What is our toolbox of analytical chemistry for exploring ancient hominin diets in the absence of organic preservation?

This short review aims at drawing up an inventory of the existing chemical techniques that can help reconstruct past hominin diets in the absence of organic preservations (such as collagen). Preservation issues necessitate the preferential use of dental enamel over bones for bioapatite trace and minor element analyses. The trace element ratios in dental enamel-as opposed to bones-can distinguish browser, grazer and marine diets, but their use as...