Lecture 9 - Forensic Anthropology & Taphonomy Flashcards
What are the 5 different stages of decomposition?
Fresh
Bloat
Active Decay
Advanced Decay
Skeletonised
What happens during the fresh stage of decomposition?
From the moment of death to the onset of bloating (This is where rigor mortis > livor mortis > algor mortis happens)
What happens during the bloat stage of decomposition?
Epidermis slips off, hair will loosen and slip off with skin, abdominal discolouration
What happens during the active decay stage of decomposition?
Tissues and organs soften and degenerate then liquefy, foul odour, and body eventually collapses - body breaks down via enzymatic processses
What happens during the advanced decay stage of decomposition?
Remaining flesh desiccates and shrinks, surface tissue assumes leathery texture, and less pungent odour
What happens during the skeletonised stage of decomposition?
Dry body now decays very slowly, and may become completely skeletonised - differs between environment (warm, temperate climate has skeletonisation)
What stage of decomposition does the forensic anthropologist look at?
Skeletonised
What are the levels of identification?
Primary
- Three (1. Fingerprints, 2. Dental, 3. DNA)
Secondary
- Anthropology/disease/injury/scars/unique tattoos
Tertiary
- Unique clothing, jewellery
Circumstantial
- Documentation, face, generic tattoos, clothing, jewellery
What forensic agencies are involved for human identification whilst the body is in the fresh stage of decompostion?
FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST | FINGERPRINT EXPERT | DNA | ODONTOLOGIST
What forensic agencies are involved for human identification whilst the body is in the bloat stage of decompostion?
FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST | FINGERPRINT EXPERT | DNA | ODONTOLOGIST
What forensic agencies are involved for human identification whilst the body is in the active decay stage of decompostion?
FINGERPRINT EXPERT | DNA | ODONTOLOGIST
What forensic agencies are involved for human identification whilst the body is in the advanced decay stage of decompostion?
FINGERPRINT EXPERT? | DNA | ODONTOLOGIST
What forensic agencies are involved for human identification whilst the body is in the skeletonised stage of decompostion?
FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST | ODONTOLOGIST | DNA?
What does skeletonisation refer to?
Refers to the completion of soft tissue decomposition, where only the hard tissues of the skeleton remain
What is taphonomy?
When the skeleton itself undergoes post-mortem changes
What can the forensic anthropologist determine?
Life of single individual and death
Individual biological profile - age, sex, ancestry (maybe), height, time of death, traumas suffered and healed, how long before death injury occurs, individual bone characteristics (marks)
What is a part of the anthropological protocol?
Is it Bone?
Is the Bone Human? Forensic Context?
How Many Individuals?
Biological Profile:
- Sex
- Age-at-Death
- Ancestry
- Stature
Trauma and Pathology?
Identifying Characteristics?
What makes our skeleton different to other mammals?
All mammals essentially have same structure - bipedal differs how our skeleton looks to other mammals
How can a forensic anthropologist determine the difference between human and non human remains?
Maturity (growth and development)
- unfused epiphyses and other structures
Architecture (shape differences and muscle rugosity)
- biped vs quadruped
What natural factors can exhume and move remains?
Climate change and erosion
Why must a forensic anthropologist determine whether the remains have a forensic or historic context?
Some remains can be exhumed naturally opposed to forensic reasons
What components make up a forensic anthropologist’s biological profile?
Sex
Age
Ancestry
Stature (height)
Trauma and Pathology
Identifying Characteristics
Why must a forensic anthropologist seperate all bones and fragments?
As there may be more than one individual
(For fragment ID need to know skeletal anatomy to see whether human of non human)
What are sex differences in the pelvis?
Female: >90 pelvic angle, sacrum tilted back, flared ilia
Male: <90 degree pelvic angle, sacrum tilted forward, narrow ilia
Why is the pelvis used to identify sex?
As differences in pelvis is evolutionarily driven
How can a forensic anthropologist estimate age?
Children: Based on maturity and fusion of bones.
- 410 bones
Adults: Based on degradation of surfaces.
- 206 bones
What is subadult age estimation?
~450 ossification centers at birth
Eventually fuse to become 206 bones in adulthood
Track ossification center development and fusion for
aging.
- Can track non-adult age within a couple of months
How can teeth be used for subadult aging and what are its shortcomings?
Dental eruption and development - relatively stable and accurate
Teeth more genetically controlled
Growth can be stunted due to environmental factors
