Jump to content
  • Sign Up
×
×
  • Create New...

Archaeologists use metabolites in bones to identify smokers from centuries ago


Pelican Press
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Diamond Member

This is the hidden content, please

Archaeologists use metabolites in bones to identify smokers from centuries ago

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==
Experimental design followed for the untargeted metabolomic assay. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn9317

A team of archaeologists and historians at the University of Leicester used metabolites found in bones from people who lived hundreds of years ago to determine if they had been smokers. In their study

This is the hidden content, please
in the journal Science Advances, the group used a new technique to identify smokers who lived in 18th-century England.

Prior research has shown that some smokers from ancient times can be easily identified by the marks left on their teeth by clay pipes—******-stained teeth can also be a strong sign. But as the researchers on this new effort note, not all smokers kept their teeth, which is why historians would like another way to assess ******** to determine if individuals smoked when they were alive.

In this new effort, the research team looked to metabolites in bone as a possible resource. Metabolites, as their name suggests, are intermediates or end products of metabolism. Prior research has shown that when tobacco is chewed or smoked, some of the resulting metabolites wind up in the bones. In this new effort, the researchers wondered if it would be possible to find such metabolites in the bones of people who lived and ***** in 18th-century England.

The team first had to determine what such metabolites might look like. To that end, they compared the chemical composition of bones of known smokers from the 1700s with the chemical composition of bones from people who lived before tobacco was introduced to England in the 1500s. They found dozens of compounds that appeared to be likely candidates.

They then looked for the compounds in 323 skeletons removed from cemeteries in two English locations; North Lincolnshire and London. They found that smoking was much more pervasive in the region than today—roughly half of all those they studied had been smokers, and they were people at all levels of society, both male and female. The team’s findings were surprising because up until now, it was believed that smoking was mostly a male habit.

The research team suggests this is one of the first studies to use metabolic techniques with skeletal samples to learn more about chemicals consumed by people hundreds of years ago.

More information:
Diego Badillo-Sanchez et al, Archaeometabolomics characterizes phenotypic differences in human cortical bone at a molecular level relating to tobacco use, Science Advances (2024).

This is the hidden content, please

© 2024 Science X Network

Citation:
Archaeologists use metabolites in bones to identify smokers from centuries ago (2024, October 7)
retrieved 7 October 2024
from

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.




This is the hidden content, please

#Archaeologists #metabolites #bones #identify #smokers #centuries

This is the hidden content, please

This is the hidden content, please

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Important Information

Privacy Notice: We utilize cookies to optimize your browsing experience and analyze website traffic. By consenting, you acknowledge and agree to our Cookie Policy, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.