© istock.com/kickers
P roteins residing in fossils are rarely ready to analyze immediately after paleontological digs. Instead, researchers have to put samples through a series of steps designed to break down surrounding material and to solubilize and separate out the proteins. Only then can the peptides be sequenced, a process generally carried out using mass spectrometry. To minimize the risk of contamination of samples with external peptides—a particular concern for ancient samples given that endogenous proteins are usually present in low abundance—researchers prepare controls at every step of the analysis.
© GEORGE RETSECK
The starting point for many projects in paleoproteomics is a paleontological site. ...
