Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Volume 118, Issue 2, Pages 117-120Publisher
WILEY-LISS
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.10061
Keywords
amino acid; paleogenetics; racemization; skeletal remains
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Paleogenetic investigations of ancient DNA extracted from fossil material is for many reasons susceptible to falsification by the presence of more recent contamination from several sources. Gelatine-based bone glue that has been used extensively for nearly two centuries by curators to preserve hard tissues contributes nonauthentic DNA to paleontological material. This fact has been frequently neglected and is barely mentioned in the literature. Now paleogeneticists, curators, and conservators are faced with the problem that treatment of samples with adhesives and consolidants for conservatory purposes has seldom been recorded. Here, we show that racemization of amino acids, and in particular serine, is an excellent indicator for the treatment of paleontological samples with glue. (C) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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