Basic principles of stable isotope analysis in humanitarian forensic science.

While the identity of a victim of a localized disaster – such as a train or bus crash – may be established quickly through personal effects, fingerprints, dental records, and a comparison of decedent DNA to family reference specimen DNA, a different scenario presents itself in mass disasters, such as the Asian Tsunami of 2004. In the aftermath of the tsunami, visual appearance was initially used to assign “foreign” or “indigenous” classifications to the remains of thousands of victims. However, this visual identification approach was undermined by the speed with which bodies deteriorated under the hot and humid conditions. Time was spent populating ante-mortem DNA databases for different nationalities, which led to problems when creating a post-mortem DNA database because recovery of viable DNA was compromised due to rapid decomposition. As a consequence, only 1.3% of victims were identified by DNA; in contrast, 61% were identified based on dental examination, although this process took several months and a significant number of deceased from the 2004 Asian Tsunami still remain to be identified

Chronology of Termination II and the Last Interglacial Period in North Spain based on stable isotope records of stalagmites from Cueva del Cobre (Palencia)

New insight into the timing and structure of the Last Interglacial Period (Eemian) was obtained through U-Th dating of four speleothems from Northern Spain and an analysis of their stable isotope records. The four stalagmites examined were collected from different levels of Cueva del Cobre, a cold high-mountain cave in the Cantabrian Ranges (N Spain), in which speleothem growth took place essentially during the warmer interestadials. Through 18 TIMS and ICPMS datings and 263 stable isotope analyses, the onset of the Eemian interglacial period was precisely dated at 150±2 ka, an age consistent with a few other palaeoclimatic records but notably younger than the age ascribed by the Milankovitch theory. We also date the Eemian–Weichselian transition (~115 ka)for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula. U-Th ages revealed a consistent anomaly at ~105-100 ka BP, which could be related to a drastic environmental change during the MIS-5c interestadial. This event would have caused the resetting of the U-Th system at the base of the stalagmites during a short time interval. In addition, we propose a new simple geochemical test to ensure the lack of disturbance of this type of samples for dating purposes

Mineral curved platelets in bone

Bone is a composite material principally made up of a mineral phase (apatite) and collagen fibrils. The mineral component of bone occurs in the form of polycrystalline platelets 3-6 nm in thickness. These platelets are packed and probably glued together in stacks of two or more, ranging up to >30 platelets. Here we show that most of these stacks are curved flat sheets whose cylindrical axes are oriented parallel to the long axes of collagen fibrils. Consequently, the curvature of the platelets is not detectable in TEM sections cut parallel to the collagen fibril axes. The radius of curvature around these axes ranges from about 25 nm (the average radius of the collagen fibrils) to 100’s of nm. The shapes of these curved forms contribute to the compressive strength of bone

Remarques sur l'édification des planchers stalagmitiques quaternaires.

L'interprétation des dépôts stalagmitiques comme indicateurs paléoclimatiques est discutée. Les principaux paramètres contrôlant la croissance cristalline de la calcite en grotte sont définis. la datation absolue de ces dépôts est possible par l'étude du déséquilibre des séries de l'Uranium (230TH/234U et 231Pa/235U).Stalagmitic layers are studied as paleoclimatic indicators. The factors which control the growth of calcite in caves are defined. Absolute dating of these layers is possible with Uranium-series method (230Th/234U and 231Pa/235U)

ESR dates for the hominid burial site of Qafzeh in Israel

International audienc

ESR dating of the Neanderthal site, Kebara Cave, Israel

International audienc