Medieval Manuscripts Reveal Hidden Animal DNA Archive - Medievalists.net

Researchers developed a nondestructive method to extract genetic material from parchment manuscripts made from animal skins. DNA recovered from these parchments can reveal when and where manuscripts were made and provide evidence about medieval livestock practices. Genetic analysis of the animal skins can also inform understanding of animal breeding and the movement of manuscripts across regions and cultures. The method was applied to 91 manuscripts from the Rubenstein Library at Duke University, dated from the late eighth century to the early twentieth century. The manuscripts originated across a wide geographic range from England to Ethiopia. The approach leverages the survival of an estimated one to three billion parchment pieces worldwide, forming a largely untapped biological record.

"Researchers have developed a nondestructive way to extract genetic material from medieval parchment manuscripts, opening a new window into the history of agriculture, animal breeding, trade networks, and manuscript production stretching back more than 1,300 years. The breakthrough allows scientists to collect DNA from priceless historical parchments without damaging the manuscripts themselves."

"The study, published in the journal Manuscript Studies, examined 91 manuscripts held by the Rubenstein Library at Duke University. The documents ranged in date from the late eighth century to the early twentieth century and originated in areas stretching from England to Ethiopia."

""Because they are made from animal skins, it is often possible to extract genetic information from parchments," explains Tim Stinson, an associate professor of English at North Carolina State University and the paper's corresponding author. "That genetic information, in turn, offers us a window into the past, answering questions about things such as when and where a manuscript was made.""

"The authors describe this vast collection of animal skins as a hidden "animal archive" - a biological record that has largely gone unnoticed by scholars focused primarily on the texts and artwork written on parchment. "This paper is particularly important because one of the biggest challenges for this emerging field of genetic analysis has been gaining acces"

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