1. Forensics and Bones

2. There are more than 200 bones in the human body
There are more than 200 bones in the human body. When skeletal remains are found, the bones can be studied to tell us a number of things.

3. Bones develop and deteriorate through very predictable stages during a person’s lifetime.

4. Epiphyseal unions, or the hardening of growth plates as a child grows up, occur in a particular order and can help to identify the age of the skeleton.

6. In adults, there are some specific differences between male and female skeletons.
Generally male bones are larger and thicker than female bones.
A female pelvis is wider with a wider pelvic outlet to allow for childbirth.
The sciatic notch is wider in females than in males.
The back of a male’s jawbone is curved but is straight in a female.

8. Determining race is very difficult, but there are some differences in Caucasoid, Negroid and Mongoloid skulls.

11. Forensic anthropologists can estimate the height of the person by measuring the length of certain bones, such as the ulna in the arm, or by comparing the length of two or more bones to calculate a bone ratio.