IPHES-CERCA researcher Héctor del Valle receives the first prize for Best Poster at the international conference “Bone Diagenesis Meeting 2025”

Héctor del Valle, predoctoral researcher at the IPHES-CERCA, has been awarded the first prize for Best Poster Presentation at the international Bone Diagenesis Meeting 2025, held in Athens.

The jury recognised his work for its research quality and scientific innovation in the study of bone tissue diagenesis, a key field for understanding fossilisation processes and the preservation of bioarchaeological heritage.

The poster, entitled “Bone Diagenesis and Stratigraphy: Developing a Fossil-Bone Recontextualization Model in Pleistocene Karst Systems”, presents pioneering research based on his doctoral thesis, combining analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to study the fossilisation processes at the Galería site (Atapuerca, Burgos).

Based on these data, Del Valle has developed a fossil recontextualisation model using neural networks, capable of identifying the stratigraphic origin of decontextualised remains. This approach has provided preliminary data on the human mandible found at Galería in the 1970s, the first human fossil discovered in the Atapuerca trench. According to the model, this mandible comes from the oldest units of the site, placing it as contemporary with the population of Sima de los Huesos a result with significant implications for research into human evolution in Europe.

International meeting

The Bone Diagenesis Meeting is the leading international conference on the study of bone tissue diagenesis, held periodically since 1988. It showcases advances in areas such as bone preservation and biomineralisation, bioarchaeology, ancient DNA, paleoproteomics, isotopic analysis, and osteological heritage conservation, with applications in archaeology, palaeontology, and forensic sciences.

This year’s edition, held in Athens, brought together experts from around the world to discuss new methodological and theoretical approaches to understanding the transformation of biological materials over time. In this context, the award to Héctor del Valle represents not only a personal recognition of his research career, but also an international endorsement of IPHES-CERCA’s work in applying new technologies to the study of fossilisation processes and the recontextualisation of paleoanthropological heritage.