Forensic Anthropology

1
Forensic Anthropology

• Courtney Kelly
• Evolution
• Dr. Tietjen
• Spring 2005

2
Anthropology

• Study of humans
• Concerned with all humans at all times with all
  human dimensions.
• Human species evolved with a universal capacity
  to conceive the world.

3
Physical Anthropology

• Also known as biological anthropology.
• Study of primate order past and present.
• Population genetics.
• Human evolution including skeletal biology and
  human adaptation.

4
Cultural Anthropology

• Social or Socio-cultural anthropology.
• Study social networks, social behavior, kinship
  patterns of specific group.
• Laws, religion and belief of culture.

5
Linguistic Anthropology

• Study of language variation across space and
  time.
• The social uses of language.
• Relationships between languages and cultures.

6
Archaeology

• Study artifact and material remains of human
  societies.
• Analyze pollen, soil, seeds and insects found at
  excavation site.

7
Anthropology in the United States

• Pioneered by John Powell and Frank Cushing
  working in the Smithsonian and Bureau of Indian
  Affairs.
• Academic Anthropology founded by Franz Boas
• Boasian anthropology was empirical and skeptical
  of over generalizing universal law.
• World full of distinct cultures and each culture
  needed to be studied.

8
Forensic Anthropology

• Its the application of physical anthropology to
  the legal process.
• Identify skeletal, badly decomposed or
  unidentified human remains for legal and human
  reasons.
• Started during the 19th century, popular during
  1930s because of WWII and the Korean War.

9
Fields within Forensic Anthropology

• Osteology - specific study of bones.
• Dentition study of tooth remains.
• Ethnobotany study of pollen and plant remains.
• Determine if remains are human, and then what the
  age, sex, race and stature.

10
The Skeleton

• Metric traits traits that can be measured.
• Examples femur or humerus bone lengths,
  diameters or bone densities.
• Non-metric traits traits that can not be
  measured.
• Examples fusion points in the skull.
• Skull most structure used to determine if remains
  are human.

11
Sex Determination

• No sexual dimorphism in young until puberty.
• Possible with adolescent or adult skeletons.
• Size between bones generally determine if remains
  are male or female.
• Male chins are squarer, and have a more
  prominent brow ridge and eye socket.
• Female chins are more rounded, with a rounded
  forehead.

12

• Subpubic angle
• Females greater than 90
• Males less than 90
• Sciatic notch
• Females more than 68
• Males less than 68
• Sacrum is straighter in women than in men.

13
Age Determination

• Preneonates and neonates size and lack of fused
  bones.
• Infants and young children teeth and bone
  ossification and size.
• Older children permanent teeth and amount of
  bone ossification.
• Adolescents long bone length increases with
  fusion at ends.

14
Age Determination - Adults

• Cranial sutures fuse together.
• Rib-ends become ragged and cartilage becomes
  pitted.
• Microstructure of bone and teeth.
• Wear on teeth.

15
Skeletal Race

• Difficult because of many blends of races.
• Caucasoids triangular nasal hole.
• Negroids square nasal hole, pronounced
  inversion of ramus.
• Mongoloids diamond-shaped nasal hole.

16
Facial Reconstruction

• Over 80 measurements in the skull.
• Plasteline strips and pegs tell key features.
• Clay is added to smooth out the surface and give
  a layer of skin.
• Developed by Mikhail Gerasimov
• Faces for Ivan the Terrible
• Mongol warrior Tamerlane, Ulu-Beg, and other
  figures from Timurid Dynasty.

17
Conclusion

• Forensic anthropology is a growing field
  requiring the culmination of many areas of study.
• Human skeleton gives clues about humans both past
  and present.

18
References

• 1. Conant, Eve. (2003) Man of 1000 Faces.
  Archaeology 564.
• 2. Forensic Anthropology Learn all about
  Forensic Anthropology http//encyclopedia.lockerga
  me.com/s/b/Forensic_anthropology
• 3. Forensic Anthropology http//faculty.ncwc.edu/t
  oconnor/425/425lect17.htm
• 4. http//medstat.med.utah.edu/kw/osteo/forensics/
  boneintro.html
• 5. http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/biology/forensics
• 6. Forensic Anthropology History Detectives,
  Investigative Techniques http//www.pbs.org/opb/hi
  storydetectives/techniques/forensic.html
• 7. Forensic Anthropology http//www.policensw.com/
  info/forensic/anthropology1.html
• 8. Wikipedia The Free encyclopedia
  http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology