Forensic Anthropology

Biological osteology anthropologists have developed multiple methods to look at bones and use them to gain information about the individual and their past. Forensic anthropologists are the people who can use these methods and information to help solve cases involving unidentified human remains. Simply, “forensic anthropology is the examination of human skeletal remains for law enforcement agencies to help with the recovery of human remains, interpret trauma, and estimate time since death” (What is Forensic Anthropology?). Forensic anthropologists are able to convey information about sex, age, ancestry, time of death, trauma, and cause of death to the law enforcement. Once the information is determined, the anthropologist may be asked to testify in court to identify the victim and explain what was found on the remains (What is Forensic Anthropology?). The possible scenes that forensic anthropologists may face are endless. The field ranges from examining victims involved in accidents, such as natural disasters, to severe crimes such as homicide (Roufa). For example, a wider pelvis, allowing for childbirth, indicates that the skeleton belongs to a female. However, in situations in which only a skull is found, anthropologists are able to gather a significant amount of information from teeth, such as an estimated age of the individual. These exact techniques are applied in the study of forensic anthropology. The difference is that the most prominent objective is to solve a criminal case (Dunning).

Often in the media, forensic anthropologists are shown as forensic scientists or crime scene technicians, but the careers are different (What is Forensic Anthropology?). Forensic scientists do not examine bones like forensic anthropologists, but other bodily aspects such as blood, bodily fluids, hair, clothing fibres, and crime scene debris (AGCAS editors). Crime scene technicians do not work with the body at all, but at the location and physical evidence, and the organization of such (Career Profile). However, due to the nature of their work, forensic anthropologists spend a lot of time working together with law enforcement and often provide testimonies in the courtroom, which makes this sub-field incredibly unique. One figure in the media, however, that is accurate to the job is Dr. Temperance Brennan from the television show, Bones. The show is based on and produced by Kathy Reichs, who is a forensic anthropologist herself. Reichs has said this about the show: “Well, everything we use on “Bones” is real – the technology, the methodologies, the terminologies. What’s different is that in real life every single case does not get solved” (Clpomper)(Clpomper).