How chemical 'clues' in diet can help identify human remains—and climate changes

SFU archaeology professor Mike Richards is studying how the chemical signatures from food and water consumed by humans and animals can provide clues to identifying human remains—and can also shed light on changes in climate.

The newly-named Canada Research Chair holder in Archaeological Science has established a lab at SFU to analyze isotopes, which are forms of chemical elements, that have been digested and incorporated into body tissues. “These chemical signatures record the diet, as well as the geographical location and climate when that tissue was formed for humans and animals,” explains Richards. Read more.