Doctoral Thesis
A multidisciplinary, experimental and observational analysis of the taphonomy and diagenesis of terrestrial mammalian bone submerged in natural fresh and salt water
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Murdoch University
2023
Abstract
Forensic science applies scientific principles and methods to solve justice issues. Forensic anthropology applies the fundamentals of physical anthropology to medico-legal cases. An emergent sub-field of forensic anthropology is forensic taphonomy, the study of postmortem alterations to skeletal remains, with diagenesis as a focus area. Human/non-human bone and teeth (biomineralized tissues) are frequently recovered in the natural environment, and the study of their physical, chemical and biological alterations can reveal clues about events that occurred to the individual/s in life (antemortem) and around the time of death (perimortem). The taphonomy/diagenesis of biomineralized tissues recovered underwater can aid the estimation of the time of death (postmortem interval – PMI) and the time of submersion (postmortem submersion interval – PMSI), thus assisting forensic investigations. In this research, physical changes in the experimental samples, constituted by terrestrial mammalian bone [Ovis aries (sheep), a proxy for human] were assessed using Micro-CT Scan. They showed increased total porosity of cortical bone submerged for one year in fresh and salt water. No substantial changes of bone elemental composition were detected in the experimental samples, but were present and significant in the historical samples. Biological organisms and the alterations they produce in bone were identified, some for the first time, and exhibited major taphonomic and/or diagenetic effects. Finally, an interventional approach to the research was achieved by a quantitative experimental study with special focus on the progressive degradation of collagen, demonstrating that measurable alterations occur after a one-year PMSI, whereas weak evidence indicates that the decay of air-exposed controls can start earlier. The aim of this research was to summarize the existing knowledge on the taphonomy/diagenesis of terrestrial mammalian submerged bone, and to demonstrate that measurable alterations can occur in less than 2 years, and are confirmed to be inextricably linked to the depositional environment.
Details
- Title
- A multidisciplinary, experimental and observational analysis of the taphonomy and diagenesis of terrestrial mammalian bone submerged in natural fresh and salt water
- Authors/Creators
- Edda Guareschi
- Contributors
- Shane Tobe (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Biosecurity and One HealthPhilip Nicholls (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic SciencesPaola Magni (Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Identifiers
- 991005575369607891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences
- Resource Type
- Doctoral Thesis
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