Global trends in DNA research on aged human skeletal remains: a bibliometric analysis (1989-2024)

The DNA analysis of aged human skeletal remains is pivotal to forensic genetics, forensic anthropology, and archaeology. Using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny, we analyzed 982 publications from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection to evaluate publication trends, key contributors, influential journals and articles, and the thematic evolution of the field through co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and temporal overlay mapping. The results indicate the publication in this field began in 1989 and peaked at 72 articles in 2021. The most prolific countries were the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. Leading institutions included the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the University of Ljubljana, and the University of Copenhagen. High-impact contributors included Pääbo, Svante; Willerslev, Eske; Krause, Johannes; and Pajnič, Irena Zupanič. The most active journals were Forensic Science International, Journal of Forensic Sciences, Forensic Science International: Genetics, International Journal of Legal Medicine, and American Journal of Physical Anthropology. The most highly cited article was "Hofreiter, 2001, Nat Rev Genet". Keywords co-occurrence highlighted "ancient DNA (aDNA)", "human skeletal remains", "mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)", "forensic science", and "human identification" as dominant themes. Recent trends underscore the integration of aDNA into forensics workflows, increasing reliance on mtDNA and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiling, and massively parallel sequencing (MPS) applications for degraded DNA. Collectively, the findings highlight the transformative impact of technological innovation and international collaboration on the field's evolution. Continued global cooperation is essential to drive innovation, optimize resources, and accelerate forensic genetics research.