Skeletal Remains Research

Forensic scientists can identify the body through dental records, DNA samples or if the fingers are intact, fingerprints.

Forensic science has come a long way from where it was less than 100 years ago. It has only been relatively recently that the advancement of technology we use, has occurred. The Body Farm, an institute in Knoxville, Tennessee, is a place where dead corpses are left to rot and then studied on how the body decays in different circumstances. Death’s Acre: Inside the Legendary Body Farm tells about the farm from Dr. Bill Bass’ point of view, from the establishment of the farm, to the impact in the world of forensic science the farm has caused. David Pitt and Alynda Wheat offers their insight into the book in their reviews. The Body Farm has been a monumental stepping stone to the advancement of modern day forensic sciences. Dr. Bill Bass, is making

You most likely wouldn't be able to get that much info regarding victims that decomposed down to just bones.

The CCA police department began analyzing evidence that was collected in an abandoned building at the Lowry campus on 6th Ave and Alton way. The building was abandon and boarded up five years ago, but it showed signs of forced entry. During the Investigation of the scene, CCA police officers found a human skeleton. The skeletal remains were found dressed in what appeared to be a bloody t-shirt and jeans. No identification was found yet but one of the officers brought a theory to this case about a Caucasian woman name Sarah, who went missing five years ago last seen in Aurora and they assumed Sarah could be skeleton in the abandon building.

Forensic anthropology is a subfield of physical anthropology that aims to assist in the identification of human remains and to help determine what happened to the remains (Ubelaker, 2006). A forensic anthropologist is able to aid law enforcement by narrowing down the list of possible victims. This subfield of anthropology consists of several processes and a vast list of duties that are important in providing positive identification.Even though forensic anthropology dates back many years, major advancements in this field are still being made today.

There were many factors that lead t the discovery of the skeleton owner’s gender, ethnicity, height, and age.

After that they “analyze bones to determine the victim's biological profile” as it is said in “What is Forensic Anthropology” by R.U. Steinberg.

What can the distribution of bones tell a forensic scientist? What do you think would be the most challenging aspect of collecting skeletal remains at a crime scene?

Forensic anthropologist examine skeletal remains for elements of a skeleton that can give clues to the person it belongs to. The Kennewick man’s skeleton was found in surprisingly good condition meaning the damage to the skeleton was done in his life, not due to deterioration. The skeleton showed a projectile point lodged in his hip, five broken ribs that did not properly heal, two small dents in his skull, and a bum shoulder. These wounds show an insight to the lifestyle

This is an attempt to unravel the tangle by an objective and empirical examination of information from crime scene and post mortem examination of the victims. Pre-digested information such as speculative newspaper reports, and statements from witnesses other than those called in a professional capacity have been avoided since theirs is largely subjective testimony that confounds more than it informs.

Going over old sketches and photographs of the body you would assume the old man was chopped up and killed. The only thing about that is that there were marks on the old

After examining the body, dental scientist Dr. Lowell Thomas Johnson worked with a police sketch artist and determined that the bite-marks on the body must have come from someone missing an upper front tooth.

The book gives a general overview of the field of forensic science. The sections of the book include “The Scene of the Crime; Working the Scene--The Evidence; Working the Scene of the Body Human;

The pelvis was short and sharply angled and the femoral head measured 50 millimeters, indicating the body was a male. In addition to gender, Dr. Bass and his colleagues observed that the sternal end of the clavicle was fully fused and the pubic symphysis had a rough bumpy service. This meant the body was in its late twenties, between ages 26-29. They observed the left and right femur to measure approximately 490 millimeters, indicating the male was between 5’9 and 6’0 feet tall. They observed no signs of trauma to the bones, but by the color of flesh and state of decomposition, the estimated time of death was between 2-6 months. Step 2: Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. What hypothesis/hypotheses did Dr. Bass and colleagues make to explain their observations? : The following statement is the hypothesis Dr. Bass andhis colleagues made to explaintheir observations. The body found within thegrave of Colonel Shy belonged to a male who was in his late twenties and stood between 5’9 and 6’0 tall. The male was a murder victim who died between 2-6 months ago.Step 3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations. What predictions did Dr. Bass and

Estimating the age at time of death from an unidentified individual’s remains is an important factor of forensic anthropology. There are certain standard processes and procedures that are employed in the lab to help determine the age as well as other biological profile data. In young adults, bone and tooth maturation are often used to roughly estimate the age of the body. In adults, the deterioration of bones is used to predict the age of the unknown body.