This week we introduce Pedro Coxito. Pedro background is on biochemistry and he has worked in bioenergetics and metabolism research. Within the MATRIXERC StG project, he is responsible for managing lab logistics, creating lab experimental protocols and he also does some analytical work.

The latest issue of Nature features a deep dive into sedimentary ancient DNA, with insights from our Matrix ERC-StG PI, @veraaldeias.bsky.social highlighting some of the big challenges shaping the field right now.

Last couple of weeks, our MATRIX team members have been busy sharing results with peers! Sofia Kouki presented her research at the ICAYR PhD symposium and Carli Peters, talked about her experiments with protein survival in burned bones at the Archaeological Proteomics Laboratory (Uni. of Reading).

There is a growing awareness that sediments are not only the “dirt” that needs to be dug out of a site, but that they are fundamental parts of the archaeological record. Archaeological soil micromorphology is at the forefront of this research and so our work at ERC MatrixStG.

UNRAVELING THE BEHAVIOUR OF DNA IN SOILS: A MINERAL AND GEOCHEMICAL FRAMEWORK FOR DNA TAPHONOMY. Our team member Hussein Kanbar just gave a insightful talk at @icarehb.bsky.social Internal Seminars At ERC Matrix StG, Hussein's work builds bridges between archaeology, geochemistry, and genetics.

MatrixERC StG works across archaeological sites from all over Europe, following the microscopic traces of late Neandertals and the first modern humans. We study intact sediment samples, checking whether the archaeological layers are truly preserved and looking for ancient DNA, proteins, and lipids.

Meet the ERC Matrix Project team! We introduce Sofia Kouki, PhD student working on archaeoinformatics at @icarehb.bsky.social. Sofia applies computational methods to micromorphological analysis and explores how artificial intelligence can complement the work of micromorphologists.

We worked hard in 2025, will be super busy in 2026 and you will hear all about it. For now, we are ready for a break and wish you all the best of holidays! #MatrixERC #ICArEHB #Neanderthal #Paleolithic #HumanEvolution #Prehistory #AncientDNA #Biomolecules #SedimentDNA #Geoarchaeology

Meet the team behind the ERC Matrix Project! We introduce Carli Peters, researcher and biomolecular archaeologist at icarehb.bsky.social Carli studies ancient human–animal interactions using palaeoproteomics and ZooMS to extract and identify ancient proteins from bone fragments.

New paper is out! We and welkergroup.bsky.social show that proteins from resin-impregnated sediment blocks can reveal faunal diversity at the microscale. We thank and congratulate all coauthors! #paleoproteomics #geoarchaeology erc.europa.eu icarehb.bsky.social academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

New methods on the block: Taxonomic identification of archaeological bones in resin-embedded sediments through paleoproteomics

Abstract. The integration of biomolecular studies of past organisms with geoarchaeological studies can significantly improve our understanding of the relat

academic.oup.com

👥 Meet the team behind the ERC Matrix Project! We introduce Hussein Kanbar, postdoc researcher and experimental geochemist at @icarehb.bsky.social Hussein explores how DNA moves, binds, and survives in soils and sediments. His work builds bridges between archaeology, geochemistry, and genetics.

🔎 Artifacts lie in soils and sediments. Geoarchaeology reveals how these deposits formed, transformed, and preserve traces of past human life. Our facilities include: 🪨 ArchaeoDirt Lab 🔬 MICROLab 🧬 A new clean room for ancient DNA & proteins (coming soon!) 👉 matrix.icarehb.com/archaeomatri...

👥 Meet the team behind the ERC Matrix Project! 🔬 Today: Vera Aldeias, PI of Matrix and a geoarchaeologist decoding past human behaviour through sediments. 🧬 Vera’s team uses ancient DNA & proteins in soils to trace modern humans’ arrival in Europe & Neanderthals’ disappearance.

The ERC Project MATRIX explores one of the big questions in our past: how Neanderthals disappeared as modern humans spread across Europe. Meet the team behind it and learn more about our research on sediments, ancient DNA, proteins, lipids & human evolution 👉 matrix.icarehb.com

The MATRIX Project, ERC Starting Grant, led by @veraaldeias.bsky.social and based at @icarehb.bsky.social, explores the replacement of Neanderthals by early modern humans by analyzing intact blocks of sediment as archives of ancient DNA, proteins, and lipids. Follow us and visit matrix.icarehb.com