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Interpreting perimortem blast trauma from skeletal remains: Complications and...
Blast trauma results from highly variable events that can lead to similar effects in the skeleton. Clinical literature, which largely focuses on soft tissue, provides limited efficacy for interpreting fully skeletonized cases. Interpretation of skeletal blast trauma is hampered b...
Ballistic impact of hollow‐point ammunition on porcine bone
Identifying failure mechanisms in skeletal tissue allows a deeper understanding of the effects of specific projectile impacts on bone. While ballistic trauma in flat bones is largely researched, knowledge of how long bones react to gunshot impacts is limited in the literature. Th...
Evaluating expertise in forensic anthropology
The medicolegal system relies on the ability of experts and non‐experts alike to make judgments about expertise and use those judgments to reach consequential decisions. Given the lack of standard criteria, mandatory certification, or licensure for establishing expertise required...
Do bone elasticity and postmortem interval affect forensic fractographic analyses?
Forensic fractographic features of bone reliably establish crack propagation in perimortem injuries. We investigated if similar fracture surface features characterize postmortem fractures. Experimentally induced peri‐ and postmortem fractures were used to assess if fractographic ...
Investigating error in saw mark minimum kerf width measurements
Minimum kerf width (MKW) is often assessed in medicolegal cases of skeletal sharp force trauma and can provide information about the tool used. Previously published saw MKW research focuses on the relationship between MKW and saw blade set width (width of the saw blade including ...
Reaching new heights: Testing the performance of metric approaches to estimate stature...
Bone heat‐induced changes complicate osteometric stature estimation of human remains from forensic settings. The validity of current methods has not been tested to a great extent. Our aim was to determine how precise are stature estimations obtained from three different approache...
Evaluation of the (hu)MANid program for sex and ancestry estimation in a diverse,...
Human remains from forensic and bioarcheological contexts are often fragmentary, requiring methods for estimating a forensic profile that are based upon limited skeletal features. In 2017, Berg and Keryhercz created an online application, (hu)MANid, that provides sex and ancestry...
Effects of a low‐velocity fluvial environment on saw mark evidence in bone
Saws are common tools used in postmortem dismemberment to alter human remains. Dismemberment may coincide with other concealment methods such as disposal in aquatic environments, so forensic anthropologists must recognize how taphonomy affects saw mark preservation. This study fo...
Metabolic profile determination of 2F‐viminol – A novel synthetic opioid identified in...
Novel synthetic opioid (NSO) continue to emerge in the United States in the midst of an opioid crisis. The NSO 2F‐viminol was identified in casework at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education through its NPS Discovery program in 2019. Little information and publish...
Correlation of soft tissue and skeletal injuries in cases of violent death: A...
In forensic pathology, deaths due to mechanical injuries (blunt, sharp, and gunshot) require an autopsy in order to determine the cause and manner of death through a detailed examination of viscera, soft tissues, and the skeletal system. Sometimes, such as in cases of severe putr...
An unusual blunt force trauma pattern and mechanism to the cranial vault: Investigation of...
This case report presents an unusual fracture pattern in the cranium of a four‐month‐old infant indicative of child abuse. Upon postmortem examination, the infant presented with numerous bilateral linear cranial fractures running perpendicular to the sagittal suture with depresse...
The impact of antimeric lower limb length asymmetry on adult stature estimation
Antimeric lower limb length asymmetry is frequently noted when measuring human skeletal remains. As lower limb bones are often used to estimate stature from unidentified remains, the forensic anthropologist who notes a disparity must then determine which lower limb bone or bones ...
Forensic anthropology casework at the Cook County Illinois Medical Examiner's Office,...
Forensic anthropology has grown in recent years with increased methodological standardization, technical advancements, and increasing numbers of academic institutions offering coursework and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, few practicing forensic anthr...
Seasonal impact of scavenger guilds as taphonomic agents in central and northern Ontario,...
The process of human decomposition is driven by biological decomposers, mainly bacteria, vertebrates, and invertebrate scavengers. When vertebrate scavengers have access to a body, they can considerably accelerate decomposition through consumption of soft tissue and dispersal of ...
Comparative analysis of fetal pig decomposition processes in burials of variable depths...
This research examined the effects that the variables of burial depth and presence of plastic wrapping had on the decomposition rate of fetal pig (Sus scrofa) remains in a New England environment. The decomposition of 56 fetal pigs was observed in four independent variable groups...
Adult age‐at‐death estimation using the first rib: A simple probabilistic approach
Age‐at‐death estimation is a difficult task in fragmented or incomplete contexts. The generation and testing of methods are needed to identify their potential application in different types of osteological samples. This paper proposes a new method for age estimation using the fir...
Use of strontium isotope ratios in geolocation of Guatemalan population: Potential role in...
Within post‐conflict communities, attempts to identify and repatriate unidentified and missing individuals poses a difficult task. As current forensic strategies commonly lack the capacity to provide region of origin assessments, forensic anthropologists/investigators are often u...
Diagnostic accuracy of paranasal sinus measurements on multislice computed tomography for...
This systematic review aimed to answer the question, "Are paranasal measurements obtained with multislice computed tomography able to accurately estimate sex?" This PROSPERO‐registered systematic review included six databases and gray literature. Meta‐analysis of linear...
The burning maze: The potential value of the human bony labyrinth in estimating sex of...
Estimating sex from burnt human remains is a challenging task in bioanthropology, mainly due to their high level of alteration and fragmentation. Protected within the petrous part of the temporal bone, the bony labyrinth may be particularly valuable for assessing the sex of burnt...
The repeatability of standard cranial measurements on dry bones and MSCT images
This study examined if the cranial measurements from Data Collection Procedures for Forensic Skeletal Material 2.0 are repeatable when measured in dry bones and MSCT images and if the virtual measurements correspond to the physical ones. The sample included 33 dry crania imaged b...