• Question: do goat bones smell?

    Asked by anon-195522 to Kevin on 19 Jan 2019.
    • Photo: Kevin Daly

      Kevin Daly answered on 19 Jan 2019:


      Not really, as the ones I work with are very old (thousands of years). However, when I’m sawing into them an electric saw, they can have a very recognizable smell (like hair burning). This is due to the collagen protein still present in the bone beginning to heat. It’s a good smell, as bone collagen being preserved often means DNA is also still surviving.

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