Some say death is the end, yet in a lab that few know exists at the University, death is only the beginning to scientific discovery and learning about past life.

Inside of the Georgia Museum of Natural History on campus, the zooarchaeology lab was created in 1977 to explore how animal remains reveal past relationships between the environment and humans. The comparative collection, composed of 4,200 animal skeletons, is known for making the most of untimely animal deaths.

The vast majority of the specimens in the collection were donated by the Department of Natural Resources in the form of roadkill. Essentially, researchers have made incredible use of otherwise unfortunate situations.

Mostly local animals are found in the lab, but one of the more unusual animals donated was a manatee that perished in a boating accident.

Elizabeth Reitz, a professor of anthropology, manages the lab.

“These things are important,” Reitz said in reference to Georgia’s natural history.

“Not only are we making the most of the resources and funding we have, we are utilizing wildlife that was unnecessarily affected by humans.”

The lab emphasizes the actual use of the collection rather than its origins. Often, animal bones found on archaeological sites are mailed or delivered by hand for identification.

Student interns and researchers then use the skeletons in the comparative collection to pinpoint which animals were present at the site. The daunting task of identifying the origin of a bone as well as which species it belongs to takes a lot of experience and patience.

Even with 300 formal cases under their belt, some identifications take months or years at a time.

In turn, clients (mostly archaeologists) receive valuable information about what the humans were eating, as well which animals were used for socioeconomic purposes.

“The most exciting aspect of research for me is figuring out which animal I’m dealing with when looking at a single bone,” Reitz said.

Comparing her work to an exciting puzzle, Reitz said the ultimate satisfaction of unveiling a part of history makes all of the time spent and hard work put in worthwhile.

Budget cuts during the past decade have made the zooarchaeology lab and the museum difficult to maintain, she said.

“We aren’t doing these things because we need stuff to do, we do what we can to ensure that the heritage of Georgia’s natural history survives,” Reitz said.

Although the lab is receiving less money for maintenance each year, it has no problem attracting prestigious scholars.

The lab has hosted scientists such as Kelly Orr, who is an intern and a visiting scientist from the Smithsonian Institution, who works with the comparative collection.

She collaborates with other scholars and student interns, ensuring the efficiency and thoroughness of the identification process.