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Using ancient DNA to identify Bos primigenius in ancient cattle remains from Belgium
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Aurochs (Bos primigenius) are the wild ancestors of the domesticated taurine cattle (Bos taurus). During the Holocene, populations of aurochs gradually declined until their extinction at the turn of the 17th century. DNA data suggest that domestic cattle in Europe descended from Near East aurochs that were domesticated and brought to Europe by the first farmers during the Neolithic period. Hybridization occurred more recently in Europe between domestic cattle and local wild aurochs. Most aurochs can be distinguished from domestic cattle osteometrically, but large-sized domestic cattle may be misidentified as aurochs. Based on mitochondrial DNA, most European aurochs differ from domestic cattle (haplogroup “P” versus “T”). With the aim to provide new data on the former distribution of aurochs in Europe, we used mitochondrial DNA to identify large bovid bones attributed to aurochs and dating from Epipaleolithic to medieval times. DNA was extracted from the bones of 11 specimens from Belgium in an ancient DNA lab. Shotgun DNA sequencing provided raw reads comprising 0.02-10% of endogenous DNA. For three samples, reads covered 74-98% of the bovid mitochondrial genome and enabled the identification of one aurochs from the Bronze Age (haplogroup “P”) and two cows from Roman and medieval times (haplogroup “T”). Among the other samples (covering 2-18% of the mitogenome), three Roman specimens could be assigned to the haplogroup “T” based on a few diagnostic positions. This study provides the first mitogenomic data for a Belgian aurochs and contributes to the identification of exceptionally large Roman bovid remains.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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Paleogenomics of European wild and domestic cats
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Zooarchaeological and genetic evidence from the last two decades demonstrated that domestic cats originated from the North African and Near Eastern wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica. The commensal relationship between humans and cats most likely started 11 thousand years ago (kya) in the Neolithic Levant. More recently, ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evidence suggested that domestic cats spread to Southeast Europe as early as 4400 BC, however their dispersal to the rest of Europe is controversial due to the paucity of data. Furthermore, complex scenarios of admixture between domestic and wild populations (e.g., the European wildcat F. s. silvestris and the Asian wildcat F. s. ornata) may have taken place across time, thus leaving a mtDNA-based reconstruction unsatisfactory. Here we show the preliminary results of our paleogenomic investigation from more than 150 cat remains from European archaeological sites dated from 15 kya to the 18th century AD, with a peculiar focus on the Mediterranean area. By screening the samples for endogenous cat DNA content, we provide a framework of ancient DNA preservation in cat remains across time and space. Furthermore, by generating complete mtDNAs and low-coverage nuclear genome data (ranging from 0.2- to 1.4-fold), we were able to refine the chronology of cat dispersal in the Mediterranean region, and to address questions around potential admixture patterns between wild and domestic cat populations. Our paleogenomic dataset lay the foundations for future and more in-depth analyses aimed at understanding the factors determining the evolutionary success of the domestic cat.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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Insights on zoonotic diseases in cat domestication through ancient pathogen genomics
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The growing interest in paleopathogenomics and microbial archaeology of the last decade offered the chance to investigate the complex relationships between human hosts and microorganisms, making it possible to identify and characterize the etiologic agents of epidemics in our past [1]. The spread of zoonotic disease in human history was associated with the progressively closer contact with domestic animals[1]. However, the role of animal hosts in the emergence of zoonoses has been only marginally explored, the main focus of paleopathogenomic research being primarily on human hosts. Due to their pivotal role as pest control agents and their long-standing relationship with humans, cats are hosts of several zoonotic diseases representing a threat for human health. Here we present the results of the metagenomic screening for ancient pathogen identification on more than 100 ancient cat remains from different geographic locations (Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia) spanning several millennia from prehistory to historical times. Various bone substrates (teeth, postcranial skeletal elements, and petrous bones) were analyzed via shotgun sequencing and metagenomic screening with Kraken 2[2] and MetaPhlAn 4[3]. By applying strict authentication guidelines, we provide a framework of ancient microbial DNA preservation in cat remains across time and space, discussing the identification of potential zoonotic candidates. The identification of zoonotic microorganisms in ancient animals represents a yet overlooked field of research, which may offer unprecedented insights into zoonotic epidemics and inter-species transmissibility.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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Paleogenomic insights into cat domestication in ancient Egypt
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Situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe, Egypt is considered one of the two potential cradles of cat domestication. Zooarchaeological evidence points to cat-human relationships as old as the 4th millennium BC. Later, cats were object of a cult dedicated to the goddess Bastet, and from the 1st millennium BC until the 4th century AD were mummified as votive offerings. Previous ancient DNA (aDNA) investigation showed that cats in ancient Egypt possessed two maternal lineages commonly found in modern domestic cats. Haplotype-C, which spread all over the Old World since Classical Antiquity from Northern Africa, and haplotype-A, which was associated with an earlier cat dispersal from the Levant during the Neolithic. DNA from cat mummies represents a key tool to unravel the role of Egypt as a possible independent centre of domestication, even though the retrieval of aDNA from mummified tissues has greatly been challenged by DNA preservation. Here, we show the preliminary results of aDNA analyses conducted on more than 50 Egyptian cat mummies from Beni Hassan and Gourna (Luxor), dated to the Greco-Roman period. By comparing different methods (e.g. single and double stranded genomic library construction), we provide an extensive case for screening DNA preservation in arid regions, and within different tissues, such as hair, claws, and petrous bones. We also explore the potential to gain novel insights on the dispersal of domestic cats from Egypt in Classical Antiquity through mitochondrial and genome-wide data.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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Living conditions of captive baboons and their trade in ancient Egypt revealed through palaeopathological and demographic data
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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The unexpectedly short Holocene Humid Period in Northern Arabia
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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ISROC—Inundation Signatures on ROcky Coastlines—A new Research Coordination Network targeting coastal boulder deposits
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Coastal geoarchaeology in the Mediterranean – on the interdependence of landscape dynamics, harbour installations and economic prosperity in the littoral realm, Panel 2.3. Archaeology and Economy in the Ancient World
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Using social media as a tool to increase geoscience awareness in Belgium
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A social media campaign to increase geoscience awareness was organised as part of the celebrations of 125 years of the Geological Survey of Belgium (GSB). This action was motivated by the perception within the geoscientific community that although our field is key for sustainable societal development, there is a lack of interest in it from the overall public, particularly younger generations. In Belgium, for example, this is evidenced by dropping numbers of geoscience students in universities as reported by regional media over the last 5 years. Our awareness campaign highlights 125 geoscience-related facts that were thought to be curious and/or thought-provoking, aiming to demonstrate that geosciences have been and will be widely present in humanity’s past, present and future. Geo-facts have been produced as short communications in English, Dutch and French, with at least one accompanying illustrative image, and posted on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Set to end in December 2022, the campaign has reached over 200,000 views and greatly increased the number of non-geoscientist followers and their engagement with GSB’s social media. We believe that the multilingual material tagged with #125GSBGeoFacts could be further valorised as a teaching tool and has significant potential to be expanded.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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In-Situ Multispectral Investigation of the Biogeochemistry of the Geldingadalir Lava Field
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Scientific payload demonstration in volcanic environments for astrobiological research understanding microbial colonization of fresh basalt. The volcanic eruption in at Geldingadalir (Iceland) in 2021 is an ideal analog site for studying the biogeochemistry of volcanism on other planetary bodies, both those with active (e.g. Io) and extinct (e.g. Mars) volcanic systems. The recent eruption enables comparative studies between the "fresh" lava field at Geldingadalir and older, inactive lava fields present throughout Iceland. Studying these systems provides insight into (1) the conditions necessary for microorganisms or other biotic materials to colonize barren environments and (2) how life transforms its environment over time. These investigations, while interesting in their own right for characterizing the biogeochemical diversity of Iceland's landscapes, have implications beyond Earth in the search for extant or extinct life in our solar system. To simulate planetary exploration missions, we deployed a suite of four handheld, low-SWaP (size, weight, and power), ruggedized spectroscopic instruments to enable in-situ investigation of the lava fields. We deployed a gamma ray spectrometer and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) probe for macroscopic and microscopic (respectively) assessment of the elemental composition of the natural samples; we used an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence imager to investigate organic signatures present on the natural surfaces; and finally, we used a near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectrometer for determining mineralogy and identifying hydrated bonding structures. These complementary measurement techniques enable a wholistic study of a samples' biogeochemistry and have a direct path for mission infusion in planetary science, as various embodiments of these spectroscopic techniques have been used to study planetary surfaces for decades. We collected co-registered spectroscopic measurements with all four instruments on several samples throughout the Geldingadalir lava field and at a control (i.e. inactive) field nearby. Additionally, we surveyed >10 surface and subsurface features throughout the lava field with one or more of the instruments. At the conclusion of this field campaign, we had collected >1000 UV fluorescence images, 10s of NIR reflectance and LIBS spectra, and >10 gamma ray measurements. Along with this, samples from the fresh and inactive lava fields were taken back to the lab for further investigation of microbial diversity using laboratory instrumentation.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
