Around two dozen researchers have already traveled to Terceira to study the Azores Identified Skeleton Collection, currently under the legal guardianship of the municipality of Praia da Vitória. The collection’s curator, Félix Rodrigues, a researcher at the University of Coimbra and specialist in biological anthropology, revealed to DI – Diário Insular newspaper.

“The spectrum of studies carried out has been quite broad.

Among the most relevant examples are the development of artificial intelligence algorithms for estimating biological sex through mobile applications, the evaluation of the identification potential of medical devices associated with the skeleton in forensic contexts, the analysis and comparison of anatomical variants between the Azorean and continental populations, and the assessment of the environmental impact of the Lajes Base on the biology of the local population,” said Félix Rodrigues.

The collection has also hosted internships for students from various institutions, including the European Forensic Institute in Malta.

Félix Rodrigues believes that the collection will attract more researchers “consistently in the future, similar to what happens on the mainland.”

“Portugal currently occupies a leading international position in this area of research, and the creation of an island collection contributes to consolidating this position. In fact, visits by new researchers are already planned for the near future,” he revealed.

The curator noted that “these researchers and students travel to Terceira Island at their own expense and, for the most part, during the low tourist season,” emphasizing that the collection’s contribution “is not only scientific, but also, albeit modestly, economic.”

The Azores Identified Skeleton Collection was created in 2023 to address the need for an ethical destination for unclaimed bones in the municipal cemeteries of Terceira Island, enabling their preservation and scientific study.

It currently has 166 skeletons, but space limitations have led to a temporary halt in exhuming unclaimed remains.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço-director.

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.