Forensic Anthropology
The study of the nature and behavior of humankind since evolution to present done through archaeological investigations. Linguistic analysis. The physical composition of humans and the study of the sociocultural structure. All these encompass what is referred to as anthropology. However, in the 20th century, a more advanced field of physical anthropology, which uses the technique of analyzing the human skeleton, was widely used in the study of human beings (“Forensic Anthropology,” n.d.). The forensic anthropology, which is the more advanced physical anthropology, uses the study of bones and has quite a significant input in all aspects of anthropology. Therefore it is quite essential to understand forensic anthropology and the use of bones in the study to know how it works.
Forensic anthropology tries to fathom and understand the mainly the causative of death in a human being through analyzing their skeletons. It is primarily used in solving crimes where the bones of the victim are studied to uncover the mystery of their death (Byers, 2016). In recent years the study of bones is carried out even in fresh dead bodies. Contrary to the historical uses of forensic anthropology, which was only used to study the skeletons of decomposed bodies. This field is credited Thomas Dwight, who is considered the inventor of the technique in the United States in the year 1842-1911 (Byers, 2016). The application of the method is successful in solving cases concerning civil relations of the deceased community. It is done by studying various deaths cases of political injustices and also helping law enforcement agencies establish the actual cause of death of an individual.
In analyzing the skeletons of an individual’s various techniques are applied to the bones to give relevant information on the person. Through checking the growth and developments of the bone stages of a skeleton collected, it is easy to identify if they belong to a child or an adult.
Also, the shapes of the bone provide insight into the sex of a person (Byers, 2016). Forensic anthropologists, however, use more sophisticated techniques rather than the shape and the growth of the bones (Byers, 2016). They use chemical analyses by studying the DNA composition of the bones to provide more accurate information.
The use of forensic analysis in the field of crime has bought many benefits by helping to determine the causes of the death of historical humankind and the present criminal cases. Also, they provide data on how ancient human beings relieved and what activities they were involved in during their times. Consequently, it is most significant in helping solve mysterious deaths to the law enforcers.
References
Byers, S. N. (2016). Introduction to forensic anthropology. Taylor & Francis.
Forensic Anthropology | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved from https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/social-studies/forensic-anthropology