Presented by Devon Wilson amp Kiara Casanova Focus Question What can bones tell us about the humans life before the time of death and what characteristics can we conclude from their remains ID: 462964
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Slide1
Forensic Anthropology
Presented by:
Devon Wilson & Kiara CasanovaSlide2
Focus Question:
What can bones tell us about the human’s life before the time of death and what characteristics can we conclude from their remains?Slide3
What is an anthropologist?
Anthropology is the study of humankind.
A forensics anthropologist specializes in recovering and examining human skeletal remains where legal questions are involved.
A forensic anthropologist would often be called in when a crime scene was discovered where bones or a decomposed body was found.
The examiner would then determine the approximate time of death, damage done to body before algor mortis.Slide4
What do they do?
Forensic anthropologists work strictly with human remains. Which may mean they need to go to the crime sense to collect the remains.
Cleans up the bones so that they may be looked at
Analyzes skeletal remains to establish the profile of the individual
Looks at trauma evident on the bones to establish the pathway of a bullet or the number of stab wounds
Works with a forensic odontologist (dentist) to match dental records
Testifies in court about the identity of the individual and/or the injuries that might be evident in the skeletonSlide5
Forensic anthropologists frequently work along side with forensic pathologists, odontologists, and homicide investigators to identify a decedent, document trauma to the skeleton, and estimate the postmortem interval.
Cont.
Forensic anthropologists frequently work along side with forensic pathologists, odontologists, and homicide investigators to identify a decedent, document trauma to the skeleton, and estimate the postmortem interval.Slide6
Here, a forensic anthropologist examines the bone fragments found of a child who suffered a gunshot to the frontal bone of the skull. This particular picture is one of the many images taken from the case where John Wayne Gacy had murdered 33 boys and put them into the crawlspace of his home to decompose.
Slide7
Identifying Human Remains
When determining the gender of the remains, anthropologists examine the pelvic bone. Specifically, anthropologists examine the sub-pubic angle. On females, this angle is almost always around 90
°
.
On males, the angle can range from 52-82
°.
When determining race, the anthropologist would focus on the skull if it is present at the crime scene. The maxillary arch (upper jaw) forms 3 basic shapes: hyperbolic, Parabolic, and rounded. Using these shapes, we can examine the maxillary arch to figure out if the decedent is Asian (rounded), European (parabolic) or African (hyperbolic).Slide8
Identifying cont’d
Determining the age of the remains found is conceptually different from estimating the gender. The most reliable way to determine age is to inspect the formation of the teeth and their eruption through the gums.
Once your permanent teeth begin eruption, they grow in a fairly predictable pattern that offers a time period where you can draw conclusions about the age of the individual. Slide9
Bone Growth & DevelopmentSlide10
Structure of Bones
A human baby is born with 450 bones. Over time with growth and development, bones fuse together to form one structure. In fully grown adult there are a total of 206 bones in the body.
When in the uterus, bones start out as soft cartilage. Osteoblasts then migrate toward the center of these cartilaginous tissue and begin depositing minerals.
The primary mineral, Calcium phosphate, then hardens to form bone.
This hardening process is known as Ossification.Slide11
Decomposition
When a body is exposed to the elements, the tissues, muscle and skin decompose at a very rapid rate depending on the environment and climate.
If buried in a coffin 6 feet underground, it would take approximately 50-60 years for the flesh to be completely stripped from the bones.
Bones in a coffin could take hundreds of years to decompose. Bare bones underground with no sort of protection could still take hundreds of years to decompose.Slide12
BIB
http://fac.utk.edu/forensic.html
http://forensicsciencecentral.co.uk/anthropology.shtml
http://shs2.westport.k12.ct.us/forensics/11-forensic_anthropology/skeletal_analysis_worksheet.htm