| Abstract: |
Fossil collagens isolated from fauna excavated at Kents Cavern, Torquay, England, present a number of chemical and biochemical changes relative to modern collagens, including increased atomic C/N values, differential loss of some amino acids, alterations in molecular weights, altered response to diagnostic staining and increased fluorescence. In the aggregate, these changes suggest primarily chemical as opposed to microbiological impacts, and autohumification by compounds containing carbohydrate and/or nucleic acids.
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