Terms Defined
the application of anthropological methods and theory to matters of legal concern, particularly as they relate to the recovery and analysis of the skeleton
forensic anthropology
Only bone in the body that does not articulate (connect) with any other bone
hyoid
limited to anatomists and some physical anthropologists working on dry bones with no formal methods
Pre-1940
lower limb
yellow (greasy) with desiccated tissues and composite resin dental fillings
modern
modern name for the subfield of anthropology that deals with human evolution, primates, comparative anatomy, and population variation
biological anthropology
famous court case _________v. United States that established the "general scientific acceptance" standard
Frye
field recovery and laboratory analysis of human remains ranging from recently deceased individuals to skeletal remains in academic or medical examiner settings
1900-present
sphenoid
skull, shiny texture, hole at bregma with hardware attaching mandible
anatomical remains
application of archaeological theory and methods to the resolution of medicolegal & humanitarian issues
forensic archaeology
acronym for response teams of varied on-call personnel assisting with mass disasters/mass fatality incidents in each of the 10 US regions
DMORT
development of biological profile methods resulting from interest from the military
1940-1970
trapezium
wrist (upper limb)
skeletonized, sun-bleached, with knee replacement
modern
the study of processes affecting the body during and following death that affect how and where it is found
forensic taphonomy
type of data that is quick and often highly effective at capturing information that is not easily measured, but is more heavily reliant on experience and prone to bias
macroscopic
1970-1990
talus
ankle (lower limb)
military-aged male, Asian ancestry, high-velocity trauma to skull
souvenir / trophy skull
organization managed by NIST that replaced the SWGs to develop technically sounds forensic science standards and promote their adoption by the forensic science community
Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC)
Phase of archaeological recovery: systematic recovery & preservation of context to reconstruct the death event, decomposition of the body, and taphonomic modifications
Phase 3: Recovery & Documentation
the "father of forensic anthropology" published The Identification of the Human Skeleton: A Medicolegal Study
the "father of forensic anthropology" published The Identification of the Human Skeleton: A Medicolegal Study
sacrum
thorax
soil stained, root etching, cranial modification, shovel-shaped incisors
archaeological (prehistoric Native American)