NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY Forensic anthropology Crime scene- Identification (Race, Sex, Age), Inventory and Profile • The Forensic Anthropologist will make a complete inventory of the bones received. • The specific bone present is described in detail. • Each of the bones will be identified and described as having no anomalies or pathology. • For example, if the left parietal, the occipital, and the right mastoid, they would be listed independently in the inventory. • If the skull is complete, that would be stated. Forensic anthropology Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology and human osteology (the study of the human skeleton) in a legal setting, most often in criminal cases where the victim's remains are in the advanced stages of decomposition. Defined as “the field of study that deals with the analysis of human skeletal remains resulting from unexplained deaths.” study of human skeletal remains to determine sex, age, race, and time of death in an effort to identify an individual “anthros” is Greek for humankind or man, logos means “the study of” A forensic anthropologist can also assist in the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated or otherwise unrecognizable. The adjective "Forensic" refers to the application of this subfield of science to a court of law. Forensic anthropology is an applied science and consists Five sub disciplines: 1. Biological, or physical anthropology, 2. Archaeology, 3. Cultural anthropology 4. Linguistics and 5. Applied anthropology Basic Functions of forensic anthropologist Forensic anthropologists often work with coroners and medical examiners in the identification of individual skeletons in which the identity of the remains cannot be established by other means (dental identification, fingerprints, or DNA, for instance). Forensic anthropologists are also called to assist in the recovery and identification of remains from mass fatality incidents, including plane crashes, building explosions, and other circumstances in which the remains are fragmentary and commingled (remains from one individual mixed with those of other individuals). The information from the skeleton can even be used to help establish whether two photographs likely represent the same individual. Example -Case A A man's decomposed body was discovered in a rural area. The sheriff's officers, who responded to the scene, suspected that the individual was the victim of homicide because of the obvious damage to the clothing and to the body underneath. It appeared that the shirt had numerous cuts. The body was transported to the local medical examiner's office for an autopsy, while the area that was around and under the body was searched for evidence. Forensic anthropologists work as a team with the forensic pathologist, forensic odontologists, forensic radiologists, and all other forensic experts. In this case, the forensic pathologist performed the autopsy, which was somewhat modified because of the extensive decomposition of the body. The soft tissue is usually removed from the skeleton so that the clues are more obvious. R.S.UPENDRA Page 1 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY The investigation of the identity of human remains must begin with a determination of whether or not the remains are human. If the remains are not human, the case usually ends, although the author has been asked to continue on cases in which, for instance, a dog had been shot. In this case, the shooter claimed that the dog was attacking him. The direction of travel of the bullet was important in this case, as the dog was not facing the man when he was shot. History of Forensic anthropology. • 1800s – scientists began using skull measurements to differentiate human bodies • 1897 – Luetgert murder case; man killed his wife and boiled down her remains – Fragments of skull, finger and arm found • 1932 – FBI opened first crime lab helping identify human remains • 1939 – William Krogman published Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Material • WWII – remains of soldiers identified using anthropological means • Recently – new mitochondrial DNA techniques have identified Romanov family skeletal remains Number of Bones • Children – 450- Children have bones that eventually suture together • Adult – 206 after all bones have fully developed Aging of Bone • What can bone tell us? – Children build bones faster and bones grow in size – After 30 years – process starts to reverse and bones deteriorate faster than built – of bones and their condition can tell a person‟s age, health, and calcium in food Skulls – Bones to Know • Maxilla, Mandible, Zygomatic bone, Vomer bone, Frontal bone, Nasal bone • Orbit (eye socket), Sphenoid bone and Sutures (between skull bones) Determination of Sex 1.Pelvis – Anatomy Bones to Know • Ilium, Ischium , Pubis, Sacrum, Coccyx, Pubic symphysis and Obturator Foramen R.S.UPENDRA Page 2 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY Pelvis – Male vs. Female • Things to consider: – Sub-pubic angle – Length, width, shape, angle of sacrum – Width of ileum – Angle of sciatic notch Male Trait Female 50-82 degrees Sub pubic angle > 90 degrees Triangular pubis Shape of pubis Rectangular pubis Heart shaped Shape of pelvic cavity Oval shaped Longer, narrower, curved inward sacrum Shorter, broader, curved outward R.S.UPENDRA Page 3 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY R.S.UPENDRA Page 4 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY • Other differences in female pelvis: – Often weighs less – Surface engraved with scars after female has given birth • Can be detected most at pubic symphysis • Thigh Bone: Femur – Angle of femur to pelvis is greater in females and straighter in males – Male femur is thicker than female femur 2. Cranium second best • Crests and ridges more pronounced in males (A, B, C) • Chin significantly more square in males (E) • Jaw (I, E), mastoid process wide and robust in males • Forehead slopes more in males (F) Skulls – Male vs. Female Frontal View Male Trait Female Low and sloping Frontal Bone Higher and more rounded More Square Shape of Eye (orbits) More Rounded More Square Mandible (Lower Jaw) More V-shaped Thicker and larger Upper Brow Ridge (Zygomatic) Thinner and smaller Skulls – Male vs. Female Side View Male Trait Female Present Occipital protuberance Absent Lower and more sloping Frontal bone Higher and more rounded Bumpy and rough Surface of skull smooth Angled at 90° (straight) Mandible (Jaw bone) Greater than 90° (sloping) General dereferences between male and female Male Female R.S.UPENDRA Page 5 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY General size Large Small Architecture Rugged Smooth Supraorbital margin Rounded Sharp Mastoid process Large Small Occipital bone Muscle lines and protuberance Muscle lines not marked marked Glabella Bony Flat Gonial Angle Squared Wide angle Palate Larger, broader, tends to be U- Small, tends to be a parabola shaped Occipital condyles Large Small Determination of Race The cranium is the only reliable bone and, even then, can only tell general category as below: • Mongoloid (all of Asian descent and Native American decent) • wider cheekbones, concave incisors, width between eyes greatest • Negro (everyone of African decent and West Indian decent) • more prominent ridges, wider nasal opening • Caucasian (all „white‟ individuals), narrow everything Distinguishing Race • This is losing its significance in differences – Two biggest differences are in skull and femur: • Shape of eye sockets, Absence or presence of nasal spine • Nasal index – width of nasal opening X 100 height of nasal opening • Prognathism – projection of upper jaw (maxilla) beyond the lower jaw (mandible), Width of face, and Angulation of jaw and face Distinguishing Race Caucasoid Negroid Mongoloid Shape of Eye Orbits Rounded, somewhat Rectangular Rounded, somewhat square circular R.S.UPENDRA Page 6 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY Nasal Spine Prominent spine Very small spine Somewhat prominent spine Nasal Index <.48 >.53 .48-.53 Prognathism Straight Prognathic Variable Femur Fingers fit under Fingers don‟t fit under Fingers fit under curvature of femur curvature of femur curvature of femur Determination of Age Bones don‟t reach maturity at the same time – To help tell their age: 1.suture marks ,2. presence or absence of cartilage • Ages 0-5: teeth are best – forensic odontology • Ages 6-25: epiphyseal fusion – fusion of bone ends to bone shaftepiphyseal fusion varies with sex and is typically complete by age 25 • Ages 25-40: very hard • Ages 40+: periodontal disease, arthritis, breakdown of pelvis, occupational stress, unique clues 1.Suture Marks • Zigzag areas where bones of the skull meet – In babies, some is soft tissue that is gradually ossified – Suture marks slowly fade to give smoother appearance as bones age. R.S.UPENDRA Page 7 NEW HORIZON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY • Coronal Suture: – closed by age 50 • Lamboidal Suture: – begins closing at 21 – accelerates at 26 – closed by 30 1.Determination of Stature from Bones Long bone length (femur, tibia, humerus) is proportional to height There are tables that forensic anthropologists use. For example: Femur length Predicted Height 41 cm 167 cm (5‟6”) 50 cm 186 cm (6‟1‟) Males: (1.88 x femur length in inches) + 32.01 Females: (1.945 x femur length in inches) + 28.70