The stable isotope composition of many materials are known to be useful in determining the history or geographic origins of those materials. Similarly, the stable isotope composition of body water and body tissues are commonly used to investigate movement patterns of humans and animals. For example, isotope ratios in hair, bone and teeth have been used to identify the location of origin for unknown samples and to track migration and resource use in modern and ancient human populations. As a result, samples of tissues such as hair have been used to predict regions of origin for these samples. There remains, however, a need for more conveniently and efficiently ascertaining recent travel history of individuals. In particular, ways of quickly obtaining travel origin information from samples that may be gleaned non-invasively would greatly forward this art. Such approaches can provide a great benefit to efforts such as forensics and security.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds