Soil Screening: Why?
Apart from human remains in a burial site, any fragments associated with it, such as teeth, bones, and ballistic fragments, can aid investigators and forensic archeologists identify the victim and the perpetrator. Still, researchers say the old methods associated with it consume a lot of time.
Breakthrough in Forensic Archeology
A recent study published by scientists from Cranfield Forensic Institute asserts that replacing traditional methods such as wet and dry sieving with a more nuanced technique such as dual-energy X-ray can save time and energy.
Dual-energy X-ray soil screening method
With this application, they have significantly reduced the time to search 1 m3 of soil is broken down into samples <13cm from 100 -150 person-hours to just 1 hour.
What is more interesting for those scientists at Cranfield University is the fact that this application is the first-ever use of such a technology in forensic archeology, and its effectiveness paves the way for broader application throughout the field.
Reference
Kent, Daniel, et al. “The Application of Dual Energy X-Ray Soil Screening in Forensic Archaeology.” Science & Justice, Sept. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2022.08.005.
