Anthropology Lab

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Name: _______________________________ Block: __________

Forensic Science MHS

Anthropology Lab

Background:

Forensic Anthropology is a subset of Physical Anthropology. Forensic

anthropologists specialize in the human skeleton. Physical or forensic anthropology

concerns human identification when traditional means of identification are not

possible. Forensic anthropologists examine skeletal remains to provide age, race,

sex, and height of the skeleton. Comparisons to anatomical landmarks can be made

using X-rays of known individuals. To determine the manner of death, analyzation of

fracture patterns enable a forensic anthropologist to reconstruct a trauma.

Scenarios requiring the skill of a forensic anthropologist could include a skeleton

that had been burned, decomposed, mummified, or dismembered.

Purpose:

To learn how to infer height of a victim based on bone length.

To learn some basic characteristics of the male and female skulls and

pelvis in order to be able to determine the identity of the deceased.

Materials:

- Metric ruler or tape measure

- Reference pictures

Section 1: Inferring Height

Knowing the exact physical dimensions of a victim of a crime is extremely useful in

identifying the victim. When a skeleton is found, a forensic scientist uses the

lengths of certain bones to calculate the height of the living person. The bones that

are used are the femur (F), the tibia (T), the humerus (H), and the radius (R).

Procedure:

* Before beginning this activity record your correct height in cm on the

data table.

Part A: Inferring Height from Femur Length

1. Using the diagram of the human skeleton, identify your partners femur bone.

2. Use a meter stick or measuring tape to determine the length of this bone

(in cm).

3. Use the following formulas to infer height:

Males: Height = 2.24(length of femur) + 69.1

Females: Height = 2.32(length of femur) + 61.4

4. Record this number in the data chart and switch roles.

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Part B: Inferring Height from Humerus Length

1. Using the diagram of the human skeleton, identify your partners humerus bone.

2. Use a meter stick or measuring tape to determine the length of this bone

(in cm).


Males: Height = 2.97(length of humerus) + 73.57

Females: Height = 3.14(length of humerus) + 64.98


Part C: Inferring Height from tibia length

1. Using the diagram of the human skeleton, identify your partners tibia bone.

2. Use a meter ruler or a measuring tape to determine the length of this bone.

(in cm)


Males: Height = 2.39(length of tibia) + 81.69

Females: Height = 2.53(length of tibia) + 72.57


Part D: Inferring Height from the radius length

1. Using the diagram of the human skeleton, identify your partners radius bone.

2. Use a meter ruler or a measuring tape to determine the length of this bone.

(in cm)


Males: Height = 3.65(length of radius) + 80.41

Females: Height = 3.89(length of radius) + 73.50


Data Chart: Inferred Height from Bone Length

Actual

Height

(cm)

Inferred

Height from

Femur (cm)

Inferred

Height from

humerus (cm)

Inferred

Height from

tibia (cm)

Inferred

Height from

radius (cm)

Subject #1

Subject #2

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Questions:

1. How accurate were you in inferring height from femur length? Explain.

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2. How accurate were you in inferring height from the humerus length? Explain.

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3. How accurate were you in inferring height from the tibia length? Explain.

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4. How accurate were you in inferring height from the radius length? Explain.

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5. Which bone gave you the most accurate estimate of height?

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6. Do you think race and gender differences need to be taken into account when

inferring height? Why or why not?

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Section 2: Determining Gender

Procedure:

1. Look over the reference sheets for male and female bone structure.

2. Use the reference sheets and skeletons to answer the following questions.

Questions:

1. How would you distinguish a male from a female skull?

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2. How would you distinguish a male from a female pelvis?

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Section 3: Solve the Mystery

The Scenario:

Camper Kenny and his girlfriend Penny were camping in Arcadia National Park in

Maine. While Kenny was setting up the tent, Penny decided to scout the area for

firewood. As she was looking around the campsite Penny discovered a pile of odd-

looking sticks. Upon closer examination she realized the pile of sticks was actually a

pile of bones. When Kenny and Penny reported the crime to the local police they

learned that four people had gone missing in that area over the past ten years.

Bone Characteristics:

The pile of bones was found to contain two pieces of femur that together

measured 39cm and a humerus that measured 25.5cm. The femur was highly

scarred with teeth marks. The pile also contained a partial skull piece showing a

rounded eye opening and lack of lateral arching in the cheekbone. A small piece

of pelvic bone showed a broad pubic arch and a rectangular pubic bone.

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Possible Victims:

Barry the Bird Watcher Barry is a male with the height of 188cm. Barry went

missing 6 months ago on an expedition to find the elusive Arcadian

purple tailed canary.

Heidi the Hiker Heidi is a female with a height of 160cm. Heidi tends to

wander and went missing two months ago on a day hike up the

precipice trail. Heidi wandered into the woods to go to the bathroom

and never returned.

Robby the Rock Climber Robby is a male with a height of 196cm. Eight months ago

Robby was climbing at Otter Cliffs when a sudden storm arouse.

Members of Robbys climbing team said Robby never returned to

camp after the storm. His climbing gear was found several miles away

washed up on the black sands beach.

Colleen the Critter Catcher Colleen is a female with the height of 178cm. Colleen

was tracking Old Betsy (A moose that has lived in Arcadia for over 20

years), when she went missing. No one has seen Colleen or Old Betsy

in over 3 months.

Based on the bone characteristics, help Kenny, Penny and the investigators figure

which missing person the bones belong to. Make sure to site specific reasons as to

why you think that person is the victim and why the others could not be the victim.

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Fig.1. Front view of a human skeleton

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Gender guide: Skull

Note: It's important not to depend on any single skeletal

feature when attempting to establish the victim's gender

from their skeletal remains. You should always observe

as many of the features of the remains as possible to

increase the probability of successfully establishing

gender.

Sexual differences in cranial morphology General architecture: In males, the overall construction

of the skull is heavier and more rugged looking than that of

the female skull.

Eye openings: The orbits in the skull for the eyes are a bit

squared in males, while in females they are more rounded.

Brow ridges: The supraorbital ridge of males is heavier

and more pronounced than it is in females; in females the

brow is smooth and flat.

Cheekbones: The cheekbones of males are heavier and

more laterally arched; in females, the cheekbones are

lighter, more compressed, and they tend to lack the lateral

arching.

Occipital condyle: In males, the occipital bump at the rear

base of the skull tends to be much more pronounced than it

is in females, where it can be almost nonexistent.

Chin shape: The shape of a male's chin approximates the

letter U, a female's the letter V.

Jaw line: The angle where the horizontal portion of the jaw

curves upward into the ramus, or vertical part of the jaw, is

much more angular in males than it is in females.

Male

Female

Male

Female

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Gender guide: Pelvis

Note: It's important not to depend on

any single skeletal feature when

attempting to establish the victim's

gender from their skeletal remains.

You should always observe as many of

the features of the remains as

possible to increase the probability of

successfully establishing gender.

Male

Female

Sexual differences in pelvic morphology General architecture: The width of the pelvic girdle is broader in females than it is

in males. In females, the pelvic girdle surrounds a birth canal large enough for the

fetus to pass. In males, the pelvic opening is less round and open.

Pelvic opening: The opening of the pelvis, called the pelvic inlet, is rounder and

larger in females, while in males it tends to be narrow and more constricted.

Pubic arch: The joining of the bones at the bottom of the pelvis forms a broad angle

in females, usually greater than 90, while in males it is narrow, usually less than

90.

Pubic bone: In males, the pubic bone is roughly triangular in shape; in females, it is

rectangular.

Documents

Anthropology Lab