A method for estimating sex using metric analysis of the scapula

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Biological Anthropology
• Human Osteology

Background:

• Accurate sex estimation from skeletal remains is crucial in forensic anthropology.
• Existing methods often rely on the pelvis or skull, which may not be present.
• Developing alternative methods using other skeletal elements is necessary.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify sexual dimorphism in the human scapula.
• To develop and validate a new discriminant function for sex estimation using scapular measurements.
• To assess the accuracy of the new method on independent test samples.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a calibration sample of 724 individuals from the Hamann-Todd collection.
• Developed a five-variable discriminant function based on scapular measurements.
• Tested the function on cross-validated samples and independent test samples from the Hamann-Todd collection and Wichita State University.

Main Results:

• The five-variable discriminant function achieved 95.7% accuracy on the cross-validated calibration sample.
• Accuracy was 92.5% on an 80-individual test sample and 84.4% on a 32-individual test sample.
• A two-variable model also demonstrated high accuracy (91.3% cross-validated).

Conclusions:

• The human scapula exhibits significant sexual dimorphism.
• A new five-variable discriminant function provides a reliable method for sex estimation in forensic anthropology.
• This method offers a valuable alternative when pelvic or cranial remains are unavailable.