Forensic Anthropology Overview

Forensic Anthropology

• Forensic anthropology is the application of anthropological theory and methods to forensic problems.
• It's crucial when dealing with skeletal remains.
• Determining if skeletal remains are human and if they have forensic significance involves osteology (study of bones), odontology (study of teeth), and taphonomy (human form).
• Adult skeletons have 205 bones; children/infants have up to 405 due to differences in ossification.
• Post-mortem alterations need differentiation from pre-mortem changes.
• Forensic anthropologists frequently participate in body recovery and taphonomic context analysis.
• Analysis is helpful for understanding post-mortem processes.

Biological Profile

• Biological profile analysis involves studying skeletal remains to determine characteristics like ancestry, age, sex, and population.
• Ancestry estimation is based on skeletal shape and size.
• Age is estimated by analyzing skeletal development, dental eruption patterns, and suture fusion.
• Sex assessment relies on the characteristics of specific skeletal elements.
• Statistical methods are used for evaluating height from long bone lengths.

Recovering Remains

• Clandestine graves require systematic recording of the site's spatial layout before any excavation.
• Ground-penetrating radar aids in locating remains.
• Staging areas are used for processing and documenting remains.
• Samples and data are collected from the site's surroundings.
• Taphonomic context, the environment where the body was buried, helps determine how long the body has been there

Determining Sex

• Sex determination from skeletons uses measurements and shapes (e.g., sciatic notch, subpubic angle, and mastoid process).
• Females typically show a wider pelvic structure and a less prominent brow ridge.

Determining Age

• Age estimation involves the evaluation of skeletal changes.
• Open suture fusion (e.g., coronal, sagittal, lambdoidal, squamosal) helps estimate age. Dental development is also a factor.

Determining Ancestry

• Ancestry can be estimated by analyzing facial features and other distinctive skeletal traits.

Estimating Time of Death

• Trauma analysis assesses the presence and timing of injuries.
• The condition of bones and bone tissue is also analyzed in conjunction with forensic anthropological findings.
• Bone analysis examines the presence of broken bones as well as factors like diseases and toxicology associated exposure

Importance of Forensic Anthropology

• Identifying skeletal remains as human or non-human
• Establishing a biological profile of the victim (age, sex, etc.)
• Assisting in identifying missing persons
• Applying techniques developed in 1849 to skeletal analysis
• Using facial reconstructions to identify remains

Skeletal Biology and Geography

• Strontium levels in bones can help determine the geographic origin of the individual.
• Analyzing bone structure and characteristics provide clues about diet, physical activity, or environmental factors

Skeletal Trauma

• Bone trauma analysis assesses injuries prior to, during, and after death.
• Various types of trauma can be analyzed on bone, including injuries from blunt force, sharp force, or gun shot wounds.
• Injuries are often compared to patterns present in injuries observed in injuries inflicted during physical altercations, domestic violence, or in other specific events.
• Animal or insect gnaw marks, insect activity on bones, or other similar patterns can also be examined by forensic anthropologists.

Analysis of Skeletal Remains

• Determining the cause of death, trauma, disease, or other conditions that may have affected the individual
• Evaluating bone fracture characteristics or patterns in relation to how or why these fractures may have developed
• Utilizing DNA analysis when appropriate for identifying a decedent
• Applying appropriate skeletal analysis and comparison to medical records, dental records, or other sources of information.
• Using photographic and video superimpositions, models, or reconstructions for creating an approximation of the appearance of the decedent

DNA Analysis

• Nuclear DNA analysis from skeletal remains helps with identification.
• When compared with a relative's DNA, the individual can be identified.