Forensic Science | Forensic Anthropology

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Main > Piecing Together

Identity > Forensic
Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology

When bones or skeletons are found, they are taken to a forensic laboratory for examination.
The job of an anthropologist, a forensic scientist specializing in the area of bones, is to
examine the bones, to possibly deduce the gender, age, height, race, as well as medical
history and manner of death.
Select one of the following topics to read more:
--> The basic task

Of Interest
A serial killer or
rapist is defined as
someone who
commits 3 or more
crimes with only a
short period of
time in between.

--> Growth rate

--> Gender
--> Height
--> Bone defects
Case Study

The Basic Task

Top^

The first step an anthropologist takes during the examination of bones, is to find out
whether the bones are human or animal, as sometimes certain animal bones will resemble
that of human bones. Once this has been determined, the next step is finding the age of
the bones by noting the growth and decay that has occurred in the bones.

Growth Rate

Top^

Teeth that have or have not grown

can also reveal the age of the
skeleton, as young children will
have not lost their milk teeth and
at the age of 18, wisdom teeth first
appear. During the teenage years,
bones become thicker and larger
and fuse together in a process
known as 'ossification'. Ossification
occurs in 800 points of the body
and is the best guide to revealing
the age of a child's skeleton. An
example of ossification occurs in
the arms, where at the age of six,
the two bone plates form at either
end of the outer forearm (radius).

On the morning of
the 27th
December 1996,
Patsy Ramsey
called the police
to report her
5-year-old
daughter, Jon
Benet Ramsey,
missing. The little
girl had
disappeared from
her
bedroom...more...
To download Flash Player:

* Comparison of a 5 yr to a 60 yr old skull.

Photo courtesy of Valeri Craigle and the
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library

At the 17 in males and 20 in females, the lower bone plate and the radius fuse together
and soon after, the upper bone plate and radius fuse together. The bone in the body that
finishes growing last is the collarbone, which ceases growth at 28 years. In the bones of
the elderly, degeneration begins to occur. Anthropologists will look for tiny spikes that start
to appear on the edges of the vertebrae, the wearing of teeth due to age and joints that
show signs of arthritis. All of the bones in the body will deteriorate with age.

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Gender

*The space between the hips of a woman are much larger

than that of a man. Photo courtesy of Valeri Craigle and the
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library

Height

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When determining male and female in a
skeleton, anthropologists look at the skull
and hip bones, as there lie clues to the sex
of the skeleton. The skull has three points
in determining gender. These are the ridges
located above the eyes, the bone situated
just below the ear and the occiput, the bone
located at the lower back of the skull. The
latter two bones are muscle attachment
sites, all of which are more prominent in
men, indicating greater strength. The
difference in hips is very obvious, as a
man's hip are narrower and a women's hips
are wider, being built for child bearing.
However there are smaller differences in
other bones, which anthropologists rely on
when there is no hip or skull bone.

Top^

Determining the height of a skeleton involves reassembling the skeleton and measuring the
length of significant bones. By adding 10-11cm or four inches onto the bone length, it
accounts for the missing tissue and muscle. If parts of the skeleton are missing, certain
individual bones are used as a height guide. The longer the bone is, the better and more
accurate the estimate will be, so the femur is measured first. The human height measures
roughly two and two thirds the length of the femur, though it also depends on the race and
sex of the skeleton.

Bone Defects

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Disease, injury and birth defects are also

revealed in the bones. Birth defects such as
spina bifida, some infectious diseases, poor diet
and cancer can all be damaging to the bones. In
the case of injuries, broken bones and mended
bones are easily visible and because they are so
easily visible, mended bones can reveal identity.
Work and hard labour leave damage such as
occupational arthritis, which visibly changes the
appearance of affected joints. The skeletal
remains of someone who has died a particularly
violent death are evident in the bones. Bullet
wounds leave round holes, sharp weapons cause
chips to be taken out of the bone and fractures
in the bones also suggest forms of violence.
Distinguishing between fractures that occurred
before and after death is difficult, but there are
some clues that are helpful. For example, the
bones of a deceased person break differently
compared to the bones of a live person and
* The wire left in bone to repair a fracture may give away
healing at the edge of a fracture indicates
the unknown identity. Photo courtesy of Valeri Craigle
and the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library
injuries during life.

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