Morton-Hayward, Alexandra L., Thompson, Tim, Thomas-Oates, Jane E. orcid.org/0000-0001-8105-9423 et al. (5 more authors) (2020) A conscious rethink:Why is brain tissue commonly preserved in the archaeological record? Commentary on: Petrone P, Pucci P, Niola M, et al. Heat-induced brain vitrification from the Vesuvius eruption in C.E. 79. N Engl J Med 2020;382:383-4. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1909867. Science and Technology of Archaeological Research. pp. 87-95. ISSN 2054-8923
Abstract
Brain tissue is ubiquitous in the archaeological record. Multiple, independent studies report the finding of black, resinous or shiny brain tissue, and Petrone et al. [2020 “Heat-induced Brain Vitrification from the Vesuvius Eruption in C.E. 79.” N Engl J Med. 382: 383–384; doi:10.1056/NEJMc1909867] raise the intriguing prospect of a role for vitrification in the preservation of ancient biomolecules. However, Petrone et al. (2020) have not made their raw data available, and no detailed laboratory or analytical methodology is offered. Issues of contamination and misinterpretation hampered a decade of research in biomolecular archaeology, such that addressing these sources of bias and facilitating validation of specious findings has become both routine and of paramount importance in the discipline. We argue that the evidence they present does not support their conclusion of heat-induced vitrification of human brain tissue, and that future studies should share palaeoproteomic data in an open access repository to facilitate comparative analysis of the recovery of ancient proteins and patterns of their degradation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group |
Keywords: | Brain tissue,lipids,palaeoproteomics,proteins,soft tissue preservation,vitrification |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Chemistry (York) The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 13 Nov 2020 12:00 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2025 00:40 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2020.1815398 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/20548923.2020.1815398 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:167998 |
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Description: A conscious rethink Why is brain tissue commonly preserved in the archaeological record Commentary on Petrone P Pucci P Niola M et al Heat induced
Licence: CC-BY 2.5