Microbial Fingerprints Reveal Interaction Between Museum Objects, Curators, and Visitors

Authors

• Lukas M Simon
• Cecilia Flocco
• Franziska Burkart
• Anika Methner
• David Henke
• Luise Rauer
• Christian L Müller
• Johannes Vogel
• Christiane Quaisser
• Jörg Overmann
• Stefan Simon

Language

English

Publication Date

9-15-2023

Journal

iScience

DOI

10.1016/j.isci.2023.107578

PMID

37664629

PMCID

PMC10469763

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

8-9-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Microbial communities reside at the interface between humans and their environment. Whether the microbiome can be leveraged to gain information on human interaction with museum objects is unclear. To investigate this, we selected objects from the Museum für Naturkunde and the Pergamonmuseum in Berlin, Germany, varying in material and size. Using swabs, we collected 126 samples from natural and cultural heritage objects, which were analyzed through 16S rRNA sequencing. By comparing the microbial composition of touched and untouched objects, we identified a microbial signature associated with human skin microbes. Applying this signature to cultural heritage objects, we identified areas with varying degrees of exposure to human contact on the Ishtar gate and Sam'al gate lions. Furthermore, we differentiated objects touched by two different individuals. Our findings demonstrate that the microbiome of museum objects provides insights into the level of human contact, crucial for conservation, heritage science, and potentially provenance research.

Keywords

Human, Nature conservation, Microbiome

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Simon, Lukas M; Flocco, Cecilia; Burkart, Franziska; et al., "Microbial Fingerprints Reveal Interaction Between Museum Objects, Curators, and Visitors" (2023). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 6544.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/6544