Forensic Anthropology By J. Dickens

What does a forensic anthropologist do? Tries to id decomposed or mutilated bodies and analyze skeletal remains Determines if bones are human or not What is the age, sex, race? What is the COD?

Terms Ossification is the formation of bone by the activity of osteoblasts and minerals. Tuberosity is the knot on the side of the elbow Taphonomy is the study of changes to biological organisms between death & discovery

Changes with age The epiphyses are the growing end of long bones. They are soft and cartilaginous during the growing period but gradually harden into solid bone and fuse with the main shaft of the bone as adulthood is reached.

Changes come with age 17-20 yo- bones of upper limbs becoming completely ossified 18-23 yo bones of lower limbs becoming completely ossified 23-25 yo bone of the sternum, clavicles, and vertebrae become completely ossified Female aging of the skeleton is usually about 1 year ahead of the male

Skulls Sutures are at the top of the skull Infants have large gaps. These gaps close up after the age of 30. This fusing process occurs in a particular sequence beginning from the inside of the skull and working outwards Complete absence of closure indicates that the skeleton is less than 30 yo

Female VS Male Skull Less pronounced muscle attachment Less pronounced ridge globular frontal bone shallow palate More pronounced muscle attachment more pronounced ridge slanting frontal bone deep palate

Face Females have less sloping mid-foreheads, more pointed nose, smaller, more rounded chin, smaller teeth

A) Male cranial mass more blocky & massive B)Male temporal ridge is more square shaped and prominent C) female supraorbital margin is sharper, males is round & dull (above eyes) D Zygomatic bone more pronounced in males

E) Mandible of female is rounded, male square F) Male forehead (frontal bone) is more slopping & lower G) Male has a deeper cranial mass H) Supercilary arch is larger and more pronounced in men

I) Males gonion most posterior inferior point on angle of mandibleis more flared out and sharply angled J) Teeth larger in males

Pelvic Cavity In the female the upper end of the pelvis is tilted forward, the sacrum is shorter & wider with less curvature, coccyx is more movable & tilted backward, width of pelvis is greater, more spacious. It has an oval to round shape while the mans is more heart shaped Pubic arch is greater than 100 degrees

Vitruvian Man Palm is width of 4 fingers foot is the width of 4 palms length of a man’s outspread arms is = to his height hairline to bottom of chin is 1/10 height height =4 cubits or 24 palms elbow to tip of hand is 1/5 height

Porportions Cont. Length of hand is 1/10 height bottom of chin to nose is 1/3 length of face hairline to eyebrows is 1/3 length of face length of ear is 1/3 length of face

More ratios Foot to height… divide the length of a person’s left foot by height, multiply by 100 Results should be about 15.. Length of foot is approximately 15% of height height in inches=(1.880 X femur length) + 32.010 Males… for females height in inches =(1.945 X femur length) + 28.679