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How do forensic scientists tell how old a body is by the skeleton?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
There are clues to the person's age at death in the bones and teeth. The teeth are used to determine age, especially in children, they can see if they are the permanent teeth or, in younger children, the "baby teeth". Since we know the approximate age that most children get their permanent teeth, that gives one point of reference in finding the age. The length of the long bones of the arms and legs can also indicate an age range. Cartilage in some places hardens with age.
There are growth plates at the ends of the bones and depending on what state they are in, a forensic scientist can come up with still another age range. Each time they look at one piece of the skeleton and compare it to the age ranges deduced from the other parts of the skeleton, they can further narrow down to an educated guess of the age of the person at death. One of the best clues in women is the shape of the pelvic bones (which widen as the woman ages and change significantly in shape with pregnancy and childbirth).
But, probably the best clues to the age come from the skull. For examples:
- The skull is made up of many separate bones, how tightly these bones fit together can provide clues to age. When a baby is born they have the two large "soft spots" (fontanels) and several other smaller ones on their skulls. They are "soft" because they have larger sections of cartilage that have not hardened and won't until a certain age of growth and development of the infant. If the posterior fontanel is closed, then a full term baby is over eight weeks old. If the anterior fontanel is closed, then the baby is around 18 months old (some close as early as 9 months, but the scientists will use the range of 9-18 months in making the age determination).
- The larger plates of bone in the skull are separated at first and grow together over the course of a lifetime. How tightly knit and close together these separations are can tell a lot about age. The lines where these bones start to "knit" together are called suture lines. These places "knit" and become tighter and tighter all our lives and the sutures are completely closed in some people only after they are Senior Citizens.
I am not a scientist so I don't know how forensic scientists tell. I do know who does know. At the University of Tennessee there is a "body farm" used to study that very subject. It was established because most scientists had very different methods and ideas on how to tell how long a body had been dead. A professor at the University of Tennessee thought it was time to get past the many theories and get real scientific data. Go to the University of Tennessee web site and look for the College of Arts and Science, Forensic Anthropology Center or use the link provided below in the related links section.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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What evidence do forensic scientists need?
Blood slatters so they can tell how far it slpattered from and fingerprints and DNA of the person
Is it better to be a forensic anthropogist or a forensic?
There is no such thing as a "forensic". Forensics is a science involved with a crime investigation. Whether they are Forensic Anthropologist: Scientists involved with determining what happened to a body that has been decomposed. Or maybe a Forensic Pathologist/ Medical Examiner: They examine the body of someone that have died recently. Remember, it's your decision on what you want your carrer to be when you're older. Don't just do what others tell you what you should be, and do NOT determine what you want to be when you're just by TV shows like "Bones" they glorify the cases and most of them will not be murders. Do some research about different types of forensics and get a little inside info about the real thing. Personally though, I want to be a Forensic Anthropologist when I'm older.(:
Why do you need to tell other scientists about your results?
Telling other scientists about your results is VERYimportant, because this can increase the body of knowledge
How have you gathered so much information about the different stages in the evolution of the horse?
People have gathered extensive information on horse evolution due to the discovery of some many variations of the horse skeleton. The skeleton will tell Archaeologists and scientists almost exactly what the animal was like.
How do forensic scientists use bones to identify unknown individuals?
The structure and sizes of bones can be used by forensic scientists to identify unknown individuals. Different ethnic groups have different bone structures and there is stark contrast between the bones of males and females. Forensic scientists can use a single bone - if that is all they are provided with - to calculate the height, gender, and ethnicity. I do not know how they can tell, since I have not studied in that area, but they can usually tell with first glance what gender it should be. Also, different people have had unique medical records. Records of fractures, or breaks, or simply bone stress can help if forensic scientists see a certain feature (i.e, a fracture line). The skull is probably the most important out of all the bones for identification. The skull can clearly show scientists what gender, age, ethnicity the person was. Even an untrained person can tell if they know what to look for. For example, males have a sharper brow and squarer jaw, while females have more rounded skulls. Teeth can help - especially if the scientist has access to dental records. The number and type of teeth in someone's mouth can tell you their approximate age and daily diet. There was probably a lot of peripheral information in here, but I hope this helped!
What do volcanoes tell scientists about the crust or mars?
They tell scientists when the wolrd will in
How can DNA be helpful in forensic?
tell me what dose it mean
What are the similar body structures in different species tell scientists?
Back down the line, the species came from a common ancestor.
How can scientists tell if there is a mutation?
How can scientist tell if there are mutations
Is Diane France dead?
Diane France is a forensic anthropologist scientist who studies human remains by reading bones like a big book. She solves mysteries and crimes by deciphering the stories bones tell her. Just by looking at a skeleton Diane can see how the person lived and how he or she died. A skull can tell her whether a body is female or male and a femur can reveal her tall the person was. She has been a popular and respected scientist for over 20 years. She also teaches pathology in Washington DC. She creates fake crime scenes to teach students how to get information from a real crime scene.
How do you tell the difference between an African-American skeleton and a caucasian skeleton?
by looking at the skin
Who are the main characters in Skeleton Creek and tell about them?
Ryan and sarahSarah and RyanSarah and Ryan
