Exam 1 Flashcards
What is culture?
the sum total of learned behavior of a group of people
What is adaptation?
The way humans change often to better suit their physical or social environments
What are the four fields of Anthropology?
Cultural anthropology
Linguistic anthropology
Archaeology
Biological anthropology
Four sub disciplines of physical anthropology?
Paleoanthropology
Primatology
Bioarchaeology
Forensic anthropology
What is the holistic approach?
Part of a system interacting and interconnecting to make up a whole.
What does a forensic anthropologist do?
Help law enforcement identify remains, gather evidence, solve cases, remove soft tissue.
How do anthropologists differ from medical examiners?
Cannot determine cause of death. Deal with bone.
Why are they called into mass casualties like 9/11?
To help recover remains and identify them based on limited evidence,
How do anthropologists use x-ray, photos, and facial reconstruction to identify a set of remains
By comparing ante/peri-mortem photos/medical records and comparing them to post-mortem remains to draw parallels and find similarities in individuals.
How do they determine if remains are human?
looking at the bone structure. (cortical and trabecular bone with distinct layers)
What are the steps in the identification process?
Is it bone Is it human Is it modern How many Who is it Evidence of trauma What happened after death
What are the main skeletal indicators used to identify a subadult’s remains?
unfused bone (epithelial fusion), teeth (dental records)
What are the main skeletal indicators used to identify a young adult’s remains (13-21)?
unfused/partially fused bone, teeth
What are skeletal indicators from an adult?
complete epiphyseal union/fusion
What are skeletal indicators of advanced aging? (35
arthritis, eroded bone, ribs
How are males different from females?
Bigger bones, narrower hips, big ass heads
Why is it difficult to differentiate between different races?
Because race is technically a social construct. Also because physical characteristics are subjective!
What types of bones are most used to reconstruct stature?
long bones. Femur.
How do you differentiate between an entrance wound and exit gunshot wound? (skull)
Entrance wounds are smoother and exit wounds are fragmented.
What can a forensic anthropologist tell you from a fracture?
Time of fracture (peri, ante, post mortem), type of tool/weapon, etc.
What is sexual dimorphism?
difference in size and appearance between sexes.
What is robust?
Strong, healthy, sturdy.
What is taphonomy?
Branch of paleontology that deals with the fossilization process.
What does morphological mean?
Form or structure
