Deciphering the Past with DNA from Parchment Pages

Not only is collecting material with cytology brushes far faster and easier than collecting eraser crumbs, but it also greatly reduces the risk of cross-contamination. If you’re testing an entire book with an eraser, for instance, you must ensure to get up all the crumbs from one page before starting another. “Otherwise, you risk mixing them together,” Stinson says. Plus, from a library’s perspective, using a brush can in some cases be even less invasive than using an eraser. Many manuscripts that have survived hundreds of years aren’t exactly clean. Erasers remove dirt or stains — and leave unsightly white spots. Stinson and his team’s collection technique does not.

Feb 17, 2025

Deciphering the Past with DNA from Parchment Pages

With help from colleagues in the College of Veterinary Medicine, an English professor is examining much more than just what’s written on medieval documents.

Jul 16, 2020

Genome Guardians Stop and Reel in DNA to Correct Replication Errors

Two proofreading proteins stop and reel in DNA mismatches to prevent replication errors.

Mar 5, 2019

Podcast: Bringing the Middle Ages into the Digital Age

Tim Stinson is bringing the Middle Ages into the digital age by looking for DNA on medieval manuscript pages.

May 27, 2016

A Cougar’s Epic Journey East

A male cougar's 1,500-mile trek shows mountain lions can get to the East but they won't find company of their own kind.