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1 March 2010 A Skeleton Tells its Own Story: Forensic Analyses of Skeletal Elements for the Science Classroom Laboratory
Virginia L. Naples, David Breed, Jon S. Miller
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Abstract

The techniques of forensic anthropology and pathology can provide new information to increase student interest in studying the structural details of the human skeleton. We present a simplified methodology for assessing skeletal ethnicity, sex, age, and stature. An inexpensive method has been devised for constructing an Osteometric board to allow students to measure long bones accurately. The effects of aging and the influence of lifestyle alterations on skeletal elements are presented along with the prediction of their effects on the living individual, This laboratory is intended to acquaint students with the process of collecting and analyzing data, interpreting scientific results, and assessing the accuracy of their conclusions. Gathering and analyzing their own data sets gives students a better understanding of the scientific method and an increased ability to translate this understanding to other scientific disciplines.

©2010 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Request permission to photocopy or reproduce article content at the University of California Press's Rights and Permissions Web site at www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintinfo.asp.
Virginia L. Naples, David Breed, and Jon S. Miller "A Skeleton Tells its Own Story: Forensic Analyses of Skeletal Elements for the Science Classroom Laboratory," The American Biology Teacher 72(3), 162-171, (1 March 2010). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2010.72.3.7
Published: 1 March 2010
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KEYWORDS
Anatomy
human skeleton
laboratory activity
Osteometric board
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