ancient DNA (Other Keyword)
176-200 (205 Records)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Zooarchaeological analyses have for some time suggested that California tule elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes) populations were depressed by late Holocene hunters, and more recent preliminary analyses focused on aDNA and stable isotopes (carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen) have supported that conclusion. This work indicated a significant decrease over time in genetic...
Sacrifice at Midnight Terror Cave, Belize (2016)
Skeletal data from Midnight Terror Cave (MTC) have recently been used to suggest that individuals with physical deformities would have formed a class of “social outcasts” who were preferentially selected as sacrificial victims. Close scrutiny reveals a number of flaws in the data used. The extraction and sequencing of DNA recovered from a number of the bones in question is used to clarify the situation. Considering the size of the MTC assemblage, well over 100 individuals, the authors are...
The Search to Resurrect Muslin Cotton in Bangladesh (2018)
Bengal cotton muslin, a particularly fine type of woven cotton fabric, had legendary status where it was traditionally produced in East Bengal—now Bangladesh—for at least 2000 years. During the colonial influence of the British Empire, muslin was widely traded outside of South Asia, and became a valuable global commodity with major impacts on both local producers and foreign markets. Political turmoil and market forces, especially pressure from the East Indian Company, completely halted muslin...
Searching for Biomarkers in Dental Calculus in the Arch Street Project Skeletal Remains (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Bones and Burials in Philadelphia: The Arch Street Project’s Multidisciplinary Research" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The human remains from the Arch Street assemblage offer a unique opportunity to use nondestructive sampling techniques to study the population from the later 18th to early 19th century of Philadelphia. Many of the human remains contain at least partial dentition with calculus deposits present. The...
Searching for pathogens in a New World colonial epidemic burial (2016)
While methodological advancements in ancient DNA research have permitted the reconstruction of ancient bacterial genomes, pathogen detection has thus far been limited to capture-based approaches that carry with them a strong ascertainment bias. Such biases are reduced when historical or archaeological contexts implicate a particular disease, but examples of this are rare in the archaeological record. Ancient DNA could serve as an important tool for elucidating the biological consequences of...
Sediment Environmental DNA (eDNA) Analysis of Lake Ochaul (2023)
This is an abstract from the "Northeast Asian Prehistoric Hunter-Gather Lifeways: Multidisciplinary, Individual Life History Approach" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Detailed reconstruction of paleo-ecosystems is the key for understanding the interactions of climate changes, ecological variation, and human activities. In this study, we applied novel environmental DNA (eDNA) shotgun metagenomics methods on the ancient eDNA isolated from the lake...
Sedimentary Ancient DNA Metabarcoding for the Recognition of Human Plant Use at Aghitu-3 Cave, Armenia (2023)
This is an abstract from the "Pleistocene Landscapes and Hominin Behavior in the Armenian Highlands" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Our knowledge of plants used by Upper Paleolithic humans is limited by the survival of identifiable plant parts. In this study, we present the results of ancient DNA studies of cave sediments from Aghitu-3 Cave in the Armenian Highlands. The cave contains a detailed record of human settlement and environmental...
Sehonghong Fauna
Photographs in this file relate to the below papers. On the basis of morphological analyses of faunal remains recovered from Sehonghong Rock Shelter, Lesotho, Mitchell et al. (2008) argued that significant numbers of domestic stock were being husbanded by traditionally foraging groups. Nineteen specimens were provided to us for ancient DNA analysis (Horsburgh et al. 2016), and we were able to recover mitochondrial DNA from ten. In only one specimen did the genetic identification of species match...
Sehonghong Photographs (2017)
Photographs in this file relate to the below papers. On the basis of morphological analyses of faunal remains recovered from Sehonghong Rock Shelter, Lesotho, Mitchell et al. (2008) argued that significant numbers of domestic stock were being husbanded by traditionally foraging groups. Nineteen specimens were provided to us for ancient DNA analysis (Horsburgh et al. 2016), and we were able to recover mitochondrial DNA from ten. In only one specimen did the genetic identification of species match...
Sex-Biased Differences in Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy at Síi Túupentak, an Ancestral Ohlone Village in Central California (ca. 540–145 cal BP) (2023)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Síi Túupentak (CA-SCA-565/H) is a late precontact ancestral Ohlone village/cemetery site in central California (ca. 540–145 cal BP). Integration of proteomic, genomic, and osteological analyses provided highly confident biological sex estimates for remains of most individuals at this site (65 of 76) spanning all age groups—from perinatal infants to aged...
The Significance of Robustly Identifying Microbes in Archaeological Samples of Humans and Domesticated Animals (2019)
This is an abstract from the "HumAnE Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Genetic species identification of archaeological specimens is difficult due to low DNA content and degradation. Yet specific and accurate identification of microbes is essential not only for identifying how diseases affect human health, but also the health of domesticated animals. Therefore, we created a method for identifying microbes via aDNA, that quantifies the...
Strategies for Understanding Biomolecular Preservation within Archaeological Collections (2018)
Technological and analytical advancements of biomolecular techniques allow scientists and museums to explore and assess archaeological collections from a new perspective, revealing new insights into past peoples, health, and the environment. One of the major challenges for biomolecular research on archaeological remains are uncertainties surrounding biomolecule preservation. Information on how samples were collected, washed, preserved, and maintained are valuable for generating and interpreting...
STUDY OF LEISHMANIASIS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIAL OF HUMAN ORIGIN FROM SOUTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES (2015)
The identification of Leishmania parasites in archaeological material is performed by molecular and immunological diagnosis.The present study aimed to detect Leishmania sp. in samples from archaeological sites in South America.After the lack of inhibition observed in the samples we proceeded with PCR Leishmania spp.using a molecular target to Kinetoplast minicircule kDNA in samples from different individuals with datings from different periods from archaeological sites in South America(Brazil...
A Tale of Tongan Chickens (2019)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Lapita peoples transported a number of animal species in their colonizing canoes as they settled the islands of the Pacific. Included among the domesticated animals introduced by Lapita peoples were chickens (Gallus gallus). Later, Polynesians also transported chickens as they settled many of the islands of the Polynesian Triangle. The discovery of...
Target Capture for Ancient DNA: Temperature, Time, and Tiling Density (2016)
Bait-target hybridization (a.k.a., "target capture") is rapidly replacing PCR as the enrichment method of choice for ancient DNA sequencing projects. Though very successful in recent years, ancient DNA target capture outcomes vary substantially and could be better understood. Here we performed a series of experiments to measure how three commonly-varied parameters - temperature, time, and bait tiling density - impact enrichment of short, rare targets embedded in complex DNA backgrounds. We found...
Testing the Dual Origin Dog Domestication Hypothesis (2018)
Despite numerous investigations leveraging both genetic and archaeological evidence, the geographic origins of dogs remain unknown. On the basis of an ancient Irish dog genome and an assessment of the spatiotemporal appearance of dogs in the archaeological record, a recent paper suggested that dogs may have been domesticated independently in Eastern and Western Eurasia from distinct wolf populations. Following those independent origins, a mitochondrial assessment suggested that the Mesolithic...
They’re Alright: Late Quaternary Fossil Pocket Gopher DNA Provides Nuanced View of Climate Changes at Hall’s Cave, Texas (2023)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Although considered pests to farmers and golfers alike, gophers – specifically pocket gophers (family Geomyidae) – can be excellent proxies for assessing climate change in archaeological contexts owing to their penchant for living in specific soil conditions. At the Hall’s Cave site in Kerr County, Texas, geomyids are found in most of the radiocarbon-dated...
To the Caribbean and Beyond: Complete Mitogenomes of Ancient Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus) as a Proxy for Human Interaction in the Late Ceramic Age (2018)
The Caribbean Ceramic Age (AD500-1500) was associated with increased interaction between the islands and mainland South America. The domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was introduced to the Caribbean post-AD500 through human transportation. Archaeological remains of guinea pigs are present on several Caribbean islands. This study used complete mitogenomes from ancient guinea pigs as a commensal model to identify likely human migration routes and interaction spheres within the Caribbean...
Tracing Long-Term Human-Fish Interactions in Hokkaido, Japan, through Ancient DNA Analysis of Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) Remains (2023)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) was historically an important subsistence item for many Indigenous peoples along the North Pacific Rim including the Ainu of Hokkaido in northern Japan. However, relative to salmon, little archaeological research has been conducted on this taxon. Ethnographic records and oral traditions are also limited as many Ainu were...
Tracking dogs across the Pacific using ancient mitogenomes (2017)
Dogs were introduced to the islands of Australasia and the Pacific during human migrations and colonisations, but the timing and dispersal routes are unclear. To investigate these Oceanic dog introductions and movements, we generated complete or near complete ancient mitochondrial genomes from archaeological dog specimens from Thailand, Island Southeast Asia and Pacific islands, and from modern dingoes. When combined with additional published complete mitogenome sequences from modern dogs from...
Tracking Human Dispersals to Palau Using Ancient DNA: Results from the Chelechol ra Orrak Site (2021)
This is an abstract from the "When the Wild Winds Blow: Micronesia Colonization in Pacific Context" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Initial settlement of Remote Oceania represents the world’s last major wave of human dispersal. While transdisciplinary models involving linguistic, archaeological, and biological data have been utilized in the Pacific to develop basic chronologies and trajectories of initial settlement, a number of elusive gaps remain...
Transdisciplinary Analysis of Marine Mammal Use in the Norse North Atlantic and Subarctic (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Celebrating Anna Kerttula's Contributions to Northern Research" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This ongoing project, funded in 2015 by Anna Kerttula and the Arctic Social Sciences Program, uses historical, literary, aDNA, ZooMS, and archaeological data to identify patterns in marine mammal exploitation across the North Atlantic and Subarctic from ca. 800 -1800 CE. With over 230 samples of archaeological whale bone...
Transdisciplinary Approaches to Norse Use of Marine Mammals: History, Archaeology and aDNA (2017)
Historical, literary and archaeological evidence suggests frequent use of marine mammals by the Norse across the medieval North Atlantic and Eastern Subarctic, circa 870 – 1500 CE. Written records indicate the importance of cetacean species in Norse economies from Norway to Newfoundland, but especially in medieval Iceland. Archaeological assemblages from Iceland reveal an abundance of worked and waste cetacean bone, most of which are morphologically undiagnostic. As such, details on the economic...
Tuberculosis in Past Peruvian Populations (2017)
Due to its arid climate the Atacama Desert has an exceptional preservation of ancient biomolecules. In an archaeological context, this allows for genetic analyses of both past human populations and the infectious diseases they experienced. Pre-contact Peruvian cultures are among the first New World populations to show skeletal indications of tuberculosis, and recent molecular analyses have revealed that three individuals were afflicted with a rare zoonotic form of the disease acquired from...
Turkeys in the Mimbres Valley, New Mexico: Pottery Iconography, Genetics, and Diet (2021)
This is an abstract from the "Birds in Archaeology: New Approaches to Understanding the Diverse Roles of Birds in the Past" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Understanding the cultural and environmental context of turkey (*Meleagris gallopavo) domestication and husbandry contribute to key issues in anthropological archaeology and social zooarchaeology. Despite recent advances in turkey studies in recent years, the extent of domestication and...