Archemy Lab

How do we trace the origins of archaeological materials more efficiently? 🔍
Archemy Lab members Raivo Suni and Ester Oras, together with Päärn Paiste, Kalle Kirsimäe, and Aivar Kriiska, have published a new study in Geoarchaeology, “ICP-MS/MS for Strontium Isotope Studies: Potential for Archaeological Provenance Studies”.

Their research compares two types of mass spectrometers and reveals that the inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometer (ICP-MS/MS) used at the University of Tartu can produce strontium isotope results with less than 0.1% difference compared to gold-standard methods.
✅ This makes ICP-MS/MS a fast and cost-effective tool for identifying non-local samples, spotting outliers, and working with large datasets—especially in geologically complex regions.

🔗 Take a look at the article https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gea.70065?af=R

4.-5. juunil toimusid Tartu arheoloogia kevadpäevad, kus eripalgeliste ettekannetega astusid üles ka meie rühma liikmed Kristiina, Mari ja Ülle.

📸 Raivo Suni

🥛Rahvusvaheline piimapäev: pilk piimakultuuri ja -pärandi uurimisse

Piim ei ole olnud meie esivanemate jaoks pelgalt toiduaine – see on olnud osa identiteedist, rituaalidest ja sümbolivaramust. Just seda mitmekihilist pärandit uurime tippkeskuses “Eesti juured” professor Ester Orase juhtimisel.

Teadlasi huvitab näiteks:
🥛millal hakati Eesti alal piima jooma;
🥛kus ja kelle piima kasutati;
🥛milliseid piimatooteid täpsemalt valmistati ja eelistati;
🥛kuidas erinesid kitse-, lamba- ja veisekasvatuse levialad;
🥛milline oli piimaga seotud sõnavara eri piirkondades;
🥛milliseid piimaga seotud maagilisi rituaale tunti.

Piimaga on seotud mitmeid huvitavaid fakte. ➡Vaata, milline üllatab sind kõige enam!

👀Loe lähemalt: https://sisu.ut.ee/eestijuured/rahvusvaheline-piimapaev-pilk-piimakultuuri-ja-parandi-uurimisse/

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TÜ ajaloo ja arheoloogia instituut, TÜ genoomika instituut, TÜ Ökoloogia ja maateaduste instituut, TÜ eesti ja üldkeeleteaduse instituut, Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum, Archemy Lab , TalTech - Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Head rahvusvahelist piima päeva! 🥛🐄

Loe lähemalt https://sisu.ut.ee/eestijuured/rahvusvaheline-piimapaev-pilk-piimakultuuri-ja-parandi-uurimisse/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSKHqRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnOGFtWjh6dEpKeGtPNjQ5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHu-Mg6p7whL0tF1Sg1UNeMVPO-8KPC9LZ9k7A6hSE7KP98moCVF0IQ4TU8yG_aem_26-PoVDGULxbRLixkak3OA

🥛Täna, 1. juunil tähistatakse rahvusvahelist piimapäeva. Kui tänapäeval on piim osa meie tavapärasest toidulauast, siis teadlaste sõnul on kahtlemata tähelepanuväärne ka selle roll meie identiteedi, rituaalide ja sümbolvaramu kujunemisel.

Loe lähemalt: https://sisu.ut.ee/eestijuured/rahvusvaheline-piimapaev-pilk-piimakultuuri-ja-parandi-uurimisse/

Last week, we had an enjoyable reunion with Alex from the BioArCh lab (University of York). He gave us thorough training on the GC‑IRMS for hydrogen isotope analysis, including a practical walkthrough of recent GC repairs they had conducted. And he showcased their new autosampler, which can autonomously mix and shake samples, change needles, and even cap the vials. We also explored their internally developed spreadsheet tools for data normalization and evaluation.

In return, I shared my experience with the elemental analyser, which I’ve used for 13 years in Tartu but is still relatively new to them. On the final day, during the demo, we encountered abnormal signals (very high nitrogen and argon, plus unstable vacuum). Despite multiple adjustments, the system wouldn’t stabilize.

I suspected an issue with the connection between the ConFlo device and the IRMS. Having repaired the ConFlo multiple times before, I’m quite familiar with it. Once we opened the unit, it quickly evolved into a hands-on joint troubleshooting and repair session. It was satisfying to identify the root cause and help get the system back on track. I hope my input proved valuable for their work.

Greetings to Alex and BioArCh lab staff from Tartu!

Text by Holar Sepp
📸 Lola Sõukand

Eelmisel nädalal külastasime pikaaegset koostööpartnerit BioArCh laborit Yorki ülikoolis, et jagada kogemusi ja õppida nende igapäevatööst. 🔬🧪📈

Meid võõrustas Alexandre, kes tutvustas imposantse rohefassaadi taga paikneva labori tegevusi ja seadmeid. Nelja sisuka päeva jooksul vahetasime teadmisi ja praktilisi nippe, mis aitavad laboritööd veelgi sujuvamaks muuta. Samuti saime põhjalikuma ülevaate sellest, kuidas BioArCh laboris viiakse läbi vesiniku isotoopanalüüse.

Töiste päevade sisse jagus aega nautida ka Yorki kauneid vaateid.

Tekst Lola Sõukand
📸 Lola Sõukand ja Holar Sepp

Collaboration in action
We were delighted to host visiting scholars Jessica Hendy and Isaac Jervis from the University of York BioArch Lab at the University of Tartu and the Estonian National Museum. Together, we explored Estonian archaeological collections, selecting samples for future research on prehistoric elk populations. 🦷🫎
One fascinating question guides this work: could Stone Age communities have actively managed elk herds as a food resource?

📸 Ester Oras

Tippkeskuse Eesti Juured liikmed Soome kolleegidega kogemusi vahetamas.

Last week, our lab had the pleasure of hosting Maria de Castro, a renowned Thermo Fisher Scientific specialist with over 20 years of experience in isotope-ratio mass spectrometry.

The first day of training brought its challenges, such as unexpected GC system errors and elemental analyzer malfunctions ⚠️🔧 that caused the session to run longer than planned, but made the experience all the more instructive. Generally, the training focused on gas chromatography and amino acid measurements 🧪, and we also learned how to replace a GC reactor.
By midweek, we moved on to test measurements and system configuration ⚙️. By the end of the training, the instruments were running flawlessly again ✅, and we engaged in in-depth discussions on Qtegra software 💻.

Charismatic, highly skilled, and deeply experienced, Maria brought inspiring energy and expertise to our lab.
A big thank you to Maria from Estida, Holar, and Shidong!

📸Holar Sepp

Archemy Lab feels excited!
After a long wait, our lab has received a brand-new piece of equipment!

This precision saw allows us to carry out incremental sampling of human teeth, giving us even higher resolution for studying dietary life histories through stable isotope analysis. 🦷🔬

Even more exciting, this addition opens the door to expanding our toolkit—bringing us a step closer to incorporating histological analyses into our work.

📸 Alessandra Morrone