The Telltale Bones                                                                           Nov. 2002

This workshop dealt with Forensic Anthropology.  We covered what forensic anthropologists do (they work with law enforcement officials in order to help identify skeletal remains).  We learned about the skeleton, what its important functions are and how skeletons vary among individuals, and what information we can tell from the bones.  Using actual skeletal material, we learned to determine the age and sex of individuals.

 

 The nature of bone and skeletons:

• Our skeleton is composed of bones and cartilage.

• Bones are actually organs, but they are solid because of the deposition of mineral salts around protein fibers.  Bone in a living person is living, dynamic tissue, and changes during life in response to physical forces placed upon it, disease, and injury. 

• Bone is infused with nerves and blood vessels.

• There is a great deal of individual variation in bones, which can be due to differences in age, sex, geographic origin and diseases or injuries.

 

 Functions of the skeleton:

• It serves to support all of our soft tissues, and holds organs. 

• It protects vital organs, such as the brain, heart and lungs, and spinal cord. 

• It allows for movement at the joints by serving as a framework for muscle attachment. 

• It is a warehouse for minerals and fats, storing calcium and phosphate, and fats in the bone marrow.

• Blood cell formation and storage occurs in the bone marrow.

 

What Can We Tell From Bones?

Age                                                            Sex

Race                                                         Disease

Physical activities                                     Individual identification

 

Bones and the Features of Bone:

We covered some of the main bones of the skull, the skull sutures, and some features on the bones.  We also learned some features on the pelvic bones.

 

Using the Information:

• Using a fetal skull, and skulls of a six and twelve-year old, we saw how skull bones grow and change over time.  We did exercises to practice “aging” skulls using sutures and tooth eruption.

• We examined skulls and pelvises of males and females, and learned about the features that differ between the sexes.  Then, we went through a series of exercises to determine sex from the skulls and pelvises of unknown skeletons.