Skeletal Biology and Bioarchaeology

Skeletal Biology, Bioarchaeology, Forensics

n.b. this page originally began life as a set of links for a course I taught on Human Skeletal Biology and Bioarchaeology at McMaster University in 2001. The page is currently under construction/revision, and many links are not currently functioning - November 2003.

But meanwhile... there's some good fun to be had at the BBC Human Body site: Build your own skeleton! http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/

WELCOME!

to the Anth 2FF3 Human Skeletal Biology and Bioarchaeology Page.

(Logo from the ABFA)

This selection of links was compiled by Kathryn Denning in summer 2001, to assist you in exploring human skeletal biology, forensics, and bioarchaeology further. Hopefully these sites are interesting and informative!

Links to potential fieldwork opportunities are highlighted in green.

Please note: Although I have attempted to be selective, inclusion of a link here does not imply my endorsement of all of that site's contents, particularly because a website's contents may change often. - kd

A special note for the more squeamish viewer: Please be aware that some of these sites, particularly the forensics and human rights sites, may include descriptions and/or depictions of the results of extreme violence. They are informative, but are not light reading. Others, e.g. the archaeological websites about mummies, may include images of human bodies in conditions of less-than-perfect preservation. Please be prepared! Remember that many Internet browser programs offer you the option of not loading images. E.g. In Netscape Navigator, hit Edit/Preferences/Advanced/ and deselect Automatically Load Images. You will then be able to read the text without seeing the images.

Questions, problems, suggestions? Your feedback is welcomed at denning@mcmaster.ca

Last updated: June 3, 2001 by K. Denning

Here are some of the Electronic Resources in Osteology as recommended by Dr. Tim White in his book Human Osteology (i.e. the selections and short descriptions here are mostly his):

STARTING POINTS

http://home.worldnet.fr/~clist/Anthro/index.html Extensive links to anthropology resources, including mailing lists, USENET discussion groups, FTP files, and websites.

www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/9893 Good resources for links covering osteology, NAGPRA, forensic palaeopathology and anatomy.

www.tamu.edu/anthropology/news.html Contains breaking news about anthropology and archaeology from ABC, CNN, USA Today, Washington Post, Nando, Archaeology, university press releases, and other sources.

CAREERS

www.usd.edu/anth/handbook/hbjob.html What do do with an undergraduate degree in anthropology

BONE BIOLOGY

www.lumen.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/Histo/frames/h_fram10.html Colour histology slides and descriptions of bone development, muscles, and more.

www.kumc.edu/instruction/medicine/anatomy/histoweb Colour histology slides show bone formation in a developing skull, ephiphyseal plates, long bone development, and decalcified bone.

SKELETAL ANATOMY

www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio201/index.html Online tutorials for the skull, hand, and wrist and major superficial muscles with illustrated and photographic images that include point-and-click anatomical identifications. Useful for reviewing anatomy online.

SOFT TISSUE ANATOMY

www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html The National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project has created a digital atlas of the human body.

DENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY

www.sscf.ucsb.edu/~walker/sites.html The Dental Anthropology Association's site with a visual database of the human dentition. Each tooth can be rotated 360 degrees to provide comprehensive views of tooth morphology. has good links to other anthropology sites.

FORENSICS

http://medstat.med.utah.edu/kw/osteo/resources/resources.html A reference guide to graduate programs in forensic anthropology.

http://www.tncrimlaw.com/forensic Provides extensive links to other forensic anthropology sites.

LAB TECHNIQUES

http://www.duke.edu/~mtb3/castingmanual/titlepage.html Contains a good detailed explanation of the cast-making process, with step-by-step instructions for making a mold and casting techniques.

http://www.museum.unl.edu/research/vertpaleo/musnote2.html Description of steps taken to preserve vertebrate fossils. Discussion of museum curatorial techniques and the nature of fossilization.

OSTEOMETRICS

http://konig.la.utk.edu/howells.htm W.W. Howells' (1973) craniometric data can be downloaded from this site.

http://www.cmnh.org/research/physanth The Cleveland Museum's Hamann-Todd skeletal database available for online searches by specimen number, age, height, weight, sex, or ethnic origin. Casts of human and nonhuman primate crania and postcrania available for sale. (Includes a nice history of the Hamann-Todd collection too.)

RADIOGRAPHY

http://www.rad.washington.edu./teachingfiles.html University of Washington's Department of Radiology site featuring radiographic anatomy of the entire skeleton, divided into regions. Also features an online muscle atlas with colour illustrations of the lower extremities regions, and gives the origin, insertion, innervation, and arterial supply of each muscle. Also features skeletal pathology cases. (And see http://www.rad.washington.edu/mskbook/ which is an online text on differential diagnosis of skeletal pathology. The writing is actually hilariously funny - kd.)

http://www.rad.washington.edu/maintf/BoneCaseList.html Radiographs of musculoskeletal pathology.

NAGPRA

http://www.uiowa.edu/~anthro/reburial/repat.htm Contains the text of NAGPRA, links to repatriation notices, and other information relating to the law and regulations. Case studies, ethics codes, policy statements, text of selected state laws, organizations, bibliographies, and articles on NAGPRA-related issues are available.

http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/repatriation/ Smithsonian Anthropology site on repatriation. Covers history and background of NAGPRA, including on-going work in repatriating human remains and cultural objects in association with Native American groups. Description of the documentation process for repatriating human rmains. Table lists all repatriated remains as of 1996.

PALEOPATHOLOGY

http://www.usd.edu/~archlab/paleo.html Paleopathology image collection (with text descriptions) of skeletons from the Crow Creek massacre and from the University of South Dakota collection.

http://www.lib.med.utah.edu/WebPath/BONEHTML/BONEIDX.html Bone and Joint Pathology Index site, featuring bone and joint diseases with views at gross, x-ray, MRI, and microscopic levels. Osteoporosis tutorial.

http://www.kumc.edu/instruction/medicine/pathology/ed/ch_26/ch_26_f.html Bone and joint pathology site with description of bone formation and development and an extensive list of paleopathologies with color illustrations, x-rays, micro- and macroscopic images.

http://www.mic.ki.se/Diseases/c5.html Extensive links to sites covering musculoskeletal diseases with color photographs or illustrations.

http://www.sbu.ac.uk/~dirt/museum/skeleton.html Paleopathology site covers pathologies of the chest, hand, writs, upper extremities, pelvis, hip and thigh, and lower extremities. Covers a wide range of pathologies in radiographs. Brief description of symptoms and pathologic changes.

HUMAN PALEONTOLOGY

http://www.sew.csuohio.edu/public/sew/gallery/paleontology/index.html Color photo gallery of prominent hominid fossils.

http://www.amnh.org/enews/iskulls.html American Museum of Natural History site. A 'family tree' of hominid fossil crania that can be viewed in 3-D and compared to modern human crania. Color illustrations.

SOCIETIES

http://www.physanth.org/ American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) site contains membership information, and discusses careers in physical anthropology, graduate programs, publications, the annual meeting, and links to associated societies.

http://www.aaanet.org/ The American Anthropological Association (AAA) site includes sections on ethics, publications, career placement issues, and links to other anthropology sites.

http://www.aafs.org Site of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, containing statement of organization's purpose, membership application, career information, and links to other related sites.

And here are some more links that I've collected for you.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Physicians for Human Rights: http://www.phrusa.org/research/index.html

PHR's field forensic projects in the former Yugoslavia, El Salvador, Chiapas, Guatemala, Rwanda...: http://www.phrusa.org/research/forensics/index.html

PHR's links page: http://www.phrusa.org/links/links_2.html#19

Interview with William Haglund, forensic anthropologist, director of International Forensic Program of PHR: http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/conversations/Haglund/haglund-con0.html

The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team -- a famous human rights forensics team that uses DNA as well as skeletal analysis in international HR crises: http://www.eaaf.org.ar/

Clyde Snow, with Mercedes Doretti (EAAF) and Freddy Peccerilli (GFAF), short article from Nov. 2000: http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu:7001/Events/Snow_writeup.html

Stefan Schmitt's Human Rights and Forensic Anthropology Home Page. Guatemala, Rwanda... case studies and many useful links: http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~sss4407/

Website accompanying the documentary Srebrenica: A Cry from the Grave. Many useful links, too: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/cryfromthegrave/about/about.html

International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (current status of proceedings): http://www.un.org/icty/index.html e.g. indictments regarding Srebrenica: http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/kar-ii951116e.htm, http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/krs-ii981102e.htm

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda http://www.ictr.org/

GENERAL FORENSIC

Centre of Forensic Sciences, Toronto: http://www.sgcs.gov.on.ca/english/public/forensic.html This page includes FAQs with some information about careers in forensic science.

History of Forensic Science in Canada: http://www.csfs.ca/history/histindex.htm

Virtual Museum of Canada's Interactive Investigator site: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Myst/

CA Pound Human Identification Laboratory: http://web.anthro.ufl.edu/c.a.poundlab/poundlab.htm

Unidentified remains from the Kentucky State Medical Examiner's Office. Complete with facial reconstructions. http://www.unidentifiedremains.net/ Also see their links page. http://www.unidentifiedremains.net/linkspage/LINKS.htm

U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory - major forensic centre, devoted to recovery and identification of US military personnel, primarily from SE Asia. Great photographs of challenging recovery operations. http://www.cilhi.army.mil/

Article on the "Body Farm": http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/10/31/body.farm/ Also see U. Tennessee's Forensic Anthropology Center: http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/index.htm

Article on Computerized Facial Reconstruction (Evison 1996): http://www.shef.ac.uk/~assem/1/evison.html

University of Sheffield's Forensic Anthropology page, including computerized 3-D facial reconstruction, ancient DNA, etc.: http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/D-H/fp/anthro.html

LSU FACES lab: http://www.ga.lsu.edu/faces/

Interesting book list and resources list, some very good links: http://www.forensicanthro.com/

Zeno's Forensic Page: http://forensic.to/ excellent gateway.

Osteo-Interactive! http://www-medlib.med.utah.edu/kw/osteo/index2.html In progress, but already quite good in places. e.g. good news page, collection of bullet trauma photos.

The Connective Tissue. Journal of the Mountain Desert and Coastal Forensic Anthropologists: http://www.angelfire.com/ct/connectivetissue/index.html

Forensic Science Timeline: http://www.forensicdna.com/Timeline.htm

RCMP: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/index_e.htm

FORENSIC USE OF DNA

Great overview here in a Canadian government report:
http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/dsp-psd/Pilot/LoPBdP/BP/bp443-e.htm

A pretty good page from PBS/NOVA with great links:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sheppard/analyze.html

Very useful page from the Human Genome Project: http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/elsi/forensics.html

An example of a human rights forensics project using DNA:
http://www.phrusa.org/research/forensics/index.html

ARCHAEOLOGY/ PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY

Archaeology links: http://archnet.uconn.edu/ is a great jumping-off point, as is http://odur.let.rug.nl/arge/

The Smithsonian's Anthropology Department, including links to their Palaeoanthropology division: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/anthrove.html

Nice, comprehensive, accessible Archaeology News: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/headlines.html

Archaeology magazine has some splendid short articles on a host of topics (from chimps to Neanderthals to ancient civilizations) in their online archive at: www.archaeology.org/online/archive.html

Discovering Archaeology: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/index.htm Some nice, short articles available online.

Terrific tutorials which give overviews of general evolution, primate evolution, early hominids, later hominids: http://daphne.palomar.edu/anthro/tutorial.htm

A decent palaeoanthro overview with nice charts here: http://www.handprint.com/LS/ANC/evol.html

Recent Time Magazine overview: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,29513,00.html

Lots of great human evolution links here: http://anthropology.about.com/science/anthropology/cs/humanevolution/

Jeanne Sept's page leads to some great links on human evolution, primates, etc.: http://www.indiana.edu/~origins/

Mark Leney's page: great fossil images and some good links there: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~newc0607/home.html

Good evolution links from Yahoo too: http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/biology/evolution/human_evolution/

The Anthropology Human Origins website -- though not recently updated, it does have the Name that Skull Game! http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5579/TA.html

OTHER

Good collection of links on human osteology, including artificial cranial deformation, the Greenland Norse, trephination, etc. : http://anthropology.about.com/science/anthropology/cs/humanosteology/index.htm

Good collection of links on NAGPRA, including lots on Kennewick Man: http://anthropology.about.com/science/anthropology/cs/repatriation/index.htm

Nice skeleton diagrams: http://www.csus.edu/anth/physanth/bones.htm

Classic Human Anatomy text (Gray): http://www.bartleby.com/107/

The modern murdered mummy... "Saga of the Persian Princess": http://www.archaeology.org/0101/etc/persia.html

Sedlec Ossuary (chapel decorated in human bone): http://www.ludd.luth.se/~silver_p/kutna.html http://www.awn.com/heaven_and_hell/SVANK/svank9.htm

Modern Trepanning: http://www.trepan.com/ (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME)

Mummies, based on the NOVA specials: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/icemummies/, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/chinamum/taklamakan.html

The Secrets of the Dead series from PBS. Vikings, Anasazi, and more: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/

Discovery.com feature on mummies: http://www.discovery.com/highspeed/tlc/mummies/

The Virtual Mummy site from Hamburg: http://www.uke.uni-hamburg.de/institute/imdm/idv/forschung/mumie/index.en.html

The Animal Mummy project, including the Adopt-A-Mummy scheme.... a great gift for those who have everything: http://www.animalmummies.com/project.html

At the Tomb of Tutankhamen: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/egypt/

Virtual tour unravels ancient Egyptian mummy mysteries: this feature includes 3D 'fly-throughs' based on CT-scans of a 3000-year old mummy, possibly Rameses I: http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/11/29/mummy.movies/index.html

A basic but well-rounded mummy site for a younger audience, with some quite nice links: http://www.mummytombs.com/main.locator.htm

The African Burial Ground in New York: learning about the lives of slaves. http://www.huarchivesnet.howard.edu/0008huarnet/blakey1.htm and http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9802/12/t_t/burial.ground/

Archaeologists search for mass graves related to Tulsa race riot of 1921: http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/01/20/tulsa.riot/

Review of "Magnificent Corpses", a somewhat irreverent book on preserved Catholic saints: http://www.cnn.com/books/reviews/9908/05/magnificent.corpses/index.html

Commentary on destruction of archaeological heritage, Toronto area: http://www.blackhole.on.ca/main2Hi.htm

Celebration of Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead) in Mexico: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Festiva1/en/wml/index.html

ORGANIZATIONS

Canadian Association of Physical Anthropology /
L'Association pour l'Anthropologie Physique au Canada, with great links to Canadian programs and resources, including field school opportunities http://www.capa-aapc.org/

Canadian Heritage Information Network, including the The Virtual Museum of Canada and Artefacts Canada, both very useful sources: http://www.chin.gc.ca/e_main_menu.html

Dental Anthropology Association: http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/faculty/walker/

Human Biology Association: http://www.yorku.ca/hba/

Paleoanthropology Society: http://www.paleoanthro.org/

Palaeopathology Association: http://www.paleopathology.org/news.html

The Royal Anthropological Institute: http://www.therai.org.uk/

The Society for American Archeology: www.saa.org

Society for Medical Anthropology: http://www.cudenver.edu//sma/

The Society for Historical Archaeology: www.sha.org

Canadian Society of Forensic Science: http://www.csfs.ca/

U.S. National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disease Information Center: http://www.osteo.org/ (great information source)

JOURNALS/Magazines (some content available online)

Current Anthropology: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CA/home.html

Current Archaeology: www.archaeology.co.uk

Antiquity: http://intarch.ac.uk/antiquity/

Internet Archaeology: http://intarch.ac.uk/

Assemblage: http://www.shef.ac.uk/~assem/

Dental Anthropology Journal: http://www.lsweb.sscf.ucsb.edu/depts/anth/faculty/walker/dan.htm

Historical Archaeology: http://www.sha.org/sha_ha.htm

Human Biology (The International Journal of Population Biology and Genetics): http://lark.cc.ukans.edu/~humanbio/index.html

Journal of American Medical Association: www.ama-assn.org

Journal of the Royal Anthropological Society: http://www.rai.anthropology.org.uk/pubs/jrai/jrai.html

FINALLY, SINCE ANALYSIS OF HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS TAKES PLACE WITHIN A LARGER SCIENTIFIC, ANTHROPOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, AND POLITICAL CONTEXT, HERE IS A MISCELLANY OF GENERALLY RELATED AND USEFUL SITES.

Nature, preeminent scientific journal. www.nature.com Free online access is available to many parts of their very extensive website, though not to the full content of all papers. The "Nature Science Update" at www.nature.com/nsu/ features brief, clearly written stories about recent new scientific discoveries: all the fun and the fascination without the technical jargon.

Science, the other preeminent scientific journal. www.sciencemag.org/. Free online access is available (after signing up) to much of their very extensive website, though not to the full content of all papers. Their joint initiative with Academic Press, InScight, at www.academicpress.com/inscight/archives/a021701.htm , has free searchable online archives (back to October 1996) of recent science stories. Very useful.

One World, at www.oneworld.net, is a very useful online news source, which coordinates an enormous quantity of international information. Very useful for getting another perspective on what's going on in the world, particularly about ecological crises, social unrest, and marginalized people, including human rights violation situations. Their agenda? In their own words: "OneWorld is dedicated to harnessing the democratic potential of the internet to promote human rights and sustainable development. OneWorld has a vision of equitable and sustainable distribution of wealth amongst the world's population, underpinned by global attainment and protection of human rights and by governance structures which permit local communities control over their own affairs." Worth exploring.

New York Times Science Pages -- Everything from archaeology to cloning: http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/index-specials.html

BBC News Online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Excellent news coverage on everything, and a great science section too.

Discover Magazine at www.discover.com has some accessible popular science, including a lot of material relevant to this course. Full text is available for some articles.

The CIA has a lot of very interesting information online...Their World Factbook is handy: http://www.cia.gov/index.html

The UN's International Human Rights Instruments are all listed here, at www.unhchr.ch/html/intlinst.htm, along with notes on their state of ratification. (N.B. not all nations have ratified all UN Declarations or Conventions.) Here are a few which are particularly relevant to this course:

* The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at www.unhchr.ch/udhr/index.htm

* Resolution of Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, at www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/c_natres.htm

* Convention (No. 169) concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries at www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/62.htm

* Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Progress in the Interests of Peace and for the Benefit of Mankind at www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/70.htm

* Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, at www.unesco.org/ibc/uk/genome/index.html

Saartjie Baartman aka Sarah Bartmann-- This Khoi Khoi woman's life provides a vivid example of the racist biology of early scientists. http://www.dacst.gov.za/speeches/press/oct2000/saartje.htm , http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/rt21/concepts/SCHIEBINGER.html

American Eugenics Archive, DNA Learning Centre at Cold Spring, Affiliated with Human Genome Research. Excellent source: http://vector.cshl.org/eugenics/

The Evolution of Skin Colour: http://www.discover.com/feb_01/featbiology.html

Cultural Survival, at www.cs.org, works to help indigenous peoples survive in rapidly changing economic, political, and cultural circumstances. Their Indigenous Voices page, at www.cs.org/newdirection/voices/voices.htm, provides links to commentary from indigenous people around the world.

The World Wildlife Fund reports on the correlation between cultural diversity, biological diversity, and environmental health... www.panda.org/resources/publications/sustainability/indigenous3/ An earlier WWF report on indigenous peoples and conservation issues: www.panda.org/resources/publications/sustainability/indigenous/index.html