Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Brief communication: Two and three-dimensional analysis of bone mass and microstructure in a bog body from the Iron
Arndt F Schilling1, Tobias Kummer, Robert P Marshall
1Department for Trauma, Hand-, and Reconstructive Surgery, Center for Biomechanics and Skeletal Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany. a.schilling@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Abstract:
Human remains from peat bogs, called "bog bodies," have yielded valuable insights into human history because of their excellent preservation of soft tissue. On the other hand, the acidic environment of the peat leads to an extensive demineralization of skeletal elements, complicating their analysis. We studied the skeleton of the bog body "Moora" dated to approximately 650 B.C. Nondestructive evaluation of the bone was made using contact X-rays, peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) analysis, multislice computed tomography (CT) and high resolution micro computed tomography (microCT) imaging. Two thousand seven hundred years in the acidic environment of the bog led to a loss of 92.7% of bone mineral density. Despite this demineralization and in contrast to other bog bodies, the spatial structure of the bones of "Moora" is exceptionally well preserved. We found Harris lines and were able to obtain the first three-dimensional data on the trabecular microstructure of the bone of a young woman from the early Iron Age.
Related Concept Videos
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Bone Structure
Bones of the Lower Limb: Tibia and Fibula
Gross Anatomy of Bone
The diaphysis is the tubular shaft that runs between the proximal and distal ends of the bone. The walls of the diaphysis are composed of dense and hard compact bone made of numerous osteons — the functional unit of the compact bone. The hollow region in the diaphysis is called the medullary cavity, which harbors the bone marrow. In infants and children, this marrow cavity is filled with red marrow, whereas in adults, it...
Bone Remodeling
The Bone Matrix

