Minimum Number of Elements (MNE)
Definition
The minimum number of complete skeletal elements represented by all fragments of a given element type. Used to assess assemblage completeness and plan DNA sampling.
Related terms
- Biological Profile
- The four-part osteological description of an unidentified individual: sex, age range, population affinity (ancestry), and estimated stature. The profile constrains the pool...
- Commingled Remains
- Skeletal material from more than one individual mixed together, as commonly recovered from mass graves, transportation disasters, or fire scenes. Sorting commingled...
- DVI (Disaster Victim Identification)
- The systematic multi-agency process for identifying victims of mass-casualty events, governed by the INTERPOL DVI Guide 2018 revision. Organises work into five...
- Epiphyseal Fusion
- The obliteration of the cartilaginous growth plate and bony union of the epiphysis with the diaphysis. Fusion sequence and timing form the...
- ICMP (International Commission on Missing Persons)
- The international organisation that has led DNA-based identification of missing persons from the former Yugoslavia since 1996, working from a laboratory in...
- Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)
- The smallest number of distinct individuals required to account for all skeletal elements present in an assemblage. Determined by identifying the element...
- Most Likely Number of Individuals (MLNI)
- A maximum-likelihood estimate of the true number of individuals in a commingled assemblage, proposed by Adams and Konigsberg (2004). Uses pair-matching data...
- Pair-Matching
- The process of identifying left and right elements from the same individual based on morphological compatibility: matching size, cortical thickness, bone texture,...
- Petrous Bone
- The petrous portion of the temporal bone, the densest bone in the human skull. Its dense hydroxyapatite matrix protects enclosed DNA from...
Explained in
- DVI from the Osteology Angle: MNI, MNE and the Commingled-Remains ProblemThe minimum number of complete skeletal elements represented by all fragments of a given element type. Used to assess assemblage completeness and plan DNA samp...