Exam 1 Flashcards
Anthropology (def)
The study of humans/ancestors, primates, and biocultures
Artifacts (def)
An object made by humans
Accreditation vs. Certification
Accreditation: the review of a practice to make sure it’s up to standard
Certification: Credentials to verify someone’s competence for a job
Sociocultural Anthro
The study of human culture
Linguistic Anthro
The study of languages
Archaeology
The study of past human cultures through the analysis of physical remains
Biological/Physical Anthro (def/ 6 types)
The study of the biology of humans
1) Human osteology: study of bones
2) Primatology: Study of primates
3) Skeletal Biology: The study of human skeletons (organ, tissue level)
4) Paleontology: The study of human records
5) Pathology: Study of disease and how it spreads
6) Forensic Anthropology: Identification of unknown human remains (legal context)
Objectives of Forensic Anthropology (4)
- Makes biological profiles
- Investigates manner of death
- Assist in investigations
- Testify in court
Thomas Dwight
(1843-1911)
“Father of American Forensic Anthropology”
Wilton Marion Krogman
(1903-1987)
- First “true” Forensic Anthropologist
- Made the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Guide
T. Dale Stewart
(1901-1997)
- Help to figure out the age of skeletons
Organizations and Standards
- SDO
- SWGANTH
- ASB
- OSAC
- JPAC/CIL/DPAA
- DMORT
Legal Context for FA
-Frye
-FRE
-Daubert
- Frye: “General acceptance”, used to determine if evidence can be used in court
- FRE: allows admission of facts to help a case
- Daubert: scientific conclusions based on the scientific method
Careers in FA
- Medical Examiner: forensic pathologist
- Coroners: appointed officials
Collagen
Structural Support - organic
Hydroxyapatite
Supports bone growth
Osteoblasts
form new bone
Osteoid
forms before bone tissues emerge
Osteocytes
regulates the formation of new/mature bone
osteoclasts
removes old bone
periosteum
connective tissue
(bone skin)
Compact (cortical) bone
bone tissue that makes up the outer layer
Trabecular (cancellous) bone
spongey bone tissue
Diploe
spongey bone that separates the inner/outer layer of the cortical
Osteon (Haversian System)
basic building blocks of the bone - supply blood to bone
Osteogenesis
Process of bone formation
Woven Bone
rapid repair of the bone
Lamellar Bone
makes the woven bone stronger
Primary Ossification
the first area of the bone to form
Secondary Ossification
appears after the primary ossification started
Intramembranous Ossification
Transforms mesenchymal tissue into bone tissue
Endochondral Ossification
Transforms cartilage into bone
Diaphysis
the shaft of a bone
Epiphysis
the end part of a bone (pineal)
Metaphysis
neck portion of a bone
Wolff’s Law
Bones will adapt to the degree of mechanical loading
Standard Anatomical Position
- Anterior: front
- Posterior: back
- Superior: directed upwards
- Inferior: head or lower
- Proximal: center
- Distal: located away from an area
- Dorsal: Upper side
- Medial: Middle/center
- Lateral: side of middle
- Endocranial: interior of skull
- Ectocranial: exterior of skull
- Articulate: where 2 bones meet
Bipedalism
ability to walk on 2 legs
Quadrupedalism
ability to walk on 4+ legs
Parts of the Cranium
- Neurocranium: upper/back of the skull
- Splanchnocranium: front portion of the skull
- Frontal: forehead section of the skull
- Parietals: Side/roof of the skull
- Occipital: back of the skull
- Temporals: side of the skull (ears)
- Maxilla: upper jaw
- Zygomatic: upper side of the face (cheekbones)
- Mandible: lower jaw
Sinuses
- Frontal
- Maxilla
External Occipital Protuberance
bony bump in the back of the skull
Mastoid Process
helps to drain fluid from middle ear
Sutures
- Coronal: separates frontal and parietals
- Sagittal: separates the parietals into two
- Lambdoidal: separates the parietals and occipital
- Squamosal: separates the temporal from others
- Metopic: commonly found in the frontal of an infants skull
- Basilar: base of the skull
TMJ (temporomandibular joint)
Connects the mandible to skull
Axial Skeleton
Central part of the skeleton
Appendicular
Upper and Lower part of the skeleton
Thorax
- Manubrium
- Body
- Xiphoid Process
Vertebrae
- Cervical (7)
- Atlas
- Axis
- Thoracic (12)
- Lumbar (5)
Hyoid
No direct bone attachment, connects through muscles
Ossified Laryngeal Cartilage
aging process where hyaline cartilage turns into bone
Types of ribs (3)
- True
- Floating
- False
Pectoral girdle and upper limb (5)
- Clavicle
- Scapula
- Humerus
- Radius
- Ulna
Glenoid Fossa
A depression in a bone so fit another
Olecranon Fossa
provides proper movement and stability to the elbow joint
What bones are in the hand? (3)
- Carpals
- Metacarpals
- Hand Phalanges
Pelvic Girdle (8)
- Os Coxa (innominate): Hipbone
- Ilium: top of the hipbone
- Ischium: lower and back part of the hipbone
- Pubis: sides of the pelvis
- Pubic Symphysis: connects the pelvic bones
- Acetabulum: socket on the lateral face of the hipbone
- Auricular surface: ear-shaped area found along the sacrum
- Sciatic Notch: notch in the ilium
Lower Limbs (7)
- Femur
- Patella
- tibia
- fibula
- Tarsals
- Metatarsals
- Foot Phalanges
Odontology
The study of teeth, their structure, and their diseases
Dentition (def. and types)
The arrangement and condition of an individuals teeth
- crown
- root
- enamel
- incisors
- canines
- premolars
- molars
- human dental formula
Oseometric
the measuring of bones
Morphoscopic
examination of the shape of a small particle/object
Macroscopic
visible to the naked eye
Microscopic
visible with only a microscope
Osteometric Landmarks
points in the skeleton used for measurements and comparison
Calipers (2)
- Sliding calipers
- Spreading calipers
Osteometric Board
used to measure bones
Regression Analysis
estimate stature from skeletal remains
Decision Trees
helps estimate age, ancestry, and sex
Discriminant Function
helps develop sex determination
Software Programs in FA (3)
- Fordisc: classifies adults by ancestry and sex
- MorphoPASSE: determines sex using traits from pelvis/skull
- FDB (Forensic anthropology data bank): stores information about cases
Cognitive Bias
how a persons belief/motives can affect a way evidence is collected
Confirmation Bias
warping or looking for information that fits a pre-existing bias
Geometric Morphometrics (GM)
analyzes the shape and size variation based on a range of traits
Secular Change
Non-genetic changes that occur over multiple generations
Radiology
- CT
- XRay
Virtopsy
uses scanning and 3D imaging to examine a body for signs of death
Histology
study of microscopic structure and composition of biological tissue
Light Microscopy
helps analyze bone and tissue
Elemental Analysis
- Isotopes
- Isoscapes
Medicolegal Significance
Determines the importance of evidence in a legal case involving medicine
Resolving Commingling (def/ 4 types)
(def) separating mixed human remains into individual remains
1) Pair matching
2) MNI (identifies fewest # of individuals)
3) Articulation (where bones meet in the body)
4) Oseteometric Sorting (sort by size/shape)
Skeletal Sampling
the collection of bone samples for the purpose of developing standards on determining identifying factors (ex. age, sex ancestry)
Contemporary
Skeletal material was recent
Taphonomy
the state of preservation and modification of remains
Taphonomic Processes
the changes that occur to organic remains as they transition from living to fossilized
Skeletal vs. Non-Skeletal Materials
- Skeletal: organic substances made up of various collagen and hydroxyapatite
Features that can be used to differentiate skeletal from non-skeletal
Morphology, microscopy, radiology, elemental analysis, alternate light source
Human vs. Non-Human Remains
- Human: body of diseased person
- Non-Human: body that is not of a human being
Differences between human and nonhuman skeleton
- Human: characterized by osteonal tissue
- Nonhuman: body that is not of a human being
Cremains
cremated remains
Tri-state Crematory
scandal that happened due to 339 bodies that were dumped, not cremated
Histological Analysis
bone microstructure and learn about human remains
Elemental Analysis
identify human remains and determine origin of material
XRF
analyzes human remains and other materials
Radiography
documents and investigates skeletal remains and trauma
SEM/EDS
analyzes bones and other evidence
(Scanning Electrons Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy)
ALS (Alternate Light Source)
search crime scenes for evidence
Zooarchaeology
comparative vertebrae anatomy
Plexiform
tissue type commonly found in animals
Difference between Quadrupeds and Bipeds
of legs
Radiocarbon Dating (The Bomb Curve)
estimated time of death based on carbon levels
Baculua
Correlate with post-copulatory selection
pRIA
identify the species using teeth/bone structure
DNA
Identify and reconstruct biological profiles
Recent vs. Nonrecent Human Skeletal Remains
Recent: Living tissue
Nonrecent: Non-living tissue
Clandestine (covert) Burial
unrecorded/unmarked burial site
Colonel William Shy
grave led to creating of body farm
Trophy Skulls
aid in analysis of origin and forensic significance
William Bass
founder of the Body Farm
Cause vs Manner of Death
COD: what actually killed the person
MOD: how they died
