Exam 1 Flashcards
what is forensic anthropology?
applied subdiscipline of biological anthropology, used in problems of medico-legal significance
What is the use of Forensic Anthropology
to assess age, sex, stature, geographic ancestery to analyze trauma and disease from human remains
qualifications of a forensic anthropologist (osteologist)
Ph.D or MA in anth
employed by university or lab (FBI, private firms)
to determine identity of remains
qualifications of a pathologist
trained medical doctor
MD, residency in pathology
performs autopsies
establish cause of death
odontology
dental
evaluating bitemarks
aging skeletal remains
Mirco analysis
trace evidence (residues, hair, fabric, glass, soils)
DNA analysis
specific segments that vary between people to create DNA profile
Johann Friedrich Bluemenback (1752-1840)
early pioneer of physical anthropology. Interested in identifying racial ground (mostly using skulls)
Formative Period
1800s-1938, Early Forensic Pioneers
Paul Revere (1735-1818)
ameteur dentist
identified body of officer by his ivory dentures
Jefferies Wyman and Oliver Wendall Holmes
Parkman murder (1849)
used in court to identify remains of a Harvard professor
identified teeth, specialized dentures
Thomas Dwight
father of american forensic anth
set up 1sh osteology program at Harvard
Ales Hrdlicka and Earnest Hooton
worked with the FBI
showed it was important for authorities
T.Wingate Todd
Hamann-Todd collection of human and primate skeletons
many from the World Wars
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Ruxton Murder Case (Bodies under the Bridge)
known for efforts to reassemble bodies
early use of photo superposition to identify badly decomposed remains
Consolidation Period
1939-1971
1939 Guide to the Identification of Human Skeleton Material by Wilton Marion Krogman
T. Dale Steward
founder of Modern Forensic Anthropology
identify war remains (WWII and Korean War)
lead to establishment of central identification lab in Hawaii
Molecular Analysis of skeletal remains
improved techniques for recovery and analysis
identify sex, eye hair and skin color
can give positive ID
can help with georaphical ancestry
drawbacks on molecular analysis of skeltal evidence
destructive technique, most DNA is too degraded to be useful
CODIS-FBI
combined DNA index system, list of people who have committed crimes
familial DNA
in some states, public DNA is available (ancestory.com, 23andme)
finds someone related to the suspect
first used in 1987 in the UK (Colin Pitchfork murders)
migrant identification
global migration increasing, and some countries do not keep ID
requires international cooperation
decomposition research
Bass’s book about cycle of decomposition
body farms
body farms
experimentation and monitoring the process of decomposition under different conditions
isotope analysis
stable isotopes recovered from soft and hard tissues can reveal:
diet and geographic origin
methods of analysis
arthroscopic, osteometric, chemical, histological
data analysis
decision matrix, indexes, range charts, stats
decision matric
what something is by comparison
indexes
osteometric methods
range charts
allows anaysists to compare info from several different sources/ analyses to arrive at a single estimate
discriminate function
use quantitative data to discriminate among two or more predimernate groups
uniform determination of death act (UDDA)
irreverible cessation of circulatory and respiratory function
irreversible cessation of brain function including brain stem
how is death defined under law?
if no body is found, people are presumed dead after 7 years with no evidence of them
people can be tried for murder even if no body is found
medical examiner
offically trained in pathology that investigates deaths that are violent or unusual
what do medical examiners do?
performs post mortem examination, sometimes initiates inquest
coroners
lay people, voted in
no need for forensic background
in some places, coroners work as medical examiners due to under funding
autopsy
determine cause of death
1954 Medical Post Mortum Examination Act
Required forensic examination for
1) violent
2) sudden/ unexpected
3) suspicious
4) employment related
5) cremation
6) prison
physical properties of bones
elastic, strong, hard, living bones are white
what are bones compromised of
collagen and hydroxyapatite
Wolf’s Law
bone repairs and remodels itslef in response to compression tension, bending, torsion, and trauma throughout an individual’s life
ontgeny variability
bones change as a function of age
sexual variability
bones differ due to sex
general skull features, robusticity, size, element specific
geographic variability
population based variation, due to environmental factors
subtle differences in skull, low degree in variability, mostly through natural selection
idiosyncratic
individual bone variability
differences found in skeletons due to natural variations
immature ontogeny
immature (woven) forms in vitro and is temporary
characteristics of immature bones
high proportion of osteocytes
fibrous and coarse
collagen fibers arranged in random patterns
mature bones
comprised of lamellar bone tissue
orderly and organized structure
osteoblasts
bone-forming and produce osteoids
osteocytes
cells that reside in bone tissue and maintain it
oseaclasts
remove bone where it is not needed
functions of skeletal anatomy
shape and form, supports muscles, protects organs, allows movement, produces blood for the body, stores fat and minerals
musculoskeleton system
interaction of muscle and skeleton
fibrous joints
composed of fibrous cartilage or elastic connective tissue, allows little to no movement
most primitive
cartilaginous
comprised of fibrous cartilage allows for restrictive movement
synovial joints
comprised of articular cavity, capsul of a joint
sultures
cranial plates
type of fibrous joint
syndemoses
bones yet joined by a ligament
type of fibrous joint
gompnosis
union of roots of teeth with walls of dental alveoli
type of fibrous joint
synchondrosis
hyaline cartilage. replaced by bone with age
type of cartilaginous joint
symphysis
binding fibrocartilage, which is more elastic than hyaline cartilage
type of cartilanginous joint
mediolegal significance
relating to medicine and law
relevance to a current or part criminal investigation
implication to public health
SWGANTH
segregating osseous and dental remains from other kinds of materials
use of visual or gross evaluation
Ways to determine medicolegal significance
SWGANTH, Microscopic examinations(SEM?EDS), XRF, gross evaluation, microscopic evaluation
gross evaluation
plastic, wood, stones,
evaluate porosity and features
landmarks
How to establish that bones are human or non-human
segregating bones (size, shape, landmarks)
zoological comparative collection
published sources
physical collections
teeth
how to determine age of bone
evaluate context (archeological, intentional burial, assoicated material, physical features)
state of preservation of remains
Steps of Medicolegal Remains
1) Is it Bone?
2) Human or Non-Human?
3) Recent or old?
how to identify cervical vertebrae
vertebrae with two holes on the side
Atlas Vertebrae (C1)
holds up the head
Axis Vertebrae (C2)
turns the head
C7 vertebrae
transitional
PMI
post-mortem interval
Antemortem
before death
Perimortem
at the time of death
Postmortem
after death
professional who are used to estimate PMI
forensic tapology
forensic entomologist
forensic botanist
what effects the rate of decomposition
environmental factors, temp, moisture, ph/oxygen levels, cause of death, body position, buried/surface, land/water
5 stages decomposition
1) fresh
2) bloat: early decomposition
3) active decay
4) advanced decay
5) dry remains
characteristics of a body minutes after death
heart stops, lungs cease, bowels and bladder empty, skin grey, blood drains from capillaries
characteristics of a body 30 min after death
skin turns purple and waxy, lips, fingernails and toenails fade, eyes sink
autolysis
self-digestion
characteristics of a body1-7 hours after death
putrefaction:
greenish discoloration of skin
strong odor
internal organs decompose
external microorganisms enter the body
hypostatsis
blood pooling in lower body portions
how long does it take for a body to cool
12 hrs to cool, 24 hrs to be same as environment
rigor mortis
stiffening of muscles sets in until the decomposition process begins
3 hrs after death
begins in eyelids, law, neck the spreads
characteristics of the Early Decomposition stage
gasses form blister on skin
fluids leaking from openings
marks transition between early and later decomposition
insect colonization
characteristsics of advanced decay stage
greatest loss of tissue from inscets and decomposition
skin, hair, nails fall off
ends when maggots migrate awat from body and pupate
advanced decay/skeletonization
most soft tissue gone. only bone, hair, cartilage, ligaments remain
reduced insect activity
increase soil nitrogen
vegetation death below corpse
characteristics of dry decomposition stage
complete skeletonization
surrounding soil is returning to normal
PMI more difficult to deterine
adipocere formation
waxy substance that form on parts of the body with fat
forms about a month after death
if insects have access, it’s unlikely to form
how to identify the Thoracic vertebrae
vertebral arch, a body
race
socially constructed, no universal definitions
ethnicity
based on traditions, languages and culture learnsed
DNA
cannot tell language, culture, or sexual orientation
anthropometry
measurements taken on living people with soft tissue
osteometry
measurements taken on skeletal remains
macromorphometric traits
nonmetric traits
presence vs absence
rocker jaw
distinct mandible border shape found in high frequencies among Pacific Islanders
4 major plates of the skull
frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
landmarks of the skull
zygomatic, nasal bones, maxilla, mastoid process, vertex, glabella, nasion
mandible
paired bone in vitro and at birth, but soon fuses into a single arch at the symphysis
mandibular condyle
main articular
clandestine
deliberate attempt to conceal
unmarked grave
lacks official marker
(privacy, family wishes, poverty, punishment, indiviudal wishes, religious belief)
scales of analysis to locate remains and graves
google earth survery, large scale satellite imagery, GIS, drones, ground-truthing, field walking survery
geo-physical techniques to locate remains or graves
electrical resistivity, ground penetrating radar, magnetic susceptibility
cadaver dogs
specially trained dogs that locate bodies months or years after death, or body fluids that are buried
procedure for excavation and mapping
remains should be recorded and mapped before removed
procedure for single graves
careful recordation, position and orientation of a body within a grave, associatd materials and evidence
disaters
sudden catastrophic disaster resulting in death and mass burial
mass inhumations
bodies in one location and result in same cause of death (pandemic, disease, or famine)
mediolegal and safely concerns
ensure remains and evidence are secure
maintain seperation between different units recovered from the field
preparation of remains
visual examination of surface/soft tissues
bulk of soft tissue removed
remains disarticulated
remaining soft tissue removed
bones are stablilized to prevent decay
reconstruction, sorting and reassembly
damaged bones reconstructed
commingled remains sorted
each person reassembled
NISP
number of individual specimens present
MNI
minimum number of individuals
bones that make up the pelvis
sacrum
os coxae (innominate)
coccyx
sex:
biological catergory
gender
consists of the rule, roles, and norms of a society
Female skeletal differences
pelvis (due to childbrith) and hips
tearing of ligaments around pelvis during childbirth
rounded/straighter forehead
velus hair
male skeletal differences
larger jaws and faces, smaller eyes, larger mastoid process, supraorbital
terminal hair
