Radiocarbon Dating
Radiocarbon is continuously incorporated in living tissues through the food chain and therefore closely resembles the atmospheric levels at any given time. This process stops at death and the stored radiocarbon begins to decay. By measuring residual concentration in the analysed tissue and relating to its known atmospheric concentrations in different years, it can be used for estimating the post-mortem interval or the year of birth.
Isotope Analysis
Most elements in the periodic table exist in multiple forms called isotopes. Isotopes can be measured in various tissues, most frequently in teeth, bones, hair and nails. Different tissues will reflect different time periods, as isotopes become 'locked in' at the time of tissue formation. Strontium and Oxygen istopic variation can express geographic locations, giving insights into places of origin and development in unidentified remains.