What Is Forensic Anthropology Used For

Advancements in science and technology have enabled us to investigate crimes and accidents in a thorough manner. Forensic anthropology is one of them and it is being extensively used in criminal investigations. It is a sub field of physical and applied anthropology. It is used to study the remains of a dead body and find out details related to it. These details help in finding the cause and nature of death to aid in investigation. The field is an interesting and helpful one.

Instructions

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    The first use of forensic anthropology is to determine the age and gender of the dead by thoroughly examining the remains which could be the bones or some remains of the flesh if it is a recent incident. This information helps in identifying missing person and to determine the details of any unknown remains found. However, like all such sciences, there are no accurate answers for the age. A close range is given because the bones structure varies according to lifestyle and nutrition. Therefore, physiological age range is given on the state of the bones.  For example, a man aged 27 goes missing. The cops mutilated dead body remains some months later. A forensic anthropology is going to help them match such results and solve the case. Forensic anthropology can also identify the weight and stature of a person by studying his skeletal structure. This is yet again another helpful piece of information.

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    Another big contribution to crime investigation is to determine the nature of death. Forensic anthropologists can determine whether the individual had an accidental, traumatic or a disease leading to death. The cause of death comes as valuable information for investigators as it helps them put into place the missing puzzle pieces together. Any old fractures and new ones acquired at the time of the death can be identified. If the body contains any metal fragments, shards or any bullet injuries, the anthropology is going to reveal them all.

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    The time since death can also be known after forensic anthropology. This again is very helpful because the information helps rule out many possibilities and narrow down the parameters of investigation. A more accurate web could be drawn involving the now available new information got through forensic anthropology and the investigation gets a definite direction to work on.

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