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Traveling There and Back Again: A Fingernail's Tale
Author(s) -
Mancuso Christy J.,
Ehleringer James R.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13852
Subject(s) - stable isotope ratio , isotope , isotope analysis , salt lake , geospatial analysis , poison control , geography , geology , ecology , biology , environmental health , medicine , physics , cartography , paleontology , nuclear physics , structural basin
This study focuses on the examination of stable isotope biomarkers in human fingernails of travelers who ventured away from Salt Lake City, UT and subsequently returned. Here, we describe three case studies examining: individual travelers ( n = 4), paired travelers ( n = 2), and a traveler ( n = 1) who repeatedly left and returned. Our case studies examined the influences of dietary and drinking water inputs on fingernail stable isotope profiles for reconstructing travel histories. Stable isotope data were compared with theoretical and predictive models that laid the groundwork for anthropological and forensic geospatial reconstruction of travel histories. Drinking water inputs strongly influenced stable isotope profiles and the patterns observed were consistent with reported travel histories. Finally, observed fingernail stable isotope ratio data were consistent with modeled rates of stable isotope turnover and transition to expected values for the new environment. The results of our study further support the use of fingernail tissues for travel history reconstruction.