An investigation into the effects of X-ray on the recovery of ancient DNA from skeletal remains

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Fehren-Schmitz ◽  
Joshua Kapp ◽  
Kim Laura Ziegler ◽  
Kelly M. Harkins ◽  
Gary P. Aronsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
X Ray

Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828: rediscovery of a holotype

Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Haberland ◽  
Oliver Hampe ◽  
Marijke Autenrieth ◽  
Manja Voß
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Vertebral Column ◽  
Type Specimen ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Type Material ◽  
World War ◽  
Mitochondrial Haplotypes ◽  
The World

Abstract The whereabouts of the Balaenoptera borealis holotype, the skeleton of a 1819 stranded specimen, have been unknown since the World War II (WWII). Due to nomenclatural confusion, deficient documentation, and finally WWII bombing, which destroyed predominantly cetacean material in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN), the type skeleton of the sei whale sank into oblivion. Construction activities enabled a recent search and study on the remaining whale material. Here, we provide evidence that the type specimen was not destroyed. On the basis of species-wide and individual characters of the type material such as the shape of cranial elements and the pattern of the maxillary foramina, we show that the skull and mandibles, the vertebral column (except the atlas), and the ribs of the holotype remain intact. Further evidence that these skeletal remains belong to the previously missing holotype is provided by the characteristics of the spine. In addition, we analyzed ancient DNA from bone samples and confirm they are B. borealis, and the occurrence of same mitochondrial haplotypes indicate that the bones belong to the same individual. Additionally, a blue inscription was discovered at the caudal epiphysis of a thoracic vertebra; historical research matched this inscription with the material belonging to the former Anatomical-Zootomical Museum, from which the holotype was once bought.

scholarly journals Comparison of two ancient DNA extraction protocols for skeletal remains from tropical environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 166 (4) ◽  
pp. 824-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A. Nieves-Colón ◽  
Andrew T. Ozga ◽  
William J. Pestle ◽  
Andrea Cucina ◽  
Vera Tiesler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Extraction ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Tropical Environments

scholarly journals Evolutionary history and palaeoecology of brown bear in North-East Siberia re-examined using ancient DNA and stable isotopes from skeletal remains

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Rey-Iglesia ◽  
Ana García-Vázquez ◽  
Eve C. Treadaway ◽  
Johannes van der Plicht ◽  
Gennady F. Baryshnikov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
East Siberia ◽  
North East

scholarly journals Genome‐wide SNP typing of ancient DNA: Determination of hair and eye color of Bronze Age humans from their skeletal remains

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Schmidt ◽  
Katharina Schücker ◽  
Ina Krause ◽  
Thilo Dörk ◽  
Michael Klintschar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Eye Color ◽  
Snp Typing ◽  
Genome Wide

INSIDE THE CASTS OF THE POMPEIAN VICTIMS: RESULTS FROM THE FIRST SEASON OF THE POMPEII CAST PROJECT IN 2015

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Estelle Lazer ◽  
Kathryn Welch ◽  
Dzung Vu ◽  
Manh Vu ◽  
Alain Middleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Ct Scanning ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The People ◽  
Restoration Practice ◽  
Ongoing Project ◽  
Organic Remains

The first casts of the forms of Pompeian victims of the AD 79 eruption of Mt Vesuvius were successfully achieved under the directorship of Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1863. To date, 104 individuals have been cast by restorers and archaeologists during the course of excavation. The methods used to obtain these casts were not well documented. It was always assumed that plaster or lime cement was merely poured into voids which preserved the impression of organic remains buried in the ash that covered the site during the catastrophe. It was also assumed that the undisturbed skeletal remains of victims were encased within the casts. The initial aim of the Pompeii Cast Project was to study these bones to build on and test the results of an earlier study of the large sample of Pompeian human remains that were disarticulated by post-excavation activities. Apart from providing information about the people who did not manage to escape the eruption, the project aimed to challenge previous interpretations of the lives and activities of these victims that were solely based on superficial inspection and circumstantial evidence. Twenty-six casts were subjected to CT scanning or X-ray analysis in 2015. The results were unexpected. It was clear that the casts had been considerably manipulated. Bones were often removed prior to casting, and other elements had been introduced. This ongoing project has now been expanded to establish how these casts were achieved, to better understand nineteenth- and twentieth-century archaeological and restoration practice.

scholarly journals Correlation between the lenghts of the long bones of the forearm and the fibula with body height in our population

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 394-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadica Marinkovic ◽  
Jasenka Vasic-Vilic
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Long Bones ◽  
World War ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Bone Length ◽  
The World

Background/Aim. The task of a forensic examiner during exhumation of skeletal remains is to calculate antemortem height of a person whose skeletal remains were found. Anthropological investigations which provided formulae for calculating ante-mortem body height date back from XIX or from the first half of XX centuries. The most commonly used formulae are those of Trotter- Gleser, which were used to investigate skeletal remains from the World War II. Those investigations were conducted on skeletal remains of various ages and degrees of decay. Our experience with exhumation have shown that the present formulae do not deliver reliable values of antemortem height. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a correlation of the length of long bones of leg and forearm with body height within our population and to establish the formulae for calculating ante-mortem body height within our population based on the obtained values. Methods. The lengths of ulna, radius, fibula and tibia were determined precisely by measuring bones on living individuals using a digital X-ray system. The height of individuals whose bones were measured was determined using an anthropometer. Results. The highest degree of correlation between bone length and body height was found for tibia in males (r = 0.859, p < 0.005) and ulna in females (r = 0.679, p < 0.05). We calculated the regression formulae for determination of ante-mortem body height that differ from the current body height formulae. Conclusion. In our population the length of long bones of the forearm and the leg are characterized by various degree of correlation with body height. The formulae that we set, make less distinction between the measured and the calculated body height as compared with the Trotter-Gleser formulae. We do hope that their implementation will facilitate identification of sceletal remains in our population.

scholarly journals Comparison of two ancient DNA extraction protocols for skeletal remains from tropical environments

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria A. Nieves-Colón ◽  
Andrew T. Ozga ◽  
William J. Pestle ◽  
Andrea Cucina ◽  
Vera Tiesler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Extraction ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
Optimal Choice ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Dna Fragments ◽  
Illumina Hiseq ◽  
Tropical Environments ◽  
Significant Difference

ABSTRACTObjectivesThe tropics harbor a large part of the world’s biodiversity and have a long history of human habitation. However, paleogenomics research in these climates has been constrained so far by poor ancient DNA yields. Here we compare the performance of two DNA extraction methods on ancient samples of teeth and petrous portions excavated from tropical and semitropical sites in Tanzania, Mexico, and Puerto Rico (N=12).Materials and MethodsAll samples were extracted twice, built into double-stranded sequencing libraries, and shotgun sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 2500. The first extraction protocol, Method D, was previously designed for recovery of ultrashort DNA fragments from skeletal remains. The second, Method H, modifies the first by adding an initial EDTA wash and an extended digestion and decalcification step.ResultsNo significant difference was found in overall ancient DNA yields or post-mortem damage patterns recovered from samples extracted with either method, irrespective of tissue type. However, Method H samples had higher endogenous content and more mapped reads after quality-filtering, but also higher clonality. In contrast, samples extracted with Method D had shorter average DNA fragments.DiscussionBoth methods successfully recovered endogenous ancient DNA. But, since surviving DNA in ancient or historic remains from tropical contexts is extremely fragmented, our results suggest that Method D is the optimal choice for working with samples from warm and humid environments. Additional optimization of extraction conditions and further testing of Method H with different types of samples may allow for improvement of this protocol in the future.

scholarly journals Effect of X-ray irradiation on ancient DNA in sub-fossil bones – Guidelines for safe X-ray imaging

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Immel ◽  
Adeline Le Cabec ◽  
Marion Bonazzi ◽  
Alexander Herbig ◽  
Heiko Temming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Dna ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Imaging ◽  
Fossil Bones

scholarly journals Tooth pathology analysis of osteological material from the medieval locality of Saint Pantelejmon church in Nis

2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 354-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadica Mitic ◽  
Aleksandar Mitic ◽  
Vladimir Mitic ◽  
Vesna Crnoglavac ◽  
Dejana Vlak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Alveolar Bone ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Contact Points ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Contact Surfaces ◽  
Dental Mirror ◽  
Caries Lesions ◽  
Approximal Surfaces

INTRODUCTION Medieval necropolis at the porch of St. Panteleimon church in Nis, from 12th century represents a typical Serbian necropolis, which has its analogies in several areas in Serbia. Preservation of the skeletal remains belongs to category of good and medium preservation. OBJECTIVE The aim of the work was to study the skeletal remains for the prevalence of tooth caries, localization of caries lesions, presence of abrasion, supragingival tartar and resorption of alveolar bone as the indicator of periodontal disease. METHOD The analyses included 42 skeletal remains. The anthropological analyses involved paleopathological findings on 954 teeth of 22 men and 20 women. The pathological changes of teeth were determined by inspection, dental probe, dental mirror and x-ray examination. Epidemiological research was done using average caries index. RESULTS The antropological tooth pathology research of osteological material from the medieval localization of St. Pantaleimon Church in Nis showed the presence of caries in 7.86% cases, 9.93% women and 6.07% men. In 76% caries were localized on the approximal surfaces of teeth. Abrasion of the second and third degree was registered on the side and front teeth with transformation of contact points into contact surfaces and the creation of approximal, interstitial, scolded surfaces. A large quantity of supragingival tartar was found in all individuals aged over 25 years. Expressed alveolar bone resorption is the indicator of generalized periodontal disease. CONCLUSION The prevalence of caries in the studied medieval population from the 12th century was sporadic, with localization on secondary predilection places. The abrasion of the second and third degree was present, and the resorption of the alveolar bone was registered in all the examined skeletal remains, which was the indicator of spread periodontal disease in this period.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document