A pioneering voice in forensic anthropology, Dr. William Ross Mapels’ worked on thousands of cases during his career, including examining the remains of civil right leader Medgar Evars, and of President Zachary Taylor over 140 years after his death (shown left. Photo from the Florida Gulf Coast University Library). Read more of Dr. Mapels’ profile […]
Shark bite, anyone?
Taphonomic damage can be assessed, even with remains recovered from the ocean. Scientist are using the feeding habits of sharks to identify if a crime has been committed. Read more of the article published in Forensic Magazine.
Border Body Farm
Forensic anthropology often involves working with materials in different states of decomposition. Listen to the story on NPR to find out how one of these “body farms,” known as the Forensic Investigation Research Station manages their specimens and data collection.
Case solved?
In 2017, over 3.2 million years after her death, researchers from the University of Texas proposed a cause of death for the famous Australopithecus afarensis fossil Lucy. The findings, published in the scientific journal Nature detail how Dr. John Kappelman and team used CT scans and 3D imaging to identify perimortem fractures that suggested a […]