Using ZooMS to identify fragmentary bone from the Late Middle/Early Upper Palaeolithic sequence of Les Cottés, France

Abstract

a b s t r a c tWe report the application of a molecular barcode method (ZooMS) to identify fragmentary bone remains (>2.5 cm) from a Middle to Upper Palaeolithic sequence at Les Cott es, France. ZooMS uses peptide mass fingerprinting of collagen (the most abundant protein in bone) to discriminate fauna (typically to genus level). Using previously reported peptide markers we initially conducted a blind test using 34 morphologically identified bones, followed by the application of ZooMS on 145 morphologically unidentified bone specimens. For the blind test, ZooMS was in agreement with morphological identifications in all cases, but in some instances taxonomic resolution is lower than morphological identifications. Further, 93.8% (136/145) of spectra obtained for morphologically unidentified bone specimens result in identifications that cannot be taxonomically improved by ZooMS. These include ten bone specimens showing signs of carnivore digestion. Focussing on the unidentified bone specimens of the Châtelper-ronian unit at Les Cott es (US06), ZooMS identified an additional z30% of the total number of bones discovered, increasing the total number of identified bone specimens to 61.8%. Further, ZooMS revealed higher taxonomic richness compared to morphological identifications for US06, thereby providing a more informed interpretation of the faunal community present at Les Cott es during the Châtelperronian.

A late Middle Pleistocene Denisovan mandible from the Tibetan Plateau

“…1) were drilled at the Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education) in Lanzhou University, China. Dentine and bone samples were treated using established proteome extraction protocols 21,54 . This resulted in an ammonium-bicarbonate fraction (hereafter AmBic) and acid-demineralization fraction (hereafter Acid) for each sample.…”

Palaeoproteomic evidence identifies archaic hominins associated with the Châtelperronian at the Grotte du Renne

“…It has been demonstrated previously that palaeoproteomics allows the identification of additional hominin specimens among unidentified Pleistocene faunal remains [zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, or ZooMS (15)(16)(17)], although here the value of doing so has enabled the direct dating and unambiguous identification of the Neandertal association with the Châtelperronian. We successfully apply this to the Grotte du Renne Châtelperronian.…”

Why the Donkey Did Not Go South: Disease as a Constraint on the Spread of Equus asinus into Southern Africa

“…from sites in East Africa mightwhere collagen is preserved-be investigated using new palaeoproteomic (ZooMS) techniques (e.g., Welker et al 2015) to determine whether additional donkeys lurk unidentified in Pastoral Neolithic or other faunal assemblages; they and existing specimens would also benefit from direct dating using the AMS radiocarbon technique to confirm their precise age. Along with renewed archaeozoological examinations, the same techniques could also be deployed as part of efforts to exclude conclusively the possibility that donkeys lie Bhidden^and unidentified in southern African faunas; Geduld (Smith and Jacobson 1995) and Bosutswe (Denbow et al 2008) might, for example, be promising in this respect (Table 2).…”