Postcranial bones may outperform the skull for estimating sex in forensic cases
In short: Researchers analyzing forensic anthropology data found that certain postcranial elements are more effective than the skull for estimating sex. By testing various bone measurements, the study observed that using joint size and multivariate models of postcranial bones could correctly identify sex in up to 94% of cases, surpassing the accuracy of the best cranial models.
The study challenged the common assumption that the skull is the second-best indicator of sex after the pelvis. By constructing discriminant models from the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank, the researchers compared the effectiveness of cranial and postcranial elements. While the results showed postcranial bones are often superior, the findings are based on statistical modeling of existing datasets.
Why it matters: When the pelvis is missing, looking at postcranial bones may be more reliable than examining the skull.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Research: Spradley and Jantz (2011). Sex Estimation in Forensic Anthropology: Skull Versus Postcranial Elements. Journal of Forensic Sciences.
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