Sutures and DNA Forensic Anthropology n Identification and

Sutures and DNA

Forensic Anthropology n Identification and examination of human skeletal remains – Trying to determine origin, sex, approximate age, race and skeletal injury – May create facial reconstruction – Identify victims of mass disaster such as plane crash

Aging of Bone • What can bone tell us? – Children build bones faster and bones grow in size – After 30 years – process starts to reverse and bones deteriorate faster than built • Can be slowed by exercise – # of bones and their condition can tell a person’s age, health, and calcium in food

Distinguishing Age • Bones don’t reach maturity at the same time – To help tell their age: – suture marks – presence or absence of cartilage

Osteobiography • The story of a life as told by bones • Things we can see: – Loss of bone density, poor teeth, signs of arthritis – Previous fractures, artificial joints, and pins – Right-handed vs. left-handed – Physical labor

Suture Marks • Zigzag areas where bones of the skull meet – In babies, some is soft tissue that is gradually ossified – Suture marks slowly fade to give smoother appearance as bones age

Suture Marks Cont’d • Coronal Suture: – closed by age 50 • Lamboidal Suture: – begins closing at 21 – accelerates at 26 – closed by 30

DNA Evidence • Mitochondrial DNA degrades much, much slower – Can be extracted from bones and compared to living relatives on mother’s side of family

Digital Imagery Reconstruction: Use of computer superimposes photo of skull with outer skin.

Facial reconstruction technique used by forensic artists.

Facial Reconstruction n Plastic 3 D reconstruction n 2 dimensional reconstruction

n Computerized programs for Facial Reconstruction