Research Appraisals
Evidence-based critical appraisals of the latest medical research, systematically evaluated using Oxford CEBM methodology.
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PloS one
New integrative methodology for the excavation and study of mass graves and partially commingled remains
The resolution of commingled human skeletal remains is a phenomenon increasingly encountered by archaeologists and anthropologists. Its difficulty is due to the complexity of the task itself, but also to the limited methodological resources available for researchers. Parallelly, its importance derives from the fact that individualized skeletons are a prerequisite for any anthropological analysis that aims to provide results. In this paper, we put forward a new methodological approach that aims to integrate different tools and techniques already available. The basis of this methodology is the analysis of the spatial relationships of the human skeletal remains. To facilitate its use and maximize its effectiveness, we have developed a set of specific tools and protocols that include a list of information to be directly recorded in Geographical Information System (GIS) software, as well as a new coding system for skeletal remains showing different levels of completeness. Results show that the application of such a methodology helped in the resolution of a large, commingled assemblage exhumed from a 16th-century-CE burial located in southwestern Hungary. The original number of complete skeletons (those individualized in their entirety during the fieldwork) was substantially increased, and for several other skeletal elements, potential matches were found during the laboratory work. We found this methodology to be a good filter prior to the utilization of the more standardized techniques such as osteometric sorting, articulation, visual pair-matching or process of elimination, as it would increase their effectiveness. Additionally, the novel coding system has proven to be useful in inventorying and storing human skeletal remains. This project shows that the addition of GIS technology and spatial analysis does increase the success rate in the reassociation of commingled human skeletal remains.
20 July 2026
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Human-to-Rat Validation of PMI Biomarkers: A Bidirectional Cross-Species Metabolomics Study Reveals Asymmetric Translation
Accurately estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI, also known as time since death) remains a major challenge in forensic science due to substantial biological and environmental variability in human cases. While animal models provide controlled conditions for identifying PMI-related metabolic changes, their translational value for human forensics is unclear. This study bridges controlled rat metabolomics with real-world human autopsy samples using LC-MS-based metabolomics and machine learning. We analyzed femoral blood from 435 medico-legal autopsies (PMI 1-10 days) and employed two complementary modeling strategies. An untargeted Lasso model using all 3450 detected features achieved R2 = 0.51 and identified 51 consistently selected PMI-informative molecular features. To assess cross-species robustness, we reanalysed rat samples using the same analytical platform. Eighteen of the 51 human-derived features were detected in rats, showing clear PMI-dependent trends and strong correlations with PMI. Two metabolites achieved level 2 annotation and matched known PMI biomarkers from previous animal studies, demonstrating meaningful human-to-rat biochemical overlap. In contrast, a targeted Lasso model based on biomarkers identified in rats performed poorly in humans (R2 = 0.10), underscoring limited direct rat-to-human translation. Overall, human-derived biomarkers validated robustly in the controlled rat model proved far more reliable. These findings highlight both the potential and limitations of cross-species PMI biomarker discovery and emphasize the need for improved metadata, especially temperature history, to advance PMI modeling in forensic practice.
27 May 2026
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