Differentiating human versus non-human bone by exploring the nutrient foramen: implications for forensic anthropology

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Bioarchaeology
• Osteology

Background:

• Forensic anthropologists identify human skeletal remains in medico-legal investigations.
• Fragmentary remains pose challenges for identification.
• Distinguishing human from non-human bone is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, non-destructive technique for differentiating human and non-human long bones.
• To analyze nutrient foramina using macroscopic and computed tomography (CT) methods.
• To assess the discriminatory power of nutrient foramen characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Macroscopic analysis of nutrient foramina location, position, and direction in human, sheep, and pig femora and humeri.
• Computed tomography (CT) analysis to measure nutrient canal length, angle, and foramen entrance circumference and area.
• Comparative analysis across species and bone types.

Main Results:

• Macroscopic analysis showed species-specific patterns in nutrient foramina location (proximal in femora, distal in humeri).
• Nutrient foramina directionality differed between human/sheep humeri and pig bones/sheep femora.
• The angle of the nutrient canal, measured via CT, demonstrated significant discriminatory power.

Conclusions:

• Nutrient foramina analysis is a promising technique for distinguishing human from non-human long bones.
• This method can be used independently or complementarily with existing forensic anthropology techniques.
• The study highlights the potential of macroscopic and CT-based analysis of nutrient foramina in forensic casework.