(Press-News.org) Contact information: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Seashells inspire new way to preserve bones for archeologists, paleontologists
Recreating the story of humanity's past by studying ancient bones can hit a snag when they deteriorate, but scientists are now reporting an advance inspired by seashells that can better preserve valuable remains. Their findings, which appear in the ACS journal Langmuir, could have wide-ranging implications for both archeology and paleontology.
Luigi Dei and colleagues explain that a process similar to osteoporosis causes bones discovered at historically significant sites to become brittle and fragile — and in the process, lose clues to the culture they were once part of. Preserving them has proved challenging. Current techniques to harden and strengthen bones use vinyl and acrylic polymers. They act as a sort of glue, filling in cracks and holding fragments together, but they are not ideal. In an effort to stanch the loss of information due to damage, Dei's team set out to find a better way to preserve old bones.
The researchers turned to seashells for inspiration. Using skeletal fragments from the Late Middle Ages, they grew aragonite, a kind of lime that some sea animals produce to shore up their shells, on the bones in a controlled way. The treatment hardened the surfaces of the bones, as well as the pores inside them, making the ancient remains 50 to 70 percent sturdier. "These results could have immediate impact for preserving archeological and paleontological bone remains," the scientists conclude.
INFORMATION:The authors acknowledge funding from Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase (CSGI), Florence, Italy; the University of Florence; the TEMART Project funded by the European Fund for Regional Development; the Tuscany region; and the S.I.C.A.M.O.R. PAR-FAS Project Tuscany Region.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.
Follow us: Twitter Facebook
END
Toward fixing damaged hearts through tissue engineering
In the U.S., someone suffers a heart attack every 34 seconds — their heart is starved of oxygen and suffers irreparable damage. Engineering new heart tissue in the laboratory that could eventually be ...
Suburban sprawl accounts for 50 percent of US household carbon footprint
Many U.S. cities are taking steps to grow urban centers in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But a challenge is the significant carbon footprint of spacious suburban living, ...
Emerging class of therapeutics represents a coming wave for developers and manufacturers
After years of research, development and testing, a new class of drugs is emerging on the market with two frontrunners acting as harbingers of what's to come. The cover ...
New study examines patterns of cancer screening in Appalachian women
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 22, 2014) — A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows that women who never or rarely screen for breast cancer are also unlikely to receive screening for cervical ...
The unexpected power of baby math
Tel Aviv University researcher finds that adults still think about numbers like kids
Children understand numbers differently than adults. For kids, one and two seem much further apart then 101 and 102, because two is ...
U-Michigan ecologists: No magic bullet for coffee rust eradication
ANN ARBOR—Spraying fungicide to kill coffee rust disease, which has ravaged Latin American plantations since late 2012, is an approach that is "doomed to failure," according to University of Michigan ...
Health disparities among US African-American and Hispanic men cost economy more than $450 billion
Greatest economic burden shouldered by African-American and Hispanic men
African-American men incurred $341.8 billion in excess medical ...
UCLA researchers develop risk calculator to predict survival in heart failure patients
A UCLA team has developed an easy-to-use "risk calculator" that helps predict heart failure patients' chances of survival for up to five ...
New CU-Boulder study shows differences in mammal responses to climate change
Shrews 27 times less likely to respond to climate change than moose
If you were a shrew snuffling around a North American forest, you would be 27 times ...
Modest familial risks for multiple sclerosis
Even though multiple sclerosis is largely caused by genetic factors, the risk of patients' relatives developing the disease is lower than previously assumed. This is the conclusion of a new population registry-based study, ...
