Mapping the Postcrania for Optimal Y-DNA and Strontium Isotope Sampling

Skeletal analysis often assumes that skeletal tissue is homogenous, merely classified by tissue type (e.g., cortical or trabecular) or morphology. However, the skeleton is a dynamic organ system within the body, constantly remodeling to maintain homeostasis. Environmental and biological factors have a huge impact on the rate of bone turnover, cellular composition, and DNA preservation or concentration. These factors can vary significantly from element to element and even on the same element itself. The information presented in this chapter focuses on preliminary results from DNA quantification and strontium isotope data of post-cranial skeletal locations. The unifying goal is to provide accurate forensic data with minimal destruction. The unification of these methods may congruently aid in the identification of unidentified individuals and the ability to repatriate them by establishing a general geographical location of their end-of-life residence and providing a DNA profile. With the incredibly high number of unidentified skeletal remains housed across the United States and worldwide, the goal of this research is to increase the efficiency of identification methods.