Congratulations to Madeleine Thirolle, the winner of the SAS Student Poster Award at the 11th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA11 – August 26-29, 2025, Turin, Italy). Madeleine is a PhD student at the Institute of Genomics at the University of Tartu. Her poster “Metagenomic and proteomic studies of Stone Age anthropogenic birch tar samples” presented analysis of birch tar from three Estonian sites dated to the 9th millennium BCE. Her research examined bacterial sources, microbial content, and eukaryote DNA, including remains from several animals, which together inform a reconstruction of life in the prehistoric Baltic.
Madeleine’s PhD project focuses on the analysis of anthropogenic birch tar, a new source of ancient DNA and proteins. Ancient DNA and protein analysis of birch tar is particularly valuable for reconstructing past health conditions, the diversity of oral pathogens, and diet since the quantity of human remains is limited for this period.
As part of the award, Madeleine will receive a cash prize and a one-year complementary SAS membership.
Congratulations, Madeleine!
