Trabecular bone
Definition
The spongy inner lattice of bone, found at epiphyses and in flat bones. Porosity of 50 to 90 percent allows rapid water and microbial infiltration post-mortem, leading to faster collagen hydrolysis and DNA degradation compared to cortical bone.
Related terms
- Cortical bone
- The dense outer shell of long bones, also called compact bone. Porosity is less than 10 percent. High mineral density, slow water...
- Hydroxyapatite
- The calcium phosphate mineral (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) that constitutes approximately 70 percent of bone dry weight. Its crystals bind to DNA fragments electrostatically, slowing...
- Inhibitor removal
- Laboratory steps applied to degraded bone before PCR amplification. Collagen hydrolysis products, humic acids, and heavy metals in aged bone inhibit DNA...
- Osteon (Haversian system)
- The basic structural unit of compact cortical bone: a central Haversian canal surrounded by concentric lamellae of mineralised collagen. Osteon diameter and...
- Stable isotope analysis
- A technique that measures the ratio of stable (non-radioactive) isotopes of elements such as strontium, oxygen, and carbon in a biological sample....
Explained in
- Bone Biology and Forensic SignificanceThe spongy inner lattice of bone, found at epiphyses and in flat bones. Porosity of 50 to 90 percent allows rapid water and microbial infiltration post-mortem,...