The website I have found is the National Museum of Natural History. The webpage is about Forensic Anthropology. It could be found: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/social-studies/forensic-anthropology
Forensic anthropology is a subfield of physical anthropology, and this webpage has introduced the definition of forensic anthropology, its roles in modern society, its similarities and differences with detectives, the techniques applied in forensic anthropology, and how to use the bones and human remains to reconstruct the past. This webpage is quite informative, providing a basic introduction of forensic anthropology, and attracting the readers to explore this topic on their own.
The website and the National Museum of Natural History belonged to the Smithsonian Institution, which is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, founded in 1846. It is a quite professional organization, so the information on this website could be trusted.
For the relationships between forensic anthropology and the broad subject of anthropology, I think forensic anthropology provided a very practical use of anthropological knowledge and theories. Anthropology is the study of human beings, including our behaviors and cultures, our past and our evolution, etc. Forensic anthropology will use the knowledge accumulated in this field, analyzing the human remains and traces of human activities in the crime scene, in order to help solve the criminal cases. To be more specific, the forensic anthropologists, just like the other physical anthropologists, will help to figure out who died, how they died, how to identify and preserve evidences, and so forth. Forensic anthropology provided a very practical application of anthropology, and it revealed how the knowledge in this field could be applied in real life.
Forensic anthropology could also help to establish a bridge between the general public and anthropology. To be honest, before I took this course, I have little knowledge about anthropology and its sub-fields. However, when I read about the sub-fields of physical anthropology, especially the forensic anthropology, I felt a sense of familiarity. In our daily life, we might see their working in various films and TV series. As revealed in the webpage I provided, the forensic anthropologists will work with the FBI, State Department and other law enforcement agencies to solve crimes. It reminded me of many famous TV series, like Crime Scene Investigation, Bones, and so forth. The general public might not be familiar with what the subject of anthropology is about, but they might be familiar with these practices of forensic anthropology, thanks to the depiction in the popular culture.
At last, this webpage introduced several ways about how the bones are tested and analyzed. The bones or other human remains will be photographed and X-rayed. In some cases, the high-powered microscopes will be used. Other chemical analyses might be applied too, such as isotopes, molecular analyses, and so forth. Also, the bones and remains could be used to reconstruction the body and the face of the human beings, which could help to make sure the identity of the victims.
To sum up, I think this webpage used quite simple and clear language, and introduced forensic anthropology in an interesting and attractive way.
National Museum of Natural History. Forensic Anthropology. Retrieved from https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/social-studies/forensic-anthropology
Hi there,
I enjoyed your connection to the information that most know about forensic anthropology based on the TV exposure it has gotten. I wrote my blog on Bioarchaeology, which also deals with the use of skeletal remains to put together a more complete picture of one’s life prior to death. I am wondering the major differences between the two subfields. One thing that I found was that forensics is more aimed at finding cause of death, whereas bioarchaeology is more focused on the cultural aspect of examining skeletal remains to determine things such as nutritional levels, activity levels, and illnesses throughout life. I also enjoyed the introduction of not only what forensic anthropology was, but the noting of how forensic anthropologists tested things and specifically what they tested in order to do the work they do. Overall, I enjoyed the familiar aspects tied in with new information you had learned from your research.
Madison Diamond
I think it is interesting that you and someone else who also chose to write about forensic anthropology included the relation to TV series. I wonder if we would have a better understanding of forensic anthropology and the different tasks and careers in it if they were included in shows such as CSI and Bones or in contexts that were not crime related. Until recently I was not aware of many of the tests that can be done on bones to learn about them. I was unaware that by putting skeletons back together you could identify someone. Of course dental records and changes due to surgeries, fractures, and other problems can help identify someone but I had always thought that simply looking at a skeleton they would all look alike.