Transition analysis 3: Skeletal age estimation program

Estimating the age of adult human skeletons through a combination of multiple age-of-transition curves is facilitated through the development of a computer program, TA3-V1.0. Curves were generated for 47 skeletal structures and 69 transitions from one stage to the next. Data were derived from 1638 modern known-age skeletons from four continents, a diverse sample designed to accommodate human variation in genetic origin, cultural affiliation, and activity patterns. The TA3-V1.0 program generates point estimates of age (maximum likelihood estimates) and confidence intervals (80, 90, and 95%). Researchers often encounter incomplete remains, so individualized estimates are tailored to the anatomical structures that are present as well as their appearance. Several built-in prior distributions accommodate specific forensic and archaeological needs. The TA3-V1.0 program permits the estimation of age throughout adulthood. With an old-age adjustment, the correlation between true (reported) and estimated ages using skeletons from this sample is 0.92; without the correction, it is 0.91.