Forensic Science and Technology Commons^™

Evaluation Of Raman Microspectroscopy And Hyperspectral Imaging As A Screening Tool To Determine Optimal Sampling Sites For Dna Recovery From Human Skeletal Remains, Kathleen M. Smith

Master's Theses

Numerous challenges exist with forensic genetic testing of human skeletal remains due to diagenesis patterns in bone microstructure, DNA degradation, and the presence of PCR inhibitors. Diagenesis is the microscopic breakdown of the bone matrix, which consists primarily of mineralized calcium hydroxyapatite and collagen. The process of diagenesis occurs in a heterogeneous, non-uniform manner along the diaphysis of a long bone, and determining the region with the most intact bone microstructure is not possible with the naked eye. Therefore, taking cuttings from the diaphysis for DNA testing is somewhat of a “blind” process, and decades of research and casework have …