The state-of-the-art facility, featuring a sample preparation room, a micro-balance room, and a clean room, opened this fall at the Department of Anthropology alongside the Department of Chemistry both are part of the Faculty of Science.
Isotopes are variants of the same chemical element that differ in their number of neutrons, resulting in varying atomic masses. Their traceability and measurability in human, animal, and plant materials provide researchers with critical knowledge about individual lifeways and group dynamics.
“Isotope analysis lets us uncover how people and animals lived, both in the past and today. We are what we eat. Our diet leaves distinct chemical signatures in our bodies, stored as isotopic fingerprints. By decoding these, we can draw conclusions about dietary habits, migration, social stratification, funerary practices and more,” says Kévin Salesse, a head of the isotope lab and assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology.
The research in isotope anthropology and bioarchaeology uses samples of bones, teeth, hair, and nails, which can be compared to modern environmental materials also analysed in the new lab. Scientists extract, purify and separate organic and mineral compounds from these materials and then measure the ratios of stable carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur, and strontium isotopes. While chemical pretreatments are conducted at the Faculty of Science, stable isotope measurements are performed through collaborations or as services with renowned international laboratories.
“It is my hope that Masaryk University will soon be equipped with advanced spectrometers for high-precision isotope ratio analysis. These instruments require significant investment, which I believe is essential for our development. With the right resources, we have the potential to make a significant mark in isotope research, and I am committed to making this vision a reality,” said Kévin Salesse.
Elemental concentrations can be accurately determined through inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at MUNI. Additionally, post-mortem diagenetic trajectories are monitored using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, utilizing equipment shared with the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology at MU.
Networking is essential in this field of research. Over the past two years, Kévin Salesse has established several international collaborations to ensure that the data he is producing meets the highest standards. The laboratory’s grand opening showcased this global approach, with the event attended by his international colleagues. The opening featured presentations on joint projects: Christophe Snoeck (Brussels) introduced the first strontium map of Moravia, Lisette Kootker (Amsterdam) discussed unpublished data on the mobility and diet of Celts in Moravia, Christina Cheung (Hong Kong) shared insights on interpreting the past diet patterns of Hutterites from Moravia and Llorenç Alapont (Spain) presented ongoing isotopic analysis on Pompeii samples. In addition to these research projects, Kévin Salesse also focuses on the archaeology of the Middle East; the new lab will analyse samples from Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon, among others.
Through his collaboration with colleagues in Brazil, particularly Caroline Borges (Recife), he will have the opportunity to study mummies of indigenous peoples and human skeletons from colonial-era cemeteries, as well as analyse contemporary samples.
The IsoArcH database
“Sharing is caring,” and Kévin Salesse puts this adage into practice through his dedicated efforts. He is the founder and director of the IsoArcH initiative, which is anchored by the largest isotop database for bioarchaeology, environmental science, and forensics worldwide.
“Since 2024, the database has been hosted on Masaryk University’s servers, which is great. This support demonstrates the trust placed by the institution in the IsoArcH initiative. IsoArcH houses an immense volume of data, with over 150,000 measurements. Scientists are unable to keep up with the daily publication of all isotope data in these fields. We try to help them,” Kévin Salesse says, adding that the database will soon include new datasets from South America, Africa and Asia. In December 2024, Kévin Salesse, in cooperation with Xavier de Rochefort and François Zanna, two key developers in the initiative, launched version 3 of the IsoArcH database.
His work in bioarcheology includes teaching activities and training future experts in the field. Every fall semester he offers an elective course in isotope analysis in bioarchaeology open to everyone.
The development of research activities and community in this area is driven by grants, such as the MUNI Award in Science and Humanities JUNIOR, which he successfully secured last year.