https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9172-5888
Peer Review History
| Original SubmissionNovember 3, 2025 |
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A near-continuous archaeological record of Pleistocene human occupation at Leang Bulu Bettue, Sulawesi, Indonesia PONE-D-25-58502 Dear Dr. Barsan, We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements. Your paper is of high importance and I am sorry for the major delay in its publication. Ifound tge revisions made satisfactory and the paper fitts plos one very well. Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication. An invoice will be generated when your article is formally accepted. Please note, if your institution has a publishing partnership with PLOS and your article meets the relevant criteria, all or part of your publication costs will be covered. 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Our policy for research in this area aims to improve transparency in the reporting of research performed outside of researchers’ own country or community. The policy applies to researchers who have travelled to a different country to conduct research, research with Indigenous populations or their lands, and research on cultural artefacts. The questionnaire can also be requested at the journal’s discretion for any other submissions, even if these conditions are not met. Please find more information on the policy and a link to download a blank copy of the questionnaire here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/best-practices-in-research-reporting. Please upload a completed version of your questionnaire as Supporting Information when you resubmit your manuscript. 2. In your manuscript, please provide additional information regarding the specimens used in your study. Ensure that you have reported human remain specimen numbers and complete repository information, including museum name and geographic location. If permits were required, please ensure that you have provided details for all permits that were obtained, including the full name of the issuing authority, and add the following statement: 'All necessary permits were obtained for the described study, which complied with all relevant regulations. If no permits were required, please include the following statement: 'No permits were required for the described study, which complied with all relevant regulations.' For more information on PLOS One's requirements for paleontology and archeology research, see https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines#loc-paleontology-and-archaeology-research . 3. Thank you for stating the following financial disclosure: Australian Research Council grants DE130101560 and FT160100119 awarded to A.B. and DE160100703 awarded to I.M., with additional support provided by the Wenner Gren Foundation (Post-Ph.D. grant) and Griffith University. Please state what role the funders took in the study. If the funders had no role, please state: "The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript." If this statement is not correct you must amend it as needed. Please respond by return e-mail so that we can amend your financial disclosure and competing interests on your behalf. 4. Your ethics statement should only appear in the Methods section of your manuscript. If your ethics statement is written in any section besides the Methods, please move it to the Methods section and delete it from any other section. Please ensure that your ethics statement is included in your manuscript, as the ethics statement entered into the online submission form will not be published alongside your manuscript. Additional Editor Comments (optional): This is a very important contribution to the field of Archaeology and human manifestations. I strongly support it's publication in plus one. The revisions done are satisfactory, and the additional review is provided as food for thought Reviewers' comments: Reviewer's Responses to Questions Comments to the Author 1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions? Reviewer #1: Yes ********** 2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?> Reviewer #1: N/A ********** 3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??> The PLOS Data policy Reviewer #1: Yes ********** ********** •Svenning, J.-C. et al. (2024): Provides a comprehensive overview of megafauna extinction patterns, causes, and ecological consequences, offering essential background for understanding global ecosystem shifts. •Barkai, R. et al. (2024): Discusses the absence of cave art in the Upper Paleolithic Southern Levant and explores links between megafaunal decline and changes in symbolic expression. •Ben-Dor, M. & Barkai, R. (2025): Proposes a hypothesis connecting megafaunal extinction with bioenergetic-driven cultural and behavioral adaptations, including the rise of symbolic artifacts. The manuscript is otherwise well written and suitable for publication. •Svenning, J.-C. et al. The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: patterns, causes, ecological consequences, and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene. Cambridge Prisms: Extinction, 1–68 (2024). •Barkai, R., Dagoni, I., Ben-Dor, M. & Kedar, Y. Why is Cave Art Absent from the Upper Paleolithic Southern Levant? Mitkufat Haeven - Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society 54, 177–202 (2024). ********** what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files. If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public. Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy ********** |
| Formally Accepted |
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PONE-D-25-58502 PLOS One Dear Dr. Basran, I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS One. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now being handed over to our production team. At this stage, our production department will prepare your paper for publication. This includes ensuring the following: * All references, tables, and figures are properly cited * All relevant supporting information is included in the manuscript submission, * There are no issues that prevent the paper from being properly typeset You will receive further instructions from the production team, including instructions on how to review your proof when it is ready. Please keep in mind that we are working through a large volume of accepted articles, so please give us a few days to review your paper and let you know the next and final steps. Lastly, if your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org. You will receive an invoice from PLOS for your publication fee after your manuscript has reached the completed accept phase. If you receive an email requesting payment before acceptance or for any other service, this may be a phishing scheme. Learn how to identify phishing emails and protect your accounts at https://explore.plos.org/phishing. If we can help with anything else, please email us at customercare@plos.org. Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access. Kind regards, PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff on behalf of Professor Ran Barkai Academic Editor PLOS One |
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