Although recognized as one of the most significant cultural transformations in North America, the reintroduction of the horse to the continent after AD 1492 has been rarely addressed by archaeological science. A key contributing factor behind this limited study is the apparent absence of equine skeletal remains from early historic archaeological contexts. Here, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a horse skeleton recovered in Lehi, Utah, originally attributed to the Pleistocene. Reanalysis of stratigraphic context and radiocarbon dating indicates a historic age for this horse (cal AD 1681–1939), linking it with Ute or other Indigenous groups, whereas osteological features demonstrate its use for mounted horseback riding—perhaps with a nonframe saddle. DNA analysis indicates that the animal was a female domestic horse, which was likely cared for as part of a breeding herd despite outliving its usefulness in transport. Finally, sequentially sampled stable carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope values from tooth enamel (δ13C, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) suggest that the horse was raised locally. These results show the utility of archaeological science as applied to horse remains in understanding Indigenous horse pastoralism, whereas consideration of the broader archaeological record suggests a pattern of misidentification of horse bones from early historic contexts.

When galaxies merge, gas accretes onto both central supermassive black holes. Thus, one expects to see dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in a fraction of galaxy mergers. Candidates for galaxies containing dual AGNs have been identified by the presence of double-peaked narrow [O III] emission lines and by high spatial resolution images of close galaxy pairs. 30% of double-peaked narrow [OIII] emission line SDSS AGNs have two spatial components within a 3″ radius. However, spatially resolved spectroscopy is needed to confirm these galaxy pairs as systems with double AGNs. With the Keck 2 Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics system and the OSIRIS near-infrared integral field spectrograph, we obtained spatially resolved spectra for SDSS J095207.62+255257.2, confirming that it contains a Type 1 and a Type 2 AGN separated by 4.8 kpc (=1.0″). We performed similar integral field and long-slit spectroscopy observations of more spatially separated candidate dual AGNs and will report on the varied results. By assessing what fraction of radio-quiet double-peaked emission line SDSS AGNs are true dual AGNs, we can better constrain the statistics of dual AGNs and characterize physical conditions throughout these interacting AGNs.

Enzyme-catalyzed preparation of polymers offers several potentially valuable advantages over the usual polymerization procedures. This paper summarizes our successful use of lipase-catalyzed polycondensations to prepare both a series of achiral [AA-BBJx polyesters from simple bis(2,2,2- trichloroethyl) alkanedioates and diols and of an optically active, epoxy-substituted polyester having a stereochemical purity estimated to be greater than 96%, from racemic bis(2,2,2-trichloroethyl) trans- 3,4-epoxyhexanedioate and 1,4-butanediol. The somewhat less successful polycondensation of a series of A-B monomers is also described. All of the reactions were carried out at ambient temperature in anhydrous, low to intermediate polarity, organic solvents such as ether, THF, and methylene choride, using porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) as the catalyst. Possible explanations for the difference between the A-B and AA + BB cases, based on NMR analysis of the reactions' progress are considered.

The “standard model” of AGN involves a supermassive black hole accreting gas, possibly through a flattened disk. This model enjoys widespread popularity among astronomers, but convincing proof has been elusive. Recent observations of “dormant” black holes in nearby galactic nuclei encourage the idea that black holes lie at the centers of AGN. An understanding of the nature of the accretion flow seems most likely to come from Doppler shifts of spectral features. The thermal continuum from the inner disk offers an intriguing opportunity. Theoreticians should not neglect the study of the thin disks that should exist for some AGN parameters, as these relatively “tame” objects may yield the most reliable observational tests. The broad emission lines may represent the debris of tidally disrupted stars.