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Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains

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Quantifying cortical bone in fragmentary archeological second metacarpals.

Rebecca J Gilmour^1,2, Megan B Brickley², Menno Hoogland³

¹Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

|February 13, 2021

Summary

A new Region of Interest (ROI) method reliably measures cortical bone in incomplete second metacarpals, improving bone loss studies in archaeology. This technique enhances sample sizes and accuracy for analyzing skeletal remains.

Keywords:

age-related bone loss cortical bone loss digital X-ray radiogrammetry paleopathology second metacarpal radiogrammetry skeletal preservation

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Area of Science:

Bioarchaeology
Paleopathology
Forensic Anthropology

Background:

Cortical bone thickness indicates skeletal health and quality in archaeological populations.
Traditional methods for measuring bone loss in second metacarpals require complete elements, limiting sample size and potentially biasing results.
Fragmentary skeletal remains are often excluded, hindering comprehensive analysis of bone acquisition and loss patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

Introduce and validate a novel "Region of Interest" (ROI) method for quantifying cortical bone in second metacarpals.
Overcome limitations of traditional radiogrammetry that exclude incomplete skeletal elements.
Enhance the ability to study bone quality and age-related bone loss in archaeological assemblages.

Main Methods:

Adapted the "Region of Interest" (ROI) method from digital X-ray radiogrammetry (DXR).
Quantified cortical bone area within a standardized 1.9 cm mid-diaphyseal region of second metacarpals.
Standardized measurements for body size using total area (Cortical Area Index ROI - CAI_ROI) and compared to traditional cortical indices (CI).

Main Results:

The ROI method demonstrated high intra- and interobserver reliability.
CAI_ROI values showed strong and significant correlations with traditional CI values in both males (r=0.906) and females (r=0.925).
The method effectively quantifies bone in archeological remains with suboptimal preservation.

Conclusions:

The ROI method is a reliable complement to traditional radiogrammetry for analyzing cortical bone.
This technique maximizes sample sizes by including incomplete second metacarpals.
Enables more comprehensive depictions of bone acquisition and loss patterns in archaeological studies.