Identification of break patterns in animal bones using a hydraulic press

• Grant number: 25/03430-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences
• Principal Investigator: Renato Pirani Ghilardi
• Grantee: Lucas Henrique Medeiros da Silva Trifilio
• Supervisor: Yolanda Fernandez Jalvo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/15349-0 - Utilization of geomathematical methods in taphonomic analyses of Quaternary vertebrates preserved in fossiliferous deposits of Brazil, BP.PD

Abstract

Breaks are taphonomic features frequently observed in bones and can be produced before, during or after the death of the animal. There are few studies presenting methods to identify them, which have been performed only for human long bones. Therefore, we intend to simulate environmental conditions to identify the varieties of breaks that can be produced in bones. Fresh, dry and fossilized bones will be used, buried in sediment, submerged in basic and acidic water, in addition to rock impact simulations. We will observe the surface and edge textures, angle and contour of the breaks produced. The plan includes a six-month internship at the Environmental and Taphonomic Testing Laboratory (LEAT) of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), located in Madrid, Spain, under the supervision of Dr. Yolanda Fernández Jalvo. The obtained results will allow a better understanding of bone fragmentation, in addition to enriching of the interpretations for the project that is being developed in Brazil.