透過骨骼遺骸分析揭示 16 世紀水手的生物學特徵

對數百年歷史的人類骨骼遺骸的分析可以加深今天對骨骼化學如何隨年齡變化的理解。

The analysis of human skeletal remains from the Mary Rose flagship, which sank in 1545, has provided new insights into how bone chemistry changes with age.

對 1545 年沈沒的瑪麗·羅斯號旗艦的人類骨骼遺骸的分析，為骨骼化學如何隨年齡變化提供了新的見解。

The findings, published in the Plos One journal, also suggest that being right-handed may have affected the bone structure of the crew members.

發表在《Plos One》雜誌上的研究結果也表明，慣用右手可能會影響船員的骨骼結構。

The Tudor vessel, which was part of Henry VIII’s navy, sank between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight during an engagement with French ships in the Battle of the Solent.

這艘都鐸船是亨利八世海軍的一部分，在索倫特海戰中與法國船隻交戰時在朴茨茅斯和懷特島之間沉沒。

When it was excavated in the late 20th century, the ship’s artefacts and the crew’s skeletons were well-preserved.

20世紀末被挖掘時，船上的文物和船員的骨頭保存完好。

This has allowed researchers to carry out extensive studies into the belongings, appearance, and health of the sailors.

這使得研究人員能夠對水手的物品、外觀和健康狀況進行廣泛的研究。

The new study by Dr Sheona Shankland and colleagues at Lancaster University focused on the biology of 12 men aged 13 to 40 who went down with the ship.

蘭卡斯特大學的 Sheona Shankland 博士及其同事進行的這項新研究重點關注了隨船沉沒的 12 名年齡在 13 歲至 40 歲之間的男性的生物學特徵。

They used a non-destructive laser technique called Raman spectroscopy to analyse the chemistry of the crew members’ collarbones (clavicles).

他們使用一種稱為拉曼光譜的非破壞性雷射技術來分析機組人員鎖骨的化學成分。

The analysis revealed that as the sailors aged, the mineral content in their bones increased, while protein content decreased, albeit to a lesser degree.

分析顯示，隨著水手年齡的增長，他們骨骼中的礦物質含量增加，而蛋白質含量減少，儘管程度較小。

These age-related changes were also found to be more pronounced in the right collarbone than in the left.

這些與年齡相關的變化在右鎖骨中比左鎖骨更為明顯。

Assuming a preference for right-handed people among the crew, the findings indicate that handedness may have affected the make-up of the clavicle, perhaps through putting more strain on their right side as they carried out duties on board.

假設船員中慣用右手的人，研究結果表明，慣用手可能會影響鎖骨的組成，可能是因為他們在船上執行任務時對右側施加了更大的壓力。

Dr Shankland, of Lancaster University’s Department of Biomedical Science, said: “Having grown up fascinated by the Mary Rose, it has been amazing to have the opportunity to work with these remains.

蘭卡斯特大學生物醫學科學系的尚克蘭博士說：「從小就對瑪麗玫瑰著迷，有機會與這些遺骸一起工作真是太棒了。

“The preservation of the bones and the non-destructive nature of the technique allows us to learn more about the lives of these sailors, but also furthers our understanding of the human skeleton, relevant to the modern world.”

“骨骼的保存和該技術的非破壞性使我們能夠更多地了解這些水手的生活，同時也加深了我們對與現代世界相關的人體骨骼的理解。”

Professor Adam Taylor, from Lancaster University’s Faculty of Science and Technology, added: “This study sheds new light on what we know about the clavicle and its mineralisation.

蘭卡斯特大學科學技術學院的亞當泰勒教授補充說：「這項研究為我們對鎖骨及其礦化的了解提供了新的線索。

“The bone plays a critical role in attaching your upper limb to the body and is one of the most commonly fractured bones.”

「骨頭在將上肢連接到身體方面起著至關重要的作用，也是最常見的骨折之一。”

The new research explored how the chemistry of bone might change in response to physical activity and ageing, so a person’s bone chemistry may hold clues about their lifestyle.

這項新研究探討了骨骼的化學成分如何因身體活動和老化而變化，因此一個人的骨骼化學成分可能蘊藏著有關其生活方式的線索。

In this case, the researchers noted that more research on the Mary Rose clavicles will be needed to better understand these findings.

在這種情況下，研究人員指出，需要對瑪麗羅斯鎖骨進行更多研究才能更好地理解這些發現。