Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41614447›Full record

ArticleRapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM2026

Minimally Destructive Radiocarbon Dating of Bone.

Tom Higham, Katharina Luftensteiner, Laura van der Sluis, Maddalena Giannì, Maria Wiegele, Anastasia Papadogianni, Peter Steier, Daniela Gruber, Brigitte Schmidt, Katy Schmidt and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM, 2026. 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. Minimally Destructive Radiocarbon Dating of Bone.Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM · 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

20 authors.

Tom HighamDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5949-598X
Katharina LuftensteinerDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Laura van der SluisDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6198-7935
Maddalena GiannìDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Maria WiegeleDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Anastasia PapadogianniDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Peter SteierHuman Evolution and Archaeological Science (HEAS) Network, Vienna, Austria.
Daniela GruberResearch Support Facilities Imaging Unit (CIUS), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Brigitte SchmidtResearch Support Facilities Imaging Unit (CIUS), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Katy SchmidtResearch Support Facilities Imaging Unit (CIUS), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Andrei BelinskiNasledie, Stavropol, Russia.
Romain MensanTRACES, Toulouse, France.
Maxim KozlikinInstitute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia.
Michael ShunkovInstitute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia.
Petr NerudaAnthropos Institute, Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic.
Zdeňka NerudováCentre for Cultural Anthropology, Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9654-7411
Barbara HorejsHuman Evolution and Archaeological Science (HEAS) Network, Vienna, Austria.
John SchulzeProteomics Core Facility, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
Katerina DoukaDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Thomas W StaffordStafford Research LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4094-9889

Funding

European Research Council 101142352
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleBone is commonly used in radiocarbon dating in archaeology and other disciplines. Despite advances in collagen extraction protocols, the process remains destructive, requiring sawing, drilling or crushing of bone material. While non-destructive approaches have recently been applied in ancient genomics and palaeoproteomics, no equivalent approach has been established for radiocarbon dating of bone. We explored whether this is possible using a series of experiments.

methodsWe experimented by using a water-based approach to extract soluble collagen from whole bone and teeth samples. We heated the samples in hot (75°C and 90°C) water for several hours. We obtained the soluble collagen fraction of the bone and purified and AMS dated the extracts. We used standard reference bones and samples from archaeological sites.

resultsWe found that the amino acid composition, C/N atomic ratios, δ

conclusionsWe show that a minimally destructive collagen extraction, coupled with an additional purification step such as ultrafiltration or XAD-2 purification, yields identical radiocarbon ages to those obtained via the routine destructive methods, but without any visible external damage. The method may allow us in future to date precious artefacts, ornaments and museum objects without significant alteration.

Indexed as

Bone and BonesRadiometric DatingAmino AcidsAnimalsArchaeologyCarbon IsotopesCarbon RadioisotopesCattleCollagenHumansNitrogen IsotopesToothAmino AcidsCarbon IsotopesCarbon RadioisotopesCollagenNitrogen Isotopes

Identifiers

PMID41614447
PMCPMC12856783

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.