This seminar aims at:
- Introducing the field of archaeological plant residues.
- Outlining the t... more This seminar aims at: - Introducing the field of archaeological plant residues. - Outlining the theoretical and practical foundations to conduct these analyses. - Understanding starches and phytoliths as proxies for environmental and dietary research. - Describing macromolecules, plant leaf waxes, and n-alkanes for paleoclimate reconstructions. - Learning some protocols and technologies for extracting plant residues.
Completing our field season at Olduvai, where our team deployed forensic cleanroom methods to exc... more Completing our field season at Olduvai, where our team deployed forensic cleanroom methods to excavate early hominin tools at Bed I and II. Pervasive contamination in field and laboratory settings for residue analysis, especially starch grain research, convinced our group of the need for this approach. Sincere thanks to our Tanzanian colleagues, students, and local people for making this huge endeavor possible.
Check out our latest laboratory CSI endeavor: a mobile clean room to excavate artifacts for ancie... more Check out our latest laboratory CSI endeavor: a mobile clean room to excavate artifacts for ancient starch without contaminating them. Our group came up with this idea when realizing how extensive contaminants are in the laboratory, in supplies, but also in the field (airborne, personnel, etc.).
Sending this to Olduvai has been a circus. The monster weighs more than 1000 pounds. After landing in Dar es Salaam, it is now getting ready to go overland by truck all the way to the gorge. Fortunately, our northern summer is the coolest season for Tanzania, and hopefully our students will be as comfortable digging within the clean room as they would be outside… More when we return.
This seminar aims at:
- Introducing the field of archaeological plant residues.
- Outlining the t... more This seminar aims at: - Introducing the field of archaeological plant residues. - Outlining the theoretical and practical foundations to conduct these analyses. - Understanding starches and phytoliths as proxies for environmental and dietary research. - Describing macromolecules, plant leaf waxes, and n-alkanes for paleoclimate reconstructions. - Learning some protocols and technologies for extracting plant residues.
Completing our field season at Olduvai, where our team deployed forensic cleanroom methods to exc... more Completing our field season at Olduvai, where our team deployed forensic cleanroom methods to excavate early hominin tools at Bed I and II. Pervasive contamination in field and laboratory settings for residue analysis, especially starch grain research, convinced our group of the need for this approach. Sincere thanks to our Tanzanian colleagues, students, and local people for making this huge endeavor possible.
Check out our latest laboratory CSI endeavor: a mobile clean room to excavate artifacts for ancie... more Check out our latest laboratory CSI endeavor: a mobile clean room to excavate artifacts for ancient starch without contaminating them. Our group came up with this idea when realizing how extensive contaminants are in the laboratory, in supplies, but also in the field (airborne, personnel, etc.).
Sending this to Olduvai has been a circus. The monster weighs more than 1000 pounds. After landing in Dar es Salaam, it is now getting ready to go overland by truck all the way to the gorge. Fortunately, our northern summer is the coolest season for Tanzania, and hopefully our students will be as comfortable digging within the clean room as they would be outside… More when we return.
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Papers by julio mercader
- Introducing the field of archaeological plant residues.
- Outlining the theoretical and practical foundations to conduct these analyses.
- Understanding starches and phytoliths as proxies for environmental and dietary research.
- Describing macromolecules, plant leaf waxes, and n-alkanes for paleoclimate
reconstructions.
- Learning some protocols and technologies for extracting plant residues.
Sending this to Olduvai has been a circus. The monster weighs more than 1000 pounds. After landing in Dar es Salaam, it is now getting ready to go overland by truck all the way to the gorge. Fortunately, our northern summer is the coolest season for Tanzania, and hopefully our students will be as comfortable digging within the clean room as they would be outside… More when we return.
- Introducing the field of archaeological plant residues.
- Outlining the theoretical and practical foundations to conduct these analyses.
- Understanding starches and phytoliths as proxies for environmental and dietary research.
- Describing macromolecules, plant leaf waxes, and n-alkanes for paleoclimate
reconstructions.
- Learning some protocols and technologies for extracting plant residues.
Sending this to Olduvai has been a circus. The monster weighs more than 1000 pounds. After landing in Dar es Salaam, it is now getting ready to go overland by truck all the way to the gorge. Fortunately, our northern summer is the coolest season for Tanzania, and hopefully our students will be as comfortable digging within the clean room as they would be outside… More when we return.