Fingernails

Christy Mancuso and fingernails

Christy's Ph.D. thesis research focused on keratin, the protein that forms the basis of our fingernails.

She asked two questions:

How can carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses be used as a linear recorder of diet? 

How can hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyses be used as a linear recorder of an individual's travel history?

Publications arising from Christy's fingernail research:

• Mancuso, C.J., and J.R. Ehleringer. 2019. Resident and non-resident fingernail isotopes reveal diet and travel patterns. Journal of Forensic Sciences 64:77-87. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.13856
• Mancuso, C.J., and J.R. Ehleringer. 2019. Traveling there and back again: a fingernail’s tale. Journal of Forensic Sciences 64:69-76. doi:10.1111/1556-4029.13852.
• Mancuso, C.J., and J.R. Ehleringer. 2018. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) of human fingernail clippings reveal multiple location signals. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 32:1922-1930. doi: 10.1002/rcm.8270.