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The characterization of biomolecules from ancient samples can shed otherwise unobtainable insights into the past. Despite the fundamental role of transcriptomal change in evolution, the potential of ancient RNA remains unexploited – perhaps due to dogma associated with the fragility of RNA. We hypothesize that seeds offer a plausible refuge for long-term RNA survival, due to the fundamental role of RNA during seed germination. Using RNA-Seq on cDNA synthesized from nucleic acid extracts, we validate this hypothesis through demonstration of partial transcriptomal recovery from two sources of ancient maize kernels. The results suggest that ancient seed transcriptomics may offer a powerful new tool with which to study plant domestication.

Epoxies are commonly used in art conservation as adhesives for artifact reconstruction and repair. However, with the development of colorless epoxies, it has become more difficult to detect repair work. Fluorescent epoxies would allow for easy detection of the epoxy joints by simple visual inspection under UV light while remaining unnoticeable under normal display lighting. Coumarins are natural dyes that can be added in very small amounts to make thermosets fluoresce. Depending on the functionality of the coumarin used, the dye may be physically encapsulated in the cross-linked polymer or it may be bound to the polymer through covalent bonds. In this paper, we examine the efficacy of coumarin (1) and coumarin 480 (2) as physically encapsulated dyes and 7-hydroxycoumarin (3) and 7-glycidyloxycoumarin (4) as covalently bound dyes in a commercial epoxy thermoset, Epo-Tek 301. All four dyes could be used to make the epoxy fluorescent, but coumarins 1 and 2 slightly reduced the lap shear strength of the thermoset and could be extracted with solvent. In contrast, coumarins 3 and 4 had little effect on the mechanical properties of the epoxy and only minute amounts could be extracted.

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The issue of pesticide-contaminated archaeological collections has generated concern among staff in collecting institutions. Pesticides have long been used, but the awareness of their unseen persistence and their potential as a human health hazard is a new aspect of preventive conservation. Background information and guidelines for developing a pesticide history are provided for repositories, museums, cultural resource management companies in the private and public sectors, academia, and other public collections.

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