Forensic Anthropology Quiz

Forensic Anthropology

• Forensic anthropology is the application of anthropological theory and methods to forensic problems.
• It is extremely important when dealing with skeletal remains.
• Osteology (study of bones) and odontology (study of teeth) are critical areas of knowledge.
• Determining if skeletal remains are human and whether they have forensic importance is crucial.
• Anthropologists need knowledge of skeletal development in children and infants.
• Adults have 205 bones, while children can have up to 405 due to differences in ossification.
• Post-mortem alterations need differentiation from pre-mortem alterations.
• Anthropologists are frequently called to participate in body recovery and analysis of the taphonic context (the environment in which a body is found) which is helpful in interpreting post-mortem processes.
• Biological Profile analysis includes age, sex, ancestry and estimations of height based on measurements.

Recovering Remains

• In clandestine graves or buried sites, a grid is established, and areas photographed before any excavation work.
• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is used to detect remains.
• Remains are moved to a staging area and detailed records for evaluation.
• Taphonomic context (immediate environment) assists in understanding how long a body has been there.

Determining Sex

• Identifying sex involves examining anatomical features like the sciatic notch (narrower in males) and subpubic angle (wider in females) of the pelvis.
• In skulls, the males have more robust features in brow ridges and the mastoid process compared with females.
• Specialized measurements are important.

Determining Age

• Estimating age is based on skeletal development and fusion of bones.
• Dental development is significant, particularly for younger individuals.
• Sutures (joints connecting bones) provide clues about skeletal maturation (bones fusing by particular age ranges).

Identifying Individuals

• Positive identification requires more than just determining sex and age.
• Unique characteristics or traits like DNA, fingerprints, dental records, x-rays, or unique physical features are crucial for definitive identification.

Importance of Forensic Anthropology

• Identifying human remains and providing information about the victim.
• Assessing the skeletal structures and elements like age, sex, and trauma.
• Reconstructing the skeletal facial features for possible identification.
• Analyzing the contexts of the remains for additional information.

Science of Bone

• Osteoporosis affects bone density and potentially causes a hunched appearance.
• Strontium found in bones can provide information about where the individual lived, and isotopes found there.

How to Distinguish Ancestry

• Features, like nasal openings, prognathism, and the flatness of the face, help classify ancestry.
• Skeletal analysis is used to estimate ethnicity

Broken Bones

• Broken bones can show signs of the break, and elasticity changes during decomposition

Preliminary Field Observations

• Examine colour and texture of bone fragments to assess it as possible human remains.

Skeletal Trauma Analysis

• Analyzing skeletal remains for signs of trauma (antemortem, perimortem, postmortem)
• Broken bones and defensive injuries are assessed.
• Identifying blunt trauma or gunshot wounds.
• Analyzing animal-related damage.

Teeth

• Identifiable characteristics of teeth across stages of development; teeth come in & fall out
• Dental records can be used to identify individuals.

Skull Sutures Marks

• Sagittal, lambdoidal, squamosal sutures fuse at specific ages.
• Fused sutures indicate the individual is older than a certain age (generally 30+).

Public Bone & Sternal Rib Surfaces

• Analyzing public bones and rib surfaces for details of how long the body has been buried.
• Surface characteristics like ridges provide information.

Pelvis

• Female pelvises are wider than male pelvises (subpubic angle, coccyx or tail bone)
• Evaluating pelvises helps determine age and if the individual was pregnant during death.

DNA Analysis

• Nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA can help identify remains.

Photographic/Video Superimposition

• Overlaying a skull image onto a photograph or video.
• Craniofacial reconstruction can give a "realistic" picture.

Craniofacial Reconstruction

• Creating a model of facial features.
• Approximation of the person's appearance before death.

General Notes

• Definitions of various terms, measurements, and identification methods.
• Different types of bones' identification, measurement techniques, and analysis methods.