Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This research investigated the relationships between bone weight, chronological age, and biological sex. This study examined 383 innominates from individuals aged 16-93 years to investigate how bone weight (here a proxy for bone mineral density) was patterned throughout the lifespan. Standard osteology laboratory equipment as well as a scale were used to measure innominate height and dry bone weight. Dry bone weight is an imperfect proxy for bone mineral density; however, the phenomenon of decreases in bone weight with age was observed and quantified in this dry bone sample. While both males and females are affected by a slow reduction in bone mineral density over the course of their lifespans, this effect is exaggerated in females and was reflected in the study results. To quantify these changes, the authors created predictive Bayesian linear models to estimate age at death from dry bone weight, height, and biological sex. The best performing model R2 was 0.33, with an average inaccuracy of 9.37 years. Estimated age was within ±10 years of known age for 57.3% of the training sample, and 87.2% of estimated ages at death were within ±20 years of known age. When these models were tested on a smaller modern subsample, the results were both less accurate and less precise, demonstrating a need for validation on expanded modern samples. Overall, these results demonstrate that significant decreases in dry bone weight are associated with increased chronological age in the training sample, particularly in females. This study demonstrates that dry bone weights may be used to support estimates of chronological age; however, they should be applied cautiously, further tested, and only used in concert with well-validated age-at-death estimation methods.
Source: PLoS ONE
Authors: Andrea M. Zurek-Ost, Mark Sorensen
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
Funders: Google, Takeda Science Foundation, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Wellcome Trust, Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Flu Lab, University of Oxford, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Volkswagen Foundation, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Suranaree University of Technology, Vetenskapsrådet, Dr. Werner Jackstädt-Stiftung, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ministry of Health, State of Israel, Russian Science Foundation, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, Stockholms Universitet, Walailak University, Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology promotion, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory Of Catalysis, National Institutes of Health, Parkinsonfonden, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Pfizer Foundation, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Health and Medical Research Fund, Yonsei University College of Medicine, National Major Science and Technology Projects of China, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg
OpenAlex ID: W7162796801