Forensic Anthropology:

What We Learn From Bones

Forensic anthropology

studies identifying characteristics on the remains of an individual

Unique characteristics can demonstrate sex, race, height, and physical health of a victim

Aging of bone

Children build bone faster than the bone breaks down, so bones increase in size

This process reverses around age 30

Condition of bones can tell investigators a person’s age, level of physical activity, overall state of nutrition and amount of calcium they consumed

Osteobiography

Defined as “the story of a life told by the bones”

Ex.: right handed people have larger bones in their right arm than their left, athletes will show extra wear and tear on different joints, people who do physical work have denser bones than someone who has a desk job, etc.

Male vs. Female

Female skeleton – smoother and less knobby than male skeleton

Female pelvis – subpubic angle is wider than 90 degrees, male is less than 90 degrees. Also, pelvis is scarred if she has borne children

Female femur – angle in relation to the pelvis is greater in females, straighter in males

Male vs. Female Skull

A. Male cranial mass is more blocky & massive

B. Female supraorbital margin is sharper

C. Male zygomatic is more pronounced

D. Male mandible is more square, female is rounded

How to Distinguish Age

-Suture marks in the skull – lamboid suture starts to close at age 21, completely closes by age 30; coronal suture closes by age 50

-Epiphyseal lines disappear at different times for different bones

-Fusion of long bones happens at different times for different bones

How to Distinguish Height

Measuring bones like the humerus or femur can help determine the approximate height of an individual

Mathematical formula between the bone length and the estimated height varies depending on the race and the bone used

If race and sex are known, height prediction will be more accurate

How to Distinguish Race

Shape of the eye socket

Absence or presence of a nasal spine

Measurements of the nasal index

Projection of the upper jaw

Width of face

Facial Reconstruction

Shape and size of bones varies from person to person and is related to the overall shape and size of the muscles and tissues that lay on top of bones

Computer analysis for facial reconstruction is helpful in crime scene identification

Bones & DNA Evidence

Bones contain mitochondrial DNA which is DNA that is inherited from the mother

Results can be compared with living relatives on the mother’s side of the family to determine the identity of skeletal remains

Skeletal Trauma Analysis

Attempts to make distinctions between the patterns caused by weapons and the damage and wear caused by the environment after death to figure out what happened to a body before and after death