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【bio-news】DNA检测解开中世纪手抄本的秘密
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112093328.htm
ScienceDaily (Jan. 17, 2009) — Thousands of painstakingly handwritten books produced in medieval Europe still exist today, but scholars have long struggled with questions about when and where the majority of these works originated. Now a researcher from North Carolina State University is using modern advances in genetics to develop techniques that will shed light on the origins of these important cultural artifacts.
Many medieval manuscripts were written on parchment made from animal skin, and NC State Assistant Professor of English Timothy Stinson is working to perfect techniques for extracting and analyzing the DNA contained in these skins with the long-term goal of creating a genetic database that can be used to determine when and where a manuscript was written. "Dating and localizing manuscripts have historically presented persistent problems," Stinson says, "because they have largely been based on the handwriting and dialect of the scribes who created the manuscripts – techniques that have proven unreliable for a number of reasons."
Stinson says genetic testing could resolve these issues by creating a baseline using the DNA of parchment found in the relatively small number of manuscripts that can be reliably dated and localized. Each manuscript can provide a wealth of genetic data, Stinson explains, because a typical medieval parchment book includes the skins of more than 100 animals.
Once Stinson has created a baseline of DNA markers with known dates and localities, he can take samples from manuscripts of unknown origin. Stinson can then determine what degree of relationship there is between the animals whose skins were used in manuscripts of unknown origin and those used in the baseline manuscripts. Stinson hopes this DNA comparison will enable him to identify genetic similarities that would indicate the general time and locale where a book was written.
On a larger scale, Stinson says, this research "will also allow us to trace the trade route of parchments" throughout the medieval world – a scholarly achievement that would provide a wealth of data on the evolution of the book industry during the Middle Ages.
Stinson will be presenting the findings of his early research in this area at the annual meeting of the Bibliographical Society of America in New York City on Jan. 23. Stinson is one of three researchers asked to participate in the society's New Scholars Program for 2009. The work that Stinson will be presenting was funded by grants from the Digital Research and Curation Center at Johns Hopkins University and the Council on Library and Information Resources.
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Adapted from materials provided by North Carolina State University.
Greek Gospel (c. 10th century). Researchers are using modern advances in genetics to develop techniques that will shed light on the origins of medieval manuscripts. (Credit: iStockphoto/Arpad Benedek) 本人已认领该文编译，48小时后若未提交译文，请其他战友自由认领. ScienceDaily (Jan. 17, 2009) — Thousands of painstakingly handwritten books produced in medieval Europe still exist today, but scholars have long struggled with questions about when and where the majority of these works originated.
科学日报（2009年1月17日）欧洲中世纪人们费尽心血写作的手写本书籍现今仍有数以千计流传下来，但是这些著作何时何地起源的问题一直困扰着学者们。
Now a researcher from North Carolina State University is using modern advances in genetics to develop techniques that will shed light on the origins of these important cultural artifacts.
北卡罗来纳州大学的一位研究者利用现代基因学上的进展产生的技术来探寻这些文化瑰宝的起源。
Many medieval manuscripts were written on parchment made from animal skin, and NC State Assistant Professor of English Timothy Stinson is working to perfect techniques for extracting and analyzing the DNA contained in these skins with the long-term goal of creating a genetic database that can be used to determine when and where a manuscript was written.
许多中世纪的手稿写在动物皮革制成的羊皮纸上，北卡罗来纳州大学的副教授Timothy Stinson就致力于完善从这些皮革中提取和分析DNA的技术，他的长远目标是建立一个基因数据库从而确立这些手稿何时何地完成。
"Dating and localizing manuscripts have historically presented persistent problems," Stinson says, "because they have largely been based on the handwriting and dialect of the scribes who created the manuscripts – techniques that have proven unreliable for a number of reasons."
“确定手稿的日期和产地在历史学上一直是难题，”Stinson说，“因为以往一致依靠确定作者的语言习惯和笔迹来确定，而这些技术由于多方面的原因是不可靠的。”
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-05-30 19:24
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