red plastic film How to Prepare for Death is a spatial installation in one of the gallery rooms of Galleri Mejan. The work includes the whole space of the area, such as the floor and the walls. You step into an altered reality, where the floor is covered with clay that is cracking increasingly over time and windows that are tinted red so that the air you breath seems red. When you enter your eyes need to adjust and after a while it is rather the outside that seems colored, neon green -  the complementary color of red. From the clay there are metal rods sticking out vertically, with plaster sculptures at the end. These sculptures are broken, and resemble body parts with a medical aesthetics. Similar sculptures come out from the walls, like fragile fragments of something that used to be. When you walk around the sculptures the clay crackle under your feet, and crumble into smaller pieces and dust. It is constructed as an ambivalent experience of nothingness, emptiness, ”afterness” and a sanctuary of thoughts. My questions about life and death drive me to investigate how to create spaces for these subjects to feel present, so that we can face our fears.