Kami Export - Lab Activity-1 Forensic Anthroplogy Height copy

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Anthropology

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Apr 3, 2024

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Lab Activity: Forensic Anthropology Height Lab Forensic anthropology is a unique forensic discipline that studies the human skeleton to answer various questions about an individual’s race, sex, age, height, illness, and trauma. In this particular exercise students will explore 1) how a single bone can reveal a person’s overall height and 2) how this information can be used to make presumptive identifications. A person’s height can be affected by several variables: age, sex, race, health, etc. Anthropologists have compiled several formulas for determining the approximate height of an individual given the length of any of the long bones of the human body. It is important to stress to the students that these formulas only give approximations of height—they are not exact. One of the main factors affecting a person’s height is age. The formulas provided were designed for individuals between 23 – 30 years old. Before the ages of 18-23 a person’s bones have yet to full ossify. Ossification is the natural replacement of cartilage with bone; it is responsible for nearly all bone growth. Because these bones are still growing, the relationship between bone length and an individual’s height is extremely variable. Be sure that your class realizes that the data they collect from each other is only applicable to their same age group. It would NOT apply to adults.

LONG BONES OF THE HUMAN SKELETON

Lab Materials: • Metric Ruler, Tape Measure • Calculator No Bones About It (Part 1) When a body is discovered, it is important to learn as much as possible from the remains. Forensic anthropologists use mathematical formulas to estimate someone’s height from the lengths of certain bones in their body. But where do these formulas come from? 1. Using a metric ruler, measure the length of your femur (thigh bone) in centimeters. This is the large bone that runs from your hip socket to your knee cap. Record this information in the table below. 2. Have a partner measure your actual height in centimeters. Record this information in the table below. 3. Collect the same information (femur length and height) from at least 7 of your classmates. Leave the “calculated height” row blank for now. Table 1: Classroom Measurements Name Femur Length (cm) Actual Height (cm) Calculated Height (cm) 4. Use the graph paper on the next page OR GOOGLE SHEETS to graph the data you’ve collected. Use Femur Length for the x-axis and Height for y-axis. 167.

5. Use your graph to answer the following question: What relationship is there between the length of someone’s femur bone and their height?

No Bones About It (Part 2) Anthropologists have performed hundreds of calculations like the one we just did. Their calculations showed that a person’s height can be estimated using the lengths of the long bones of the body—the femur, tibia, and fibula in the leg, and the ulna, radius, and humerus of the arm. However, the relationship between the length of these bones and a person’s height is different for men and women and for people from different races. The table below lists all the different equations forensic anthropologist use to estimate a person’s height. Table 2: Formulas for calculating height BONE RACE MALE EQUATION FEMALE EQUATION Femur Caucasian 2.32 * length + 65.53 cm 2.47 * length + 54.13 cm African-American 2.10 * length + 72.22 cm 2.28 * length + 59.76 cm Asian 2.15 * length + 72.57 cm Not Available Tibia Caucasian 2.42 * length + 81.93 cm 2.90 * length + 61.53 cm African-American 2.19 * length + 85.36 cm 2.45 * length + 72.56 cm Asian 2.39 * length + 81.45 cm Not Available Fibula Caucasian 2.60 * length + 75.50 cm 2.93 * length + 59.61 cm African-American 2.34 * length + 80.07 cm 2.49 * length + 70.90 cm Asian 2.40 * length + 80.56 cm Not Available Humerus Caucasian 2.89 * length + 78.10 cm 3.36 * length + 57.97 cm African-American 2.88 * length + 75.48 cm 3.08 * length + 64.67 cm Asian 2.68 * length + 83.19 cm Not Available Ulna Caucasian 3.76 * length + 75.55 cm 4.27 * length + 57.76 cm African-American 3.20 * length + 82.77 cm 3.31 * length + 75.38 cm Asian 3.48 * length + 77.45 cm Not Available Radius Caucasian 3.79 * length + 79.42 cm 4.74 * length + 54.93 cm African-American 3.32 * length + 85.43 cm 3.67 * length + 71.79 cm Asian 3.54 * length + 82.00 cm Not Available *These formulas are calculated for adult males and females. (from Bass, W.M. (1987) Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual (3rd ed.). Missouri Archeaological Society, Columbia.) Use the table to fill in the “Calculated Height” row on Table 1. Are the results close to the actual heights? What are some possible sources of error? 168.78 185.86 11157.6 1 Six months of Russian occupation of the city of Izium left an estimated 400 people in a large burial site. Bodies are being exhumed to try and determine causes of death. It can be determined that many of the dead are women and children. Some of those killed may constitute war crimes on the part of the Russions.

No Bones About It (Part 3) The following bones were recovered from the construction site. Unfortunately, the bones were heavily damaged by the construction equipment. The bones have all been mixed up and several have been crushed. However, you think you can use the bones that are left to: • Determine how many people were buried at this location • Determine the heights of the different individuals A fellow forensic anthropologist has already classified the bones by sex and race. Using the mathematical formulas from Table 2 , calculate the approximate height of each individual. Table 3: Analysis of bones from construction site Bone# Type of Bone Length (cm) Race Sex Calculated Height (cm) 1. Humerus 38.2 Caucasian Male 2. Femur 44.0 African- American Female 3. Ulna 25.4 Caucasian Male 4. Femur 52.4 Caucasian Male 5. Femur 43.9 African- American Female 6. Tibia 43.7 Caucasian Male Questions: 1. Is it possible any of these bones came from the same person? Which bones? 2. What is the minimum number of bodies buried at this site? What is the maximum number of bodies? 3. Do all bones from the same body give exactly the same height? If not, why would the heights be different?

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