| 1. |
- Doro, Kennedy O., et al.
(författare)
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Geophysical imaging of buried human remains in simulated mass and single graves : Experiment design and results from pre-burial to six months after burial
- 2022
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Ingår i: Forensic Science International. - : Elsevier. - 0379-0738 .- 1872-6283. ; 335
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study, we present an experiment design and assess the capability of multiple geophysical techniques to image buried human remains in mass and individual graves using human cadavers willingly donated for scientific research. The study is part of a novel, interdisciplinary mass grave experiment established in May 2021 which consists of a mass grave with 6 human remains, 3 individual graves and two empty control graves dug to the same size as the mass grave and individual graves. Prior to establishing the graves, we conducted background measurements of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), electromagnetics (EM), and ground penetrating radar (GPR) while soil profiles were analyzed in situ after excavating the graves. All graves were also instrumented with soil sensors for monitoring temporal changes in soil moisture, temperature, and electrical conductivity in situ. Measurements of ERT, EM and GPR were repeated 3, 37, 71 and 185 days after burial with further repeated measurements planned for another twelve months. ERT results show an initial increase in resistivity in all graves including the control graves at 3 days after burial and a continuous decrease thereafter in the mass and individual graves with the strongest decrease in the mass grave. Conductivity distribution from the EM shows a similar trend to the ERT with an initial decrease in the first 3 days after burial. Distortion in linear reflectors, presence of small hyperbolas and isolated strong amplitude reflectors in the GPR profiles across the graves is associated with known locations of the graves. These initial results validate the capability of geoelectrical methods in detecting anomalies associated with disturbed ground and human decay while GPR though show some success is limited by the geology of the site.
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| 2. |
- Doro, Kennedy O., et al.
(författare)
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Time-Lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography Imaging of Buried Human Remains in Simulated Mass and Individual Graves
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Environmental Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-665X. ; 10, s. 1-15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrical resistivity has been used as a noninvasive geophysical technique for locating clandestine graves and monitoring human decay within the subsurface. Detailed studies assessing resistivity anomalies due to soil disturbances and decay products associated with graves have relied on the use of proxies, such as pigs, with limited studies using real human cadavers and simulating a mass grave setting and none assessing the anomalies in 3D. In this study, we used time-lapse 2D and quasi-3D electrical resistivity distribution measured over an experimental mass grave and individual graves containing human cadavers to assess resistivity anomalies resulting from graves and the presence of decaying human remains in them. This study is part of a novel multidisciplinary mass grave experimental study with six graves consisting of a mass grave with six human cadavers, a controlled mass grave with none, three individual graves with one human cadaver each, and a control individual grave with none. Nine parallel resistivity transects which allow us to image these graves in their 3D context were acquired prior to excavation and 2 days, 1, 2, and 6 months after burial using a dipole-dipole electrode array, a unit electrode spacing of 0.5 m, and an interprofile spacing of 1m. The value of different electrode arrays and spacings in identifying the contrast between the graves was also assessed using forward models and field data. Soil sensors were installed at different locations in the graves to monitor soil electrical conductivity, moisture content, and temperature. The results of this study show an increase in electrical resistivity 2 days after burial in all graves with human remains and the control graves, which we attribute to increased soil aeration where disturbed pores are filled with air. The resistivity decreases thereafter in graves with human remains which we attribute to the formation of conductive leachates. This study validates the potential of electrical resistivity as a forensic search tool for locating both clandestine mass and individual graves and as a noninvasive monitoring technique to support human decomposition research.
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| 3. |
- Elliott, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
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The legacy of 1300 years of land use in Jamaica
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1556-4894 .- 1556-1828. ; 19:2, s. 312-343
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite decades of archaeological research on Jamaica, little is known about how settlers influenced landscape change on the island over time. Here, we examine the impact of human occupation through a multi-proxy approach using phytolith, charcoal, and stratigraphic analyses. White Marl was a continuously inhabited village settlement (ca. 1050-450 cal yrs BP) with large mounded midden areas, precolonial house structures, and human landscape management practices. We have shown that the local vegetation at White Marl was directly affected by human settlement through the use of agroforestry and burning, and suggest that fire was used to modify vegetation. Manioc phytoliths were found throughout human occupation and are broadly associated with increases in evidence for burning, suggesting fire was used to modify the landscape and clear vegetation for crop cultivation. The phytolith assemblages relate to three distinct temporal vegetation phases: (1) the earliest occupation dominated by arboreal vegetation (pre-ca. 870 cal yrs BP); (2) a transition to palm-dominated vegetation (ca. 870-670 cal yrs BP); and (3) the latest occupation representing European colonization associated with a more open, grass-dominated landscape (after ca. 670 cal yrs BP). These transitions occur independent of changes in paleoclimate records, suggesting humans were the dominant driver of vegetation change.
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| 4. |
- Peyroteo Stjerna, Rita, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Mummification in the Mesolithic : New Approaches to Old Photo Documentation Reveal Previously Unknown Mortuary Practices in the Sado Valley, Portugal
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Journal of Archaeology. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1461-9571 .- 1741-2722. ; 25:3, s. 309-330
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recently rediscovered photographs of the remains of thirteen individuals buried in the Sado Valley Mesolithic shell middens of Poças de S. Bento and Arapouco, excavated in 1960 and 1962, show the potential of revisiting excavation archives with new methods. The analysis, which applies the principles of archaeothanatology and is enriched by experimental taphonomic research, confirmed details concerning the treatment of the dead body and provided new insights into the use of burial spaces. Some bodies may have been mummified prior to burial, a phenomenon possibly linked to their curation and transport, highlighting the significance of both the body and the burial place in Mesolithic south-western Portugal.
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| 5. |
- Sguazzi, Guilia, et al.
(författare)
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Microbial DNA in human nucleic acid extracts : Recoverability of the microbiome in DNA extracts stored frozen long-term and its potential and ethical implications for forensic investigation
- 2022
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Ingår i: Forensic Science International. - : Elsevier. - 1872-4973 .- 1878-0326. ; 59, s. 1-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human DNA samples can remain unaltered for years and preserve important genetic information for forensic investigations. In fact, besides human genetic information, these extracts potentially contain additional valuable information: microbiome signatures. Forensic microbiology is rapidly becoming a significant tool for estimating post-mortem interval (PMI), and establishing cause of death and personal identity. To date, the possibility to recover unaltered microbiome signatures from human DNA extracts has not been proven. This study examines the microbiome signatures within human DNA extracts obtained from six cadavers with different PMIs, which were stored frozen for 5–16 years. Results demonstrated that the microbiome can be co-extracted with human DNA using forensic kits designed to extract the human host’s DNA from different tissues and fluids during decomposition. We compared the microbial communities identified in these samples with microbial DNA recovered from two human cadavers donated to the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University (FACTS) during multiple decomposition stages, to examine whether the microbial signatures recovered from “old” (up to 16 years) extracts are consistent with those identified in recently extracted microbial DNA samples. The V4 region of 16 S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq for all DNA extracts. The results obtained from the human DNA extracts were compared with each other and with the microbial DNA from the FACTS samples. Overall, we found that the presence of specific microbial taxa depends on the decomposition stage, the type of tissue, and the depositional environment. We found no indications of contamination in the microbial signatures, or any alterations attributable to the long-term frozen storage of the extracts, demonstrating that older human DNA extracts are a reliable source of such microbial signatures. No shared Core Microbiome (CM) was identified amongst the total 18 samples, but we identified certain species in association with the different decomposition stages, offering potential for the use of microbial signatures co-extracted with human DNA samples for PMI estimation in future. Unveiling the new significance of older human DNA extracts brings with it important ethical-legal considerations. Currently, there are no shared legal frameworks governing the long-term storage and use of human DNA extracts obtained from crime scene evidence for additional research purposes. It is therefore important to create common protocols on the storage of biological material collected at crime scenes. We review existing legislation and guidelines, and identify some important limitations for the further development and application of forensic microbiomics.
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