Ancient DNA Analysis from Micro-fractures in Bridge River Stone Tools

Summary

There has been little research specifically designed to examine variability in how the porosity of lithic raw materials and micro-fractures from use-wear create environments that trap and preserve residues containing DNA on lithic tools. This study examines lithic tools made from a variety of raw materials to assess the effects of variability of raw material type, use-wear, and damage on preservation of ancient DNA (aDNA). aDNA analysis of stone tools can begin to address if the tools were used to process specific species of animals. The ancient lithics used in the study were from the Bridge River Excavation site in the Middle Fraser Canyon, British Columbia. The site was occupied periodically from 1800 years ago to the mid-19th century (Prentiss et al. 2008). The protocol to extract and amplify aDNA locked in micro-cracks on the surface of tools involved treating them with chemicals and sonication (Shanks et al. 2005). Bridge River researchers have designated the tools as used in "food processing or tool manufacturing" (Prentiss 2014), and our analyses had potential to connect the tools with specific species such as elk or deer (as well as Puma concolor, and Canis lupus familiaris), and provide an interesting new avenue of investigation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20808