Abstract
Heated-bone color changes may provide information about temperature of exposure, with interest for anthropologists and forensic experts. The aim of this study was to assess heat-induced color changes by spectrophotometry in cortical and medullar human bones heated at different temperatures and times. CIELAB (International Commission on Illumination-LAB) color parameters (L*, a*, and b*) and whiteness (WI) and yellowness (YI) indexes were obtained by spectrophotometry in the cortical and medullar zones of 36 bone sections exposed at 200, 400, 600, and 800 °C for 30 and 60 min. The accuracy of color-based temperature estimations was evaluated by Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis. Chromaticity a* showed the best significant discrimination power with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values ranged from 0.9 to 1.0 in cortical zones and 0.7 to 1.0 in medullar zones for all temperatures of exposures and both time of exposures. Chromaticity b*, and WI and YI indexes showed an AUC of 1.0 at 400, 600, and 800 °C for 30 and 60 min in the cortical and medullar zones. The spectrophotometric color parameters provided a highly accurate estimation of the temperature of exposure to discriminate between temperatures and exposure times in the cortical and medullar zones. Spectrophotometric bone color measurement in cortical and medullar zones can be an objective and reproducible method to estimate the temperature of exposition, and it can be considered useful for forensic and anthropological purposes.
Highlights
Thermal bone alterations are routinely examined in anthropology and forensic laboratories.Heat exposure induced water and organic material evaporations as well as contraction of bone tissues and changed the structure, shape, and color of them [1]
We have demonstrated how spectrophotometer analysis could be used to estimate the temperature of exposure with high accuracy in heated human teeth [23,24]
We propose to estimate the temperature based on color changes in medullar and cortical fresh human bone zones accurately measured with a digital spectrophotometer
Summary
Thermal bone alterations are routinely examined in anthropology and forensic laboratories.Heat exposure induced water and organic material evaporations as well as contraction of bone tissues and changed the structure, shape, and color of them [1]. Changes in the color of burnt bones can provide information on their recovery, trauma history, structural changes, DNA degradation, and the temperature to which they were exposed [2,3]. The study of these changes is necessary since burned remains can be found in a great range of contexts such as forensic, anthropological, paleontological, or archeological contexts [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Burned or heat-altered bone remains are a major constituent of the archaeological record.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
