1. Forensic Anthropology:
What We Learn From Bones

2. Forensic anthropology
studies identifying characteristics on the remains of an individual
Unique characteristics can demonstrate sex, race, height, and physical health of a victim

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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