@article{9e59cfae844f4f949c76c286d582882a,
title = "Bone collagen from subtropical Australia is preserved for more than 50,000 years",
abstract = "Ancient protein studies have demonstrated their utility for looking at a wide range of evolutionary and historical questions. The majority of palaeoproteomics studies to date have been restricted to high latitudes with relatively temperate environments. A better understanding of protein preservation at lower latitudes is critical for disentangling the mechanisms involved in the deep-time survival of ancient proteins, and for broadening the geographical applicability of palaeoproteomics. In this study, we aim to assess the level of collagen preservation in the Australian fossil record. Collagen preservation was systematically examined using a combination of thermal age estimates, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry, and protein deamidation calculations. We reveal unexpected subtropical survival of collagen in bones more than 50 thousand years old, showing that protein preservation can exceed chemical predictions of collagen survival in bone. These findings challenge preconceptions concerning the suitability of palaeoproteomics in subtropical Pleistocene environments. We explore potential causes of this unexpected result to identify the underlying mechanisms leading to this exceptional preservation. This study serves as a starting point for the analysis of ancient proteins in other (sub)tropical contexts, and at deeper timescales.",
author = "Carli Peters and Yiming Wang and Vikram Vakil and Jonathan Cramb and Joe Dortch and Scott Hocknull and Rochelle Lawrence and Tiina Manne and Carly Monks and R{\"o}ssner, {Gertrud E.} and Helen Ryan and Mikael Siversson and Tim Ziegler and Julien Louys and Price, {Gilbert J.} and Nicole Boivin and Collins, {Matthew J.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank the Pibulmun Wadandi Yunungjarli people, and specifically the Webb family as Traditional Custodians in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Region, the Wattandee and Yamatji Traditional Owners, the Barada Barna people of Bigerley, South Walker Creek, the Augusteyn family of Capricorn Caves, and the Darumbal people, for supporting our research. We are also grateful to Andrea Manica for sharing a beta version of the Pastclim R package with us, and to Simon Hickinbotham and Julie Wilson for assistance in using the Q2E R package. We would also like to thank Sandra Hebestreit for technical assistance with ZooMS extractions, and Erin Scott for technical assistance with FTIR measurements. We are also grateful to Kristine Korzow Richter for helpful discussions about the paper, and to the three anonymous reference whose thoughtful comments and suggestions have helped to improve the quality of the manuscript. This research was supported by the Max Planck Society, ARC Discovery Early Career Research Fellowships awarded to T.M. (DE150101597) and G.J.P. (DE120101533), an ARC Discovery Project awarded to G.J.P. (DP120101752), and an ERC award (Adv. 787282) awarded to M.J.C. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s).",
year = "2023",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1038/s43247-023-01114-8",
language = "English",
volume = "4",
journal = "Communications Earth and Environment",
issn = "2662-4435",
publisher = "Springer Nature",
}