Bone Identification

Bones can tell a great deal about the life of people who died. They can give hints about their ancestry, sex, age, and stature (height), and often they help identify someone. Bones in a criminal investigation can give clues about the time and manner of death. Try the following activities to learn more about bones and what they can tell you.

Materials

- 2 stockpots, one with lid
- tap water
- whole chicken
- timer
- tongs
- platter
- ½ cup (125 ml) baking soda
- scrub brush
- adult helper

Procedure
NOTE: This activity requires adult helper.

1. Fill one stockpot halfway with water. Put the chicken in the pot and cover it with the lid.
2. Have your adult helper set the pot on the stove burner, set the heat to medium, and boil the chicken for 2 hours.
3. Have your adult helper use the tongs to transfer the chicken from the pot to the platter. Let the chicken cool. When the chicken is cool, remove as much meat from the bones as possible.
NOTE: Have your adult helper save the good parts of the meat for a meal.
4. Fill the second pot halfway with water. Add the bones and the baking soda.
5. Ask your adult helper to boil the bones for 1 hour. This should remove all remaining meat from the bones.
6. Allow the water to cool, then transfer the bones to the platter. Use the scrub brush to clean the bones.
7. Examine the bones. How are they like? How are they different? If you were given only ane bone from the chicken, would you know where in the chicken it came from?
8. Use the diagram to help you reconstruct the chicken skeleton.

Explanation

Forensic anthropologists study the bones of the dead. They use the same techniques and discoveries to help solve twentieth century crimes as other anthropologists use to unveil the secrets of ancient civilization. Indeed, many of the nation’s forensic anthropologists spend much of their time digging into remains of ancient times.

One the first things that forensic anthropologist must determine is whether a bone is human or animal. This is often more difficult than it sounds. Some other mammals have bone very similar to human bones. For example, the bones in a bear paw look almost exactly like the bones in the human hand. Investigators also need to know whether bones are recent or ancient. This will help them determine whether the bone comes from a place of historical significance or the scene of a crime.

The skull can be used to help re-create what a person looked like. Forensic sculptors use computers to help put flesh and skin on a skeleton and thus match a skull to a photograph of a missing person. These techniques have been used to give other anthropologists an idea of what dinosaurs looked like.

The skeleton can give many important details about a person, including his or her occupation. For example, the bones of waiters and tennis players show signs of arm strength, with greater development on their strong side. Male pelvic bones (the bones that from the hips) are different from those of the female. Men’s pelvic bones are narrow and steep while women’s are shallower and broader. Forensic anthropologists often use the features of the eye sockets and nose cavity to categorize people in one or more continental or ancestral groups.

One of the best collaborative efforts in the science world is that between the Smithsonian Institution’s Department of Anthropology and the FBI in Washington D.C. Here, pure science and hard-nose police work team up to help solve some of the most tantalizing of humanity’s past and present.