Objective Milk is at the centre of two great archaeological debates, with resonance today; infant weaning and dairy food consumption. Weaning timing has implications for infant health and mortality, and is strongly influenced by culture. While there are records of cultural ideas regarding infant nursing in the past, where historical accounts are not available or are of questionable accuracy, much remains a mystery. Archaeological studies of dairy consumption have also become part of the debate regarding costs/benefits of dairy in modern diets. Individual life histories can answer questions about milk use within populations, and population trends provide insights into milk consumption within larger social and cultural contexts. MilkTeeth is a pioneering, multidisciplinary, international action combining techniques to better address questions of weaning and dairy consumption in the archaeological record, providing greater understanding of both individual and cultural relationships with milk and dairy foods, and informing modern dietary debate. MilkTeeth will use traditional techniques from bioarchaeology (carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotope analysis) and novel techniques from (bio)geochemistry (calcium and strontium isotope analysis) and proteomics (detection of the dairy specific whey protein β-lactoglobulin), and will have unique access to a Synchrotron Light Source beamline for Tender-Energy Spectroscopy (diagenetic assessment and mineralisation processes) to detect direct evidence of milk consumption using human teeth. It will bring together researchers from the UK and USA with expertise in ancient human milk consumption, bioarchaology, archaeology, instrumental chemistry, (bio)geochemistry, protein analysis and particle physics. By combining these traditional and novel techniques for the first time, both will be enhanced, resulting in a more precise and robust understanding of the human relationship with milk and dairy. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsproteomicsagricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedairynatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkaline earth metalsmedical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutritionnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogy Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2015-GF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2015 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF YORK Net EU contribution € 251 857,80 Address Heslington YO10 5DD York north yorkshire United Kingdom See on map Region Yorkshire and the Humber North Yorkshire York Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK United States Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address State street 35 12201 Albany ny See on map Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 160 130,40
