Lab 7- Forensic Anthropology

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California State University, Los Angeles *

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2600

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Anthropology

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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pdf

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Uploaded by AdmiralChinchilla1571

Lab 7- Forensic Anthropology e What is Forensic anthropology? o Forensic anthropology is at the intersection of the subfields of O O anthropology: = Archaeology = Biological Anthropology: expertise in biology, including human skeletal anatomy = Cultural Anthropology Medical examiners report and determine cause of death but forensic anthropologists often act as expert witnesses at trial Integral players in the aftermath of mass disasters and during human rights trials * The biological Profile O Once human remains have been found, a biological profile must be constructed. = Profile includes sex, age, stature (height), and ancestry (if possible) = These traits can be compared between known missing persons in order to narrow down the identity of the deceased Determining Sex = Human males and females exhibit degrees of sexual dimorphism (phenotypic differences between sexes) = Hormones production during puberty interact with bone cells and cause these differences * Males and females have different hormones BUT they can also vary within the sexes and between populations.

o Sexing the Pelvis: Anatomy Review Pelvis is made up of two hip bones (appendicular) and the sacrum (axial) Hip bones are each made up of three separate bones — these bones fuse together over time ¢ jlium, pubis, ischium these three bones all come together at the acetabulum (the socket where the head of the femur articulates) The pelvis is the most sexually dimorphic bone in the human body. Women have a wider, more flaring pelvis than men (childbirth). Subpubic angle e female: wide (obtuse - more than 90°) * male: narrow (acute — less than 90°) Greater sciatic notch e female: obtuse * male: acute o Sexing the skull = The pelvis is the best indicator of sex, but we don’t always find one with skeletal remains, so the skull is the next best thing. I 0 frontal bone (forehead) " |ower, " taller, slanted bulbous (rounder) superior margin of the ® rounded ® pointed and eye and sharp (the upper rim of the blunt orbit) mastoid process ® Jarger, ® smaller, less (attachment site for more robust neck muscles) robust

= Male and female features lie on a spectrum — combination of features may not be 100ft male or 100ft female e 1ttveryfemale e ff tt probable female e 3tt ambiguous * 4 tt probable male e 5ttverymale ¢ Determining age o There are several features that can be used to determine the age of skeletal remains. = Dental eruption and wear patterns ® Cranial suture closure = Growth plate fusion = Pubic symphysis = Auricular surface * Bone development o Epiphysis — the end part of a long bone, separated from the shaft by cartilage o Growth plate — area of growing tissue near the end of long bones; found in children and adolescents o Diaphysis — the shaft, or central part of a long bone o Babies are born with 450 bones but adults only have ffOfl... o Growth plates fuse over time - can estimate age (range) based on which plates are fused, fusing, or unfused * Trauma o When did the trauma happen?

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antemortem (before death) — usually see signs of healing (breaks/fractures) perimortem (near time of death) and postmortem (after death) are more difficult to determine living bone fractures differently than dead bone o Different tools leave different marks on bone Blunt force trauma (like from a baseball bat) will look different than sharp force trauma (knife) Gunshot wounds can also look different from each other depending on type of ammunition