M1: Osteology, Anthropology
& Forensic Context
LECTURE 3
PART I -- Human Variation in the Skeleton
PART II – Basic Bone Biology
The basis of all forensic anthropology is an intimate knowledge of human skeletal anatomy,
growth, function, and structure, including the dentition
Osteology
o The study of the structure and function of the skeleton and bony structures
AGE
o Older individuals have larger
bones
o The size of the bone will be set at
a certain age
o We can use this data compared
with the size of the bone when in
its adult phase to predict the age
of a individual
This technique is best with subadult bone detection
SEX
o The biggest difference you can see
between males and females is size
Male v. Female Skulls
Difference in the shape of
the contour of the skull
vault
ANCESTRY
o This is due to local adaptation and
Sources of evolutionary forces
MUSCULARITY
Variation in the o Conditioning is another source of
Human Skeleton variation in the skeleton
o This is due to muscle attachments
Large Surface Area (Bone) = Large Muscle to the
Attachment Sight
o These are very slight differences and are often hard to detect
OCCUPATION
o Habitual activities may cause deviations from the norm
o Usually, can only be detected by advanced forensic
anthropologists
Ex.) Pitchers Elbow/Tennis Elbow often due to soft
tissue damage it leaves
skeletal markers
PATHOLOGY
o Pathology refers to the study of
disease
o Congenital Diseases, Infectious
Diseases, Health, & Dietary
Conditions
IDIOSYNCRATIC GENETIC
VARIANTS
& Forensic Context
LECTURE 3
PART I -- Human Variation in the Skeleton
PART II – Basic Bone Biology
The basis of all forensic anthropology is an intimate knowledge of human skeletal anatomy,
growth, function, and structure, including the dentition
Osteology
o The study of the structure and function of the skeleton and bony structures
AGE
o Older individuals have larger
bones
o The size of the bone will be set at
a certain age
o We can use this data compared
with the size of the bone when in
its adult phase to predict the age
of a individual
This technique is best with subadult bone detection
SEX
o The biggest difference you can see
between males and females is size
Male v. Female Skulls
Difference in the shape of
the contour of the skull
vault
ANCESTRY
o This is due to local adaptation and
Sources of evolutionary forces
MUSCULARITY
Variation in the o Conditioning is another source of
Human Skeleton variation in the skeleton
o This is due to muscle attachments
Large Surface Area (Bone) = Large Muscle to the
Attachment Sight
o These are very slight differences and are often hard to detect
OCCUPATION
o Habitual activities may cause deviations from the norm
o Usually, can only be detected by advanced forensic
anthropologists
Ex.) Pitchers Elbow/Tennis Elbow often due to soft
tissue damage it leaves
skeletal markers
PATHOLOGY
o Pathology refers to the study of
disease
o Congenital Diseases, Infectious
Diseases, Health, & Dietary
Conditions
IDIOSYNCRATIC GENETIC
VARIANTS
