Sutures and DNA

Forensic Anthropology

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, 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

Plastic 3 D reconstruction 2 dimensional reconstruction

Computerized programs for Facial Reconstruction