Porosity is a key parameter for investigation as it reflects changes in both the proteinaceous and mineral components. A key paper published in Archaeometry, describes the potential of mercury intrusion porosimetry to examine structural alterations in archaeological bone. At present, work done using mercury intrusion porosimetry has led to the assignment of specific pore sizes to different diagenetic alterations present in archaeological and palaeontological bones and these have started to be related to particular burial histories. Collagen remaining behind after microbial tunnelling should reflect degradation controlled by chemical hydrolysis. Careful extraction of this collagen and subsequent DSC analysis should provide an indication of collagen integrity, which may be linked to burial age.
Early experiments suggest that the above hypothesis is correct.
The ability to identify bones that contain surviving biomolecules will increase our ability to successfully carry out ancient biomolecular research and the reliable identification of bones that still retain genetic information is critical to the advancement of this field. My research has revealed that the key to biomolecular preservation in bone lies in the intimate relationship between the proteinaceous and the mineral components. Subtle alterations in the mineral structure of bone, reflected in the crystallinity and porosity, have been related to the degradation and loss of both osteocalcin and collagen.