How can bones be used to find the age, gender,and ethnic backround of a crime victim?

Answer 1

DNA...Hope i helped?

Answer 2

zeconiferz11 is correct, so I'll just add some detail.

The age can be determined through a number of areas on the skeleton depending on what you have access to. If you only have a skull for example, the age can be determined (roughly) by the joints in the top of the skull. As you probably know, when we're born the skull is not a completely solid shape which makes birth easier. As we age, the skull knits together to form a solid shape but this takes time and can be used to determine age (up to about mid 20's I think, after that the skull is completely fused and isn't as good an age indicator). Next, for the skull, would probably be the teeth. Amount of dental work and wear to the teeth can give an idea of the age of the person, as well as if the wisdom teeth have erupted yet.

If you don't have access to the skull then other areas of the body can be used. The legs, for example, have an area at the ends of the bones called a growth plate that continues to make the bone longer until a certain age. If you have a leg bone, but the growth plate isn't there then the age can be determined (again, roughly).

Gender can be determined in a number of ways also. The most obvious, if you know the age, would be the size of the bones since men are generally around 20% larger than women on average. Another way to sex the skeleton is with the pelvis. The pelvis of a woman is wider and more shallow then a mans to accommodate pregnancy. Also if you feel the back of your skull, just about where your neck connects to it, you'll find a small bump at the base. This is larger in men than in women and can help determine sex from the skull, though it takes an experienced eye to tell the difference.

Ethnic background can be guessed by the skull (usually, though other bones can probably give a good idea). Caucasians normally have, depending on their ancestry, a more oblong skull that is tall and narrow. African and Asian skulls tend to be shorter and more broad across the face. Obviously this doesn't hold for everyone so other methods are used, but it's a good indicator.

For some more info, check out the WikiPedia article below on forensic anthropology.

Answer 3

Hip bones are a dead giveaway to sex. Women have very different hip bones than men because obviously they have the capacity to give birth. She could not do it with male hips!

Age -- they can tell for example on the head there are several plates on the top which after 30 or 40 years of age seal up.

If the plates are not yet totally sealed up that person is under 30 or 40. I forget which it is. I think 30.

They have tricks like that.

Answer 4

Size, and bone structure can be used to find the age. Around the pelvis is where you can find gender. Ethnic backround....uhh, not sure, maybe try the bone shape and structure!

Answer 5

The skull in particular has many differences between male/female (jaw and orbits among them). Age you can tell by the pelvis or teeth or skull sutures. Height by the femur. Ethnic background by studying the person skull sutures, teeth, orbits and nasal bones.

There are several details that an experienced forensic anthro knows only by looking at the bones.

Answer 6

The size, make up, and overall condition of bones are used to identif age. Gender is identifyable by the pelvis. The ehtnic background it determined by the bone structure.

Answer 7

Bones tell a story by the shape of certain bones in relation to commonness, measurements, and features. There are subtle differences between the bones of men and women, black or white, or several other visible distinctions. It's part of forensic science.
Deoxyribo nucleic acid (DNA) can tell exactly who it likely was.

Answer 8

They extract your DNA from it, a very common practice for identifying victims of war(MIA's), murder(decomposed), and now many other reasons that scientist has found it useful for their work, that includes anthropology.......Although DNA, is used for extracting and identifying a person, scientist are making steps towards trying(key word trying) to identify all other identifiable measures, including, ethnicity, sex{infancy stage of reaching to identify a hormone structure in a DNA, their by giving you the sex), and as far as age I have watched a documentary, where I believe that they are attempting to match age, but without any success, or reason to believe they will.

Answer 9

well age and can be detmind by the size ang shape of the bones,i am not sure how ethnic backround is found,do you watch the tv show Bones? it is awsome!

Answer 10

Hello
this one is for the CSI :)

Good luck

Answer 11

Those shows are not even accurate....