Project description
A three-fold approach to study past human nutrition
The human diet has evolved over millions of years. Changes in nutrition offer crucial evidence of the role of cultural adaptation in the changing environment of Homo sapiens. To study this, researchers rely on methods such as dental microwear (researching masticatory regimes) and dental calculus (analysing micro-residues of eaten foods). But an innovative approach is needed. The EU-funded TRI-DENTUM project will develop a pioneering methodology with a three-fold, multidisciplinary approach in a study on past human nutrition. It will combine independent analyses of dental microwear, extraction of micro-residues from dental calculus and assessment of radiological osteoarthritis signs in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in a study of osteological specimens from the medieval archaeological collection from a German cemetery in Zurich’s Canton.
Objective
Identifying past human diets is a key to understanding biological changes and cultural adaptations of Homo sapiens. A variety of proxies are generally considered to reconstruct ancient and historic nutrition, mostly recovered from osteological samples. Teeth are often subject to research, as they directly relate to mastication. Dental microwear is a direct evidence of differential masticatory regimes, while dental calculus may retain micro-residues of the food ingested. Yet, only a few studies have proposed the combination of dental microwear and analysis of dental calculus. Even more rarely, such data have been contextualized in the masticatory apparatus.
The TRI-DENTUM project aims to investigate past human diet from an evolutionary perspective. It is multidisciplinary in scope, as it involves archaeology, biology, dentistry and evolutionary medicine. It explores the possibility of developing innovative methodological approaches to infer past human diets from the examination of osteological specimens. The diet of selected individuals recovered from a medieval German cemetery and the Canton of Zurich’s archaeological collection will be reconstructed through an original, three-fold approach. Three independent analyses are considered: dental microwear, extraction of micro-residues from dental calculus and evaluation of radiological osteoarthritis signs in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). While working on the project, the researcher will acquire new skills in bioarchaeology and evolutionary medicine at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine (IEM) (Zurich, Switzerland).
TRI-DENTUM will foster advancements within archaeology, being therefore transformational to the field, as it will allow approaching past human diet with an innovative and holistic approach. Hence, the methodology designed herein will be applicable in the future to varied geographical areas and chronological periods to respond to specific questions related to the evolution of the human diet.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine odontology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology bioarchaeology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.