skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Forensic Medicine: Age Written in Teeth by Nuclear Bomb Tests

Journal Article · · Nature
OSTI ID:877845

Establishing the age of individuals is an important step in identification and a frequent challenge in forensic medicine. This can be done with high precision up to adolescence by analysis of dentition, but establishing the age of adults has remained difficult. Here we show that measuring {sup 14}C from nuclear bomb tests in tooth enamel provides a sensitive way to establish when a person was born.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
877845
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JRNL-212090; TRN: US0601714
Journal Information:
Nature, Vol. 437
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Analysis of Radiocarbon, Stable Isotopes and DNA in Teeth to Facilitate Identification of Unknown Decedents
Journal Article · Mon Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · PLoS ONE · OSTI ID:877845

Age estimation in forensic sciences: Application of combined aspartic acid racemization and radiocarbon analysis
Journal Article · Mon Nov 02 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, vol. 9, no. 5, May 7, 2010, pp. 1022-1030 · OSTI ID:877845

Year of Birth Determination Using Radiocarbon Dating of Dental Enamel
Journal Article · Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Surface and Interface Analysis · OSTI ID:877845