Prehistoric dairy farming
A team of scientists have reported in Nature on the first chemical evidence of dairy farming in prehistoric Africa in the fifth millennium BC.
A team of scientists have reported in Nature on the first chemical evidence of dairy farming in prehistoric Africa in the fifth millennium BC.1 These findings were corroborated by the use of gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography-combustion‑isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). Analysis was carried out on organic residues extracted from pottery in the Takaskori rock shelter in the southwest Fezzan, Libyan Sahara. The majority of the pottery was dated to the Middle Pastoral (5200–3800 BC) period, while the remainder came from the Late Acacus and Early and Late Pastoral periods.
The fats were extracted and it was discovered that there was a high distribution of the C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids, derivatives of degraded animal fats. Derivatives of plant oils were also found in a smaller number and are potentiallyy an indication of the multiple use of these vessels.
Out of the 81 pottery shards sampled, 29 were analysed by GC-C-IRMS as these were the samples that were unambiguously labelled as containing degraded animal fats. Out of this 29, 18 displayed evidence of pure animal fat origin.
The team concluded that these findings confirm that domesticated cattle and a dairying economy were an established aspect of early Saharan pastoralism.
1. Julie Dunn et al., Nature486(7403), 390–394 (2012).
This story originally appeared in The Column. Click here to view that issue.
AI and GenAI Applications to Help Optimize Purification and Yield of Antibodies From Plasma
October 31st 2024Deriving antibodies from plasma products involves several steps, typically starting from the collection of plasma and ending with the purification of the desired antibodies. These are: plasma collection; plasma pooling; fractionation; antibody purification; concentration and formulation; quality control; and packaging and storage. This process results in a purified antibody product that can be used for therapeutic purposes, diagnostic tests, or research. Each step is critical to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the final product. Applications of AI/GenAI in many of these steps can significantly help in the optimization of purification and yield of the desired antibodies. Some specific use-cases are: selecting and optimizing plasma units for optimized plasma pooling; GenAI solution for enterprise search on internal knowledge portal; analysing and optimizing production batch profitability, inventory, yields; monitoring production batch key performance indicators for outlier identification; monitoring production equipment to predict maintenance events; and reducing quality control laboratory testing turnaround time.
2024 EAS Awardees Showcase Innovative Research in Analytical Science
November 20th 2024Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Washington, and other leading institutions took the stage at the Eastern Analytical Symposium to accept awards and share insights into their research.
