Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2012

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY Forensic Anthropology And Human Remains Identification Sarah Krans “You know my methods, Watson. There was not one of them which I did not apply to the inquiry. And it ended by my discovering traces, but very different ones from those which I had expected.” (Doyle, 1894) gender are known prior to study, physical and forensic anthropologists are able to determine the specific indicators for age-at-death and gender of a skeleton. Like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, modern forensic scientists must use multiple methods to determine the identity of human remains. Human remains identification utilizes the social and biological sciences, in both criminal justice and non-criminal justice situations, by creating a biological profile of the individual. This biological profile includes age, gender, height, weight, geographic characteristics, and other conditions present during life. TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN REMAINS IDENTIFICATION Scientific understanding of the human body is constantly evolving. Scientists are continually learning more about how humans grow and develop. Medical students learn about the human body using cadavers; forensic anthropologists study skeletons and decomposing remains. Every human bone can tell a story about the life that was lived. Even with a greater understanding of DNA and mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) forensic scientists still rely on classic archaeological studies of burial customs and bone identification during the initial identification process. Even with advances in remains identification techniques, such as bone identification methods and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), forensic anthropologists face many challenges, including how bodies decompose and under what conditions. The researchers at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s “Body Farm” have been studying how bodies decompose since 1981. Despite decades of study, scientists still have much to learn about the decomposition process as well as the effects lifestyle and other factors during life have on the human skeleton. Collaboration with other scientists, such as geneticists and dentists, help increase the probability that forensic anthropologists and law enforcement officers will accurately identify remains and give closure to the family of the missing person. An issue with the study and documentation of age and gender of skeletons is the pool of skeletons to study. Many of the skeletons being studied are archaeological in nature (acquired through archaeological digs) or medical donations. With medical donations, the exact ageat-death, or a close estimation, is known. Archaeological finds have an age-range associated with them rather than an exact age. These inexact figures can lead to best estimates for the findings. Even with exact ages being known, no two people will display identical physical characteristics. Diet, nutrition, and genetics play key roles in the rate of the skeleton’s development. DEVELOPMENT OF FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY Archaeology is the sub-field of anthropology concerned with understanding the past, particularly the past prior to recorded history. “In general, archaeologists have tried both to describe the past and to explain it” (Wenke & Olszewski, 2007, p. 6). Archaeologists look for patterns in the past to help explain how human society has become what it is today. Archaeologists and forensic archaeologists look for the telltale signs a human had been at a location, namely soil disturbances. As the rings of a tree indicate weather patterns, the surface of the earth shows the death and renewal of the vegetation, distinguishable by soil striations. Digging holes disturbs these striations and loosens the soil. As archaeologists and geologists study the earth’s striations to determine age, forensic archaeologists use the earth over a grave to give an idea of how long ago a burial occurred. There are 206 bones in the human body, thus the identification of human remains can be a daunting task. When these bones are found in a non-contained environment, it is critical to determine whether the bones found are human or nonhuman. Approximately 30% of bones submitted to forensic anthropologists for identification are ultimately determined to be nonhuman in origin (Bass, 2005, p. 307). In the early 1990s, approximately 17% to 25% of the bones submitted to forensic anthropologists were determined to be of non-human origin. Dr. William Bass, of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, attributes the increase of nonhuman specimens to popular literary and television accounts of investigations of remains (Bass, 2005, p. 307). Just as archaeologists investigate humanity’s impact on the material culture, physical anthropologists study the impact of life and death on the human skeleton. “Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology to the legal process” (What Is Forensic, 2008). Forensic anthropologists are highly trained specialists whose knowledge includes Osteology (the biological science focused on the study of human bones), remains identification, and archaeological excavation methods. Disease, nutrition, and occupations all leave distinct markers on bones. These indicators reveal information abo ]H

Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2012 | Page 42