U.S.-Australia Cooperative Research: Dating Hominid Migration and Quaternary Environmental Change Through Racemization of Amino Acids in Ostrich Eggshells

该奖项将支持博士之间的合作研究。 位于博尔德的科罗拉多大学的吉福德米勒和 艾伦·R博士澳大利亚国立大学的芝华士。 这项研究是将一种新的， 一种非常成功的测年技术氨基酸 外消旋化，即研究蛋白质的变化， 活性到非活性材料。这项技术只能用于 当这些材料从内部到外部没有损失时， 外部环境;鸵鸟蛋壳的巨大密度 在这项研究中保护这种损失。高度可再现 原始人迁徙的时间和模式的日期 从亚洲一直延伸到澳大利亚， 在相对较短的地质时期内发生的变化 从这项研究的结果。由于外消旋化可以应用于 年代太久而无法用放射性碳测定年代的材料 约会，该项目提供了一个独特的机会， 在35，000和更老的时间范围内的活动。 该项目代表了 澳大利亚和美国的研究人员。澳大利亚集团将 在分离单个氨基酸方面提供专业知识， 化石，优秀的实验室设施和现场支持 收集样本。米勒博士将贡献他的 在氨基酸技术方面已经有了广泛的专业知识， 用于年代测定的外消旋化这显然是重要的工作， 对澳大利亚和美国科学界都有好处 人类迁徙的年代和相关的气候 变化

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Gifford Miller of the University of Colorado at Boulder and Dr. Allan R. Chivas of the Australian National University. The research is to apply to ostrich eggshells a new and highly successful varient of the dating technique, amino acid racemization, that is, investigation of protein changes from active to inactive materials. The technique can only be used when there is no loss of these materials from internal to external environments; the great density of ostrich eggshells protects such loss in this research. Highly reproducible dates on the timing and patterns of the migration of hominids across Asia and into Australia, and information on climatic changes over relatively short periods of geological time will result from this research. As racemization can be applied to materials which are too old to be dated by radiocarbon dating, the project provides a unique opportunity to date activities in the 35,000 and older time range. The project represents excellent collaboration between the Australian and U.S. researchers. The Australian group will contribute expertise in isolating individual amino acids from fossils, excellent laboratory facilities, and field support for collecting samples. Dr. Miller will contribute his already-extensive expertise in the technique of amino acid racemization for dating. This is clearly important work of benefit to both the Australian and U.S. scientific communities on dating the ages of human migration and associated climate change.