The increasing sophistication of archaeological science techniques has meant that residues left behind on flint and other lithic tools have been identified and published. This opens up the possibility of interpreting lithics not only by their morphology and typology, but by directly revealing the contact materials they were used on before deposition.

​As part of the research project to understand the lithics discovered at Star Carr, several experiments have been conducted in the YEAR Centre aiming to establish whether residues really can be detected, despite being exposed above ground.