Is it possible to identify gender and ethnicity via hair elements?

Abstract

Introduction & goal Anthropology and ethics researchers often argue as to whether individuals should be categorized according to race [1]. Nonetheless, certain distinguishing features have been established in some races based on distinct bone structures, particularly in the cranial area [2]. However, the use of qualitative features, referred to as non-metric traits, can be subject to bias, which may jeopardize the accuracy of the conclusion [3,4]. Thus, statistical methods based on measurable data, such as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) profiling, have been introduced to reduce human error while attempting to categorize through discrimination [5,6]. This editorial aims to introduce a promising alternative method, which involves trace multi-elemental analysis of hair by solid sampling electrothermal vaporization coupled to inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ETV-ICP-OES), for the differentiation of both gender and general ethnicity [7].