The colour of the human skull

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• The color of human bone is a relevant characteristic in forensic and anthropological studies.
• Objective color measurement provides a standardized method for bone analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectively measure and report the color of fresh human skulls using the CIE L*a*b* system.
• To investigate potential color differences between inner and outer skull surfaces.
• To explore correlations between skull color, diabetes, and age.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the "Micro Color" tristimulus colorimeter for precise measurements.
• Analyzed 124 fresh human skull samples.
• Recorded color data using The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b*-values.

Main Results:

• Human skulls exhibit a light color (L*=72.5), near-neutral a*-value (a*=-7.4), and slight yellowness (b*=16.4).
• No significant color variations were observed between the outer and inner skull surfaces.
• No discernible color differences were found between skulls from diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.
• A novel correlation was identified between the yellowness (b*-value) of the skull and the age of the subject.

Conclusions:

• Fresh human skulls possess a consistent, objectively measurable color profile.
• Diabetes does not appear to influence skull bone color.
• Skull yellowness increases with age, suggesting a potential indicator for aging in bone studies.