Primary lamellar bone from a 26 year old subsistence fisherman from the Lake Chilwa region in southern Malawi was evaluated with our simultaneous laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, from which a total of 64 elements were identified. We plotted regional rainfall data corresponding to the 15 years represented in his lamellae, deposited during 1981-1996.  66Zn/88Sr roughly correspond with rainfall, suggesting that the metabolic flux of materials is sensitive to environmental factors and is comparable to variation in trace elements expected by physiological ecologists.

We presently operate an NSF-funded program to obtain bone and tooth samples from University of Malawi College of Medicine cadavers for which there exist extensive life histories.  Because their bones and teeth maintain a mineralized secretory record of their growth as incremental lines, these increments, when calibrated in real time, reveal growth rate variability at timescales ranging from several weeks to one year.