BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Cynthia Liutkus, professor and chair in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, is a co-author of a new Nature study revealing the presence of ancient proteins preserved in the enamel of fossilized mammal teeth from Kenya’s Rift Valley.
Using a newer technique called liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, the team examined fossilized teeth from early elephants and rhinos. They discovered peptide fragments, chains of amino acids, that together form proteins as old as 18 million years. Previously, the oldest known peptide sequences were about 3.5 million years old. The research offers new insights into how prehistoric animals lived and evolved.
Dr. Liutkus, a National Geographic Explorer, studies the reconstructions of paleoenvironmental conditions using sedimentological and geochemical tools and has worked at the site of Loperot, Kenya (which produced one of the rhino fossils for this study) for the past 13 years. In neighboring Tanzania, she has focused on the age and formation of the footprints at Engare Sero, the largest assemblage of Homo sapiens footprints discovered to date in Africa, since 2008. Her work on the Engare Sero footprint site was the focus of a documentary that premiered last year.
"While the Rhinocerotidae fossil from Loperot is a small part of this larger study of the Turkana Basin region of Kenya through time, the results are exciting in that they provide evidence that paleopeptides may be preserved in deep enamel in even older Cenozoic fossils, even from extremely warm climates like East Africa," explained Liutkus.
To read more about the Nature study, check out articles by The Harvard Gazette, Nature, Phys.org, SciTechDaily, and Smithsonian Magazine.
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About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at earth.appstate.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at cas.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at appstate.edu.
Written by Lauren Gibbs
Edited by Dr. Cynthia Liutkus
July 23, 2025
BOONE, N.C.
Dr. Cynthia Liutkus is professor and chair of Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.
Dr. Cynthia Liutkus is professor and chair of Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.