I. Forensic Anthropology A. Anthropology a. Physical Anthropology 1.Human skeletal systems a.) Its changes b.) Variations (ex. age)
b. Archaeology 1. study the remains of human cultures from the past 2. What kinds of things would be left behind from a culture?
3.Trained to reconstruct events from the recent past
4.Trained to excavate bones from the ground
a.) use of Archaeologyreconstruct past events Mass murders by the Saddam Hussin in Iraq An Iraqi man sits amid bags containing 11,000 human remains exhumed Saturday from a mass grave site near Mahaweel, Iraq.
B. Forensic Anthropology 1. specializes in the changes and variations in the human skeleton for the purpose of legal inquiry
2. provide basic identification of skeletonized or badly decomposed remains.
3. From a bone or part of a bone, they may be able to determine the biological profile: age range Sex Race height Cause of death
4. They look at bodies that are decomposed badly burned mummified skeletonized
II.Osteology p. 412 A. The Study of bones 1. 206 bones in an adult human 2. Osteons the cells that make up bone material
B. Bone Classification 1. Long bones -longer than wider Ex. Limbs-the femur or thigh bone
2. Short bones equidistant in size Ex. Wrist or ankle bones
3. Flat bones enclose major organs Ex. Skull,ribs, sternum, hip bones,
4. irregular bones oddly shaped Ex. Vertebrae, skull
C. Function of bones: morphology 1.Provides structure and rigidity 2.Protects soft tissue and organs
3.Serves as an attachment for muscles 4.Produces blood cells
D. Differences between Human and Animal bones 1.Osteons a. in animals are regular in shape b. in humans are irregular in shape
E. Gender Differences in Bones 1. The pelvis of the female is wider. > 100 o 2. Males have a narrow subpubic angle < 100 o (A)
Sub Pubic Angle Male Female
3.Gender Differences a. The ribcage / shoulders of males are wider/ larger than females. (12prs) 1/20 people w an extra rib. =more common - males than females.
Females Skull is rounder /forehead fuller Jaw (mandible) smaller Coccyx (tailbone) Movable -why?
Males Skull has larger brow/jaw Pelvic bones are heavier/ rougher (muscle attach)
Maori Warrior of New Zealand They are part of the Polynesian culture. All Blacks
F. Race Identification of skeletal remains: 1. Race is difficult to determine from most skeletal remains, especially since pure races are becoming uncommon.
2.Morphology is the description of the bone shape and its function FORM AND FUNCTION
race? The Skull 3. Which bone is the most useful for identifying
4. Skull Categories a. Caucasoid European, Middle Eastern, and Asian Indian b. Africoid Sub-Sahara African, Aborigine, and African American c. Mongoloid Asian, Native American and Polynesian
5. Skull Characteristics Observe: What differences do you notice between these three skulls? Can you determine race?
a. Caucasoids have a long, narrow nasal aperture oval orbits narrow zygomatic arches narrow mandibles.
a triangular palate
b. Africoids have a wide nasal aperture square orbits more pronounced zygomatic arches. The long bones are longer
a rectangular palate
c. Mongoloids have a more rounded nasal aperture rounded orbits wide zygomatic arches more pointed mandibles.
a broad, U- shaped palate
G. Age Determination 1. estimations from: Teeth Epiphyses or growth plates in long bones Cranial sutures: appear as distinct lines in youth and gradually close from the inside out (fusion).
2. Children vs. Adults Less cartilage in adults Adults have longer,thicker bones Females stop at 18yrs Males stop at 21yrs Pelvic bones fuse
3. Age Determination Using 3 Cranial Sutures Babies- Fontanelles soft spots in the skull, membranes between the flat bones. Allow for compression during birth Expansion during growth
4. Skull Fusion over time a. Complete closure of all three major sutures Male over 35 Female over 50