"This book is largely concerned with biominerals. In particular, it introduces the proteins responsible for biomineral formation and discusses the information these proteins may yield when surviving in the archaeological and palaeontological records. Thehistorical perspective on the study of proteins in biominerals (from discoveries of fragments of molecules entombed in fossils to the huge advances in shotgun proteomics that are currently underway) offers an exemplary tale of a research landscape that is becoming increasingly and essentially inter- and trans-disciplinary. Understanding the patterns of survival and degradation of biomolecules in the biogeosphere is the focus of palaeogeobiochemistry. However, the information we can gather from the extentof preservation or degradation of these organics spans at least three fields of research: biomaterials (engineering), biochemistry and geochemistry (including geochronology and applications to archaeological, palaeontological, geological and palaeoclimatic questions), and evolutionary biology"--
AMINO ACIDS AND PROTEINS IN FOSSIL BIOMINERALS
An essential cross-disciplinary guide to the proteins that form biominerals and that are preserved in the fossil record??
Amino Acids and Proteins in Fossil Biominerals is an authoritative guide to the patterns of survival and degradation of ancient biomolecules in the fossil record. The author brings together new research in biomineralization and ancient proteins to describe mechanisms of protein diagenesis.
The book draws on the author's experiences as well as current information from three research fields: geochemistry, archaeology and Quaternary sciences. The author examines the history of the study of ancient proteins, from the dating of Quaternary biominerals to the present advances in shotgun proteomics, and discusses their applications across archaeology, geology and evolutionary biology.
This important guide:??
- Explores the main components of biominerals
- Describes the breakdown of proteins in fossils
- Reviews the applications of ancient protein studies
Written for students and researchers of biomolecular archaeology and palaeontology, Amino Acids and Proteins in Fossil Biominerals provides a cross-disciplinary guide to the proteins responsible for the formation of biominerals and to the survival of biomolecules in the archaeological and palaeontological record.
This book forms one volume of the popular New Analytical Methods in Earth and Environmental Science Series.
