Accessibility statement

Books and beasts

Sarah Fiddyment, Matthew Collins

  • 26 September 2014
    4pm - 10pm

  • St Helen's Church (map)

  • FREE admission
    No booking required

  • Wheelchair accessible

Event details

Parchment was the medium of medieval Europe. Until the introduction of paper all documents and books were written on parchment made from the stretched and scraped skins of animals. These documents are still with us today and offer invaluable information not just because of the text they hold but also the biomolecular information trapped in the skin itself. By analysing the proteins and DNA from the skins we are able to tell what animals were used to make parchment and even where they might come from. In order to do this we must analyse the genetic code.

In this activity you will have a chance to ‘decode’ some of the many different parchment fragments we have to find out what animals were used and then even make your own DNA bracelet by coding your own name. Come and discover the exciting world of Biomolecular Codicology!