title: Effects of the environment on bone mass: A human taphonomic study.
abstract: An experiment was designed using human ribs placed in different environments to document how moisture and temperature affect the bone mass according to the postmortem interval. The bones were defleshed, weighed and partially buried, with some ribs being left unburied as controls. The ribs were weighed daily, and the mass loss was monitored over a period of 90days. The results showed that significant differences in bone mass loss exist between environments, where the bone mass loss was significantly faster in an environment with low moisture content. This mass loss is thought to be primarily associated with the desiccation of the body and then for a greater part, with the atmospheric moisture content. However, the loss of bone mass can also be explained by early alterations in the organo-mineral matrix which were highlighted by Raman spectroscopy method.
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; EA 4490 Physiopathologie des maladies osseuses inflammatoires, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France. Electronic address: yann.delannoy@univ-lille2.fr.
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Delannoy
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Colard
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Erwan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Le Garff
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mesli
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aubernon
authors.affiliation: Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; EA 4490 Physiopathologie des maladies osseuses inflammatoires, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Penel
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Valéry
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hedouin
authors.affiliation: EA 7367 Forensic Taphonomy Unit - Lille Forensic Institute, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gosset
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman
keywords: Bone moisture; Burial; Desiccation; Forensic anthropology; Forensic science; Postmortem interval