Use of stable isotopes in hair for understanding nutrition and population migration

The analysis of stable isotopes of teeth and bones shines a new light on bioarcheology, understanding of nutrition as well as mobility of mankind in past. However studying stable isotopes which can be found in animal or human hair (carbon - δ13 C, nitrogen - δ15 N, oxygen - δ18 O and probably more) provide information of the same quality. This kind of information is not enriching only to bioarcheology, but also to other fields connected to antropology such as forensic science or medicine. This paper delivers basic overview of principles of determinig the content of stable isotopes in biological material and show advantages and disadvantages of using hair. Information which are used for further understanding of nutrition, mobility and geo-origins are demonstrated on examples from bioarcheology, forensic and clinical medicine