This article reviews the present scenario of use of stable isotopes (mainly δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O, ⁸⁷Sr) to trace past life behaviours like breast feeding and weaning practices, the geographic origin, migration history, paleodiet and subsistence patterns of past populations from the chemical signatures of isotopes imprinted in human skeletal remains. This approach is based on the state that food-web isotopic signatures are seen in the human bones and teeth and such signatures can change parallely with a variety of biogeochemical processes. By measuring δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N isotopic values of subadult tissues of different ages, the level of breast milk ingestion at particular ages and the components of the complementary foods can be assessed. Strontium and oxygen isotopic analyses have been used for determining the geographic origins and reconstructing the way of life of past populations as these isotopes can map the isotopic outline of the area from where the person acquired water and food during initial lifetime. The isotopic values of strontium and oxygen values are considered specific to geographical areas and serve as reliable chemical signatures of migration history of past human populations (local or non-local to the site). Previous isotopic studies show that the subsistence patterns of the past human populations underwent extensive changes from nomadic to complete agricultural dependence strategies. The carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of local fauna of any archaeological site can be used to elucidate the prominence of freshwater resources in the diet of the past human populations found near the site. More extensive research covering isotopic descriptions of various prehistoric, historic and modern populations is needed to explore the role of stable isotope analysis for provenancing human skeletal remains and assessing human migration patterns/routes, geographic origins, paleodiet and subsistence practices of past populations.

Nolla’s radiographic method of dental age estimation for sub-adult individuals has been commonly used for forensic purposes. To identify the accuracy and credibility of this method, a review has been conducted for estimating the variations/discrepancies between actual chronological and estimated ages of sub-adults individuals calculated by applying Nolla’s radiographic method in different population groups. The articles using Nolla’s method of age estimation and those published between 2006 and 2016 were used after relevant searches in PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE and Web of Science databases. Studies conducted with dental radiographs of healthy subjects between 3 and 18 years of age and those reporting mean differences between the estimated dental age (DA) and chronological age (CA) as a measure of variation were included in the review for meta-analysis. A total of 5813 subjects (2839 boys and 2974 girls) between the age of 3 and 18 years were examined in the study, which were chosen from a total of 87 peer-reviewed articles. Quantitative (10 studies) and qualitative (12 studies) analyses of the results revealed that dental age of most sub-adults was found under-estimated using this method based developmental stages of teeth. The underestimation varied from +0.26 to +1 years for males, and +0.051 to +1.15 for females; with an average mean of 0.35 years and 0.20 years for males and females, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that Nolla’s method of dental age estimation underestimates the age of an individual in almost all the studies reviewed here. It should be carefully applied for forensic cases requiring legal scrutiny by courts of law.

Background: Human face is complex and intricate structure, with several features that are unique to each individual and can be taken as an identity pass in this mortal world. The facial profile of an individual holds materialistic value and is crucial for human identification. Present study aims to investigate the influence of sex and age of an individual on the soft tissue thicknesses (FSTT) at midline facial landmarks estimated on MRI scans. Methods: Facial soft tissue thickness was estimated at 20 midline landmarks on the MRI scans of 120 (57 male; 63 female) anatomically normal Northwest Indian adult subjects (18–70 + years age-group). Age and sex dependent variations in tissue thicknesses at different landmarks were estimated using statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 23. Results: The results of the study yielded that most of the midline landmarks had higher values in males than in females indicating observable sexual dimorphism in FSTT values in this facial region, statistically significant differences were also noted in soft tissue thickness estimates of different age-groups, showing increasing or decreasing trend with age. The mid-facial landmarks like mid-philtrum, supra-dentale, incisor superius, and labile inferius displayed highly significant p values. Conclusions: Present study results were in tandem with the findings of previous studies; males and younger age-group individuals were having higher tissue thickness values than the females and older individuals, respectively. The highest soft tissue estimates were obtained for the middle age subjects and the most aged individuals had the least midline soft tissue thickness values. These results can have significant forensic anthropological repercussions in attempting facial approximations on unknown skulls and identification of unknown individuals from still images, photographs or videos.

The clavicle and the sternum are important bones of the anterior thoracic skeleton that are commonly found well preserved in forensic contexts. To assess the concurrent suitability of two bones of the same individual in forensic sex estimations, both clavicles and sternums were collected from 252 male and 91 female autopsy cadavers. This study’s bone dimensions were found to be significantly smaller than of subjects of other nationalities and also higher than previous Indian studies. Statistically significant sex differences were noticed in different dimensions of the two bones (p < 0.001). The univariate DFA found that the product index of the clavicle and combined sternal length were the best sex discriminating variables to identify the sex of about 85% of the cadavers. From the multivariate discriminant function analysis of all linear variables (DF: –18.664 + 0.107 (MCI–L) + 0.180 (MCC–R) +.045(MBL) – 0.071(MDL–L), the sex of 90.7% of the cadavers could be estimated correctly and this percentage was highest when either clavicular or sternal measurements were used in the analyses. The concurrent use of the two bones provided higher accuracy levels with lower sex biases than the individual use of either bone in univariate or multivariate analysis. The clavicle was found to be better and more reliable than the sternum for sex estimations in the current autopsy samples. Further studies are needed to corroborate or negate the findings of these investigations.