Maximizing efficiency in sedimentary ancient DNA analysis: a novel extract pooling approach.

In the last few decades, the field of ancient DNA has taken a new direction towards using sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) for studying human and mammalian population dynamics as well as past ecosystems. However, the screening of numerous sediment samples from archaeological sites remains a time-consuming and costly endeavor, particularly when targeting hominin DNA. Here, we present a novel high-throughput method that facilitates the fast and efficient analysis of sediment samples by applying a pooled testing approach.

Light-Cleavable Auxiliary for Diselenide-Selenoester Ligations of Peptides and Proteins.

Diselenide-selenoester ligations are increasingly used for the synthesis of proteins. Excellent ligation rates, even at low concentrations, in combination with mild and selective deselenization conditions can overcome some of the most severe challenges in chemical protein synthesis. Herein, the versatile multicomponent synthesis and application of a new ligation auxiliary that combines a photocleavable scaffold with the advantages of selenium-based ligation strategies are presented.