This project, led by Harilanto Razafindrazaka (PhD, CR CNRS), follows a tradition of the laboratory which is the study of the genetic diversity of the populations of the Indian Ocean including the Comoros and Madagascar.
Projects
One of the specificities of our species is its great cultural diversity which, in the same way as genes, is transmitted from generation to generation, which raises the question: how do cultural differences between human populations interact with their biological diversity and vice versa?
Given its medical implications, which will be seen elsewhere, and in the light of high-throughput genomic sequencing, this project proposes an expert re-reading of the molecular genetics of immunogenic polymorphisms (erythrocyte blood group systems and systems involved in the immune response) with a view to contributing both to the understanding of the history and evolution of modern humans and to the evolutionary history of these genes in order to outline their phylogeny.
Human beings and microbes have a permanent and double-edged relationship. In the intestinal flora they complement each other and in some cases these microorganisms cause infectious diseases in humans.
Research on the estimation of the age of immature children is one of the strong identity markers of our team, and has given it international recognition for nearly 20 years. In a forensic context, the challenge is to make the decision of the Justice system more reliable in order to qualify a crime or a homicide (reaching the age of fetal viability, foeticide or neonaticide, justified choice of one method rather than another). In an archaeo-thanatological context, the challenge is to understand and interpret modes of burial or choices of burial sites according to age categories, and to be able to discuss the socio-cultural aspects of age-dependent funeral rites.
As a "forensic science", forensic anthropology must meet strict methodological constraints with regard to the stakes of the conclusions drawn. The reliability of the analytical processing chains of remains (skeletonized or not) which leads to the estimation of the biological profile presented in a court of law is part of it, and an interdisciplinary approach integrating the recent advances in the field of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is able to bring significant progress.
The Collège Interdisciplinaire de Balistique Lésionnelle " CIBLé " brings together scientists, physicians, and forensic experts from the police and gendarmerie in order to study body trauma related to ballistic impacts. Several members of our team are involved and collaborate on "historical" case studies, as well as on expert appraisals of current judicial cases. A photographic atlas and a database are being created, and annual workshops are organized during national and international scientific events (French Society of Legal Medicine days, FASE symposium). A synthesis book is being prepared for publication by 2027.
Of interest to the entire historical depth explored by our team, the characterization of bone trauma is a central issue in the study of an individual's skeletal remains.