Numerous declines have been documented across insect groups, and the potential consequences of insect losses are dire. Butterflies are the most surveyed insect taxa, yet analyses have been limited in geographic scale or rely on data from a single monitoring program. Using records of 12.6 million individual butterflies from >76,000 surveys across 35 monitoring programs, we characterized overall and species-specific butterfly abundance trends across the contiguous United States. Between 2000 and 2020, total butterfly abundance fell by 22% across the 554 recorded species. Species-level declines were widespread, with 13 times as many species declining as increasing. The prevalence of declines throughout all regions in the United States highlights an urgent need to protect butterflies from further losses.

Reports of declining insect populations have received widespread media attention, but evidence for declines has been variable across regions and taxonomic groups. Edwards et al . examined trends in the most surveyed taxon: butterflies (see the Perspective by Inouye). Combining data from 35 citizen science programs across the continental US, the authors found declines in overall butterfly abundance over the past 20 years across almost all major regions. Two-thirds of studied species showed declines of more than 10%. Many insects have the potential for rapid population growth and recovery, but habitat restoration, species-specific interventions, and reducing pesticide use are all likely needed to curb population declines. —Bianca Lopez

The 1998 discovery of a nearly intact Gravettian human burial in the Lapedo Valley (Leiria, Portugal) propelled the Lagar Velho rockshelter to worldwide fame. The ochre-stained skeleton of the Lapedo child, a juvenile aged around four or five, exhibited a mosaic of Neanderthal and anatomically modern human features argued to reflect admixture between the two human populations. Here, we present direct compound-specific radiocarbon dates for the child’s skeleton [27,780 to 28,550 calibrated years before present (cal B.P.)] and five associated bones from the burial and underlying contexts. We reassess the chronology and archaeological interpretation of the burial in light of these new dates and demonstrate the suitability of hydroxyproline radiocarbon dating for poorly preserved Paleolithic samples that otherwise fail routine radiocarbon pretreatment methods.

The Lapedo child is now firmly dated to 27,780 to 28,550 cal B.P.

A shift towards constructing large circular monuments, including henges, during the Middle Neolithic of Britain and Ireland is exemplified in the monumental landscape of south-west England. Seventeen new radiocarbon dates for the Flagstones circular enclosure and the adjacent long enclosure of Alington Avenue, presented here, provide a chronology that is earlier than expected. Comparison with similar sites demonstrates that Flagstones was part of a broader tradition of round enclosures but was also distinctly innovative, particularly in terms of its size. These findings reinforce the value in developing precise chronologies for refining understanding of monument forms and associated practices.