Application of Stable Isotope Forensics for Predicting Region of Origin of Human Remains From Past Wars and Conflicts
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2289654 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eric J Bartelink (0000-0001-5050-4088, California State University System, corresponding author), G E Berg (0000-0003-4225-1783, Joint Interoperability Test Command), Melanie M Beasley (0000-0002-1062-4963, University of California San Diego), Lesley A Chesson (0000-0002-8457-9341, IsoForensics) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 124-136 |
| Publication date | 2014-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annals of Anthropological Practice (BOOK_SERIES) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2153-957X • E-ISSN: 2153-9588 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/napa.12047 |
| OpenAlex | W2112736055 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 45 |
The application of stable isotope analysis has provided novel approaches for provenancing unidentified human remains from forensic contexts. Stable isotope ratios measured in human tissues provide a record of the foods consumed during life as well as the geographic location where drinking water or food was obtained. This study begins with an overview of the application of stable isotope analysis for provenancing human remains, followed by three cases that illustrate how chemical signatures in bone reflect a probable region of origin. Using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of human bone, we test whether human skeletal remains recovered by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command-Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC-CIL, or CIL) reflect a geographic origin within North America or Asia. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of human bone collagen and stable carbon isotopes of bone apatite reflect consumption of food resources that are expected to vary between world regions due to cultural dietary differences. Based on the isotopic differences, a testable hypothesis of geographic origin can be applied, determining if the remains are more likely of a U.S. service person or of an indigenous local. We believe that this approach can provide useful information for narrowing search parameters in unidentified persons cases; can contribute to human rights cases where an unknown individual is thought to originate from a different geographic area; and, in human remains cases of unknown geographic provenience, can determine whether a person is local or nonlocal
Archaeology · Biology · Evolutionary biology · Forensic anthropology · Geography · Human bone · Indigenous · Isotope · Isotope analysis · Isotopes of carbon · Isotopes of nitrogen · Physics · Stable isotope ratio · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Ecology · Genetics
Human Migration
Human Migration
The influence of taphonomy on histological and isotopic analyses of treated and untreated buried modern human bone
Hydrogen isotope
Recent applications of isotope analysis to forensic anthropology
Role of stable isotope analyses in reconstructing past life-histories and the provenancing human skeletal remains
Addressing data comparability in the creation of combined data sets of bioapatite carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions
Isotopic equifinality and rethinking the diet of Australopithecus anamensis
The Missing and the Marginalized
Stepwise enrichment of 15N along food chains
Carbon isotope fractionation in plants
Carbon Isotopes in Photosynthesis
Experimental Evidence for the Relationship of the Carbon Isotope Ratios of Whole Diet and Dietary Protein to Those of Bone Collagen and Carbonate
Strontium Isotope Composition of Skeletal Material Can Determine the Birth Place and Geographic Mobility of Humans and Animals
Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Bone Collagen Reflect Marine and Terrestrial Components of Prehistoric Human Diet
Effect of Diet Quality and Composition on the Isotopic Composition of Respiratory CO2, Bone Collagen, Bioapatite, and Soft Tissues
Influence of diet on the distribution of carbon isotopes in animals
Influence of diet on the distribution of nitrogen isotopes in animals
Postmortem preservation and alteration of in vivo bone collagen isotope ratios in relation to palaeodietary reconstruction
Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of bone collagen from marine and terrestrial animals
Status and gender differences in diet at Mound 72, Cahokia, revealed by isotopic analysis of bone
Focus
Spatial, Species, and Temporal Variations in the13C/12C Ratios of C3Plants
Bone Collagen Quality Indicators for Palaeodietary and Radiocarbon Measurements
The Effects of Sample Treatment and Diagenesis on the Isotopic Integrity of Carbonate in Biogenic Hydroxylapatite
Preparation and characterization of bone and tooth collagen for isotopic analysis
Isotope Fractionation
Stable isotope analyses in human nutritional ecology
Stable isotope analysis of modern human hair collected from Asia (China, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan)
A simple carbon isotope model for reconstructing prehistoric human diet
Investigations into the effect of diet on modern human hair isotopic values
Collagen turnover in the adult femoral mid‐shaft
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2023 (7) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |