Persistence of proteins in ancient samples and how and why they degrade.
Research Area
My research focuses on detecting ancient proteins and their decomposition products, particularly through the development of new software tools using transformer models to identify post-translational modifications (PTMs). I aim to re-analyse extensive paleoproteomics data to develop models of protein decomposition. By studying monosk, bird eggshell, and tooth enamel, I investigate the extent of protein degradation through amino acid epimerization and hydrolysis over a geochronological record spanning 60 years. My goals include testing paleoclimatic records, establishing universal kinetic parameters for protein degradation, and exploring the limits of protein survival in deep time. This research seeks to ground-truth paleoclimate estimates and enhance the use of amino acid degradation for geochronology. The integration of transformer models with kinetic degradation models will lead to robust, scalable software tools for comprehensive protein analysis, contributing to our understanding of historical climate conditions and advancing the application of biochemical markers in archaeological and paleontological studies.
Project Interests
Weather - the use of medieval manuscripts as ultra-high resolution biological climate proxies and records of diet and pathology - with Ulf Buentgen?
Palaeoclimate - modelling a 60-year record of protein degradation in closed systems to test and refine palaeoclimate models. with Andrea Manica
Collagen a peculiar protein in the past, from Ediacaran taphonomy via the Great Ordovician Biodeversification Event to the trophic ecology of Mesozoic and Cenozoic elasmobranchs - with Alex Liu, (Melinda Duer)?
Diverse diets: Stable isotopes and palaeoprotemic analysis of the inhabitants of Bird Island - with Richard Phillips