Transcript FILL IN NOTESx

What information
can a forensic
anthropologist find
from skeletal
remains?
First Three Questions:
1. ___________________________?
macroscopic and microscopic study
2. ___________________________?
appearance and DNA if available
3. ___________________________?
look for clothing, historic remains, teeth
If human, then proceed to identify the remains
What they can tell…
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_______________________
Modern or Ancient
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Diseases/Injuries/Conditions
Activity level/occupation (hard labor, athlete…)
_______________________
Tissues and Functions of the Human Skeletal System
Tissues and Functions of the Human Skeletal System
• Bone
– ________________________
– ________________________
– ________________________
– ________________________
– ________________________
Tissues and Functions of the Human Skeletal System
• Cartilage
– In a fetus, skeleton is made of cartilage, later replaced by bone
– Covers ends of bones (especially at joints)
• Tendons
– Connect muscles to bone
• Ligaments
– Connect one bone to another bone
What is bone?
• Organic material (collagen= spongy protein) inside
of an inorganic matrix (mostly calcium and
potassium)
– Osteocytes: bone cells
How does bone form and grow?
• _____________________________________________
• Osteoclasts circulate and recycle damaged bone
cells…”remodeling”
– Most obvious where bone ends (epiphysis) meet the bone shaft
(diaphysis)
– “growth plate” or “epiphyseal” plate
• _____________________________________________
How many bones?
• ___________________________________________
What kind?
• Long bones (femur, humerus,
radius, ulna, tibia and fibula)
• Short bones (metacarples and
metatarsals—hand bones and
foot bones)
• Flat bones (cranial bones, hip
bones, shoulder blades)
• Irregular bones (vertebra,
carpals, tarsals, many cranial
bones)
Parts of the skeleton
• __________________________:
– skull (cranium), vertebral column, ribs
• __________________________:
– Pectoral girdle (scapula and clavicleforms shoulder)
– Pelvic girdle (innominate or hip bones)
– Upper limbs (humerus, radius, ulna, etc)
– Lower limbs (femur, tibia, fibula, etc)
Axial vs.
Appendicular
Vizniak, N.A., 2008, Quick Reference Clinical Consultant
Muscle Manual, Professional Health Systems Inc, Canada
Forensic Anthropology
• Defined as the analysis of skeletal remains within a legal
investigation
• Physical Anthropologist = osteologist
• Training= BS physical anthropology
MS osteology
How could anthropologists
determine the characteristics that
we listed earlier?
Male or Female?
In men, the diameter of
the head of the femur is
larger than 51 mm. In
women, the diameter of
the head of the femur is
less than 45 mm.
Young or Old?
Several clues for age (these are only a few):
• ___________________
– Appearance of sutures can give approximate age
– In infants there are large gaps which close slowly over time
– There is a particular sequence beginning from the inside of the
skull and finishes by age 3
• ______________________________________
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Most useful for the first 25 years
Head of Femur 19 – 20 years
Part of hip 24 years
Female bones are usually 1-2 years ahead of males in
development
Skull Sutures
Cartilage to Bone…
(“ossification”)
Epiphyseal Fusion:
A General Guide
Epiphyses
• Teeth (Dentition)
Determining Age
• Fusion of the
vertebra occurs
at different
times and
locations, but is
usually
complete by age
25.
4 year old Vertebra
30 Year old Vertebra
71 Year Old Vertebra
Geographic
Origin
Determination of Race:
European
Trait
Nasal Index:
<.48
Orbital openings:
round
Nasal Spine:
Prominent spine
Nasal Silling /
Guttering:
Sharp ridge
(silling)
Prognathism:
Straight
Nasal
spine:
Prominent
Progathism: straight
Shape of
Orbital
Openings:
Rounded,
somewhat
square
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cc/Skullcauc.gif
Determination of Race:
Asian (Asian decent and Native
American descent)
Trait
Nasal Index
Nasal Spine
.48-.53
Somewhat
prominent
spine
Nasal Silling/
Guttering
Rounded ridge
Prognathism
Variable
Shape of Orbital
Openings
Rounded,
somewhat
circular
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Skullmong.gif
Determination of Race:
African: (everyone of African
decent and West Indian decent)
Trait
Nasal Index
>.53
Nasal Spine
Very small spine
Nasal Silling/
Guttering
No ridge (guttering)
Prognathism
Prognathic
Shape of
Orbital
Openings
Rectangular or square
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Skullneg.gif
Maxillae
Note shapes of nasal openings…
Shovel-shaped incisors
Spatulate (flat backed) incisors
Orbital Shapes
Estimation of Stature
• Intact Corpse – easy
• Dismembered – must be based on long bones of the
corpses
• Trotter Method – mathematical regression formula based
on the Terry collection and hundreds of servicemen from
WW II and the Korean War.
Determining Stature
• Ideally all long bones are available for stature
determination.
• Bones are measured using an osteometric board for
accuracy.
• The measurements are then put into standard formulae
Clues to Cause of Death
• _______________
– Attachment for tongue, mandible, larynx, etc…
– U-shaped bone in neck
– Fracture suggests strangulation
Clues to Cause of Death
• Beveling
– Exit side is larger in
diameter than entrance for a
high velocity projectile
(bullet)
• Cut Marks, Chop Marks,
Scrape Marks
– Caused by a tool
• Gnaw Marks
– Postmortem- caused by animal
activity
Identification of an Individual
• Dental records
• Antemortem x-rays (show old fractures,
implants, etc)
• Frontal Sinuses
• DNA (if possible- in teeth and marrow)
Time Since Death
• Bones are subject to weathering and
scatter.
• Bodies left on the surface are
skeletonized within 8 months.
• If buried, it will take between 1 and 2
years to become completely
skeletonized and in arid areas bodies
may become mummified.
Time of Death
• Scatter is important to the Forensic Anthropologist in
estimating time of death and burial.
• The number and types of bones available at the scene
indicates the amount of time the body has been in that spot
(smaller bones get lost first).
– 3 weeks: articulated bones
– 5 weeks: some scatter, some articulated
– 4 months: disarticulated, within 10’ circle
– 7 to 8 months: most bones within 10’ circle and all within
20’
– 1 year: small bones missing, complete disarticulation
– 2 to 4 years: some bones broken, scattered 40’, some
large bones missing
– 12+ years: bone rot
“The Body Farm”
• Facility instituted at the University of Tennessee by Dr.
William Bass
• Human decomposition is scientifically studied to help us
understand decay process as well as how to determine a
better estimate of time since death and cause of death
More info on Forensic Anthropology
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http://www.theabfa.org/
http://whyfiles.org/192forensic_anthro/index.html
http://people.uncw.edu/albertm/
http://web.utk.edu/~fac/
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/biology/forensics/
http://www.tncrimlaw.com/forensic/f_anthro.html