What clues can you get from isotopes found in hair?
The isotopes, which are in the DNA-free keratin protein shaft of a hair, contain “a chronological record of dietary and metabolic activities of the donor, thus providing insight into the biochemical processes in the body as a function of time [and] distance,” the researchers said.
What does stable isotope analysis tell you?
Stable isotope analysis is a scientific technique which is used by archaeologists and other scholars to collect information from an animal’s bones to identify the photosynthesis process of the plants it consumed during its lifetime.
What does oxygen isotope analysis measure?
The oxygen isotope ratio is the first way used to determine past temperatures from the ice cores. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have a different number of neutrons. All isotopes of an element have the same number of protons and electrons but a different number of neutrons in the nucleus.
What is the most practical forensic use of isotope hair analysis?
A most recent development within the forensic science is the isotopic analysis of hair strands to identify recent geographic histories of humans, using Sr, O and S isotope variations. For example, it could be possible to identify whether a terrorist suspect had recently been to a particular location from hair analysis.
How does isotope analysis work?
Stable isotope analysis, the study of the nuances of elements in archaeological materials, can unlock all sorts of secrets about climate, diet, and the geographical origins of bones and other materials. Stable isotopic analysis looks at the isotopes—atoms with extra or missing neutrons—of different elements.
Why are the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen used?
The stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen were generally used to evaluate hydrological environments [2]. These isotopes have a wide range of applications, and are used in large-scale studies on the natural environment, where concentrations of the isotope components are variable.
How does isotope testing work?
By measuring the ratios of different isotopes in bones or teeth and using scientific knowledge about how they occur in nature to trace them back to the sources that they came from, archaeologists can find out many things about an individual, such as what their diet was like and the environment they grew up in.
What does a high oxygen isotope ratio mean?
Thus, high concentrations of heavy oxygen in the ocean tell scientists that light oxygen was trapped in the ice sheets. The exact oxygen ratios can show how much ice covered the Earth. Ocean waters rich in light oxygen: Conversely, as temperatures rise, ice sheets melt, and freshwater runs into the ocean.
Why is oxygen 16 the most abundant?
The relative and absolute abundance of 16O are high because it is a principal product of stellar evolution and because it is a primordial isotope, meaning it can be made by stars that were initially made exclusively of hydrogen.
What are the three main kinds of isotope tissue samples?
Prior studies evaluating animal ecology using stable isotopes have relied on the use of three broad types of samples: (1) Primary samples (i.e., muscle, hair, feces) collected from live animals or animals with a known time of death; (2) Found samples (i.e., salvaged road kill, scat, hair or feathers) with an unknown …
Where are stable isotopes used?
Stable isotopes have helped uncover migratory routes, trophic levels, and the geographic origin of migratory animals. They can be used on land as well as in the ocean and have revolutionized how researchers study animal movement.