Thread by @ChrisStantis

I'd like to comment on the human remains section of this paper in Scientific Reports, as a bioarchaeologist with experience in the ancient Near East.
In the paper, the authors claim Tell ElHammam was destroyed by a comet/asteroid, and is the Biblical Sodom...

https://twitter.com/MarkBoslough/status/1440377970497966089

Now, I'm not going to post any images of human remains from the paper in this thread, but I if people need access to the pdf let me know.
First, their evidence:
First, they find disarticulated large human remains, MNI (minimum number of individuals = 2)...

Two fragmented skulls, a few ribs, a pelvis frag, perhaps an arm bit, and articulated lower limbs. These remains, they argue, were 'rapidly entombed by pulverized mudbrick'

There's a skull just north of this photo snippet. I'm not an expert in ceramics etc, but this doesn't look like a lot of mudbrick to qualify as an "entombing".

They also say they found disarticulated bone fragments sieving 100 1x1 m squares, amounted to 3.2g/kg material sieved, with the largest piece being 2.1x0.8 cm.
Friendos, that's not much bone.
Most importantly, though they say human, there's no evidence these fragments are human

The authors seem to imply that the disarticulated remains cutting into a tall with no burial goods is somehow unusual in the ancient Near East, and I don't see that. No human remains were radiocarbon dated, only nearby charcoal, and these might be intercutting/intercut burials

In the lower tell, sieving is once again used and the largest bone found was 4x47 mm, and the osteologists could not determine if this was infant or small mammal. I cannot say what they're thinking this implies

In the more complete legs, hyper-flexed toes are considered 'consistent with perimortem or postmortem exposure to high temperatures'
I'd welcome experts in cremation on that opinion (@KabwePRQ @tjuthompson?)

I'll stay true to on not posting images of human remains, but check out Fig 46 where they post a rib bone and claim salt-rich sedimentation. Detailed geochemical analysis might be more interesting than I'm giving credit, but in my eyes? Cementation is common in old material

In the discussion, they say that perimortem trauma is evident of bones being 'violently torn apart by the powerful airburst/impact, leaving only a few hand and foot bones still articulated and unbroken.'

There are no images showing perimortem trauma so I can't comment on that

But finding a few articulated lower limbs? That's not uncommon. Many burials in the ancient Near East were 'intramural', meaning people buried their dead under or near their houses. The house falls, new buildings go up, the bodies are cut into.

The authors have created this story of a blast wave incinerating and flaying exposed flesh, shattering bones into small fragments that scattered and were buried in a destruction layer, and charred anything exposed.

What do I see?

I see a few bodies intercut by new building over time, no secure dating, and small bones of indeterminate species that are more likely to be dominantly local animals.

I also see the medical doctor commenting on this is affiliated with the "Comet Research Group". This group, according to their website, is dedicated to finding evidence of 'Killer comets"

I welcome other bioarchaeologists specializing in the region to have a look at the paper and chime in if I missed anything.

@petrabonegirl @ArwaKharobi both have years more experience in osteology than I do for example (follow them as well, they're cool folks)

Yooooo this thread got turned into a Phoenix Wright riff I can't believe it!