It’s finally here! I’ve been wanting to pull together a book on cremations since I was in the midst of my PhD. Back then, I got pipped to the post by a couple of new books so decided to leave it for a while. But it was probably for the best, because in the intervening years I’ve learned a lot more about burned bone and publishing in general, and gained so many more colleagues. This has meant that the book is something that I’m very…Continue Reading “The Archaeology of Cremation”
Ellingham S, Thompson TJU, Islam M and Taylor G. (2015) Science & Justice 55: 181–188. Forensic anthropologists are frequently confronted with the need to interpret burnt bone. Regardless of the context, one of the key factors for the correct interpretation of the remains and a reconstruction of the incidents leading to incineration is the estimation of the maximum exposure temperature. The recent years have seen an influx in experimental research focusing on temperature estimation, spanning from colour assessment, mechanical strength measurements, histology and structural observations, biochemical…Continue Reading “Estimating temperature exposure of burnt bone — A methodological review”
An enhanced stipend of £15,000 per annum is offered to a strong candidate for this full time PhD scholarship in the Technology Futures Institute at Teesside University. Episodes of mass violence occur for many reasons, but the treatment of the deceased is often used as a means of humiliating and threatening the victims, their relatives and the groups to which they belong. Forensic investigation of contexts of mass violence is often hampered by the challenging nature of the graves and deposition sites themselves. These may…Continue Reading “Degraded and degrading: understanding diagenetic processes in commingled graves from contexts of mass violence”
I’m delighted that today the first issue of Science & Justice that I compiled as the new Editor-in-Chief is out – and it’s a bumper issue! 16 academic peer-reviewed papers from all over the world feature, with topics ranging across chemistry, biology, drugs, taphonomy, DNA and paintings. You can check it out by following this link to the Science & Justice website.
It’s graduation week this week – which is always a wonderful time in the academic year. All those students wandering across the stage to shake the VC’s hand, trying not to topple of those insane heels, have worked so hard for so long; it’s a real pleasure to see them again. This year is doubly special though, as Mark Butler graduates with his PhD. Mark is one of us, a member of staff, who has worked tirelessly over 5 years to gain his award –…Continue Reading “Mathematical!”