News Archive

Bacteria in a Dinosaur Bone Reignite a Heated Debate

The Atlantic

The Lab Discovering DNA in Old Books

Even the beeswax used in seals is rich with data about the past, including the flowers that grew in that region year to year.

The Atlantic

Do Proteins Hold the Key to the Past?

Sam Knight on the new methods that are allowing a group of scientists to reëxamine the world's libraries and archives, in search of the hidden lives of authors.

The New Yorker

Goats, bookworms, a monk's kiss: Biologists reveal the hidden history of ancient gospels

Researchers use ancient DNA and proteins to read the biology of books.

Science Magazine

DNA of long-dead cows read from pages of Medieval books

By Chris Baraniuk. You could call it reading behind the lines. When medieval scribes sat down to preserve the literature and records of their day, they often wrote ...

New Scientist News

Sampling DNA From a 1,000-Year-Old Illuminated Manuscript

The York Gospels were assembled more than a thousand years ago. Bound in leather, illustrated, and illuminated, the book contains the four gospels of the ...

The Atlantic

Medieval Parchment DNA and Proteins Studied

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Research on the proteins and DNA held in medieval parchment manuscripts is providing new insights into how the manuscripts ...

Science Notes – Pondering the possibilities of proteomics

The application of proteomics, or the analysis of proteins, to archaeology is a fairly recent phenomenon – it only became viable thanks to developments in ...

Current Archaeology

Medieval Gospel Made of Sheep, Calves, Deer ... and Goat?

During medieval times, bookmakers fashioned the pages and cover of a rare copy of the Gospel of Luke out of five different types of animals: calves, two species .

Live Science

Medieval Manuscripts Are a DNA Smorgasbord | Smart News

In 2010, bioarchaeologist Matthew Collins of the University of Copenhagen and his colleagues realized that the parchment used in medieval manuscripts, which

Smithsonian.com

Trace proteins on texts and clothes offer insight into the past

When historians study texts, whether they're ancient records or more recent manuscripts, they look to the words on the page to tell them about the life and times ...

Chemical & Engineering News

Scientists Devise Clever Way to Test Old Manuscripts' DNA

When encountering an obstacle, some people stop and give up, some force their way through, and others find another way around. That's what scientists in the .

Mental Floss

Paleoproteomics Opens a Window into the Past

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON: Proteins extracted from dinosaur fossils could offer unprecedented insight into these animals' biology. Their ability to survive the .

The Scientist

Keeping the faith

In the face of persistent critics, paleontologist Mary Schweitzer pursues evidence of dinosaur proteins. Open in new tab. Defying conventional wisdom, Mary ...

Science Magazine