Focuses on the identification of human skeletal remains and determining the biological profile.
Key Topics:
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Which of the following long bones is located in the upper portion of the leg and is generally considered the longest, heaviest, and strongest bone in the human skeleton?
Femur
The femur is the thigh bone. According to standard forensic texts like Bertino & Bertino, it is the largest bone in the body and is a primary long bone used in stature estimation.
The human skull is primarily divided into the facial bones and the braincase. What is the anatomical term for the protective braincase?
Cranium
The skull consists of the cranium (which protects the brain) and the facial bones (including the mandible, or lower jaw).
Which bone is situated in the upper arm, between the shoulder joint and the elbow?
Humerus
The humerus is the major long bone of the upper arm, extending from the shoulder to the elbow. It is frequently measured for biological profiling when the femur is unavailable.
The skeletal structure that consists of the ilium, ischium, and pubis, and is central for attaching the lower limbs to the axial skeleton, is known as the:
Pelvis
The pelvis (or os coxa) is formed by the fusion of the ilium, ischium, and pubis. It is a key area for determining the biological sex of a decedent.
A forensic anthropologist discovers a fragmented bone that includes the greater sciatic notch and an acetabulum. Which major skeletal structure has been found?
Pelvis
The acetabulum is the socket of the hip joint, and the greater sciatic notch is located on the ilium. Both are key landmarks of the pelvic bone.
When assessing the biological sex of a human skeleton, a subpubic angle of approximately 100 degrees (greater than 90 degrees) most strongly indicates:
[Image: Image description: Diagram of a human pelvis highlighting a wide subpubic angle beneath the pubic symphysis.]
A biological female
Biological females possess adaptations for childbirth, which include a wider pelvis and a subpubic angle greater than 90 degrees. Males typically have a subpubic angle of less than 90 degrees.
When comparing the pelvic cavity shape between the biological sexes, the female pelvic inlet is typically described as:
Oval-shaped and wider
The female pelvic inlet is circular to oval-shaped and wide to allow for fetal passage during childbirth, whereas the male pelvic inlet is often more heart-shaped and narrow.
When evaluating cranial features for sex estimation, a pronounced and heavy brow ridge (supraorbital ridge) combined with a robust mastoid process is highly indicative of a:
Biological male
Male skulls tend to be larger and more robust. Characteristics include prominent brow ridges, a larger mastoid process, and a pronounced nuchal crest at the back of the skull.
Which of the following descriptions represents typical characteristics of a female skull?
Smooth skull surface, vertical forehead, and sharp orbital margins
Biological female skulls generally exhibit more gracile (smooth) features, a vertical/rounded forehead, and sharper upper margins of the eye orbits compared to the blunt margins found in males.
The Phenice Method is a highly reliable technique used to estimate sex from the pelvis. It relies on evaluating three specific traits. Which of the following is NOT one of those three traits?
Greater sciatic notch
While the greater sciatic notch is an important indicator of sex, the Phenice Method specifically evaluates three features on the pubis: the ventral arc, the subpubic concavity, and the medial aspect of the ischiopubic ramus. Females typically show a clear ventral arc and concavity.
