Wondering if for example, one frequently or only ate Mexican food, if hair/nail samples would suggest a connection to that area even if you never or seldom went to Mexico?
speculation, imo, rbbm.
http://www.sfu.museum/forensics/eng/pg_media-media_pg/isotopes/
speculation, imo, rbbm.
http://www.sfu.museum/forensics/eng/pg_media-media_pg/isotopes/
Bone is a living tissue, and remodels over time, it is replaced as we growth and get older. However, this process is relatively slow and dense cortical bone reflects approximately the last 10-15 years of an individual's life.
Teeth also consist of organic and inorganic materials, but unlike bone, once formed, dental enamel does not remodel. Consequently, teeth are very useful for determining the environment and conditions of an individual's early life. (i.e., when their teeth formed). In addition, comparisons of teeth and bone tissues in a single individual whether a person moved geographic locations since childhood: their teeth will show where they lived where they were young and their bones will show where they lived in the years before their death.
Hair and fingernails may also be useful for isotopic analyses. Although they are more fragile than bone, they grow at predictable rates, and reflect an individual's very recent past. This may be useful for determining if an individual recently changed locations or for studying seasonal dietary changes.
Finally, blood and soft tissues can also be used for some isotopic studies. However, these materials decay quickly and may be more prone to contamination.
Similarly it may not be possible to distinguish two populations if they lived in similar climates or ate the same kinds of foods. Even though they may be culturally distinct, the isotopic signatures will look very similar. In contrast, a dietary signature indicating foreign foods may merely indicate that a group was importing foods from elsewhere, rather than having migrated themselves