Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40822357›Full record

ArticleiScience2025

Ancient microbial DNA and proteins preserve in concretions covering human remains.

Biancamaria Bonucci, Toni de-Dios, Rémi Barbieri, Jess Emma Thompson, Sofia Panella, Francesca Radina, Sandra Sivilli, Helja Kabral, Anu Solnik, Mary Anne Tafuri and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in iScience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Palaeoproteomic Deconvolution of Physical and Genetic Collagen Mixtures.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Biancamaria BonucciEstonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
Toni de-DiosEstonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
Rémi BarbieriEstonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
Jess Emma ThompsonMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK.
Sofia PanellaDepartment of Environmental Biology and Mediterranean bioArchaeological Research Advances (MAReA) Centre, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Francesca RadinaSoprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la Città Metropolitana di Bari, Corso Antonio De Tullio, 2, 70122 Bari, Italy.
Sandra SivilliIndependent Researcher, Bari, Italy.
Helja KabralEstonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
Anu SolnikCore Lab Facility, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.
Mary Anne TafuriDepartment of Environmental Biology and Mediterranean bioArchaeological Research Advances (MAReA) Centre, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
John RobbMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK.
Christiana Lyn ScheibEstonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, 51010 Tartu, Estonia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Archaeological remains covered with concretions, including human bones, are commonly found in certain areas and time periods of interest for understanding the past, but have yet to be investigated for potential ancient DNA (aDNA) and protein content. We extracted aDNA and proteins in tandem from human dental remains and their surrounding concretions and compared them to non-concreted human dental remains from the same site. Concretions appeared homogeneous in color and texture, consisting of a hard dark gray sediment adhered to the bone surfaces, presumably as a result of cyclical waterlogging of the burial deposits. Concretions were found to contain human oral microbial genomes and proteins, probably leached from the original skeletal source, as well as environmental and human proteins. Despite this, both the original teeth and the concretions surrounding them lacked endogenous human aDNA, indicating that the use of this type of material in future molecular archaeological applications is limited.

Indexed as

ArcheologyMicrobiomeOmicsProteomics

Identifiers

PMID40822357
PMCPMC12355549

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.