This lab report is regarding the Anthropology. The detail of instruction and grading rubric are in the attachment, please read the attachment carefully and use the data of I have gathered and recorded in part A and finish the lab report in part B. The useful textbook for this lab report is "Jurmain, Robert, Lynn Kilgore, Wenda Trevathan, Eric J. Bartelink (2016) Essentials of Physical Anthropology, 10th edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. "
Lab 5: Sex Estimation in the Human Skeleton
For the lab, use the criteria below to determine the sex of the skeletal remains provided in your lab.
You will collect and record data as a group. Do discuss your findings with the group in the remaining lab time. However, you must submit an individual and independent report!
Human osteology, or the study of human skeletal remains, can be applied to a number of fields within biological anthropology, including human paleontology, paleopathology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology. Demographic variables such as sex and age are extremely important components of the basic biological profile discussed in lecture. In this lab, you will learn to identify characteristics that aid in estimating sex in the human skeleton. Keep in mind, that overall size does not necessarily indicate the sex of an individual (note the variation that exists in height and robusticity among males and females in class).
Here are some skeletal directional terms to know:
- medial (toward the midline)
- lateral (away from the midline
- ventral (belly)
- dorsal (back)
- anterior (front)
- posterior (back)
Male skull:
Mastoid process is larger
Nuchal crest is present
Frontal bone slants backward
Supraorbital ridges/torus is larger
Supraorbital rim is more blunt
Chin is more squared, mental eminence more pronounced
Ascending ramus is thicker, at right angle
Mandible flares at the angle with the ascending ramus
Female skull:
Mastoid process is smaller
Nuchal crest is small or absent
Frontal bone is more globular
Supraorbital ridges/torus is smaller
Supraorbital rim/border is sharper
Chin more pointed/ mental eminence less pronounced
Ascending ramus is at obtuse angle
Mandible flares less at the angle with the ascending ramus
Male pelvis:
Subpubic angle is less than 90o
Subpubic concavity rare
No ventral arc
Narrow sciatic notch
Obturator foramen is oval
Sacrum is curved, narrow
Preauricular sulcus absent
Female pelvis:
Subpubic angle greater than 90o
Subpubic concavity present
Ventral arc present
Wide sciatic notch
Obturator foramen is triangular
Sacrum is straighter, wide
Preauricular sulcus is present