scholarly journals A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody Parker ◽  
Adam B. Rohrlach ◽  
Susanne Friederich ◽  
Sarah Nagel ◽  
Matthias Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Content ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Skeletal Element ◽  
Destructive Sampling ◽  
Molecular Analyses ◽  
Dna Preservation ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
Human Dna ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Medieval Germany

AbstractAncient DNA (aDNA) analyses necessitate the destructive sampling of archaeological material. Currently the dense inner portion of the petrous pyramid, the location of the skull that houses the inner ear, is the most sought after skeletal element for molecular analyses of ancient humans as it has been shown to yield high amounts of endogenous DNA. Destructive sampling of the petrous pyramid, assuming its recovery, is often not recommended for highly valued specimens. To investigate alternatives, we present a survey of human aDNA preservation for each of ten skeletal elements in a skeletal collection from Medieval Germany. Through comparison of human DNA content and quality we confirm best performance of the petrous pyramid and identify seven additional sampling locations across four skeletal elements that yield adequate aDNA for most applications in human palaeogenetics. Our study provides a better perspective on DNA preservation across the human skeleton and takes a further step toward the more responsible use of ancient materials in human aDNA studies.

scholarly journals A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody Parker ◽  
Adam B. Rohrlach ◽  
Susanne Friederich ◽  
Sarah Nagel ◽  
Matthias Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Skeletal Element ◽  
Destructive Sampling ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Molecular Analyses ◽  
Dna Preservation ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
Human Dna ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Medieval Germany

Abstract Ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses necessitate the destructive sampling of archaeological material. Currently, the cochlea, part of the osseous inner ear located inside the petrous pyramid, is the most sought after skeletal element for molecular analyses of ancient humans as it has been shown to yield high amounts of endogenous DNA. However, destructive sampling of the petrous pyramid may not always be possible, particularly in cases where preservation of skeletal morphology is of top priority. To investigate alternatives, we present a survey of human aDNA preservation for each of ten skeletal elements in a skeletal collection from Medieval Germany. Through comparison of human DNA content and quality we confirm best performance of the petrous pyramid and identify seven additional sampling locations across four skeletal elements that yield adequate aDNA for most applications in human palaeogenetics. Our study provides a better perspective on DNA preservation across the human skeleton and takes a further step toward the more responsible use of ancient materials in human aDNA studies.

Variability in the relative human DNA content during metagenomic analysis of gut microbiota

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-295
Author(s):  
E. S. Kostryukova ◽  
I. Y. Karpova ◽  
A. K. Larin ◽  
A. C. Popenko ◽  
A. V. Tyaht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Dna Content ◽  
Metagenomic Analysis ◽  
Human Dna

The human DNA content in artifacts deposited by the blowfly Lucilia cuprina fed human blood, semen and saliva

2013 ◽  
Vol 233 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 212-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Durdle ◽  
Robert John Mitchell ◽  
Roland A.H. van Oorschot
Keyword(s):  
Human Blood ◽  
Dna Content ◽  
Lucilia Cuprina ◽  
Human Dna

Feeling the beat: Temporal and spatial perception of heartbeat sensations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Betka ◽  
Marta Łukowska ◽  
Marta Silva ◽  
Joshua King ◽  
Sarah Garfinkel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
State Anxiety ◽  
Spatial Perception ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Temporal Perception ◽  
Cardiovascular Parameters ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
Spatial Domains ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe majority of interoceptive tasks (i.e. measuring the sensitivity to bodily signals) are based upon the heartbeat sensations perception. However, temporal perception of heartbeats varies among individuals and confidence and spatial perception of heartbeats in relation to temporal judgements have not yet been systematically investigated. This study examined the perception of heartbeat sensations in both time and spatial domains, using a multi-interval heartbeat discrimination task. The relationship between these domains was investigated, as well as the contribution of mental health conditions and cardiovascular parameters. Heartbeat sensations occurred on average ~250ms after the ECG R-wave and were more frequently sampled from the left part of the chest. Participants’ confidence in their experience of heartbeat sensations was maximal for the 0 ms interval. Interestingly, higher confidence was related to reduced dispersion of sampling locations but we found evidence toward the absence of relationship between temporal and spatial heartbeat sensations perception, using Bayesian statistics. Finally, we found evidence toward a relationship between spatial precision of heartbeat sensations and state anxiety score, which seems independent from the cardiovascular parameters. This systematic investigation of heartbeat sensations perception provides important fresh insights, informing the mechanistic understanding of the interoceptive signaling contribution to emotion, cognition and behaviour.

Patterns of microbial colonization of human bone from surface-decomposed remains

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra L. Emmons ◽  
Amy Z. Mundorff ◽  
Sarah W. Keenan ◽  
Jonathan Davoren ◽  
Janna Andronowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Human Bone ◽  
Microbial Colonization ◽  
Dna Concentration ◽  
Dna Preservation ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Human Dna ◽  
Forest Models ◽  
Random Forest Models

AbstractMicrobial colonization of bone is an important mechanism of post-mortem skeletal degradation. However, the types and distributions of bone and tooth colonizing microbes are not well characterized. It is unknown if microbial communities vary in abundance or composition between bone element types, which could help explain patterns of human DNA preservation. The goals of the present study were to (1) identify the types of microbes capable of colonizing different human bone types and (2) relate microbial abundances, diversity, and community composition to bone type and human DNA preservation. DNA extracts from 165 bone and tooth samples from three skeletonized individuals were assessed for bacterial loading and microbial community composition and structure. Random forest models were applied to predict operational taxonomic units (OTUs) associated with human DNA concentration. Dominant bacterial bone colonizers were from the phyla Proteobacteria (36%), Actinobacteria (23%), Firmicutes (13%), Bacteroidetes (12%), and Planctomycetes (4.4%). Eukaryotic bone colonizers were from Ascomycota (40%), Apicomplexa (21%), Annelida (19%), Basidiomycota (17%), and Ciliophora (14%). Bacterial loading was not a significant predictor of human DNA concentration in two out of three individuals. Random forest models were minimally successful in identifying microbes related to patterns of DNA preservation, complicated by high variability in community structure between individuals and body regions. This work expands on our understanding of the types of microbes capable of colonizing human bone and contributing to human skeletal DNA degradation.

Development of a traceable molecular hygiene control method (TMHCM) for human DNA content in foods

2017 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 167-174
Author(s):  
Ergün Şakalar ◽  
Şeyma Özçirak Ergün ◽  
Çiğdem Pala ◽  
Emine Akar ◽  
Cengiz Ataşoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Dna Content ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Human Dna

scholarly journals A genetic analysis of the Gibraltar Neanderthals

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (31) ◽  
pp. 15610-15615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Bokelmann ◽  
Mateja Hajdinjak ◽  
Stéphane Peyrégne ◽  
Selina Brace ◽  
Elena Essel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Genome ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Dna Preservation ◽  
Dna Library ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Human Dna ◽  
Western Asia ◽  
Coastal Climate

The Forbes’ Quarry and Devil’s Tower partial crania from Gibraltar are among the first Neanderthal remains ever found. Here, we show that small amounts of ancient DNA are preserved in the petrous bones of the 2 individuals despite unfavorable climatic conditions. However, the endogenous Neanderthal DNA is present among an overwhelming excess of recent human DNA. Using improved DNA library construction methods that enrich for DNA fragments carrying deaminated cytosine residues, we were able to sequence 70 and 0.4 megabase pairs (Mbp) nuclear DNA of the Forbes’ Quarry and Devil’s Tower specimens, respectively, as well as large parts of the mitochondrial genome of the Forbes’ Quarry individual. We confirm that the Forbes’ Quarry individual was a female and the Devil’s Tower individual a male. We also show that the Forbes’ Quarry individual is genetically more similar to the ∼120,000-y-old Neanderthals from Scladina Cave in Belgium (Scladina I-4A) and Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave in Germany, as well as to a ∼60,000- to 70,000-y-old Neanderthal from Russia (Mezmaiskaya 1), than to a ∼49,000-y-old Neanderthal from El Sidrón (El Sidrón 1253) in northern Spain and other younger Neanderthals from Europe and western Asia. This suggests that the Forbes’ Quarry fossil predates the latter Neanderthals. The preservation of archaic human DNA in the warm coastal climate of Gibraltar, close to the shores of Africa, raises hopes for the future recovery of archaic human DNA from regions in which climatic conditions are less than optimal for DNA preservation.

II.—Late Saxon, Viking, and Early Medieval Finds from York

Archaeologia ◽  
1959 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 59-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dudley M. Waterman
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Scientific Investigation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Modern Building

The study of the Viking Age in this country has in the past remained largely the province of the historian, using the material afforded by the written sources and by the scientific investigation of place-names, and what systematic work has been done on the antiquities of the period, outside the fields of architecture and sculpture, illumination, and fine metalwork, is in considerable measure due to the labours of Scandinavian scholars. The contribution of archaeology to the problems of the period has until recently been quite inadequate and this state of affairs is all the more surprising in view of the important and controversial question of the origin of the English towns, the historical evidence for which, being both sketchy and ambiguous, has now been argued almost to the point of exhaustion. The publication in 1927 of the material remains of the Viking period from London in a manner appreciative of their equal value with the documentary and place-name evidence for the history of the site was exceptional, and in recent years the investigation by deliberate excavation of towns and settlement sites of the Viking Age, at Norwich, Oxford, Southampton, and Thetford, and far away in Shetland at Jarlshof, has gone some way towards compensating for earlier neglect. The systematic investigation of such sites, however, is only now beginning and so far no comparable work has been undertaken in the lands north of Humber, where from the time of Halfdan's settlement in 876 a thriving Viking province maintained with varying fortune its individuality until the Conquest and beyond. At York, the political centre of the Danelaw, the historical and place-name evidence indicates a thoroughly Scandinavian occupation, but the abundant archaeological material of the period, considering the importance of the site, has never received the attention in detail that it deserves. This material constitutes one of the largest groups of town finds of the Viking Age in the country and although for the most part recovered by chance in modern building operations and ill recorded in consequence has far too long been ignored.

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