Forensic Anthropology

Question 1

What is forensic osteology?

Answer 1

Study of topics such as facial superimposition, facial reconstruction, forensic odontology, bone pathology, and archaeology

Question 2

What is the forensic osteologist asked to provide?

Answer 2

Information that may confirm, or assist in determining the identity of an individual from their skeletal remains
More recently become members of teams investigating war graves

Question 3

What is the first question asked by police/coroner/ procutator fiscal/ forensic pathologist?

Answer 3

Are the bones human or animal

Question 4

What are some examples of bones that can’t show whether a bone belongs to a human or animal?

Answer 4

The shaft of a long bone or a fragment of rib is difficult to distinguish from animal remains, especially those of pig or sheep

Question 5

What can be used to distinguish if the bone is human or animal?

Answer 5

Sometimes the smell on heating bone gives a clear indication if it’s an animal

Question 6

What is the second question asked?

Answer 6

Whether the remains are of forensic or archaeological provenance i.e. bones older than 70 years its unlikely guilty party can be brought to justice

Question 7

Why is it difficult to determine the time since death?

Answer 7

As there are many different factors that alter the composition of the bone

Question 8

What factors can affect the decomposition of a body?

Answer 8

Physical conditions and the activities of humans. These can include temperature, pH of soil, level of the water table, the growth and metabo- lism of bacteria and vegetation and disturbance by animals. Skeletonization can take place in hot, dry conditions in as little as 2 weeks or may take centuries as witnessed by the bog-men and the ice-man

Question 9

What is taphonomy?

Answer 9

The study of the way in which elements of a dead body are scattered and degraded

Question 10

What chemical indicators can indicate the time since death?

Answer 10

14C (Taylor et al., 1989) and 90Sr levels (MacLaughlin-Black et al., 1992; Neis et al., 1999), equilibrium between 210Po and 210Pb levels (Swift, 1998), ultraviolet fluorescence and anal- ysis of nitrogen content by various means (Knight and Lauder, 1967, 1969).

Question 11

What are the issues with chemical indicators?

Answer 11

Some of these methods are complex, time consuming procedures that require a specialist laboratory and none give a very satisfactory answer within the forensic time frame.

Question 12

What often is the issue for the bone specialist in examining the samples?

Answer 12

Often presented in the mortuary or laboratory with a bag of bones that have been retrieved by persons not specialised in the excavation or examination of a skeleton.

Question 13

What type of grave is usually of forensic importance

Answer 13

Shallow graves, especially if accompanied by the remnants of a blanket, carpet or plastic sheet

Question 14

What are the 4 main attributes of biological identity that most forensic osteologists hope to determine?

Answer 14

Sex
Age
Stature
Ethnic background

Question 15

What is the first task once you have found remains?

Answer 15

Allocate skeletal elements to specific individuals e.g. 2 right radii are found there must be at least 2 individuals

Question 16

What factors can identify whether you have a bone belonging to the same or different person?

Answer 16

Size of bones
Robusticity of bones
Pathological condition
Colour

Question 17

How does identifying the sex help in an investigation?

Answer 17

Halves the people you are looking for off a missing persons list

Question 18

What are the two main differences in male and female bones?

Answer 18

First, male bones are generally bigger and more robust than female bones. Second, the male pelvis is primarily adapted to bipedal striding whereas the female pelvis displays size and shape differences that reflect the compromise between efficient locomotion and the modifications necessary for the safe passage of a large fetal head through the birth canal.

Question 19

What does the reliability of sex determination rely on?

Answer 19

Depends on the completeness of the remains and the degree of sexual dimorphism inherent in the population

Question 20

What two bones are most sexually dimorphic?

Answer 20

The pelvis and the skull

Question 21

What is the shape of the male pelvis?

Answer 21

High and narrow

Question 22

What is the shape of the female pelvis?

Answer 22

Wider and shal- lower and has a larger outlet

Question 23

What bones in the pelivs can show these differences?

Answer 23

These differences are reflected in the shapes of both of the greater sciatic notch and the subpubic angle and in the relative proportions of the body and alae of the sacrum

Question 24

What can the sciatic notch identify?

Answer 24

The sex of the person. A wide, shallow greater sciatic notch is considered to be a female characteristic as is the greater width of the ala of the sacrum compared to the width of the body.
The pubic bone is probably the element of the skeleton that can offer the most reliable indication of sex

Question 25

What are the 3 features characteristics of the female pubic bone?

Answer 25

A subpubic concavity; a ventral arc that is an elevated bony ridge extending from the pubic crest to the pubic ramus on the ventral surface of the bone; and a ridged medial border to the inferior pubic ramus

Question 26

What are other indicators of sex in the pelvis?

Answer 26

The greater sciatic notch and the acetabular index and the morphology of the sacro-iliac joint

Question 27

Sexing pelvis was based on large sample sizes what does this mean?

Answer 27

1 in every 7 individuals would be incorrectly assigned

Question 28

How does the sacrum differ in sexes?

Answer 28

Ala is narrower in the body of S1= male

Ala is of similar body to the S1= female

Question 29

How does the pubic arch differ between sexes?

Answer 29

90 degres or less (acute) likely to be male, if its obtuse likely to be female

Question 30

How does the body of the pubic bone differ between sexes?

Answer 30

Looks like a triangle- male, looks like a square- female

Question 31

How does under the pubic symphis-inferior pubic differ between sexes?

Answer 31

Male broad and flat, female- sharp and concave

Question 32

How can you estimate age in juveniles?

Answer 32

Dentition and skeletal development

Question 33

How can dental age be determined in juveniles?

Answer 33

From the eruption or degree of mineralization of the teeth.

Question 34

How can skeletal age be determined in juveniles?

Answer 34

Developmental state of centers of ossification and the size and length of the long bones

Question 35

Does skeletal age or dental age give a better indication of chronological age?

Answer 35

dental age

Question 36

What factors can estimate age in adults over 30?

Answer 36

• Arthritic change
• Pubic symphysis
• Sacroiliac joint
• 4th right rib
• Sutures
• Tooth attrition

Question 37

After what age is it more difficult to age an individual?

Answer 37

Over 30

Question 38

How can you age someone over 40?

Answer 38

Looking at degenerative features as opposed to developmental features
Look for arthritis
Lip on bone (osteophyte)
Osteophytes characteristic of osteoarthritis (tends to effect vertebrae first)
Person with osteophytes likely to be over the age of 40
40-44 osteoarthritis and pubic symphis
Pubic symphis and sacral
Aim to get it into a decade
End of the 4th right rib (careful its not chipped)

Question 39

How CANT you age someone over 40?

Answer 39

Wearing teeth

Question 40

What tends to be broken if an individual is strangled?

Answer 40

Hyoid bone

Question 41

What features are sometimes seen in ethnic groups?

Answer 41

• Prominent cheek bones in Chinese

* Larger noses- black people

Question 42

What must you be careful with in ethnicity?

Answer 42

Lots of mixed raced people now, no longer defining features between races