FT-Raman spectroscopy of avian mummified tissue of archaeological relevance

There are frequent reports of mummified seals in the cold deserts of Antarc tica. However, a mummified penguin found over 100 miles from the coast and at an altitude of 600 m is most unusual. The non-intrusive FT laser Raman s pectra of untreated mummified tissues from this bird are presented; the spe cimen has three distinct types of tissue dearly identifiable in a limb, nam ely the bone, claw and skin, along with feathers from the carcass. The unus ually fine preservation of these materials in an Antarctic cold desert clim ate means that bacterial degradation has been arrested and affords an oppor tunity to compare the molecular deterioration of the keratotic or collageni c components of the avian ice;mummified tissue with those from the skin of human ice-mummies. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.