Descripción del proyecto
Formación doctoral para futuros paleoantropólogos
Para los científicos que estudian la historia y el patrimonio antiguos, la paleoproteómica es la tecnología más prometedora para el análisis de conjuntos de proteínas procedentes de objetos y tejidos de más de 700 000 años de antigüedad. Permite la reconstrucción de materiales a través de las moléculas supervivientes y la identificación de especies a partir de fragmentos de elementos que no son identificables morfológicamente. Sin embargo, en este campo se necesitan especialistas altamente formados y con conocimientos interdisciplinarios de química analítica, bioinformática, paleontología y arqueología. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos PUSHH ofrece una formación doctoral interdisciplinaria y basada en la investigación para paleoantropólogos, paleontólogos y arqueólogos que se convertirán en los futuros expertos líderes en el análisis de las proteínas antiguas de materiales paleoantropológicos, paleontológicos y arqueológicos. Posteriormente, promoverán actividades de investigación y desarrollo, formulará objetivos, desarrollarán aplicaciones y transferirá competencias relacionadas con la investigación.
Objetivo
PUSHH will provide international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary doctoral training to prepare the next generation of palaeoanthropologists, palaeontologists and archaeologists to push knowledge on human biological and cultural evolution forward by using palaeoproteomics.
Ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing revolutionised our knowledge on evolution, migration and admixture of archaic and anatomically modern humans. However, no aDNA older than 0.7 million years has been retrieved yet. Ancient proteins instead survive much longer than aDNA, enabling molecular-based phylogeny beyond the limits of aDNA degradation. They can also be recovered from cultural heritage objects, helping to understand how they were made. Presently though, there are very few specialists that have been trained to analyse ancient proteins, in stark contrast to the study of aDNA. The growing demand of information provided by palaeoproteomics will require highly qualified specialists with a multidisciplinary background in analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, palaeoanthropology, palaeontology and archaeology and PUSHH will build that competence.
The PUSHH network aims at:
(i) forming, through research-based training, the professional profiles behind tomorrow’s state-of-the-art analysis of ancient proteins from palaeoanthropological, palaeontological and archaeological materials,
(ii) consolidating existing constructive interaction across disciplines to focus different expertise and backgrounds into the common aim of advancing palaeoanthropology and archaeology,
(iii) stimulating the development of an application-oriented mindset for direct or indirect exploitation of PUSHH R&D activities, through the right set of specific research-related and transferable skills.
As a key PUSHH feature, the unique contribution provided by each participating institution will be integrated in a strong partnership to achieve valuable complementary research-specific and widely transferrable professional competence.
Ámbito científico
- natural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistry
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological morphologycomparative morphology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencespalaeontology
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)Coordinador
1165 Kobenhavn
Dinamarca