https://www.earthmagazine.org/tags/isoscape/ Recent content in Isoscape on EARTH Magazine Hugo en-US American Geosciences Institute. All rights reserved. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/cold-case-files-forging-forensic-isoscapes/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/cold-case-files-forging-forensic-isoscapes/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/cold-case-files-forging-forensic-isoscapes/i-4cf-7db-9-1e.jpg" alt="This isoscape - or isotope map - shows the distribution of the stable hydrogen isotope deuterium in precipitation across Europe. If researchers know what the correlation is between the deuterium isotopic values of human hair and the deuterium isotopic values of source water, in conjunction with a sequential analysis informed by the hair&#39;s growth rate, they can roughly trace a person&#39;s recent geographic trajectory. Gabe Bowen, Purdue University" loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>This isoscape - or isotope map - shows the distribution of the stable hydrogen isotope deuterium in precipitation across Europe. If researchers know what the correlation is between the deuterium isotopic values of human hair and the deuterium isotopic values of source water, in conjunction with a sequential analysis informed by the hair&#39;s growth rate, they can roughly trace a person&#39;s recent geographic trajectory. Gabe Bowen, Purdue University</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/cold-case-files-forging-forensic-isoscapes/i-4d0-7db-9-1e.jpg" alt="Researchers at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory examined strands of a John Doe&#39;s hair to determine where he had spent the last few months of his life to help identify him and solve his murder. Kemp and Meier-Augenstein" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Researchers at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory examined strands of a John Doe&#39;s hair to determine where he had spent the last few months of his life to help identify him and solve his murder. Kemp and Meier-Augenstein</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/cold-case-files-forging-forensic-isoscapes/i-4d1-7db-9-1e.jpg" alt="Helen Kemp, Wolfram Meier-Augenstein (pictured below) and other researchers at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland work to create isoscapes: maps that show spatial distributions of stable isotope ratios in different parts of the world. Kemp and Meier-Augenstein" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Helen Kemp, Wolfram Meier-Augenstein (pictured below) and other researchers at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland work to create isoscapes: maps that show spatial distributions of stable isotope ratios in different parts of the world. Kemp and Meier-Augenstein</figcaption> </figure> <p>In November 2006, someone left a badly beaten man at a hospital in Gwent, South Wales. The victim was severely injured and died shortly thereafter without revealing his identity. All the Gwent police knew about the John Doe was that he was Asian, or of Asian descent, and possibly Vietnamese. There was no record of him entering the country. His fingerprints provided no further information on his identity. The trail went cold.</p>