I'm a huge fan of the tv series, Bones. I wanted to research a little about the techniques I see used on the show and how realistic they were. Forensic anthropology is usually used when the victim is so beyond normal means of recognition. This could mean anything from bones to severally disfigurement or severe mutilation of the body. Forensic anthropologist usually work with these remains to identify the victim, cause of death, and any other helpful pieces of information for law enforcement.
Much information can be gathered about the victim, even just from their bones. This includes gender, age, medical conditions, activity, past injuries, weight, and many other things.
This is a great site with fantastic information and pictures: (Don't worry, nothing gory for those who don't like blood & guts.)
http://www.anthro4n6.net/forensics/
Also, if anyone wants to watch episodes of Bones, here's a link:
http://tvgorge.com/shows/bones/
Much information can be gathered about the victim, even just from their bones. This includes gender, age, medical conditions, activity, past injuries, weight, and many other things.
This is a great site with fantastic information and pictures: (Don't worry, nothing gory for those who don't like blood & guts.)
http://www.anthro4n6.net/forensics/
Also, if anyone wants to watch episodes of Bones, here's a link:
http://tvgorge.com/shows/bones/
I am also a huge fan on the show "Bones". I did not know exactly what anthropology was until I started watching the show. It is very interesting what can be found by remains that are barley there. You often see on many crime shows that where they do a reconstruction of the face to get a profile. On "Bones" they do a reconstruction of the entire body. This is a very complicated science. The website you posted is full of information and I enjoyed the visual aid used to explain the processes used. Being able to tell when a person died and what caused the death when you only have their bones to analyze sounds like it would be a very complicated process. But, when you know simple anatomy the website explains how this is possible. Being able to tell the age of someone actually seems like it would be very similar to being able to tell how old a tree is by the rings or an animal by the teeth. After reading the site on how to tell the differences in sex I was very surprised. I did not know there was that many distinguishing factors that set apart a female and a male. Over all anthropology would be a very interested career to have, but it would take someone who is very interested in the anatomy of a human. I also want to not this is another field that is not only specific to the law, but it is something that can be helpful and important to the forensic process.
I decided to look up some more about forensic anthropology after reading this post. I found a website that has a bunch of information, including a Q&A, recommended reading, how this applies to real life, schools for forensic anthropology, and so forth. Also, this site is a generic site about forensics so there are links to other aspects of forensic science on the site as well.
http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/forensic-anthropology.html