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Title: Food Has No Borders: Methodological Insights from the Forensic Isotopic Profile of a New York City Immigrant
Isotopic analyses of human remains augment the biological profile with geolocation and dietary information, furthering efforts to identify unknown individuals from a forensic context. Here we test the methodological resolution of geolocation (δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr) and dietary (δ13C, δ15N) isotopes of one identified individual who immigrated to New York City from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Lesser Antilles. Isotope-based geolocation estimates did not identify the childhood residency on SVG, but did point to New York City as a possible residence during early adulthood. The individual’s C3-based diet did not significantly change from childhood to early adulthood, illustrating the maintenance of food traditions after the immigration event. This study illustrates that further development of tissue-specific isoscapes incorporating bioavailable foods, drinking water, and cultural traditions is warranted to refine methodological resolution of isotopic applications in forensic anthropology.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1455274
PAR ID:
10487273
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
University of Florida Press
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Forensic Anthropology
ISSN:
2573-5020
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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