Collaborative Research: Development and Application of Proteomics-based Research in Archaeological Residue Analysis

在国家科学基金会的支持下，史蒂夫·沃尔弗顿博士和一个跨学科的同事团队将进行为期一年的分析化学研究，以去除考古陶器中微量的食物残留物。该团队汇集了考古学、蛋白质化学、植物脂肪化学和环境生物学方面的专家，以解决从考古烹饪器皿碎片中去除蛋白质残留物的巨大障碍。与其他种类的食物(如脂肪)不同，蛋白质在烹饪过程中与粘土结合得非常紧密。然而，这种紧密的结合结构是一种伪装的祝福，因为它可能会保护蛋白质片段不会随着时间的推移而在考古遗址中变质。挑战在于打破陶土中的矿物质和残留物之间的紧密联系。与其他食物残留物的研究相比，蛋白质残留物可能为考古学家提供了明显的科学优势；当蛋白质被保存并从陶器中移除时，可以在物种和组织中识别出它们(其他残留物只能提供粗略的分辨率)。重要的是，解决这一方法论挑战将为考古学在研究史前生存(人们吃什么)和陶器功能(人们用陶器做什么)方面提出广泛的问题提供新的基础。这项研究有几个重要的意义。从陶器中提取蛋白质残留物的能力可能使研究人员能够利用更广泛的考古记录来研究过去的生存和陶器的功能。在动物遗骸(动物骨骼)和植物遗骸(种子、坚果、花粉)保存不佳的地区，考古学中的一个常见问题是陶器残留物可能提供了关于过去饮食和文物功能的独特信息来源。这项技术可以应用于农业起源的问题，这通常与世界许多地区的陶器发展有关。这项研究将被纳入各种教育环境，其中包括让未被充分代表的文化群体接触这项研究。在研究生阶段，考古学和生物化学专业是这项研究不可或缺的组成部分。这项研究将通过几个途径向公众传播：1)UNTS榆树叉子教育中心，这是一个位于校园的科学教育项目，每年惠及20,000多名K-8学生；2)Crow Canyon考古中心，一个位于科罗拉多州科尔特斯的非营利性组织，为公众，特别是学生和教育工作者提供考古教育项目；以及3)研究团队成员邀请在学校、教育活动和当地考古协会进行公开讲座。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Steve Wolverton and an interdisciplinary team of colleagues will conduct a year of analytical chemistry research into removing trace-level food residues from archaeological pottery. The team brings together specialists in archaeology, protein chemistry, plant-lipid chemistry, and environmental biology to tackle what has been a sizeable hurdle in removing protein residues from archaeological cooking vessel fragments. Unlike other classes of food resides (e.g., fats), proteins bind very tightly to clay during cooking. This tight binding structure is, however, a blessing in disguise because it likely protects protein fragments from deterioration over time in archaeological sites. The challenge has been breaking those tight bonds between minerals in pottery clays and residues. Protein residues potentially provide a distinct scientific advantage to archaeologists over study of other food residues; proteins can be identified to species and tissue when they are preserved and removed from pottery (other residues offer only coarse resolution). Importantly, addressing this methodological challenge will provide a new basis for asking wide ranging questions in archaeology both in terms of studying prehistoric subsistence (what people ate) and pottery function (what people used their pottery for).There are several important implications of this research. An ability to extract protein residues from pottery potentially enables researchers to study past subsistence and pottery function using a broader archaeological record. In areas where faunal (animal bones) and botanical (seeds, nuts, pollen) remains are poorly preserved a common problem in archaeology pottery residues might provide a unique source of information on past diet and artifact function. The technique can be applied to questions of agricultural origins, which is often associated with development of pottery in many parts of the world. This research will be incorporated into a variety of educational settings, which includes exposure of under-represented cultural groups to this research. At the graduate level, archaeology and biochemistry students are integral components of this research.. The research will be disseminated to the general public through several avenues: 1) UNTs Elm Fork Education Center, a science education program located on campus that reaches over 20,000 K-8 students each year; 2) Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, a nonprofit organization in Cortez, Colorado with archaeological education programs for the public, in particular students and educators; and 3) invited public lectures at schools, educational events, and local archaeological societies by members of the research team.