Bethan Linscott

I’m an archaeological geochemist (PhD; University of Southampton, 2021) specialising in the application of novel isotopic and radiometric techniques to archaeological material for the purposes of palaeoecological, palaeodietary and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.

Past research has involved the micron-scale sequential strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of the enamel of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic humans and fauna using high-resolution laser ablation MC-ICP-MS and EA-IRMS respectively, for the reconstruction of seasonality and mobility during the Pleistocene. My current work focuses on the optimisation of the separation of individual amino acids in hydrolysed bone collagen via HPLC for radiocarbon dating, in order to mitigate the effects of carbon contamination on AMS dates - particularly for samples reaching the limit of the method (~50, 000 years). I am also interested in the extraction and analysis of biomarkers from Pleistocene sediments, particularly hearths, which may record valuable information about hominin subsistence behaviours through time.