Module 12: Forensic Anthropology Flashcards
3 Axes
- longitudinal (superior-inferior)
- anteroposterior
- mediolateral
3 plane
- transverse (cross section/crosswise)
- coronal (front and back)
- sagittal (lengthwise)
palmar vs plantar
palmar - kamay
plantar - paa
True or False
Dorsal can be used to the back of both hand and foot
True
What are the cracks called on the skull?
sutures
True or False
There are only paired bones in the skull
False. Paired and unpaired
Significance of fontanelle
To allow compression of skull during birth
- single bone in the front of the neck
- no articulation
hyoid
How does the examination of hyoid used in forensics?
- it can be checked if there is strangulation
- sometimes it is fused some not
- muscles around are checked for hemorrhage
What are the 5 segments of vertebral column?
- cervical
- thoracic
- lumbar
- sacrum
- coccyx
True or False
Female and male have diff no. of ribs
False
3 kinds of ribs
- true
- false
- floating
Why do ribs end with cartilage?
To allow expansion for breathing
What phalanx is absent at the thumb?
intermediate
Pelvic girdle
connects upper and lower body
Forensic anthropology
deals with analyses of human skeleton
5 States of skeleton
- complete
- fragmented
- commingled
- burned
- decomposed
Questions to ask
- Is it bone? (wood, shells, rocks, seeds)
- Is it human?
- Is it modern or archaeological?
- if modern: minimum no. of individual, biological profile(s), id
How can you know MNI?
- based on the highest number of unique elements
Biological profile
- ancestry/ethnicity
- sex
- age
- stature
Ancestry
- based on broad geographic groupings
- important to know because methods for the subsequent analyses are population-specific
OSSA
optimized summed scored attributes
Dimorphic characteristics
- wider pelvis in female
- sharp jaw in male
- larger mastoid processes in male
3 age range
- juvenile
- young adult
- older adult
