Strontium isotopes in dental calculus as a screening approach to investigate past human migrations: your (ancient) trash in my treasure

The application of biomolecular techniques to archaeological materials from the Balkans is providing valuable new information on the prehistory of the region. This is especially relevant for the study of the neolithisation process in SE Europe, which gradually affected the rest of the continent. Here, to answer questions regarding diet and subsistence practices in early farming societies, we combine organic residue analyses of archaeological pottery, taxonomic and isotopic study of domestic animal remains and biomolecular analyses of human dental calculus. The results from the analyses of the lipid residues from pottery suggest that milk was processed in ceramic vessels. Dairy products were shown to be part of the subsistence strategies of the earliest Neolithic communities in the region but were of varying importance in different areas of the Balkan. On the other hand, we did not confidently detect any milk proteins within the dental calculus. The molecular and isotopic identification of meat, dairy, plants and beeswax in the pottery lipids also provided insights into the diversity of diet in these early Neolithic communities. We also present the first compound-specific radiocarbon dates for the region, obtained directly on absorbed organic residues extracted from pottery, identified as dairy lipids.

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Calcium Budgets for Catchments as Interpreted by Strontium Isotopes

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.1989.0007 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 85-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Gunnar Jacks ◽

Göran Åberg ◽

P. Joseph Hamilton

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Coniferous Forest ◽

Strontium Isotopes ◽

Runoff Water ◽

Weathering Rate ◽

Weathering Rates ◽

Exchangeable Calcium

Strontium isotopes in precipitation, soil and runoff water can be used to establish a ratio of wet plus dry deposited Sr to Sr released by weathering. This ratio is especially enhanced in areas with old acid Proterozoic rocks (0.6-2.5 Ga) and Archean rocks (>2.5 Ga). Since Sr and Ca behave in an analogous way in the coniferous forest ecosystem the results for Sr can be used for the determination of Ca. If the deposition of calcium can be calculated reasonably accurately the weathering rate can also be estimated. Five catchments have been investigated using this approach. Three of them seem to be close to a steady state, wherein the losses and gains of calcium to the system are equal. In the two southern-most catchments there seems to be an ongoing loss of exchangeable calcium. The loss by runoff occurs with sulphate being the dominant anion. Weathering rates of 1.5 to 4.8 kg Ca/ha year have been estimated.

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ASPECTOS ANTROPOLÓGICOS, BIOQUÍMICOS, MICROBIOLÓGICOS E CLÍNICOS DO CÁLCULO DENTÁRIO: UMA REVISÃO DA LITERATURA

International Journal of Science Dentistry ◽

10.22409/ijosd.v2i48.372 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Raphael Hirata Júnior

Keyword(s):

Oral Cavity ◽

Oral Hygiene ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Dental Calculus ◽

Dental Biofilm

Resumo: O cálculo dentário é uma estrutura calcificada a partir do biofilme dentário (placa bacteriana) que, após o seu estabelecimento, é de difícil remoção e constitui um mecanismo de patogenicidade importante em diversas situações patológicas da cavidade oral por estar sempre coberto por uma camada viável de biofilme não mineralizada. A presente revisão de literatura releva a importância dos biofilmes calcificados nos contextos de doença, seus aspectos clínicos e microbiológicos em tempos anciães e contemporâneos, e sobre as medidas terapêuticas e preventivas. Apesar de todo conhecimento gerado sobre as doenças da cavidade oral, ainda são limitadas as abordagens clínicas a respeito dos mecanismos de controle dos cálculos dentários.Abstract: Dental calculus is a calcified structure from the dental biofilm (plaque), which, after its establishment, is difficult to remove and constitutes an important mechanism of pathogenicity in various pathological situations of the oral cavity because it is always covered by a viable layer of non-mineralized biofilm. The present literature highlights the importance of calcified biofilms in disease contexts, clinical and microbiological of dental calculus aspects in ancient and contemporary eras, and in therapeutic and preventive measures. Despite all the knowledge generated about the diseases of the oral cavity, the clinical approaches regarding the mechanisms of control of dental calculus still need investigations.Palavras Chave: Cálculo dentário, Calcificação do biofilme, Higiene oralKey words: Dental calculus, Biofilm calcification, Oral hygiene

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