U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Fingernails as Recorders of Region-of-Origin and Travel History
Award Information
Awardee
              University of Utah
Award #
              2014-DN-BX-0003
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Salt Lake City, UT
Congressional District
              4
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2014
Total funding (to date)
              $35,000
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 14 Graduate Research Fellowship Program in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2014, $35,000)
As Submitted By Proposer:
The investigative need to understand and reconstruct an individual's origin or travel is of importance to law enforcement agencies. Investigations of murder, terrorist activities, illegal immigration, and human trafficking all benefit from a quantitative tool that reconstructs region of-origin and travel history. Here I propose to investigate how stable isotope analyses of human fingernails can be used to reconstruct an individual's movements. I hypothesize that human fingernails serve as linear recorders of environmental information through endogenous (food and drinking water) and exogenous (bathing water) inputs. From the literature, I know that carbon and nitrogen isotopes of the keratin protein found in hair and in fingernails reflect dietary inputs, while oxygen isotopes of keratin and strontium isotopes trapped among keratin sheets reflect local tap water (a geographic signal). While a limited number of studies have shown that oxygen and strontium isotope ratios in human hair can provide a geographic signal, such studies have not yet been conducted yet with fingernails. The primary objective of this study is to determine the extent to which 87Sr/86Sr and ä18O isotope ratio values of human fingernails are useful as diagnostic tools of geographic movement, similar to studies that are establishing the forensic utility of stable isotope analysis of scalp hair. To assess this objective I ask two questions: (1) do oxygen and strontium isotope ratios in human fingernails reflect region-of-origin or recent travel and (2) do isotope ratios in fingernails show similar patterns and fidelity to human scalp hair? To examine these questions the proposed research I will analyze fingernail and hair samples from "resident" and "immigrant" volunteers collected over a 1-year period. I hypothesize changes in fingernail oxygen and strontium isotope ratios of immigrants as they acquire a Utah isotopic signature. I hypothesize that hair and fingernail samples will display similar isotopic patterns. The significance of the proposed study is that it may provide law enforcement with a new quantitative trace evidence tool to reconstruct an individual's region-of-origin or recent movements.
ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Resident and Nonresident Fingernail Isotopes Reveal Diet and Travel Patterns
                  Traveling There and Back Again: A Fingernail's Tale
                  Fingernail Keratin as a Biomarker
                  Strontium isotope ratios (Sr-87/Sr-86) of human fingernail clippings reveal multiple location signals

  
Date Created: September 16, 2014
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      Climate, Culture, and Correction Officer Wellness
                  NIJ Innovations in Measuring Community Perceptions Challenge Winner: The Eagles
                  Internal Affairs Complaint Investigations: A Multi-Site Comparison
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov