Forensic Radiocarbon Dating of Human Remains: The Past, the Present, and the Future
Issue: Vol 1 No. 1 (2017)
Journal: Archaeological and Environmental Forensic Science
Subject Areas:
DOI: 10.1558/aefs.30715
Abstract:
Radiocarbon dating is a valuable tool for the forensic examination of human remains in answering questions as to whether the remains are of forensic or medico-legal interest or archaeological in date. The technique is also potentially capable of providing the year of birth and/or death of an individual. Atmospheric radiocarbon levels are currently enhanced relative to the natural level due to the release of large quantities of radiocarbon (14C) during the atmospheric nuclear weapons testing of the 1950s and 1960s. This spike, or “bomb-pulse,” can, in some instances, provide precision dates to within 1–2 calendar years. However, atmospheric 14C activity has been declining since the end of atmospheric weapons testing in 1963 and is likely to drop below the natural level by the mid-twenty-first century, with implications for the application of radiocarbon dating to forensic specimens.
Author: Fiona Brock, Gordon T. Cook
References :
Alkass, K., B. A. Buchholz, H. Druid and K. L. Spalding. 2011. “Analysis of 14C and 13C in teeth provides birth dating and clues to geographical origin.” Forensic Science International 209: 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.12.002
Arneborg, J., J. Heinemeier, N. Lynnerup, H. L. Nielsen, N. Rud, A. E. Sveinbjörnsdóttir. 1999. “Change of diet of the Greenland Vikings determined from stable carbon isotope analysis and 14C dating of their bones.” Radiocarbon 41(2): 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200019512
Bolaños, M. V., M. C. Manrique, M. J. Bolaños and M. T. Briones. 2000. “Approaches to chronological age assessment based on dental calcification.” Forensic Science International 110: 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-0738(00)00154-7
Brock, F., V. Geoghegan, B. Thomas, K. Jurkschat and T. F. G. Higham. 2013. “Analysis of bone “collagen” extraction products for radiocarbon dating.” Radiocarbon 55(2–3): 445–463. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200057581
Broecker, W. S., A. Schulert and E. A. Olson. 1959. “Bomb carbon-14 in human beings.” Science 130 (3371): 331–332. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.130.3371.331-a
Buchholz, B. A. and K. L. Spalding. 2010. “Year of birth determination using radiocarbon dating of dental enamel.” Surface Interface Analyis 42(5): 398–401. https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.3093
Caforlio, L., M. E. Fedi, P. A. Mandò, F. Minarellu, E. Peccenini, V. Pellicor, F. C. Petrucci, P. Schwartzbaum and F. Taccetti. 2014. “Discovering forgeries of modern art by the 14C bomb peak.” European Physical Journal Plus 129: 6–10. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2014-14006-6
Caldeira, K., G. H. Rau and P. B. Duffy. 1998. “Predicted net efflux of radiocarbon from the ocean and increase in atmospheric radiocarbon content.” Geophysical Research Letters 25 (20): 3811–3814. https://doi.org/10.1029/1998GL900010
Cardoso, H. F. V., K. Puentes, A. Monge Soares, A. Santos and T. Magalhães. 2012. “The values of radiocarbon analysis in determining the forensic interest of human skeletal remains found in unusual circumstances.” Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine 19: 97–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm
Cook, G. T., E. Dunbar, S. M. Black and S. Xu. 2006. “A preliminary assessment of age at death determination using the nuclear weapons testing 14C activity of dentine and enamel.” Radiocarbon 48 (3): 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200038765
Cook, G. T. and A. B. MacKenzie. 2014. “Radioactive isotope analyses of skeletal materials in forensic science: a review of uses and potential uses.” International Journal of Legal Medicine 128(4): 685–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-014-0970-8
Cook, G. T., L. A. N Ainscough and E. Dunbar. 2015. “Radiocarbon analysis of modern skeletal remains to determine year of birth and death—a case study.” Radiocarbon 57 (3): 327–336. https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_rc.57.18394
De La Torre, H. A. M., K. M. Ormsby, B. T. Fuller and G. M. Santos. 2014. “14C measurements elucidate isotopic differences between nails and hair in modern humans.” Radiocarbon 56 (1): 53–65. https://doi.org/10.2458/56.17503
Dijs, I. J., E. van der Windt, L. Kaihola and K. van der Borg. 2006. “Quantitative determination by 14C analysis of the biological component in fuels.” Radiocarbon 48(3): 315–323. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200038777
Georgiadou E. and K. Stenström. 2010 “Bomb-pulse dating of human material: Modelling the influence of diet.” Radiocarbon 52 (2–3): 800–807. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200045811
Fournier, N. A. and A. H. Ross. 2013. “Radiocarbon dating: Implications for establishing a forensic context.” Forensic Science Policy and Management 4 (3–4): 96–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/19409044.2013.858801
Geyh, M. A. 2001. “Bomb radiocarbon dating of animal tissues and hair.” Radiocarbon 43 (2B): 723–730. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200041382
Graven, H. D. 2015. “Impact of fossil fuel emissions on atmospheric radiocarbon and various applications of radiocarbon over this century.” PNAS 112 (31): 9542–9545. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1504467112
Harkness, D. D. and A. Walton. 1969. “Carbon-14 in the biosphere and humans.” Nature 223(5212): 1216–1218. https://doi.org/10.1038/2231216a0
———. 1972. “Further investigations of the transfer of bomb 14C to man.” Nature 240(5379): 302–303. https://doi.org/10.1038/240302a0
Hedges, R. E. M., J. A. LeeThorp and N. C. Tuross. 1995. “Is tooth enamel carbonate a suitable material for radiocarbon dating?” Radiocarbon 37: 285–290. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200030757
Hedges, R. E. M., J. G. Clement, C. D. L. Thomas and T. C. O’Connell. 2007. “Collagen turnover in the adult femoral mid-shaft: Modeled from anthropogenic radiocarbon tracer measurements.” American Journal of Physical Anthropology 133: 808–816. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20598
Hodgins, G. W. L. 2009. “Measuring atomic bomb-derived 14C levels in human remains to determine year of birth and/or year of death.” The National Criminal Justice Reference Service – NCJRS Report 227839 (available electronically)
Hua, Q. and M. Barbetti. 2004. “Review of tropospheric bomb 14C data for carbon cycle modelling and age calibration purposes.” Radiocarbon 46(3): 1273–1298. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033142
Hua, Q., M. Barbetti and A. Z. Rakowski. 2013. “Atmospheric radiocarbon for the period 1950–2010.” Radiocarbon 55 (4): 2059–2072.
Kjeldsen, H., J. Heinemeier, S. Heegaard, C. Jacobsen and N. Lynnerup. 2010. “Dating the time of birth: A radiocarbon calibration curve of human eye-lens crystallines.” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 268: 1303–1306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2009.10.158
Kondo-Nakamura, M., K. Fukui, S. Matsu’ura, M. Kondo and K. Iwadate. 2011. “Single tooth tells us the date of birth.” International Journal of Legal Medicine 125: 873–877. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-010-0521-x
Libby, W. F., R. Berger, J. F. Mead, G. V. Alexander, J. F. Ross. 1964. “Replacement rates for human tissue from atmospheric radiocarbon.” Science 146(3648): 1170–1172. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.146.3648.1170
Lynnerup, N., H. Kjeldsen, S. Heegaard, C. Jacobsen and J. Heinemeier. 2008. “Radiocarbon dating of the human eye lens crystallines reveal proteins without carbon turnover throughout life.” PLoS ONE 31(1): e1529.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001529
Manolagas, S. C. and R. L. Jilka. 1995. “Bone marrow, cytokines, and bone remodelling: emerging insights into the pathophysiology of osteoporosis.” New England Journal of Medicine 332(5): 305–311. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199502023320506
Nolla, C. M. 1960. “The development of the permanent teeth.” Journal of Dentistry for Children 27: 254–266.
Nydal, R., K. Lövseth, and O. Syrstad. 1971. “Bomb 14C in the human population.” Nature 232(5310): 418–421. https://doi.org/10.1038/232418a0
Ohtani, S., H. Sugimoto, H. Sugeno, S. Yamamoto and K. Yamamoto. 1995. “Racemization of aspartic acid in human cementum with age.” Archives of Oral Biology 40: 91–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-9969(94)00156-6
Parfitt, A. M. 2002. “Misconceptions (2): turnover is always higher in cancellous than cortical bone.” Bone 30: 807–809. https://doi.org/10.1016/S8756-3282(02)00735-4
Reimer, P. J., T. A. Brown and R. W. Reimer. 2004. “Discussion: Reporting and calibration of post-bomb 14C data.” Radiocarbon 46(3): 1299–1304. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200033154
Reventlid, M., H. Mörnstad and A. Teivens. 1996. “Intra- and inter-examiner variations in four dental methods for age estimation of children.” Swedish Dental Journal 20(4): 133–139.
Santos, G. M., H. A. M. De La Torre, M. Boudin, M. Bonafini, S. Saverwyns. 2015. “Improved radiocarbon analysis of modern human hair to determine the year-of-death by cross-flow nanofiltered amino acids: common contaminants, implications for isotopic analysis, and recommendations.” Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 29: 1765–1773. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7273
Scheuer, L. and S. Black. 2000. Developmental Juvenile Osteology. London: Elsevier.
Shin, J. Y., T. O’Connell, S. Black and R. Hedges. 2004. “Differentiating bone osteonal turnover rates by density fractionation; validation using the bomb 14C atmospheric pulse.” Radiocarbon 46(2): 853–861. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200035888
Spalding, K. L., B. A. Buchholz, L-E. Bergman, H. Druid and J. Frisén. 2005. “Forensics: Age written in teeth by nuclear tests.” Nature 437: 333–334. https://doi.org/10.1038/437333a
Stenhouse, M. J. and M. S. Baxter. 1977. “Bomb 14C as a biological tracer.” Nature 267: 828–832. https://doi.org/10.1038/267828a0
Suess, H. E. 1953. “Natural radiocarbon and the rate of exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the sea.” In Nuclear Processes in Geologic Settings, edited by W. Aldrich, 52–56. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
———. 1955. “Radiocarbon concentration in modern wood.” Science 122: 415–417. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.122.3166.415-a
Taylor, R. E., J. M. Suchey, L. A. Payen and P. J. Slota Jr. 1989. “The use of radiocarbon (14C) to identify human skeletal materials of forensic science interest.” Journal of Forensic Science 34 (50): 1196“–1205.
Ubelaker, D. H., B. Bochholz and J. Stewart. 2006. “Analysis of artificial radiocarbon in different skeletal and dental tissue types to evaluate date of death.” Journal of Forensic Science 51(3): 484–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2006.00125.x
Ubelaker, D. H., C. Thomas and J. E. Olson. 2015. “The impact of age at death on the lag time of radiocarbon values in human bone.” Forensic Science International 251: 56–60.
Ubelaker, D. H. and R. C. Parra. 2011. “Radiocarbon analysis of dental enamel and bone to evaluate date of birth and death: Perspective from the southern hemisphere.” Forensic Science International 208: 103–107.
Ubelaker, D. H. and M. H. Houck. 2002. “Using radiocarbon dating and paleontological extraction techniques in the analysis of a human skull in an unusual context.” Forensic Science Communications 4(4). Online: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/oct2002/ubelaker.htm
Ubelaker, D. H. and B. A. Buchholz. 2006. “Complexities in the use of bomb-curve radiocarbon to determine time since death of human skeletal remains.” Forensic Science Communications 8 (1). https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/about-us/lab/forensic-science-communications/fsc/jan2006
Wild, E. M., K. A. Arlamovksy, R. Golser, W. Kutschera, A. Priller, S. Puchegger, W. Rom, P. Steier and W. Vycudilik. 2000. “14C dating with the bomb peak: An application to forensic medicine.” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 172: 944–950. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-583X(00)00227-5
Zoppi, U., Z. Skopec and J. Skopec, G. Jones, D. Fink, Q. Hua, G. Jacobsen, C. Tuniz C, Williams A. 2004. Forensic applications of 14C bomb-pulse dating. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 223-224: 770–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2004.04.143