A new flow cytometry method enabling rapid purification of fossil pollen from terrestrial sediments for AMS radiocarbon dating

摘要: Radiocarbon (14C) accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating has played a significant role towards improving our understanding of the timing events and rates change in archaeological environmental records over last 50 000 years. Although it is not always possible to find suitable macrofossils for 14C dating, microfossils, notably plant pollen, are viable alternative. Obtaining preserved pollen samples known provenance sufficient quantity by AMS is, however, challenging because time-consuming methods extraction purification contamination from other organic material. Here we report new, rapid straightforward method using flow cytometry (FCM) distinguish, sort collect quantities fossil with minimal lake sediments radiocarbon dating. Using this approach, demonstrate ages that date back at least 40 ka BP. While future work may be required refine methodologies different sample types precisely quantify limit FCM microfossils shows considerable promise generating robust geochronological frameworks sequences have previously proved problematic. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.