Recent Advances in Forensic Anthropological Methods and Research

• Other Authors: Ross, Ann H. (Editor), Cunha, Eugénia (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2022
• Subjects: Philosophy; taphonomy; bone proteomics; PMI; microbial decomposition; bioerosion; forensic sciences; race; ancestry; population affinity; craniofacial variation; geometric morphometrics; forensic anthropology; bioarchaeology; qualifications; expertise; knowledge; ethics; education; professionalization; standards; human identification; facial identification; CCTV; photography; forensic facial comparison; morphological analysis; FISWG; face mapping; disguises; MVC; 3D modelling; pair-matching; computed tomography; fragmentation; clavicle; DNA methylation (DNAm); epigenetic age estimation; multi-tissue age prediction models (APMs); Sanger sequencing; SNaPshot; degree of force; skeletal trauma; forensic pathology; review; evidence; opinion; likelihood ratio; Bayes' theorem; medicolegal death investigation; forensic significance; comparative osteology; human osteology; skeletal morphology; nonhuman; frontal sinus shape; outline analysis; elliptical Fourier analysis; radiology; forensic science; blunt force trauma; thermal alteration; thermal fractures; age estimation; femur length; pars basilaris shape; inverse Fourier transform; medication; drugs of abuse; biological profile; age-at-death estimation; machine learning; neural networks; n/a
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Forensic anthropology, while still relatively in its infancy compared to other forensic science disciplines, adopts a wide array of methods from many disciplines for human skeletal identification in medico-legal and humanitarian contexts. The human skeleton is a dynamic tissue that can withstand the ravages of time given the right environment and may be the only remaining evidence left in a forensic case whether a week or decades old. Improved understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that modulate skeletal tissues allows researchers and practitioners to improve the accuracy and precision of identification methods ranging from establishing a biological profile such as estimating age-at-death, and population affinity, estimating time-since-death, using isotopes for geolocation of unidentified decedents, radiology for personal identification, histology to assess a live birth, to assessing traumatic injuries and so much more.