TEXT QUESTIONS 

Review​ Questions 

1. What are epiphyseal fusions? What can they tell a forensic anthropologist? 

a. Epiphyseal fusion is the closing of these areas at the clavicle, iliac crest, 

and the long bones of our arms and legs. These can normally tell a 

forensic anthropologist of the age of a person's bones when they died. 

2. What is forensic odontology? Why is this area helpful for investigators? 

a. Forensic odontologists are highly experienced, specially trained dentists 

who use their expertise to help identify unknown remains and trace bite 

marks to a specific individual. The forensic odontologist may be called in 

to do so by police officers, the medical examiner or the coroner. 

3. What is facial reconstruction? Why is it used? 

a. Facial reconstruction is a method used in the forensic field when a crime 

involves unidentified remains. The sculptor will work with forensic 

anthropologists to interpret the features of the skeleton that will ultimately 

help reveal the age, sex and ancestry of the victim. 

4. How do male and female bones tend to differ? 

a. Male bones are bigger and stronger, in both size and density. Peak male 

bone mass is around 50% more than women's, and women lose bone 
faster as we age. Men and women both have the same number of bones 

in their bodies. 

5. How does a forensic scientist estimate the height of a victim? 

 a. A forensic scientist estimates the height of a victim by looking at the spine 
and the leg bones. 

Critical Thinking​ Questions 

1. Why is forensic anthropology an important part of forensic science? What does 

this area add to the investigation of crime? 

a. Forensic anthropology is an important part of forensic science because it 

can help fin the age, sex, lifestyle, and diet of the person thousands of 

years ago. In criminal investigations, it can show what type of weapon the 

victim was killed with and other physical injuries inflicted in the past. 

2. Imagine that you have been called to an area where bones have been found. 

What would you do at this spot to better understand what happened? 

a. If I was called to an area where bones were found to examine them I 

would look at the area around the body to see if animals pulled it apart, to 

see if the body died there or was dragged, and to see if there are any 

obvious wounds on the body. 

3. What are some of the differences between traditional facial reconstruction and 

computer facial reconstruction? What are the advantages and disadvantages of 
each? 

a. Traditional facial reconstruction is using clay on a skull to see what the 

victim might have looked like; the advantages are that it gives a close 
picture to what the person looked like but it doesn't always give a close 

match. Computer facial reconstruction is when the skull is digitally 

 scanned them in a computer program a person will add facial feature to 
the skeleton, the advantages of this is that it is fast and can give a few 

images of what the person looked like but there can be a lot of guesswork 

so the image might not be accurate. 

4. What is a scatter pattern? What can it tell a forensic anthropologist? 

a. A scattered pattern is an area where the bones are distributed after a 

while. This can tell anthropologists how long the body was in the area and 
the conditions when the bones arrived. 

5. How can the age of a body be estimated using bones? What are some of the 
different areas of the body that may give an indication of age? 

a. The age of a body can be determined by looking at the skull, the feet, the 
pelvis, the spin, the teeth, and sutures.