A review of the current understanding of burned bone as a source of DNA for human identification.

Identification of incinerated human remains may rely on genetic analysis of burned bone which can prove far more challenging than fresh tissues. Severe thermal insult results in the destruction or denaturation of DNA in soft tissues, however genetic material may be preserved in the skeletal tissues. Considerations for DNA retrieval from these samples include low levels of exogenous DNA, the dense, mineralised nature of bone, and the presence of contamination, and qPCR inhibitors.

Comparison of bone demineralisation procedures for DNA recovery from burned remains.

Recovering DNA from modern incinerated bones can be challenging and may require alteration of routine DNA extraction protocols. It has been postulated that incinerated bones share some similarities with ancient bones, including fragmented DNA, surface contamination and highly mineralised structure, all of which can inhibit the successful recovery of genetic material. For this reason, ancient DNA extraction protocols are often used for incinerated modern samples; however, their effectiveness is still somewhat unclear.

A comparison of crystal structure in fresh, burned and archaic bone - Implications for forensic sampling.

Standard protocols for extracting DNA from bone are variable and are largely dependent on the state of preservation. In archaic samples, endogenous DNA is believed to be tightly bound to crystal aggregates in the Hydroxyapatite (HAp) matrix requiring prolonged demineralisation to allow its release. By comparison, fresh bone contains abundant cellular material, discounting the need for demineralisation.

Growth Patterns and Individual Variation in Mid-sagittal Facial Soft Tissue Depth from Childhood to Adulthood.

Previous studies have used longitudinal samples to investigate growth of the skeletal aspects of the face, although far less has been done on facial soft tissue. This study uses a larger sample than previous studies on the same data (Denver and Fels growth series) to explore covariation of bony and soft facial dimensions comprehensively from childhood to adulthood. A total of 1036 lateral cephalometric radiographs were digitized from 60 individuals, and distances between facial landmarks were measured using ImageJ.