Integrative Forensic Genetics, Biochemical, and Histological Methods for Reconstructing Biological Profiles from Aged Human Skeletal Remains

TL;DR

This paper reviews how combining genetic, biochemical, and histological methods improves the reconstruction of biological profiles from old or degraded human remains.

Contribution

The paper introduces an integrative multidisciplinary framework for analyzing aged skeletal remains using genomic, isotopic, and histological techniques.

Findings

Next-generation sequencing improves genetic inference from degraded remains.

Stable isotope analysis reveals diet and mobility patterns.

DNA methylation and tooth cementum annulation enhance age estimation.

Abstract

The reconstruction of biological profiles from aged or degraded human skeletal remains represents a major challenge in both forensic and bioarcheological contexts, particularly when conventional identification approaches fail. Recent advances in molecular genetics, biochemical and histological analyses, and biomolecular anthropology have substantially expanded the range of information that can be recovered from compromised remains. This review synthesizes current integrative approaches combining genomic analyses, stable isotope investigations, epigenetic age estimation, proteomic sex determination, and complementary histological techniques to infer sex, ancestry, kinship, age, diet, mobility, and geographic origin. Genetic methods, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), enable increasingly robust inference even from highly degraded samples. Stable isotope analyses provide insights into dietary patterns and mobility, while DNA methylation markers improve age estimation accuracy. Tooth cementum annulation (TCA), although a histological rather than molecular method, contributes an additional chronological indicator within an integrative analytical framework. Rather than treating these approaches independently, this review proposes a multidisciplinary perspective in which complementary datasets collectively support biological profile reconstruction. Integrative interpretation enhances identification potential and provides more nuanced life-history reconstructions, demonstrating the value of combining molecular, biochemical, and histological evidence in forensic and archaeological investigations.