通过骨骼遗骸分析揭示 16 世纪水手的生物学特征

对数百年历史的人类骨骼遗骸的分析可以加深今天对骨骼化学如何随年龄变化的理解。

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.

对 1545 年沉没的玛丽·罗斯号旗舰的人类骨骼遗骸的分析，为骨骼化学如何随年龄变化提供了新的见解。

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

发表在《Plos One》杂志上的研究结果还表明，惯用右手可能会影响船员的骨骼结构。

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.

这艘都铎船是亨利八世海军的一部分，在索伦特海战中与法国船只交战时在朴茨茅斯和怀特岛之间沉没。

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

20世纪末被挖掘时，船上的文物和船员的骨骼保存完好。

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

这使得研究人员能够对水手的物品、外表和健康状况进行广泛的研究。

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.

兰卡斯特大学的 Sheona Shankland 博士及其同事进行的这项新研究重点关注了随船沉没的 12 名年龄在 13 岁至 40 岁之间的男性的生物学特征。

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

他们使用一种称为拉曼光谱的非破坏性激光技术来分析机组人员锁骨的化学成分。

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

分析显示，随着水手年龄的增长，他们骨骼中的矿物质含量增加，而蛋白质含量减少，尽管程度较小。

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

这些与年龄相关的变化在右锁骨中比左锁骨更为明显。

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.

假设船员中惯用右手的人，研究结果表明，惯用手可能会影响锁骨的构成，可能是因为他们在船上执行任务时对右侧施加了更大的压力。

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.

兰卡斯特大学生物医学科学系的尚克兰博士说：“从小就对玛丽玫瑰着迷，有机会与这些遗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.”

“骨骼的保存和该技术的非破坏性使我们能够更多地了解这些水手的生活，同时也加深了我们对与现代世界相关的人体骨骼的理解。”

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.

兰卡斯特大学科学技术学院的亚当·泰勒教授补充道：“这项研究为我们对锁骨及其矿化的了解提供了新的线索。

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

“骨头在将上肢连接到身体方面起着至关重要的作用，也是最常见的骨折之一。”

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.

这项新研究探讨了骨骼的化学成分如何因身体活动和衰老而发生变化，因此一个人的骨骼化学成分可能蕴藏着有关其生活方式的线索。

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

在这种情况下，研究人员指出，需要对玛丽罗斯锁骨进行更多研究才能更好地理解这些发现。