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It has been nearly 20 years since Haglund and Sorg introduced taphonomy to the forensic community as a dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to understanding postmortem change. In the past 2 decades, taphonomy has grown significantly in both its importance and its range of applications. This Second Edition reflects two decades of forensic taphonomy research and application. Fully updated with DNA implications, chemical variability in decomposition, microenvironments and a host of topics, the book includes over 50 chapters contributed by top scientists in the field and will serve as the quintessential, must-have resource for pathologists, death investigators, and forensic anthropologists.
List of contents
Overview. Forensic Taphonomy in Practice. The Taphonomic Revolution: Taphonomy as an Integrating Principle in Forensic Anthropology. Decomposition. Chemistries of Soft Tissue Decomposition. Chemistries of Bone and Tooth Decomposition. Adipocere: A Taphonomic Perspective. Taphonomic Impacts on Cadaver Dog Searches. Molecular Taphonomy and DNA. Modeling Core and Peripheral Processes in Human Decomposition: A Conceptual Framework. Basic Microenvironmental Contexts. Soil. Marine and Fresh Water Contexts. Vegetation. Mass Graves. Glacial Ice. Freezing, Thawing, and Cold Temperatures. Differentiating Taphonomic Origin of Osseous Remains. Taphonomic Agent Roles and Signatures. Microbes. Insect Involvement. Insects and Other Scavengers, Hair and Fiber. Mold and Fungus. Small/Medium Mammal Defleshing. Canids Revisited. Birds. Rodents Revisited. Water Current. Burial environments. Fire. Postmortem Interval and Sequences. Decomposition and Postmortem Interval. Bone Weathering in Human Remains. Discriminating Perimortem and Postmortem Effects. Insects. Modeling Decomposition and Accumulated Degree Days. Testing Universality of ADD, TBS, and Decomposition Rate. Microbial Community Change Associated Human Decomposition. Postmortem Interval and Bacterial Metagenomics of Bone. Regional Taphonomy. Developing Frameworks for Regional Forensic Taphonomy. Decomposition and Taphonomy in Southern Illinois. California Central Coastal Morphology Decomposition. Decomposition and Taphonomy in Central Texas. Decomposition and Taphonomy in Northern California. Decomposition and Taphonomy in Colorado. Two decades of NecroSearch Taphonomic Investigation. Decomposition and Taphonomy in Northern New England. Methodological Issues in Recovery and Examination. Standards in Forensic Taphonomy. Forensic Archaeology Standards for Taphonomic Data. Collecting Environmental and Biological Data. Descriptive Taphonomy in the Lab. Taphonomic Issues with Blunt Force Trauma Including Gunshot Wounds. Taphonomic Issues with Sharp Force Trauma Interpretation. Taphonomic Issues in Identification of Historic Remains
Summary
It has been nearly 20 years since Haglund and Sorg introduced taphonomy to the forensic community as a dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to understanding postmortem change. In the past 2 decades, taphonomy has grown significantly in both its importance and its range of applications. This Second Edition reflects two decades of forensic taphonomy research and application. Fully updated with DNA implications, chemical variability in decomposition, microenvironments and a host of topics, the book includes over 50 chapters contributed by top scientists in the field and will serve as the quintessential, must-have resource for pathologists, death investigators, and forensic anthropologists.
