DNA survival and physical and histological properties of heat-induced alterations in burnt bones

Abstract

During forensic casework, it is vital to be able to obtain valuable information from burnt bone fragments to ascertain the identity of the victim. Here, we report the findings of an experimental study on burnt bovine compact bone segments. Compact bones were cut to size and heated in an electric furnace at a temperature range of 100–1,100 °C with 100 °C increments. Heat-induced alterations to the bone color,weight, volume, and density were monitored using gross morphology and micro-focus X-ray computed tomography.We found that the increase in temperature caused the color of the compact bones to change in order of yellow, brown, gray,and white. In contrast to the weight reduction that occurred immediately after burning, we measured no significant reduction in volume even at 600 °C; however, volume reduced drastically once the temperature reached 700 °C. Light microscopic histological observations of burnt bone revealed heat induced alterations such as cracking and separation of the osteons at higher temperatures. In addition to these findings,we sought to examine the survival of DNA in the burnt bones using polymerase chain reaction of mitochondrial DNA. No amplification was found in the specimens burnt at 250 °C or higher, indicating the likely difficulty in testing the DNA of burnt bones from forensic casework. The results of this study will enable an estimation of the burning temperatures of burnt bones found in forensic cases and will provide an important framework with which to interpret data obtained during anthropological testing and DNA typing.

Burned bones tell their own stories: A review of methodological approaches to assess heat-induced diagenesis

“…Numerous studies are to be found in the literature based on vibrational spectroscopy techniques, namely Raman (34,39,(61)(62)(63) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) (28,34,35,46,50,54,64), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) (33,50,57,59,(65)(66)(67), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) (37,38,(68)(69)(70), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) (43,55,57,71), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (15,43,57,(72)(73)(74)(75), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (15,76), and computational tomography (CT) (77)(78)(79).…”

Establishment of the Specific Belonging of the Bones Subjected to the High Temperature Exposure at Medical Identification of the Lost Persons

“…Найбільш складною вважається судово-медична експертиза ідентифікації за спаленими кістковими рештками, коли відомі методи діагностики стають неприйнятними. Окремі автори намагались визначити температурні режими, внаслідок яких ще вдається провести ДНК ампліфікацію [1,2,3]. Встановлено, що вже після спалювання при температурі 210°С, протягом 2 годин чи навіть впродовж 45 хвилин при температурі 200°С ДНК виділити не вдається.…”

“…Колосової (табл. 3,4,5). 16,40-36,00 11,20-27,20 12,00-32,00 11,60-31,20 13,60-35,20 24,09 18,54 19,51 19,49 21,39 2,80-7.20 2,00-5,20 2,00-6,40 2,00-6,00 2,40-6,00 4,62 3,70 3,75 3,55 3,86 Таблиця 2 Показники кількості кісткових лакун на площі 10000мкм 2 , у золі кісток людини і тварин 8,0 8,0-9,6 9,7-11,6 11,7-13,0 13,0 Висновки Проведене комплексне остеоскопічне, мікроскопічне, мікроостеометричне і мікрорентгенографічне дослідження спалених до сірого розжарювання кісток людини і окремих свійських тварин різного ступеня руйнування (від крупних фрагментів до власне золи).…”

Forensic investigation of burnt human remains

“…Since the color of the bone surface varies with exposure temperature, many researchers have attempted to find a correlation between bone color and burning temperature in order to establish an index for estimating the exposure temperature of questioned bone samples. [1][2][3]5,6,9,11,12,[27][28][29][30][31][32] The degree of bone coloration also varies with burning time, and a long period of burning results in more severe color alteration. 3,28 Anaerobic burning conditions delay the coloration process.…”

“…[1][2][3]5,6,9,11,12,[27][28][29][30][31][32] The degree of bone coloration also varies with burning time, and a long period of burning results in more severe color alteration. 3,28 Anaerobic burning conditions delay the coloration process. 3 The soft tissues of a corpse act as a physical barrier against the flames at the start of combustion and keep bones in anaerobic conditions.…”