Forensic Anthropology

By: Honey Bennett

What is a forensic anthropologist?

*Anthropology is the study of the human skeleton

*Forensic anthropology is the examination of human skeletal remains [for law enforcement agencies to determine the identity of unidentified bones.]

*they can also assist in the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated or otherwise unrecognizable”.

What do they do?

• Forensic anthropologists can use techniques to assess age, sex, stature, ethnicity, ancestry, height, length of time since death, and sometimes analyze trauma and disease.”

• "Why study bones? In summary, the answer is that bones often survive the process of decay and provide the main evidence for the human form after death."

How they do it

• they use many different tequniques to find out evidence of the bones

• GENDER = bones are shapeddifferently

…how they do it

• AGE= number of bones and by presences or absence of cart ledge.

• HEIGHT= measure the bones which helps determine the height • RACE = shape of the eye sockets, absence or presence of a nasal

spine, width of face, amulation of the jaw and face

Interview

What type of education do you have to have to be a forensic anthropologist?

*At least a masters degree after college in anthropology, and preferably a PHD

Typical day like?*they are just used when crime scenes need them, they just work on the

Academic side of anthropology now but trying to start a growing trend to work in medical examinations offices

Do you have a “day job”? *Yes, they are used as an as needed based on a crime scene

Education

• What type of degree do you have to have to be a forensic anthropologist?

At least a masters degree in anthropology after 4 years of college, and preferably a PHD in anthropology

• Where are they employed? • Forensic anthropologists are employed primarily at

universities and forensic facilities around the country.

Case study

• The Romanovs (1918) the Romanovs were a royal family of Russia, and they were

Said to have been killed by a firing squad . Until a team of Specialists discovered a grave with the Romanovs and theirServants in it. They identified the age, sex and gender of All nine skeletons. 5 were women, and 4 were men. Their Skulls had been crushed, so it was difficult to know what happened to them, their bones and teeth helped. One Of the skeletons had rough knee joints, showing they worked on their knees, knowing that was the servant. No one has ever been able to actually tell what happened to the Romanov family, they were most likely shot

but the actual events of what happened to them Romanov family still remains a question

Citations • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_anthropology • http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/biology/forensics/• http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/FACwhatis.html• http

://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/press_releases/images/visibleproofs/III_D_134.jpg

• http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/oct2000/images/1991b.jpg

• http://www.anthro4n6.net/forensics/ • http://www.anthro4n6.net/forensics/pelvis2.gif • “Forensic science—Anthony J. Bertino” • http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/death_of_the_romanov

s.htm

• Vanderbilt Anthropology center