(FAY) Forensic Anthropology Module Overview

Forensic Anthropology

"As those who study them have come to learn, bones make good witnesses - although they speak softly, they never lie and they never forget" Dr. Clyde Collins Snow, forensic anthropologist (Quoted in "The Bone Detectives" by Donna M Jackson at the front page)
Forensic Anthropology is the study of remains to identify characteristics such as age, sex, or ancestry to cases of legal importance. Forensic Anthropology is involved in cases with remains that are in advanced decomposition, burned, mutilated or unrecognizable for various reasons. A Forensic Anthropologist is trained in archeological excavation, in addition to osteology, facial reconstruction, physical anatomy and many other areas of science in order to gather as many details as possible to reconstruct the person's life and appearance to aid in the investigation.

Essential Questions

  1. What is Forensic Anthropology and why is it important?
  2. How do Forensic Anthropologists differentiate between human and animal remains?
  3. What information can a Forensic Anthropologist gather from remains?

Key Terms

  1. Anthropology - The scientific study of all aspects of human development and interaction.
  2. Forensic Anthropology - Studies the identifying characteristics on the remains of an individual to cases of legal importance. Height, race, sex, and physical health are generally what Forensic Anthropologists strive to identify.
  3. Bones - The hard, rigid form of connective tissue constituting most of the skeleton of vertebrates, composed chiefly of calcium salts.
  4. Suture -  The line of junction or an immovable joint between two bones, especially of the skull.
  5. Epiphysis - The end of a long bone that is originally separated from the main bone by a layer of cartilage but later becomes united to the main bone through ossification.
  6. Ossification - The natural process of bone formation.
  7. Post-mortem - Occurring after death.
  8. Ante-mortem - Occurring before death.
  9. Peri-mortem - Occurring at or around the time of death.
  10. Symphysis - Growing together of bones originally separate, as of the two pubic bones or the two halves of the lower jawbone.
  11. Humerus - Bone extending from the shoulder to the elbow.
  12. Femur - The longest and thickest bone of the human skeleton extends from the pelvis to the knee.
  13. Radius - The outer and slightly shorter of the two bones of the human forearm (thumb-side).
  14. Sciatic Notch - The angled edge of both halves of the posterior (rear) side of the pelvis measurement of this angle is used to determine sex in human skeletons. Although its width varies among populations, narrow notches indicate a male and wider notches indicate a female.
  15. Mandible - The lower jawbone in vertebrates.
  16. Zygomatic Bone - The arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.
  17. Archeology - The branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people and their cultures.
  18. Ancestry - Refers to the genetic heritage of an individual.
  19. Biological Profile - Age, sex, ancestry, stature as determined by the analysis of bones.
  20. Tibia - The inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle.
  21. Ulna - Inner and larger bone of the forearm, attached to the wrist and located on the side of the little finger.
  22. Odontology - Examination of bite marks and dental identification of corpses.
  23. Sternum - Breastbone orbit
  24. Ilium - The upper and widest of the three bones making up the hipbone.
  25. Fibula - The outer and thinner of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle.
  26. Clavicle - Bone linking the scapula and sternum collarbone.
  27. Maxilla - The upper jawbone in vertebrates fused to the cranium.
  28. Cranium - Skull
  29. Ischium - Lower portion of the pelvic bone.
  30. Sacrum - Wedge-shaped bone consisting of five fused vertebrae forming the posterior part of the pelvis.
  31. Coccyx - The tailbone, made up of the four fused vertebrae at the base of the spinal column.
  32. Compression Fracture - A fracture caused by the compression of one bone, especially a vertebra, against another.
  33. Torsion Fracture - A bone fracture resulting from the twisting of a limb. These are often seen in sports accidents and cases of child abuse.
  34. Greenstick Fracture - One side of a bone is broken and the other is bent, most commonly seen in children.
  35. Parry Fracture - A fracture caused by a bending force in the ulnar bone of the arm. It can be caused by a person holding up their arms to ward off being hit by an attacker and is often seen in deaths resulting from a violent struggle.
  36. Osteology - Study of the human skeleton.

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