Experimental Bone Taphonomy: A novel approach to long-term and monitored analysis of postmortem changes to bone

虽然软组织的分解已经得到了很好的研究，但对骨组织的自然分解进行的实验研究很少，因为这些研究需要很长时间，需要专门的设施。这项研究计划希望填补这一空白，并开始长期调查与骨组织的化学和物理分解相关的独特变化，这些变化发生在死亡后骨在地面/亚空中陆地环境中的分解和暴露过程中。这项研究将建立一个围栏露天埋藏设施，配备气象和环境站，这是加拿大唯一的。在该设施中，标本将在连续的时间段内分解，并且环境变量，如清除或温度，要么受到控制，要么受到严格监测。骨的化学和物理破坏的分析将采用创新的研究设计，沿着更传统的方法进行。在传统的设计中，所有的样本将在实验开始时被放置在现场，然后一部分样本将被定期移除，直到它们全部被回收。在我的新研究设计中，只有最古老的样本将在开始时被放置在野外，然后定期添加额外的样本，直到实验结束时所有样本都在野外。新设计的主要优点之一是，实验的结束不需要在开始时确定，理论上可以无限期地进行。相比之下，依赖于定期收集样本的传统方法必须从明确指示实验将持续多长时间开始。这种新的设计只是最近才开发和测试，我的初步研究表明，它与传统设计一样好，甚至更好，可以评估变化的顺序及其相对于环境因素（如温度）的季节和年度变化的变化。主要的预期结果是识别的一般热力学和动力学参数的表面和亚表面骨组织降解的理解一般的生态和环境动力学的重要意义。在短期内，这项研究还将允许识别与死亡时间和环境条件相关的骨组织的形态学和化学物理变化。因此，拟议的骨骼分解研究的更广泛的影响是了解在地质，考古或法医背景下发现的动物和人类遗骸的死后环境的关键。来自地质学（化石）或考古学背景的动物或人类骨骼的变化可以提供有关个人最有可能生活的生态环境的重要线索，以及介导其转化为化石或前化石的化学和物理变化。在法医死亡现场发现的人类遗骸中发现的这些变化也提供了关于死亡时间的重要线索。此外，区分自然和人造骨骼的变化是解释考古背景下屠宰活动的关键，也是确定法医人类遗骸死因的关键，其中涉及疑似暴力死亡。这项研究将大大扩大目前的知识基础有关的骨在地面/亚空中陆地环境中的分解和影响骨随时间变化的速度的过程。它还将培养具有高度期望技能的HQP，这些技能将促进加拿大在古生物学，埋藏学，动物考古学和考古学等领域的卓越研究，

Although the decomposition of soft tissue has been well studied, very little experimental research has been conducted on natural decomposition of bone tissue because such studies take a very long time and require dedicated facilities. This research program wishes to fill this gap and start investigating on a long term scale the unique changes associated with the chemical and physical breakdown of bone tissue which occur during the decomposition and exposure of bone after death in ground-surface/sub-aerial terrestrial environments. This research will establish a fenced open air taphonomy facility equipped with meteorological and environmental statons that is unique in Canada. In this facility, specimens will be left to decompose for consecutive time periods and environmental variables, such as scavenging or temperature, are either controlled for or strictly monitored. The analysis of chemical and physical destruction of bone will be carried out using an innovative research design, along with a more traditional approach. In the traditional design, all samples will be laid out in the field at the start of the experiment and then a portion of the samples will be removed periodically, until they have all been recovered. In my new research design, only the oldest samples will be laid out in the field at the start and then additional specimens are added periodically, until all samples are in the field at the end of the experiment. One of the major advantages of the novel design is that the end of the experiment does not need to be determined at the start and, in theory, can go on indefinitely. In comparison, traditional approaches that rely on collecting the specimens at regular intervals must start with a clear indication of how long will the experiment last. This novel design has only been developed and tested recently and my preliminary research has demonstrated that it is as good as or better than the traditional design for assessing the sequence of changes and their variation relative to season and annual variations in environmental factors, such as temperature. Major expected result is the identification of general thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of surface and subsurface bone tissue degradation with important implication for understanding general ecological and environmental dynamics. In the shorter term this study will also allow the identification of morphological and chemical-physical changes in bone tissues related to time of death and environmental conditions. Thus the broader impact of the proposed study of bone decomposition is key to the understanding of the post-mortem environment of animal and human remains found in geological, archaeological or forensic contexts. Changes in animal or human bones from a geological (a fossil) or archaeological context can provide vital clues about the ecology in which the individual most likely lived, and about the chemical and physical changes that mediated its transformation into a fossil or pre-fossil. Those same changes found in human remains from a forensic death scene also provide vital clues about time since death. In addition, distinguishing natural from man-made bone modifications is key to the interpretation of butchering activities in archaeological contexts, but also to the determination of cause of death from forensic human remains where a suspected violent death is involved. This research will considerably expand the current knowledge base relating to decomposition of bone in ground-surface/sub-aerial terrestrial environments and the processes that influence the rate of bone change over time. It will also develop HQP with highly desired skills who will promote the research excellence of Canada in fields such as paleontology, taphonomy, zooarchaeology and archaeology or