Definitions
What does forensic taphonomy primarily study?
a) The cause of death in forensic cases
b) The history of the body since death
c) The mechanism of death in traumatic cases
d) The time of death estimation in forensic investigations
b) The history of the body since death
Which of the following is NOT a manner of death recognized in forensic investigations?
a) Homicide
b) Suicide
c) Natural Causes
d) Intentional
d) Intentional
Explain the difference between a narrow and wide focus
Narrow : single point or thin line
Pointed or sharp-edged instrument (ice pick, knives, axes, cleavers, machetes, swords)
Wide : larger breaks over a considerable portion of bone
What factor determines whether a burn affects bone structure significantly?
a) The proximity of the body to the heat source
b) The presence of fat and water content in bone
c) The duration of the burn
d) All of the above
d) All of the above
True or false : roots will go around skeletal remains thus it is less likely for damage to occur
FALSE
Plant Damage : trees can grow roots that grow through skeletons and cause physical damage
Root etching : rootlets that grow and create patterns throughout the entire surface of the bone and can also cause discolouring
Fungal growth : causes discolouration on bones
What does the Cause of Death (COD) refer to in forensic investigations?
a) The mechanism by which disease/injury produces death
b) The final cessation of breathing and/or heart pumping
c) The underlying medical diagnosis denoting disease or injury
d) The specific immediate change in the body that brings about death
c) The underlying medical diagnosis denoting disease or injury
Which of the following is NOT a type of soft tissue trauma?
a) Laceration
b) Incision
c) Strangulation
d) Abrasion
c) Strangulation
Explain how to tell a gunshot entrance versus exit wound
Entrance : small hole, inverted edges, more regular, powder marks, internal bevelling
Exit : large hole, everted edges, irregular, no powder marks, external bevelling
Which of the following is an abiotic factor that affects decomposition in forensic anthropology?
a) Microorganisms
b) Insects
c) Temperature
d) Root etching
c) Temperature
What are the characteristics of a carnivore animal teeth marks?
Carnivore marks : four kinds
(i) Punctures : holes that puncture through cortical bone
(ii) Pits : like punctures but do not penetrate through cortical bone
(iii) Scoring : roughly parallel group of scratch lines across cortical bone (usually along shaft)
(iv) Furrows : similar to scoring but deeper (end of bones)
What are the 4 different categories for manners of death?
(iii) Manner of Death :
Homicide : death of one person caused by another
Suicide :
Accidental : unplanned events
Natural Causes : most common, interruption/failure of body functions from age or disease
Undetermined/Unknown : classification when the information pointing toward one manner of death is no more compelling than any others
Which of the following is an example of blunt-force trauma?
a) Stab wounds
b) Gunshot wounds
c) Lacerations caused by crushing force
d) Incised wounds
c) Lacerations caused by crushing force
What causes 'hinging' of bone fractures? Does this occur before, during or after death?
(ii) Hinging : a section of bone bends away from direction of blow – not postmortem
How does fire affect bone structure in forensic investigations?
a) It causes bones to become denser.
b) It leads to minimal changes in bone appearance.
c) It can cause deep transverse fractures and warping.
d) It has no impact on bone composition.
c) It can cause deep transverse fractures and warping.
A bone has rodent teeth marks on it; straight grooves with flat floors that come in pairs : what does this suggest for the PMI?
(a) 3+ months
(b) 10+ months
(c) 3+ years
(d) 30+ months
(d) 30+ months
What does the term "pugilistic pose" refer to in forensic anthropology?
a) The position of bones after decomposition in water
b) The posture of bones in response to fire-related trauma
c) The distortion of a body due to heat-induced changes
d) The appearance of bones affected by animal scavenging
b) The posture of bones in response to fire-related trauma
or
c) The distortion of a body due to heat-induced changes
Define these types of fractures
a. Transverse
b. Greenstick
c. Oblique
d. Comminuted
a. Transverse : break straight through the bone
b. Greenstick : discontinuation is incomplete, only occurs in immature bone
c. Oblique : diagonal completely through bone
d. Comminuted : radiating lines which disperse outward, like a sunburst on a bone
Explain the difference between dynamic versus static forces, give examples of an instrument which causes this type of trauma and what the bone looks like
Dynamic force : sudden stress delivered powerfully at high speed
bludgeon, knife, projectile injuries
Causes displacement and maybe fracture lines
Static : starts slow, builds up
strangulation with breakage of the hyoid bone
Causes displacement but no fracture lines
Explain the affects of these 4 temperature/moisture levels on bones
(i) Humid
(ii) Dry
(iii) Wet
(iv) Cold
Humid : humid environment are worst: often causes high fragmentation
Dry : can be good, if bones are not exposed to sun which causes leaching and distortion
Wet : wet temperate environment quite variable depending on soil and drainage (water sitting or running off) Water logging can cause damage as bone undergoes mineral exchange with groundwater
Cold : often good because 4 degrees and lower stops bacteria activity, but freeze-thaw cycle causes damage
What are the first bones to be scavenged by predators?
Ends of long bones chewed first to get marrow, leaving ragged edges
Proximate cause : underlying cause that is investigated
Final cause : is always only the cessation of breathing and / or heart pumping
Define the 4 types of bone trauma.
(i) Complete fracture
(ii) Infraction
(iii) Pathological fractures
(iv) Stress/Hairline fracture
(i) Complete fracture : discontinuity is complete (all the way through the bone)
(ii) Infraction : when the discontinuity is incomplete
(iii) Pathological Fractures : breaks in bone already weakened by disease
(iv) Stress/Fatigue or Hairline Fractures: small breaks in bone exposed to intermittent stress or overuse over a long period of time
Explain the characteristics of any one of the following;
- antemortem trauma
- perimortem trauma
- postmortem trauma
Antemortem : remodelling present, plastic response (deformation of bone) present, smooth fracture edges, acute/obtuse angled fractures
Perimortem : no remodelling, plastic response present, bone flakes, sharp bent-edges, acute or obtuse angled fractures, smooth fracture texture
Postmortem : no remodelling, no plastic response, no bone flakes, sharp squared edges and no bending, right angled fractures, rough fracture texture
What are the 4 stages of fracture healing? Give a rough timeline for each stage
(i) Hematoma formation : 3-4 hours
(ii) Fibrocartilaginous callus formation : 3 days to 2 weeks
(iii) Bony callus formation : 3-4 weeks to 2-3 months
(iv) Bone remodelling : 7-10 years
What percentage of forensic human remain cases had evidence of post-mortem animal activity
(a) 15-46%
(b) 32-55%
(c) 47-80%
(d) 3-15%
(a) 15-46%
Studies of terrestrial context report 15-46% of forensic human remains cases had evidence of post-mortem animal activity