FRSC1030 Foundations in Forensic Science Chapter 7

Key Terms from chapter 7

Allometry

The study of patterned and proportional relationships between the sizes of body parts, shape, physiology and behavior. Allometric relationships are systematic but not exact, differing from population to population and from individual to individual, and require the application of measurements of skeletal elements.

Biological profile

A description of biological characteristics to help identify human remains. Creating a profile can entail studying the remains and noting characteristics of shape and size to estimate age, sex, stature, population, or ancestry, and individualising traits such as skeletal trauma, disease, or anomalies.

Butterfly fracture

A type of fracture where a bone breaks into three or more pieces dueto blunt force trauma, resulting in a large, triangular, or wedge-shaped fragment.

Clandestine grave

The purposeful burial of a body to disguise its location, often to conceal evidence of a crime and attempt to erase the victim’s existence

Commingled remains

Remains from multiple individuals that end up together after mass casualty events, explosions, transportation disasters, and natural disasters

Deciduous dentition

The first set of teeth, that fall out in childhood

Equifinality

The concept in forensics that different agents of bone modification can produce similar types of damage.

False start mark

An incomplete saw cut on a bone that provides clues about the saw used, helping to determine the type of saw, its size, and other characteristics

Forensic archaeology

The study of human activity applied in a legal setting, using archaeological methods to locate, recover, and analyze physical evidence at crime scenes

Ground-penetrating radar

Devices used to find burials and associated items, that use radio waves to create images of the subsurface, detecting changes in electrical properties to map undergroudnd objects or structures. It can detect the change in the soil from the digging of the grave.

Ossification centers

The sites where bone growth begins in a developing body, replacing cartilage with bone tissue through a process called ossification

Osteoarthritis

The most common form of arthritis, characterized by the gradual breakdown of protective joint cartilage. It can be used to estimate the age of an individual, since the condition is unusual in people under the age of 40.

Osteology

The study of the structure and function of the skeleton and bones

Osteometry

The study and measurement of the human skeleton, involving the precise quantification of bone size and shape to understand variations in individuals or groups.

Osteoporosis

A bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases, or when the quality or structure of bone changes, which can lead to a decrease in bone strength and can increase the risk of fractures.

Petal fracture

A fracture caused by acute trauma, such as when a bullet enters and exits a body. The fracture will open as the bullet enters and then fold back slightly after it passes.

Plastic deformation

Warping of the fragments of a bone, associated more with relatively slower processes, like hitting with a heavy object, than with gunshots.

Pubic symphysis

The region on the pelvis where the right and left pelvis halves join in the front of the body across two faces or surfaces, It’s one of the most reliable indicators of adult age and sex.

Remodelling

The changing of bone shape, the reabsorption of old or damaged bone followed by the deposition of new bone material, used to estimate age at death and the timeline of trauma.

Sciatic notch

A large indentation on the posterior part of the pelvis, specifically the ilium bone. A broad, shallow sciatic notch is associated with females.

Sexual dismorphism

The differences in size and shape between the sexes.

Skeletal collections

Collections and frequency databases that contain statistical descriptions of various populations, analyzed to estimate characteristics such as height and age

Stature

Height, estimated by measuring total body length or extrapolating from long bone lengths

Subpubic angle

The angle formed by the inferior rami of the pubic bones, located below the pubic symphysis. It tends to be wider and more U-shaped in females, and more narrow in maels.

Succession

The process of an ecosystem changing. The succession of plants can help locate clandestine graves.

Taphonomic context

The immediate environment and surroundings where a body is found.

Taphonomy

The study of the context in which a body is found, typically describes the context of historical gravesites, and is helpful when analyzing clandestine graves.