Identification of a disinterred grave by molecular and stable isotope analysis

Organic Residue Analysis in Archaeology: The Archaeological Biomarker Revolution*

“…Techniques developed for the investigation of organic residues in archaeology have the capacity to contribute to both palaeo‐ and contemporary forensic investigations. Recent work with the Metropolitan Police secured a murder conviction through the complementary use of the DNA biomarker and compound‐specific carbon isotope approaches to provide evidence for the prior presence of a cadaver in a shallow grave, based on the detection of adipocere (Bull et al . in revision).…”

Shifts in soil biodiversity—A forensic comparison between Sus scrofa domesticus and vegetation decomposition

“…The application of fatty acid-based techniques, such as phospholipid fatty acid and fatty acid methyl ester analyses, and molecular techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing/temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (T/DGGE) and terminal restriction length polymorphism (T-RFLP) with next generation sequencing for microbial community profiling, are beginning to elucidate the complex relationships between cadaver decomposition, nutrient cycling and soil microbial community dynamics in a forensic context [6,[13][14][15][16][17][18]. For example, some sub-surface studies by Bergmann et al [19] and Olakanye et al [20] recorded spatial and temporal changes in soil bacterial diversity relative to burial depth and decomposition time, respectively.…”

Changes to soil bacterial profiles as a result of Sus scrofa domesticus decomposition

“…It begins approximately four minutes after death and progresses through different stages namely: autolysis; putrefaction; and decay [14,[16][17][18]. Of fundamental importance to these is the unique roles played by microorganisms although, overall, decomposition is still largely a "Black Box" [12,[19][20][21].…”