Remodeling Forensic Skeletal Age

Remodeling Forensic Skeletal Age: Modern Applications and New Research Directions presents a comprehensive understanding of the analytical frameworks and conceptual approaches surrounding forensic age estimation and the current state of the field. The book also includes a series of recommendations of best practice through chapter-examples that offer theory and guidance for data acquisition, technique and/or model development, and the assessment of impact of the adopted approaches. Written by leading, international experts, the book's contributors provide an introduction, conceptual understanding and taxonomy of statistical frameworks and computational approaches, including the Bayesian paradigm and machine learning techniques for age estimation. Discusses core concepts in age estimation, along with key terminologies Presents tactics on how readers can generate sound models that can be translated into forensic reports and expert testimony Provides a step-wise approach and best practice recommendations for data acquisition, considerations in sampling, exploratory data analysis, visualization, and sources of error for appropriate and reproducible research design Includes examples, theory and guidance on how to develop models for age estimation and reviews the impact of population-specific and universal approaches

Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton is a needed up-to-date book providing anthropologists and anatomists with a broad spectrum of techniques focused on aging human skeletal remains. It represents the most current reference book devoted entirely to estimating age at death for skeletonized and decomposed human remains and is a convenient starting point for practical and research applications. This book is a valuable reference for all individuals interested in the identification or analysis of human remains including forensic anthropologists, bioarchaeologists, forensic odontologists, pathologists and anatomists at student and professional levels. Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton would serve as an ideal supplemental textbook for introductory and advanced osteology and forensic anthropology courses. Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton is a collection of some of the latest research in age estimation techniques of human skeletal remains. It compiles recent scientific research on age at death estimation using dental and gross skeletal morphological indicators of age, as well as histological and multifactorial age estimation techniques. Age estimation methods from all life-stage categories, including: fetal, sub-adult, and adult are included in the book. Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton also includes chapters that evaluate and review the older, more traditional aging techniques as well as information that explores future directions and considerations for research in this area. Overall, Age Estimation of the Human Skeleton bolsters the references available to researchers in academic, laboratory, and medicolegal facilities and is an attractive text to a sizable spectrum of analysts.

Publius Syrus stated back in 42 B.C., “You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.” (Maxim 596) Though written long before the advent of forensic science, Syrus’ maxim summarizes the theme of Forensic Medicine of the Lower Extremity: Human Identification and Trauma Analysis of the Thigh, Leg, and Foot. Put simply, the lower extremity is a tremendously variable anatomic region. This variation is beneficial to forensic experts. Differences in the leg and foot can be used to establish individual identity. Analysis of damage to the lower limb can be used to reconstruct antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem trauma. As a forensic anthropologist, I analyze cases involving decomposed, burned, m- mified, mutilated, and skeletal remains. Many of the corpses I examine are incomplete. Occasionally, I receive nothing but the legs and feet; a lower torso dragged from a river; a foot recovered in a city park; dismembered drug dealers in plastic bags; victims of bombings and airline disasters; and the dead commingled in common graves. Though the leg and foot contain much that is useful in forensic analysis, before this publication, investigators faced a twofold problem. Little research that focused on the lower extremity was available in the literature, and the existing research was published in diverse sources, making its location and synthesis a daunting task.

With contributions from 70 experienced practitioners from around the world, this second edition of the authoritative Handbook of Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology provides a solid foundation in both the practical and ethical components of forensic work. The book weaves together the discipline’s historical development; current field methods for analyzing crime, natural disasters, and human atrocities; an array of laboratory techniques; key case studies involving legal, professional, and ethical issues; and ideas about the future of forensic work--all from a global perspective. This fully revised second edition expands the geographic representation of the first edition by including chapters from practitioners in South Africa and Colombia, and adds exciting new chapters on the International Commission on Missing Persons and on forensic work being done to identify victims of the Battle of Fromelles during World War I. The Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology provides an updated perspective of the disciplines of forensic archaeology and anthropology.

A Companion to Biological Anthropology The discipline of biological anthropology—the study of the variation and evolution of human beings and their evolutionary relationships with past and living hominin and primate relatives—has undergone enormous growth in recent years. Advances in DNA research, behavioral anthropology, nutrition science, and other fields are transforming our understanding of what makes us human. A Companion to Biological Anthropology provides a timely and comprehensive account of the foundational concepts, historical development, current trends, and future directions of the discipline. Authoritative yet accessible, this field-defining reference work brings together 37 chapters by established and younger scholars on the biological and evolutionary components of the study of human development. The authors discuss all facets of contemporary biological anthropology including systematics and taxonomy, population and molecular genetics, human biology and functional adaptation, early primate evolution, paleoanthropology, paleopathology, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, and paleogenetics. Updated and expanded throughout, this second edition explores new topics, revisits key issues, and examines recent innovations and discoveries in biological anthropology such as race and human variation, epidemiology and catastrophic disease outbreaks, global inequalities, migration and health, resource access and population growth, recent primate behavior research, the fossil record of primates and humans, and much more. A Companion to Biological Anthropology, Second Edition is an indispensable guide for researchers and advanced students in biological anthropology, geosciences, ancient and modern disease, bone biology, biogeochemistry, behavioral ecology, forensic anthropology, systematics and taxonomy, nutritional anthropology, and related disciplines.

A Laboratory Manual for Forensic Anthropology approaches forensic anthropology as a modern and well-developed science, and includes consideration of forensic anthropology within the broader forensic science community, with extensive use of case studies and recent research, technology and challenges that are applied in field and lab contexts. This book covers all practical aspects of forensic anthropology, from field recoveries, to lab analyses, emphasizing hands-on activities. Topics include human osteology and odontology, examination methods, medicolegal significance, scene processing methods, forensic taphonomy, skeletal processing and sampling, sex estimation, ancestry estimation, age estimation, stature estimation, skeletal variation, trauma analysis, and personal identification. Although some aspects are specific to the United States, the vast majority of the material is internationally-relevant and therefore suitable for forensic anthropology courses in other countries. Provides a comprehensive lab manual that is applicable to coursework in forensic anthropology and archaeology Covers all practical aspects of forensic anthropology, from field recoveries, to lab analyses Includes discussions of human osteology and odontology, examination methods, medicolegal significance, scene processing methods, forensic taphonomy, skeletal processing and sampling, sex estimation, and more Emphasizes best practices in the field, providing an approach that is in line with today's professional forensic anthropology

"This book is virtually required reading for biological anthropologists and will be a useful, up-to-date primer on osteological analyses for a wider audience." —The Quarterly Review of Biology, March 2009 "... a comprehensive guide to the ever-changing discipline of physical anthropology... provides an in depth introduction to human skeletal biology. The structure of the book makes it easy for the reader to follow the progression of the field of human skeletal biology." —PaleoAnthropology, 2009 Issue The First Edition of Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton is the market-leading reference and textbook on the scientific analysis of human skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites. Now, featuring scores of new or thoroughly revised content, this Second Edition provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the topic available. Like the previous edition, this Second Edition is organized into five parts with contributing chapters written by experts in the field of human skeletal biology: Part One covers theory and application; Part Two discusses morphological analyses of bone, teeth, and age changes; Part Three reviews prehistoric health and disease; Part Four examines chemical and genetic analysis of hard tissues; and Part Five closes with coverage of quantitative methods and population studies. Each chapter includes a review of recent studies, descriptions of analytical techniques and underlying assumptions, theory, methodological advances, and speculation about future research. New or thoroughly revised content includes: Techniques in the analysis of human skeletal and dental remains Extensive coverage of new technologies, including modern morphometric techniques Advances in the field of forensic anthropology Enhanced discussion of ethical terms regarding the study of aboriginal peoples' remains where those people are no longer the dominant culture This book serves as an indispensable research guide to biological anthropologists, osteologists, paleoanthropologists, and archaeologists. Now with a stronger focus on teaching complex material to students, this revised edition provides enhanced case studies and discussions for future directions, making it an invaluable textbook for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in biological anthropology and forensic anthropology programs.

A broad understanding of bone and tooth microstructure is necessary for constructing the biological profile of an individual or individuals within a population. Bone Histology: An Anthropological Perspective brings together authors with extensive experience and expertise in various aspects of hard tissue histology to provide a comprehensive discussion of the application of methods, current theories, and future directions in hard tissue research related to anthropological questions. Topics discussed include: The biology underlying skeletal growth and development leading to adult skeletal morphology Current research in understanding in bone modeling Histological features of dental hard tissues and their utility in biological anthropology Histological analysis as a means to differentiate human from nonhuman bone and for the purpose of age estimation The biomechanics of cortical bone Histotaphonomy and how postmortem microstructural change can be used for taphonomic inquiry The application of light microscopy in paleopathology to classify pathological conditions The histological study of bone tissue of archaeological origin Researchers’ access to collections of bone samples with known demographic information Technological aspects of hard tissue histology, including laboratory requirements and high-resolution imaging In most cases, the physical remains of humans available to bioarchaeologists, paleopathologists, and paleontologists are limited to skeletal material. Fortunately, these hard tissues are a storehouse of information about biological processes experienced during the life of an individual. This volume provides an overview of the current state of research and potential applications in anthropology and other fields that employ a histological approach to the study of hard tissues.