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Matthew Collins

@matthewcollins.bsky.social
5K followers 5.1K following 604 posts

Archaeology, University of Cambridge | The Globe, University of Copenhagen Ancient Proteins | Medieval Manuscripts | Proteomics and AI | 🇺🇦

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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New 60 ECTS PG Course in #AI for #Archaeology and #Cultural-Heritage Master’s degree or equivalent for admission Application Deadline: 26 November 2026. Live online programme starts: 11 January 2027 More information: www.mappalab.eu/en/master_ai...
mappalab.eu
Master_AI_4_Arch&CH | mappalab
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The power of #archaeology 😀
archaeologyuk.org
YAC's impact
The YAC Impact Study (2024–2027) was commissioned by the Council for British Archaeology and funded by Historic England to understand the difference YAC makes to young people's lives. Over three years...
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
UK #University #Archaeology Day 2026 St Martin's House Conference Centre Leicester Monday 26th October, 11am-4pm Find out more & book at the link below.
universityarchaeology.co.uk
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
PM Mark Carney's speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg today (beginning at 26'00) is a real rhetorical tour de force, hardly noticed in the US media. It merits being heard and thought about. And it starts with a remembrance of Goethe. www.youtube.com/live/cMHmZHD...
youtube.com
EU and Canada are 'stronger together' says Carney to EU Parliament | DW News
YouTube video by DW News
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
@paastacommunity.bsky.social is developing #metadata standards for #palaeoproteomicis based upon ##USHUPO #Proteomics @us-hupo.org #mzPeak Join the debate on #PAASTA #element github.com/Palaeoprot/Z...
The Metadata Thread in the Paasta community
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🧪 Very cool. Sheeppox is a gnarly virus for sheep, and thanks to a new study of the virus's DNA, we know more about when and how it emerged. How do we know this? Researchers isolated sheeppox from *medieval sheepskin parchment.* A fun one from @andrewcurry.com. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Ancient sheep virus found hiding in medieval parchment
Newly recovered sheeppox sequences reveal when and how the virus emerged
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Louis L'Hôte @louis-lhote.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Extremely happy to share our new study on Sheeppox virus (SPPV) ! We notably found many genomes in Medieval parchments🦠📖 A short thread about it : share.google/JqVOTB2lvxcO...
share.google
Three thousand five hundred years of sheeppox virus evolution inferred from archaeological and codicological genomes
Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is a major livestock pathogen causing economic hardship through reduced production and death of vulnerable sheep, with written descriptions of sheeppox-like disease recorded sinc...
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Nicolas Galtier @nicolasgaltier.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
dafnee.isem-evolution.fr
dafnee.isem-evolution.fr
DAFNEE, a Database of Academia Friendly jourNals in Ecology and Evolution
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
There is fun to be had in *not* reviewing a manuscript. @pciarchaeology.bsky.social @cos.io #openaccess
Thank you for your invitation to review a manuscript.  While I value the scholarly community's efforts to disseminate research, I have growing concerns about the publishing model many commercial publishers, including Springer Nature, employ. In my view, the current system heavily relies on taxpayer-funded research, often conducted at public institutions, yet places the resulting work behind expensive paywalls. This practice limits access for scientists and the general public in the Global South, who often cannot afford subscription fees or open-access charges.

To put this in perspective, Springer Nature's most recent financial results (for the fiscal year ending December 2025) show total revenue of €1,926.4 million, adjusted operating profit of €543.6 million, and net income of €356 million. The Research division, which includes its journals, generated €1,517.2 million of that revenue. Shareholders received dividends of approximately €25.9 million, a significant increase from the previous year. These figures show that the current model is highly profitable, but much of that profit goes to investor returns rather than making research accessible to the global scientific community.

I have worked unpaid for you in the past, but this unpaid labour, combined with publicly funded research, generates enormous profits for a publishing industry that gives back relatively little to the public or to scientists in under-resourced regions. I do not believe this is fair or sustainable. I therefore have become a champion of Diamond Open Access and an editor at PCI.
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Ibrahim Khan @iakhan13.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Beyond animal glue: Paleoproteomic analysis of paint binders and adhesives in ancient Egypt | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Beyond animal glue: Paleoproteomic analysis of paint binders and adhesives in ancient Egypt
Despite the wealth of artworks from ancient Egypt in collections worldwide, the number of analytical studies on the organic media used in paints and adhesives is limited, especially because microsampl...
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BF Francis Ouellette @bffo.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
From #NCBI Insight | NCBI Taxonomy Has a New Home | #OpenScience #OpenData #Bioinfornatics #Genomics #Proteomics #Taxonomy #TaxID #Taxon | 🧬🖥️🧪🔓 ⬇️ ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2026/08/19/n...
ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
NCBI Taxonomy Has a New Home - NCBI Insights
We are excited to introduce the new NCBI Taxonomy, with updated tools and resources to improve how you browse taxonomic information and access NCBI data, including sequences, genomes, and other resour...
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ICAZ @icaz-news.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Friendly reminder that abstract submission for the ICAZ Conference in Vancouver, 2027 will close next Wednesday 25th of August! Make sure you get your abstract in before the deadline. You can find more details by following the link sway.cloud.microsoft/BFTVh4FAbfX6... #ICAZ #Zooarch #Vancouver2027
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
National Museum of Denmark (@nationalmuseet.dk and @thehem.bsky.social) is hiring a 2.5-year Postdoc for the Viking Age project 'Bag Sejlet'. Explore textile networks, multispecies worlds, or everyday life. 📍 Copenhagen 📅 Deadline: Sept 9, 2026 #VikingAge #Archaeology #Postdoc #ArchSky
candidate.hr-manager.net
Two and a half-year Post.doc. position - ‘Bag Sejlet’ (‘Behind the sail’)
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled and motivated researcher to join the National Museum’s emerging centre for Viking Age Research, in a 2.5 ye
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Christina Warinner @christinawarinner.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Check out our new work on the biodiversity of oral Tannerella! Metagenomic assembly reveals at least four new species with different virulence potential. We also reassign the first reconstructed T. forsythia genome from medieval Dalheim G12 to the newly named T. colubrina.
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
PhD position with @toricht.bsky.social @ #4 Archaeology center in the world (ranked on publications and impact) @ucph-soa.bsky.social Ideal for archaeologists (sourcing methods) OR geologists moving into archaeology! 💼 Salaried position & benefits & intl stay & teaching 📅 Deadline: 15 Sept 2026
jobportal.ku.dk
PhD Scholarship in Middle Eastern Archaeology at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
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PAASTA Community @paastacommunity.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
The recording is now available on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/AosHIwDjNiI?...
youtu.be
PAASTA Seminar Series - Ioannis Patramanis
YouTube video by PAASTA community
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HigherJobz @higherjobz.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Viking Age Archaeology Postdoc | University of York | UK ZooMS | Proteomics | Viking Age | Biomolecular Archaeology Help uncover Viking-Age trade and resource networks using advanced proteomic techniques. higherjobz.com/viking-age-a... #Postdoc #Archaeology #ResearchJobs #Acadhiring @york.ac.uk
higherjobz.com
Viking Age Archaeology Postdoc | University of York UK
Apply for the Viking Age Archaeology Postdoc at University of York, UK. Open to PhD researchers in archaeology and biomolecular research.
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
another Postdoc opportunity! 🦴🔬 Join Steve Ashby and @york-bioarch.bsky.social to study Northern European combs & combmaking using #ZooMS #proteomics. Seeking someone with proteomics/chemistry experience #viking and or #archaeology knowledge a plus. Apply: jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/post...
jobs.york.ac.uk
Jobs - The University of York
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Copenhagen job alert 🚨 GLOBE (@ucph.bsky.social) is hiring a 21-mo Postdoc in #Bioinformatics & #ComputationalProteomics Work with @lindorfflarsen.bsky.social, @fridowelker.bsky.social, @brandtgroup.bsky.social & more mapping collagen/keratin diversity across 1000s of genomes. 📅 Deadline Aug 31
jobportal.ku.dk
Postdoc of Bioinformatics and Computational Proteomics
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
@hepi-news.bsky.social find that "every 10 international students contribute £1m to the UK economy over the duration of their studies"
hepi.ac.uk
The benefits and costs of international higher education students to the UK economy - HEPI
A new report reveals how international students support jobs, growth and local economies across every UK constituency.
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ICP2026 Stockholm @palaeogenomics.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
♥️ THANK YOU ♥️ We are overwhelmed by the positive comments and are incredibly happy that everyone enjoyed their time in Stockholm! #ICP2026 was only possible with the hard work of the organizing committee and a marvellous team of ECR volunteers 🟠 at @cpgsthlm.bsky.social
Organizing committee and volunteer team for #ICP2026
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Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Petition against the job losses here: c.org/ddjtYXzdQQ
change.org
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
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The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Applications for the Mid-Career Fellowships are open. The programme supports individual research projects fostering public engagement and understanding of the humanities and social sciences. Learn more: bit.ly/4f09Crd
A colour block banner promoting Mid-Career Fellowships
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
@louis-lhote.bsky.social talks about a high-resolution analysis of the evolution of the sheepox virus from a surprising source... #Medieval #Parchment @palaeogenomics.bsky.social. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Speaker presenting on sheep pox virus evolution, standing and speaking in a modern auditorium
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Eline Lorenzen talking about a bowhead whale time series, new paper by @mick2474.bsky.social et al www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... @palaeogenomics.bsky.social "...they bloat, and they float, because they are full of blubber" meant that their population crash was driven by the first oil rush.
Female speaker behind a podium giving a lecture. Stockholm Univeristy Aula, with an image of a paper from Cell
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
@sadbhcarrick.bsky.social presenting on human #anceintDNA extracted from #Medieval #manuscripts @ bsky.app/profile/pala... The more that we explore the #biocodicology of parchment, the more we learn!
A wide, high-angle shot of a speaker presenting at a large auditorium stage during the Palaeogenomics 2026 conference. A large projector screen displays an introductory slide about medieval manuscripts, while an audience sits in tiered, curved seating in the foreground.
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ICP2026 Stockholm @palaeogenomics.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Full house for the first plenary talk of #ICP2026 by Ian Barnes "From a simple beginning to endless forms" aka "Why are we here?"
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MU-Peter Shimon 🀄 @mu-peter.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
📢 Laboratory Technician (24 months) to support research in Archaeological Proteomics (ZooMS)🧪
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tenuretracker.info @tenuretracker.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Aarhus University (@au.dk) is hiring: Postdoctoral Researcher in Proteomics and Genome Stability #postdoc
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Torsten Günther @trstngnthr.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I am recruiting a PhD student (fully funded, 4yrs) to analyze modern 🧬 and ancient 🦴 genomic data from humans and domestic animals 🐑 Please share, I am happy to chat at #ICP2026 or #SMBE2026 this summer www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
uu.se
PhD student position in Population Genomics - Uppsala University
PhD student position in Population Genomics , Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Wonderful time at Tooth Enamel Workshop @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org, learning about Dorothy Garrod (first female professor at eithe Oxford or Cambridge) from Steve Weiner in an impromptu lecture next to her portrait.
A standing man next to a portrait of a seated female academic, lectures a group of seated colleagues about the impact of the first female professor from Cambridge on palaeolithc archaeology. 

Dorothy Garrod (1892 –  1968) was an English archaeologist who was Disney Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge from 1939 - 1952, and was the first woman to hold a chair at either Oxford or Cambridge.
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
PhD: Decoding #Medieval #Manuscripts with AI & Light Deadline: June 15 Joint project between the UK (NTU) & Belgium (UNamur) Develop an AI-driven, non-invasive workflow using #Hyperspectral Imaging and #OCT to identify species, manufacturing and degradation. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
findaphd.com
An AI -aided data-driven approach to study the making, degradation and origin of historical parchments at Nottingham Trent University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - An AI -aided data-driven approach to study the making, degradation and origin of historical parchments at Nottingham Trent University, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Notarial Archives Foundation Ġilduża Project on Malta Revives Parchment Making share.google/MdGsXJFHO3Sh.... A wonderful week for @erc.europa.eu #Codicum #HerdPath #INSULAR See more @ #CODICUM - Parchment Production Malta share.google/QWKLgmywCTiS...
share.google
Malta Revives Parchment Making Tradition Through International Workshop
The Ġilduża Project has reached a milestone with an international parchment-making workshop aimed at reviving the craft in Malta
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
#sharks #fossil @theconversation.com
theconversation.com
Could warming seas bring great white sharks back to the North Sea? A 5-million-year-old shark tooth may provide clues
Could new populations of seals and porpoises attract the descendants of some of the large shark species that were thriving in this region 4-5 million years ago?
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Claire Boardman @claireboardman.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
👀 Postdoctoral Research Associate in Bioarchaeology (with particular experience in the analysis of infants) @durham.ac.uk Closes: 14th May www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRH266/p...
jobs.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Archaeology) at Durham University
Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (Archaeology) on jobs.ac.uk!
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
@thermofishersci.bsky.social are looking for a field application specialist to work on Orbitraps for isotopes and IRMS based out of Bremen.
jobs.thermofisher.com
Field Application Scientist (m/f/d), IOMS (EMEA) in Bremen, Germany | Customer & Technical Support at Thermo Fisher Scientific
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PCI Archaeology @pciarchaeology.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Dear archaeologists, would you mind answering this very short survey so that we know better how to improve again our platform and process in the future?
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HigherJobz @higherjobz.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
🧬 Research Assistant Prof in Human Environment Interactions – University of South Carolina, USA 🔬 Apply for archaeology & environmental research role using faunal, archaeogenomics & trace element methods 🎓 Eligibility: PhD higherjobz.com/research-ass... #AcademicJobs @sc.edu
🧬 Research Assistant Prof in Human Environment Interactions – University of South Carolina, USA
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Celebrating the vision of Tim Stimson, @ncstate.bsky.social and Sarah Fiddyment, establishing the field of Biocodicology
nature.com
How DNA forensics is transforming studies of ancient manuscripts
Scientists are exposing the biological information hidden in ancient parchments without leaving a mark.
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Sam Brown @drsambrown.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
We will hold two discussion sessions in the next #IZAZ workshop. In past workshops, these discussion sessions have been pivotal in advancing community efforts. So - what do you think the theme of these discussions should be? 🤔💭 Follow this link to make a suggestion: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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Kevin Daly @gingerhowley.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I was on Mooney Goes Wild talking goats! Cannot describe how sleep deprived I was recording this. Mooney Goes Wild Monday 30 March 2026 - Mooney Goes Wild share.google/I4GNDt7kF2bF...
share.google
Mooney Goes Wild Monday 30 March 2026
Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms.
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Nature @nature.com · 30/03/2026
Becoming a parent is much more detrimental to women’s academic careers than it is to men’s Read the full story: go.nature.com/4v4rxmQ
IMPACT OF PARENTHOOD ON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYMENT. Line graph shows how the probability of holding a research position changes from four years before to seven years after having children.
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
We were all driven out of the BM at 5.00 pm last Saturday 😞. However, you could join the @britishmuseum.bsky.social if you are a 'visionary leader to shape the Museum’s intellectual agenda and vision for research as Head of Research'. bmrecruit.ciphr-irecruit.com//templates/C...
Crowds leaving the British Museum on a sunny Spring day, a view from the steps at the main entance
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Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Who Created the Book of Kells? A Master Craftsman Takes on the Mystery share.google/SFXZSIioH7Um...
share.google
Who Created the Book of Kells? A Master Craftsman Takes on the Mystery
A master craftsman will attempt to replicate the techniques used by monks to create "The Book of Kells" some 1200-years-ago.
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Kevin Daly @gingerhowley.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Join us Friday 27th March at ** 9am GMT ** for our AaRC TikTalk seminar, given this month by two exciting Australian-based researchers Loukas Koungoulos (dingos!) and Siobhan Evans (cave sediment!) #adna @aarc-community.bsky.social
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Sam Brown @drsambrown.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
I am SO EXCITED to announce that CENIEH in Burgos, Spain will be hosting the third installment of the IZAZ (Integrating ZooMS and Zooarchaeology) Workshop on the 15th – 16th September 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Join the mailing list to stay up-to-date: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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ERC-StG MATRIX @matrixerc.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Last couple of weeks, our MATRIX team members have been busy sharing results with peers! Sofia Kouki presented her research at the ICAYR PhD symposium and Carli Peters, talked about her experiments with protein survival in burned bones at the Archaeological Proteomics Laboratory (Uni. of Reading).
Sofia doing the presentation at ICAYRCarli presentation.
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Terry O'Connor @osteoconnor.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
This is the most sensible assertion I have seen on Bsky all day.
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ICP2026 Stockholm @palaeogenomics.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Meet our keynote speakers 💁‍♂️ LUCY VAN DORP (@ugiatucl.bsky.social) Lucy is a leading expert in ancient microbe research, using ancient DNA to reconstruct the origins, evolution, and spread of major human pathogens throughout history. Conference info & registration 👉 icp2026.palaeogenomics.org
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Sam Brown @drsambrown.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Our new paper is out! If you love caves, if you love archaeology, if you love ZooMS (and let's be honest, who doesn't?!) you'll LOVE this! #palaeoproteomics #ancientproteins #archaeology #ZooMS www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
The influence of fragmentation on a combined ZooMS and zooarchaeological study at Geißenklösterle Cave in the Swabian Jura, Southwestern Germany
Geißenklösterle Cave, a Palaeolithic site located in the Swabian Jura of southern Germany, has yielded multiple Middle Palaeolithic strata and some of…
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