A Post-Mortem Molecular Damage Profile in the Ancient Human Mitochondrial DNA.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is crucial for understanding human population structure and genetic diversity. However, post-mortem DNA damage poses challenges, that make analysis difficult. DNA preservation is affected by environmental conditions which, among other factors, complicates the differentiation of endogenous variants from artefacts in ancient mtDNA mix profiles.

An easy-to-use pipeline to analyze amplicon-based Next Generation Sequencing results of human mitochondrial DNA from degraded samples.

Genome and transcriptome examinations have become more common due to Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), which significantly increases throughput and depth coverage while reducing costs and time. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is often the marker of choice in degraded samples from archaeological and forensic contexts, as its higher number of copies can improve the success of the experiment. Among other sequencing strategies, amplicon-based NGS techniques are currently being used to obtain enough data to be analyzed.

Mitochondrial DNA control region typing from highly degraded skeletal remains by single-multiplex next-generation sequencing.

Poor nuclear DNA preservation from highly degraded skeletal remains is the most limiting factor for the genetic identification of individuals. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) typing, and especially of the control region (CR), using next-generation sequencing (NGS), enables retrieval of valuable genetic information in forensic contexts where highly degraded human skeletal remains are the only source of genetic material. Currently, NGS commercial kits can type all mtDNA-CR in fewer steps than the conventional Sanger technique.

Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummy from the War of the Pacific.

The War of the Pacific (1879-1884) was a big scale war between Chile against the alliance of Peru and Bolivia. One of the most important battles, the was situated in the desert near Tacna, Peru. The conditions of this environment favored the conservation of the dead soldiers after many years.

A new methodology to estimate flat foot in skeletal remains - the example of Mediterranean collections.

Flat feet are considered a postural defect caused by the collapse of the longitudinal arch, producing complete or near-complete contact of the sole of the foot with the ground. has been well-studied in clinical literature and paleoanthropology but has not been approached extensively in bioarchaeology. The main difficulty is related to the diagnosis of this pathology based exclusively on bone remains.

Taphonomy of experimental burials in Taphos-m: The role of fungi.

Background: The fungi present in the decaying remains enable a better understanding of the processes of decomposition after death. There are not many studies about fungi on decaying bodies and it is not known which fungal sampling methods are effective.

Aims: The main objective of this study was to find the best method for sampling fungi in carcasses, prove the effectiveness of this method and identify the fungal colonies in animal carcasses from experimental burials.

Human DNA extraction from highly degraded skeletal remains: How to find a suitable method?

Retrieving DNA from highly degraded human skeletal remains is still a challenge due to low concentration and fragmentation, which makes it difficult to extract and purify. Recent works showed that silica-based methods allow better DNA recovery and this fact may be attributed to the type of bones and the quality of the preserved tissue. However, more systematic studies are needed to evaluate the efficiency of the different silica-based extraction methods considering the type of bones.

Visualization and documentation of perimortem traits in long bone fractures using computed tomography.

Perimortem fracture patterns in long bones, defined in previous publications, include layered breakage, bone scales, crushed margins, flakes with flake defect, wave lines, and plastic deformation. The traits help professionals during trauma analysis to differentiate peri- from post-mortem fractures. This study will therefore investigate whether these traits can be recorded with Computed Tomography (CT) as the non-invasive 3D imaging technique is becoming more popular in forensic science.

[Lucy's fatal childbirth? About materno-foetal mortality in the ancient times].

Objectives: Skeletal remains of pregnant woman whit fetus still in the pelvic region are scarce in the archaeological record. We aimed to review the different cases of maternal and fetal death in the ancient times.

Methods: A review of literature using Medline database and Google about mortality during pregnancy in Prehistory, Antiquity and middle age.

Sex selection in late Iberian infant burials: Integrating evidence from morphological and genetic data.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the infant burials found inside Iberian homes in relation to a possible case of sex selection.

Methods: The study included the remains of 11 infant individuals buried under the 10 houses excavated in the late Iberian village of Camp de les Lloses (Tona, Barcelona, Spain). Sex was determined using genetic analysis.

Intra vitam trauma pattern: changing the paradigm of forensic anthropology?

This study aims to improve a previous study that reported new traits to characterize a perimortem fracture pattern in human long bones. This second study aims to acquire further knowledge about these perimortem traits, specifically by improving the experimental setting-by using a Blunt Force Trauma Simulator-and increasing the sample size with a total of 43 autopsy specimens and 57 reproduced fractures. Additionally, we investigated whether these traits could be related to muscular contractions by adding axial compression in the experimentally fractured specimens.

Perimortem fracture pattern in ribs by blunt force trauma.

Literature on timing of rib trauma is scarce but remains challenging during forensic cases. This study analysed the macroscopic fracture patterns of perimortem rib fractures and compared them to experimentally reproduced rib fractures on fresh and dry ribs. Six distinctive macroscopic traits were found in ribs that might provide information about the timing of trauma, fracture mechanism and/or trauma circumstances.

A case of enchondroma from Carolingian necropolis of St. Pere De Terrassa (Spain): An insight into the archaeological record.

Enchondromas occur with an estimated modern incidence rate of 27.7% of benign bone tumors (Hauben and Hogendoorn, 2010), but few are represented in the paleopathological record. The medieval site of St.

Forearm pronation efficiency in A.L. 288-1 (Australopithecus afarensis) and MH2 (Australopithecus sediba): Insights into their locomotor and manipulative habits.

Objectives: The locomotor and manipulative abilities of australopithecines are highly debated in the paleoanthropological context. Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus sediba likely engaged in arboreal locomotion and, especially the latter, in certain activities implying manipulation. Nevertheless, their degree of arboreality and the relevance of their manipulative skills remain unclear.

Oldest Mummified Case of Hallux Valgus from Ancient Egypt.

Hallux valgus is the most common orthopedic problem of the adult foot. The etiology can be congenital, associated with the occurrence of metatarsus primus varus, or acquired, which is closely related to wearing ill-fitting shoes. Hallux valgus occurs almost exclusively in shod societies and, therefore, is a very uncommon finding in archaeological remains.

Black cracks: staining of fracture lines.

During the investigation of fresh bone fractures, it might be difficult to visualize all the fracture lines that could contribute to the interpretation of the biomechanics behind a fracture. To optimize the examination of the fracture, the bones should first be defleshed to expose the osseous surface. To reveal small fracture lines more clearly, we developed two easy, fast, cheap and non-destructive methods to enhance fracture lines and bone defects by coloring the fracture lines with ink.

The study of dental occlusion in ancient skeletal remains from Mallorca (Spain): A new approach based on dental clinical practice.

Occlusal characteristics, fundamental to assess the presence of malocclusion, have been often unexplored in bioarchaeological analyses. This is largely due to the fragmented condition of the skeletal remains. By applying a method that considers dental and maxillary features useful to evaluate occlusion in ancient fragmentary material, the purpose of this work is to define the occlusal features and explore the causes of malocclusion in a mediaeval population from Mallorca.

New insights in the analysis of blunt force trauma in human bones. Preliminary results.

Determining the time of injury is an important but still a challenging task in forensic anthropology. In literature, many descriptions can be found to make a distinction between perimortem and postmortem fractures. Characteristics that are more related to fractures in fresh conditions, however, are not extensively investigated.

Hip Dislocation and Dystocia in Early Medieval Times: Possible Evidence of Labor Maneuver.

Background: In ancient times, maternal mortality would occur frequently, particularly during labor. Evidence of dystocia resulting in the death of a pregnant woman is very infrequent in paleopathologic literature, with only a few cases being demonstrated.

Case: In the early medieval site of Casserres, the skeleton of a young woman with a fetus in the pelvic region was found.

An assessment of a massively parallel sequencing approach for the identification of individuals from mass graves of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Next-generation sequencing technologies have opened new opportunities in forensic genetics. Here, we assess the applicability and performance of the MiSeq FGx™ & ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit (Illumina) for the identification of individuals from the mass graves of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The main limitations for individual identification are the low number of possible first-degree living relatives and the high levels of DNA degradation reported in previous studies.

Sex estimation from the navicular bone in Spanish contemporary skeletal collections.

Sexual estimation is fundamental to reconstruct the biological profile of individuals, but postdepositional factors can alter the resistance of the bones, thereby preventing accurate diagnosis especially when the skull and the pelvis are absent. Navicular bones are usually well preserved in archeological and forensic contexts and can a good alternative to discriminate sex. On the basis of these aspects, the present investigation analyzed the sexual dimorphism in 231 pairs of navicular bones from documented contemporary collections from Spain.

Dissecting mitochondrial dna variability of balearic populations from the bronze age to the current era.

Objectives: To determine ancient population influences on ancient and current Balearic populations and to reconstruct their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene pool evolution.

Methods: We analyzed 239 individuals belonging to five archaeological populations from Majorca and Minorca, four dating to the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, and one Late Roman Majorcan population. Six additional individuals from Santa Teresa di Gallura from the Nuragic period were characterized and added to the existing samples from that culture to make comparisons with Talaiotic populations.

Pathological variations in mummified feet between two near-distance/long-time populations in Ancient Egypt.

Background: In ancient populations, a significant quantity of foot pathology was related either to the type of footwear they used or the underlying terrain they walked on. Our study was carried out to analyze these parameters with the foot pathologies the mummies presented.

Methods: Between 2006 and 2012, more than 650 individuals were recovered from the Sharuna and Qarara necropolis (Middle Egypt) dating from the VIth Dynasty of the first Ptolemaic Period to the second Coptic Period.

Activity-related sexual dimorphism in Alaskan foragers from Point Hope: Evidences from the upper limb.

Ipiutak (100BCE-500CE) and Tigara (1200 - 1700CE) are two populations from Point Hope, Alaska. As commonly observed in forager communities, it may be expected males and females to have been involved in markedly different daily activities. Nevertheless, activity-related sexual dimorphism in these populations has been scarcely studied.