This study of red ochre in mortuary contexts in Neolithic to Iron Age sites in Thailand reveals regional and temporal variation. Used extensively at Neolithic Khok Phanom Di, often as body paint, the material was absent at contemporaneous inland sites. Its reappearance in the Bronze Age signalled a symbolic shift in practice, with pieces of ochre incorporated into elaborate funerary rituals. These patterns suggest differing cultural origins and evolving rituals. By the Iron Age, ochre use declined, coinciding with the spread of new mortuary ideologies. The authors highlight how ochre is a powerful marker of identity, belief and cultural change.

Progression towards elevated blood pressure (BP) may begin as early as adolescence. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are linked to poor cardiometabolic health, is often highest in adolescence. We examined sex- and age-specific associations of systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) with concurrent and lagged UPF intake from age 15 to 25 in a Filipino cohort. We used data from the 1998–2009 waves of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (n 2124, 52 % male); participants were 15, 18, 21 and 25 years old. UPFs (% daily kilocalories) were classified using NOVA. Linear mixed-effects models estimated differences in SBP and DBP associated with a 5-percentage point difference in concurrent and lagged UPF intake (3–4 years earlier). Mean UPF intake was 10–11 % of total energy intake among males and 14–17 % among females over the study period. At age 21, intake of ultra-processed meats and fish was positively associated with DBP (β = 0·48 (95 % CI: 0·02, 0·94)) among males and intake of ultra-processed sugary beverages was positively associated with SBP (0·80 (0·13, 1·48)) and DBP (0·93 (0·34, 1·51)) among females. Among females only, SBP at age 18 was positively associated with total UPF intake at age 15 (0·25 (0·00, 0·50)). In this cohort, there were modest, positive associations between BP and UPF intake, which varied by sex and age. UPF intake during the transition to adulthood may be linked to higher BP, supporting efforts to limit adolescents’ intake in LMICs.

What is the relationship between social media use and trust in civil society and governance institutions? In many parts of Asia, trust in government remains high despite limited political accountability and civil liberties. This study examines whether online political expression reshapes institutional trust in governance institutions and civil society organizations. The analysis considers the dual role of social media as a site for civic engagement and a channel for disaffection with formal authority. Using data from the Asian Barometer, the findings show that political expression on social media is associated with lower trust in governance institutions and higher trust in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), a fundamental part of civil society. These effects vary across regimes and survey waves. The results suggest that online expression may erode legitimacy of formal authority while enhancing trust in civil society, thus shaping the political role of NGOs and social media platforms in restrictive political settings.

This article reconstructs the mining practices and social activities of Chinese migrants in Maliwun, a tin-rich Burmese village on the Siam-Burma border between the 1840s and 1890s. Despite its natural resources and repeated mining attempts by various stakeholders, Maliwun could not materialise its potential and was slow in tin production and community development throughout this period. By focusing on the internal dynamics among its Chinese miners, especially around the rivalling Chinese “secret societies,” this article situates the frontier mining settlement within a larger regional network of the Southeast Asian Chinese and traces its Chinese community’s evolving relationships with fellow countrymen along the southern Siamese and northern Malayan coastlines. It argues that grassroots organisations played a crucial role in the early formation of this frontier Chinese migrant community, which was sitting at the intersection of political, labour, resource, gender, and ethnic frontiers and exhibited key features of fluid boundaries and transnational networks. Yet, these impacts should not be overstated, individually or collectively. The slow development of Maliwun calls for a careful reassessment of the limitation of roles played by porous borders, hybrid interactions, and transnational networks at a historic frontier.

Indonesia is home to a high number of Critically Endangered land vertebrates. Examining the research on these species is important to improve biodiversity-related policy and management and to provide insight into knowledge gaps. We conducted a comprehensive review of 2,188 publications published during 2000–2021 that studied the Critically Endangered vertebrate species of Indonesia, to understand variations in the level of research on each species and the proportion of research carried out within Indonesia and by Indonesian researchers. Over this 22-year period, research on Critically Endangered species in Indonesia increased, but > 50% of this research was carried out by researchers based outside Indonesia. Moreover, the quantity of research was uneven across taxonomic classes, indicating an imbalance in research attention. Most publications during the period were on mammals (1,573 publications), followed by reptiles (310), birds (300) and amphibians (5). We identified 17 species for which there were no significant publications, suggesting little attention has been given to these species. We highlight three key issues: limited Indonesian authorship, taxonomic bias towards mammals and birds, and a need to address these challenges in authorship and bias. The low number of publications on many Critically Endangered land vertebrates reflects a lack of research effort, mostly because of limited funds and unequal conservation attention.

Folk magic practices were common across the early modern Spanish Empire, including in seventeenth-century Manila where dozens of Asian herbalists and other practitioners of magic offered magical solutions in affairs of the heart and matters of fortune and divination to their mostly Spanish clients. At the centre of these folk magic activities were a group of Ternaten captives of war, relatives of the Sultan Saïd Berkat Syah, who was taken hostage by the Spanish during their invasion of Ternate in 1606. While the capture of Sultan Saïd by the Spanish in 1606 is well known within the historiography of the Maluku Islands, the presence of the Ternaten hostages within Manila in the early seventeenth century remains absent from the history of the port city. This article explores the lives of these Ternaten hostages, arguing that their spellcasting activities represent a hidden transcript of politics and power among previously marginalised historical subjects.

First minted by polities in north-central Myanmar as early as the fourth century AD, silver coins bearing Rising Sun and Srivatsa motifs have been found in numerous archaeological contexts across Southeast Asia from Vietnam to Bangladesh. Strong standardisation in the design of these coins highlights patterns of trade and cultural interaction across this region that are otherwise underexplored. Here, the authors draw on a dataset of 245 coins from museums in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, identifying die links that support trade routes between widely disparate areas, and illuminating the utility of die studies in counteracting the illicit trafficking of antiquities.

Biodiversity knowledge gaps and biases persist across low-income tropical regions. Genetic data are essential for addressing these issues, supporting biodiversity research and conservation planning. To assess progress in wildlife genetic sampling within the Philippines, I evaluated the scope, representativeness, and growth of publicly available genetic data and research on endemic vertebrates from the 1990s through 2024. Results showed that 82.3% of the Philippines’ 769 endemic vertebrates have genetic data, although major disparities remain. Reptiles had the least complete coverage but exhibited the highest growth, with birds, mammals, and amphibians following in that order. Species confined to smaller biogeographic subregions, with narrow geographic ranges, or classified as threatened or lacking threat assessments were disproportionately underrepresented. Research output on reptiles increased markedly, while amphibian research lagged behind. Although the number of non-unique authors in wildlife genetics studies involving Philippine specimens has grown steeply, Filipino involvement remains low. These results highlight the uneven and non-random distribution of wildlife genetic knowledge within this global biodiversity hotspot. Moreover, the limited participation of Global South researchers underscores broader inequities in wildlife genomics. Closing these gaps and addressing biases creates a more equitable and representative genetic knowledge base and supports its integration into national conservation efforts aligned with global biodiversity commitments.