Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

HoMeCo Publications

Zanolli C., Alba D.M., Caley T., Cazenave M., Crevecoeur I., de la Torre I., Delagnes A., Delezene L.K., Détroit F., Joannes-Boyau R., Le Cabec A., Lüdecke T., Margvelashvili A., Musiba C., Neubauer S., Sahle Y., Schrenk F., Skinner M.M., Smith K.T., Urciuoli A., Villmoare B., Wood B., Kullmer O. (2026)

The Early Homo Conundrum: Challenges and Potential Solutions

Evolutionary Anthropology, Vol 35, Issue 3, e70043. 10.1002/evan.70043

Meijers, M. J. M., Mikes, T., Rojay, B., Çubukçu, B. E., Aydar, E., Lüdecke, T., Mulch, A. (2026)

Climate change drove Late Miocene to Pliocene rise and fall of C₄vegetation at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia (Anatolia, Türkiye)

Climate of the Past, Vol 22, Issue 5, 10.5194/cp-22-975-2026

Brömme, S., Oelze, V.M., Martínez-García, A., Leichliter, J.N., Haug, G.H., Vonhof, H.B., Stewart, F.A., Piel, A.K., Lüdecke, T. (2026)

Multi-isotope analysis reconstructs termite feeding in chimpanzees

Scientific Reports, Vol 16, 14026. 10.1038/s41598-026-45049-4

Vink, M., Leichliter, J.N., Green, D.R., Brömme, S., Tacail, T., Kindler, L., Roebroeks, W., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S., Haug, G.H., Vonhof, H.B., Martínez-García, A., Tütken, T., Lüdecke, T. (2026)

Eemian climate seasonality reconstructed from intra-tooth oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen stable isotopes in equid enamel from Neumark-Nord 2, Germany

Quaternary Science Reviews, Vol 373, Issue 109724. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109724

Lüdecke, T., Leichliter, J.N., Stratford, D., Sigman, D.M., Vonhof, H., Haug, G.H., Bamford, M.K., Martínez-García, A. (2025)

Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian meat

Science, Vol 387, Issue 6731, 309-314. 10.1126/science.adq7315

Camagni, V., Sestaioni, D., Ventisette, S., Gatti, L., Bray, F., Rolando, C., Lüdecke, T., Sciutto, G., Prati, S., Mazzeo, R., Scarano, S. (2025)

A molecular finger-imprinting approach for detecting dental enamel amelogenins via surface plasmon resonance and bio-layer interferometry

Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Vol 294, 118217. 10.1016/j.bios.2025.118217

Bourgon, N., Lüdecke T, Leichliter, J.N., Bauman, C., Brömme, S., Vink M., Bacon, A., McCormack, Nguyen,T., M., H., A., T., Antoine, P., Ponche, J., Duringer P., Demeter, F., Boualaphane, S., Luangkhoth, T., Dufour, E., Hublin, J., Jaouen, K., Tütken, T., Martinez-Garcia, A., Roberts P. (2025)

Faunal persistence and ecological flexibility in Pleistocene Southeast Asia revealed through multi-isotope analysis

Science Advances, Vol 11, eadu3642. 10.1126/sciadv.adu364

Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Tralma, P., Colmonero-Costeira, I., Cravo-Mota, M., Farassi, R., Hammond, P., Lewis-Bevan, L., Bamford, M. K., Biro, D., Lüdecke, T., Mathe, J., Bobe, R., Capelli, C., Carvalho S., Martínez F. I. (2025)

Sex-mediated Gene Flow in Grayfoot Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus griseipes) in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

International Journal of Primatology, Vol 46, 705–736. 10.1007/s10764-025-00494-2

Biro, D., Muschinski, J., Hammond P., Bobe, R., Bamford, M. K., Capelli, C., d’Oliveira Coelho, J., Farassi, R., Lüdecke, T., Martinez, F. I., Mathe, J., Ferreira Silva M. J., Carvalho, S. (2025)

West Side Story: Regional Inter-Troop Variation in Baboon Bark-Stripping at Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

American Journal of Biological Anthropology, Vol 187, Issue 1, e70057. 10.1002/ajpa.70057

Meijers, M. j. M., Brocard, G. Y., Cosca, M. A., Lüdecke, T., Teyssier, C., Whitney, D. L., Mulch A. (2025)

Rapid late Miocene surface uplift of the Central Anatolian Plateau margin

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol 497, 29-41. 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.05.040

Wang, X., Bocksberger, G., ..., Lüdecke, T., ..., Boesch ,C., Oelze, V.M. (2024)

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade

Nature Communications, Vol 5, 10891. 10.1038/s41467-024-55256-0

Comans, C.M., Smart, S.M., Kast, E.R., Lu, Y., Lüdecke, T., Leichliter, J.N., Sigman, D.M., Ikejiri, T., Martínez-García, A. (2024)

Enameloid-bound δ¹⁵N reveals large trophic separation among Late Cretaceous sharks in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Geobiology, Vol 22, e12585. 10.1111/gbi.12585

Moretti, S., Duprey, N.N., Foreman, A.D., Arns, A., Brömme, S., Jung, J., Ai, X.E., Auderset, A., Bieler, A.L., Eck, C., Farmer, J., Hinnenberg, B., Lacerra, M., Leichliter, J., Lüdecke, T., Oleynik, S., Rubach, F., Schmitt, M., Vink, M., Wald, T., Yehudai,M., Sigman, D.M., Martínez-García, A. (2024)

Analytical improvements and assessment of long-term performance of the oxidation-denitrifier method

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Vol 38, Issue 1, e9650. 10.1002/rcm.9650

*Leichliter, J. and *Lüdecke, T., Foreman, A., Bourgon, N., Duprey, N., Vonhof, H., Souksavatdy, V., Bacon, A.-M., Sigman, D., Tütken, T., Martinez-Garcia, A. (2023)

Tooth enamel nitrogen isotope composition records trophic position: a tool for reconstructing food webs

Communications Biology, Vol 6, 373. 10.1038/s42003-023-04744-y
*shared first authors

Kubat, J., Nava, A., Bondioli, L., Bondioli, L., Dean, C., Zanolli, C., Bourgon, N., Bacon, A., Demeter, F., Peripoli, B., Albert, R., Lüdecke, T., Hertler, C., Mahoney, P., Kullmer, O., Schrenk, F., Müller W. (2023)

Dietary strategies of Pleistocene Pongo sp. and Homo erectus on Java (Indonesia)

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Vol 7, 279–289. 10.1038/s41559-022-01947-0

Bobe, R., Aldeias, V., Alemseged, Z., Anemone, R. L., Archer, W., Aumaître, G., Bamford, M. K., Biro, D., Bourlès, D. L., Doyle Boyd, M., Braun, D. R., Capelli, C., d’Oliveira Coelho, J., Habermann, J. M., Head, J. J., Keddadouche, K., Kupczik, K., Lebatard, A.-E., Lüdecke, T., Macôa, A., Martínez, F. I., Mathe, J., Mendes, C., Paulo, L. M., Pinto, M., Presnyakova, D., Püschel, T. A., Regala, F. T., Sier, M., Ferreira da Silva, M. J., Stalmans, M., Carvalho, S. (2023)

The first Miocene fossils from coastal woodlands in the southern East African Rift

iScience, Vol 26, Issue 9, 107644. 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107644

*Lüdecke, T. and *Leichliter, J.N., Aldeias, V., Bamford, M.K., Biro, D., Braun, D.R., Capelli, C., Cybulski, J.D., Duprey, N.N., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Foreman, A.D., Habermann, J.M., Haug, G.H., Martínez, F.I., Mathe, J., Mulch, A., Sigman, D.M., Vonhof, H., Bobe, R., Carvalho, S., Martínez-García, A. (2022)

Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 10, 958032. 10.3389/fevo.2022.958032
*shared first authors

Kast, E.R., Griffiths, M.L., Kim, S.L., Rao, Z.C., Shimada, K., Becker, M.A., Maisch, H.M., Eagle, R.A., Clarke, C.A., Neumann, A.N., Karnes, M.E., Lüdecke, T., Leichliter, J.N., Martinez-Garcia, A., Akhtar, A.A., Wang, X.T., Haug, G.H., Sigman, D.M. (2022)

Cenozoic megatooth sharks occupied extremely high trophic positions

Science Advances, Vol 8, Issue 25, eabl6529. 10.1126/sciadv.abl6529

Jaouen, K., Villalba-Mouco, V., Smith, G.M., Trost, M., Leichliter, J., Lüdecke, T., Méjean, P., Mandrou, S., Chmeleff, J., Guiserix, D., Bourgon, N., Blasco, F., Cardoso, J.M., Duquenoy, C., Moubtahij, Z., Salazar-García, D., Richards, M., Tütken, T., Hublin, J.-J., Utrilla, P., Montes, L. (2022)

A Neandertal dietary conundrum: new insights provided by tooth enamel Zn isotopes from Gabasa, Spain

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol 119, Issue 43, e2109315119. 10.1073/pnas.2109315119

Martinez-Garcia, A., Jung, J., Ai, X.E., Sigman, D.M., Auderset, A., Duprey, N.N., Foreman, A., Fripiat, F., Leichliter, J., Lüdecke, T., Moretti, S., Wald, T. (2022)

Laboratory assessment of the impact of chemical oxidation, mineral dissolution, and heating on the nitrogen isotopic composition of fossil-bound organic matter

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol 23, Issue 8, e2022GC010396. 10.1029/2022GC010396

Caves Rugenstein, J.K., Methner, K., Kukla, T., Mulch, A., Lüdecke, T., Fiebig, J., Meltzer, A., Wegmann, K., Zeitler, P., Chamberlain, C.P. (2022)

Clumped isotope constraints on warming and precipitation seasonality in Mongolia following Altai uplift

American Journal of Sciences, Vol 322, Issue 1, 28-54. 10.2475/01.2022.02

Santander, C., Molinaro, L., Mutti, G., Martínez, F.I., Mathe, J., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Caldon, M., Oteo‑Garcia, G., Aldeias, V., Archer, W., Bamford, M., Biro, D., Bobe, R., Braun, D.R., Hammond, P., Lüdecke, T., Pinto, M.J., Paulo, L.M., Stalmans, M., Regala, F.T., Bertolini, F., Moltke, I., Raveane, A., Pagani, L., Carvalho, S., Capelli, C. (2022)

Genomic variation in baboons from central Mozambique unveils complex evolutionary relationships with other Papio species

BMC Ecology and Evolution, Vol 22, 44. 10.1186/s12862-022-01999-7

Leichliter, J.N., Lüdecke, T., Foreman, A.D., Duprey, N.N., Winkler, D.E., Kast, E.R., Vonhof, H., Sigman, D.M., Haug, G.H., Clauss, M., Tütken, T.; Martínez-García (2021)

Nitrogen isotopes in tooth enamel record diet and trophic level enrichment: Results from a controlled feeding experiment

Chemical Geology, Vol 563, 120047. 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.120047

Habermann, J.M., Alberti, M., Aldeias, V., Alemseged, Z., Archer, W., Bamford, M., Biro, D., Braun, D.R., Capelli, C., Cunha, E., Ferreira da Silva, M., Lüdecke, T., Madiquida, H., Martinez, F., Mathe, J., Negash, E., Paulo, L.M., Pinto, M., Stalmans, M., Tatá, F., Wynn, J., Bobe, R., Carvalho, S. (2019)

Gorongosa by the sea: First Miocene fossil sites from the Urema Rift, central Mozambique, and their coastal paleoenvironmental and paleoecological contexts

Paleogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Vol 514, 723-738. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.09.032

Martinez, F.I., Capelli, C., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Aldeias, V., Alemseged, Z., Archer, W., Bamford, M., Biro, D., Bobe, R., Braun, D., Habermann, J.M., Lüdecke, T., Madiquida, H., Mathe, J., Negash, E., Paulo, L.M., Pinto, M., Stalmans, M., Tatá, F., Carvalho, S.A. (2019)

A missing piece of the Papio puzzle: Gorongosa baboon phenostructure and intrageneric relationships

Journal of Human Evolution, Vol 130, 1-20. 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.01.007

Ernst, M., Thiemeyer, H., Lüdecke, T. (2019)

Stable isotope signatures of radiocarbon dated pedogenic carbonate from Tell Chuera (NE Syria) reveal fluctuating paleoenvironmental patterns in the Pleistocene Levant

Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, Suppl. Vol 62, Suppl. Issue 1, 59-84. 10.1127/zfg_suppl/2019/0553

Lüdecke, T., Kullmer, O., Wacker, U., Sandrock, O., Fiebig, J., Schrenk, F., Mulch, A. (2018)

Dietary Versatility of Early Pleistocene Hominins

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115, 723-738.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1809439115

Meijers, M.J.M., Brocard, G.Y., Cosca, M.A., Lüdecke, T., Teyssier, C., Whitney, D.L., Mulch, A. (2018)

Rapid Late Miocene Surface Uplift of the Central Anatolian Plateau Margin

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol 497, 29-41. 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.05.040

Lüdecke, T., Mulch, A., Kullmer, O., Sandrock, O., Thiemeyer, Fiebig, J., Schrenk, F. (2016)

Stable isotope dietary reconstructions of herbivore enamel reveal heterogeneous savanna ecosystems in the Plio-Pleistocene Malawi Rift

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Vol 459, 170–181. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.07.010

Lüdecke, T., Schrenk, F., Thiemeyer, H., Kullmer, O., Bromage, T.G., Sandrock, O., Fiebig, J., Mulch, A. (2016)

Persistent C₃ vegetation accompanied Plio-Pleistocene hominin evolution in the Malawi Rift (Chiwondo Beds, Karonga Basin, East African Rift System)

Journal of Human Evolution, Vol 90, 163-175. 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.10.014

Fiebig, J., Hofmann, S., Löffler, N., Lüdecke, T., Methner, K., Wacker, U. (2015)

Slight pressure imbalances can affect accuracy and precision of dual inlet-based clumped isotope analysis

Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, Vol 52, Issue 1-2, 12-28. 10.1080/10256016.2015.1010531

Lüdecke, T., Thiemeyer, H. (2013)

Palaeoenvironmental Characteristics of the Plio-Pleistocene Chiwondo and Chitimwe Beds (N-Malawi)

In: Runge, J. Palaeoecology of Africa Vol 32: An International Yearbook of Landscape Evolution and Palaeoenvironments, 143-161.

Lüdecke, T., Mikes, T., Rojay, B., Cosca, M.A., Mulch, A. (2013)

Stable isotope-based reconstruction of Oligo-Miocene paleoenvironment and paleohydrology of Central Anatolian lake basins (Turkey)

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol 22, No 5, 793-819. 10.3906/yer-1207-11