by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: May 12, 2010

Forensic anthroplogy is anthropology/osteology, or study of the bones and teeth in relation to the law. The term "forensic" means law. Whenever there is crime, the results of the crime, the idea that a crime was committed and bones are involved, then the forensic pathologist may be called in to come up with information. 

This field is not to be confused with forensic pathology which is a highly specialized area of medicine. Forensic pathologists are extensively specialized and trained medical doctors who focus on soft tissues and who can do autopsies, or examinations of the dead in order to determine cause of death, which is critical to the legal process.

The goal is usually to determine identity, age, ancestry, gender, race and other facts about the individual who has been reduced to a set of bones and has no identifying factors. There might be issues that come from any of the subfields of general anthropology and linguistics, so a good undergraduate education in anthropology and statistics is required.

Graduate work involves learning the bones with such thoroughness that the knowledge is unassailable. Then, the applied techniques and knowledge is learned, with a forensic anthropologist/mentor as an important factor in the postgraduate education. The PhD is the most common level of education, but masters degrees and bachelors degrees, along with years of experience and additional training might suffice.

In general, it takes much education and many years in order to qualify as a forensic anthropologist.

Forensic anthropologists can be called in to examine bones or bone fragments after a major disaster or act of terrorism, such as the 911 act of terrorism. They are asked to examine bones or bone fragments that are found under a variety of conditions, but which could be from any time in the past.

The National Park service or governments might hire forensic anthropologists to help in repatriating bones from mass graves, or in investigating malfeasance at cemetaries where bodies were not properly interred.

Museums might hire forensic anthropologists to study bones that have been in storage for centuries and in great masses, or to examine the contents of crypts or burial grounds that are discovered during archaeological expeditions.

Coroner/examiner departments of every county, state, regional and federal law enforcement agency will call upon forensic anthropologists to conduct specialized study of bones or bone fragments in relation to

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