Ancient proteomes from tiny shell ornaments were successfully characterised for the first time, showing the unexpected use of mother-of-pearl from local riverine molluscs in both coastal and inland prehistoric sites.

A chemically unstable ostrich eggshell peptide survives for at least 3.8 million years at the equator, stabilized by strong mineral interactions.

Applying ancestral sequence reconstruction techniques to protein kinases reveals the mutations that underlie different modes of activation.

Subterranean fossil bone hosts a living microbiome different from the surrounding sediment without evidence of original protein preservation.

The extinct stilt-legged equids of North America are not related to Asiatic asses or horses, but instead represent a distinct lineage outside of living equid diversity that became extinct in the terminal Pleistocene.

eLife has published papers on topics as diverse as paleoproteomics, ancient insects and the discovery of a new hominin species.