Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.10.15.341156v1?rss=1 Authors: Mickleburgh, H. L., Schwalbe, E., Mizukami, H., Sellitto, F., Starace, S., Wescott, D. J., Carter, D. O., Procopio, N. Abstract: Bone proteomics studies using animal proxies and skeletonized human remains have delivered encouraging results in the search for potential biomarkers for precise and accurate post-mortem interval (PMI) and the age-at-death (AAD) estimation in medico-legal investigations. At present, however, the effects of inter-individual biological differences and taphonomic alteration on recovered human bone protein profiles are not well understood. This study investigated the human bone proteome in four human body donors studied throughout decomposition outdoors. The effects of ageing phenomena (in vivo and post-mortem), and intrinsic and extrinsic variables on the variety and abundancy of the bone proteome were assessed. Results identified a new potential biomarker for PMI estimation, as well as three potential biomarkers for AAD estimation. The results also suggest that bone mineral density (BMD) may be an important variable affecting the survival and extraction of proteins. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info