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Forensic Criminology : Forensic Anthropology

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A forensic Anthropology studies bodies and determines who the person is and they determines the cause of the person death. When someone dies they call a forensic Anthropology to finger out why this person die. When skeletonized remains are discovered, one needs to establish first if the bones are human. If so, the sex, race, age, stature, weight, and any pathology of the newly acquired skeleton must be established in order to make an identification of the remains, determine manner and cause of death and, if homicide, identify the murderer. According to forensic medicine”Forensic anthropologists are "bone detectives" who help police solve complex cases involving unidentified human remains. The techniques which physical …show more content…

In these cases Smithsonian anthropologists work with the FBI, State Department, and other law enforcement agencies to identify the individuals and solve crimes. They also conduct research on historic and prehistoric human remains to learn more about people from the past. As Smithsonian forensic anthropologist Kari Bruwelheide says "The bones are like a time capsule." Anthropologists at the National Museum of Natural History use a variety of techniques to analyze human remains and record their observations. For example, the bones are typically photographed and X-rayed. Some remains may

Undergo CT scanning or be examined with high-powered microscopes. These techniques provide detailed information about remains without altering them while providing a visual record. DNA analysis may be used to help establish identity. This type of testing is most often used in modern forensic case work, but mitochondrial DNA in bones and teeth can be used to confirm relationships of old remains with deceased or living descendants. Other chemical analyses, such as
Those involving isotopes, can provide information about the age of bones and a person’s diet. The data gathered is studied and combined to draw conclusions about the deceased individual. For a modern case, photos of the skull may be superimposed on photos of missing people to look for consistencies between the bone and fleshed form. Even in cases where

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