Bioarchaeology & Skeletal Biology Lab

The Bioarchaeology and Skeletal Biology Laboratory (P.I.: Dr. Anzellini) focuses on the use of technology and the physical sciences to study human remains of the past and present exploring human health, diet, mobility, and social structure as well as understanding human bone development and adaptation.

The lab has two main foci. The first is the analysis of stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N), carbon (δ¹³C), and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) from the mineral and organic portions bone to explore diet and migration and get a clearer picture of social structure and inequality in past societies. Additionally, explorations of the biochemistry of bone are achieved using a Raman spectrometer with a 1064nm excitation laser. Applications of this technology are being explored as a proxy to destructive analyses of bone to reduce our impact and minimize the invasive nature of some bioarchaeological methods. The second focus is the use of computer modeling methods, such as Finite Element Analysis, to examine the ways that bone adapts to biomechanical stimulus and how age-related material changes to bone affect their geometry.

The lab welcomes all undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in the work that we do. If you'd like to know more, just send us an email to inbasbl@lehigh.edu.