Journal
SCIENCE & JUSTICE
Volume 63, Issue 5, Pages 573-580Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2023.07.002
Keywords
Biological anthropology; Forensic anthropology; Burned bones; Taphonomy
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Skeletal human remains that have undergone heat-induced changes have been extensively studied, but there is still much to learn and understand about these changes. Heat-induced colour modifications in bones are not well understood, as they often present unexpected colors instead of the typical variations. Additionally, there is a lack of standardization in determining and naming these colorations, leading to subjective descriptions. However, recent research shows a commitment to more objective methods. This review compiles literature data to discuss the potential of heat-induced color changes in inferring cause of death and their applicability in legal contexts.
Skeletal human remains presenting heat-induced changes have been a focus of study for a long time. However, there is still a long way to go for the anthropologists to be able to fully interpret and understand these changes. Heat-induced colour modifications are one of the least understood phenomena in bone, displaying a variety of exceptions (e.g., tints of yellow, orange, blue, green, pink, and red) to the expected colour variations that bone can produce when exposed to high temperatures (i.e., ivory, brown, black, various shades of grey, and white). In addition to these, there is a lack of uniformization in the literature regarding the methods to determine the exact colourations observed and the nomenclature used, giving way to subjective descriptions. However, commitment to more objective and reliable methods is visible in more recent research. In this review, we compiled data published in the literature throughout the years to portray the state of the art regarding the potential of heatinduced colour changes for inferring the circumstances of death and the applicability of these methods in the legal framework.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available