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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Multi-Agent Scavenging Patterns In Hawai‘I: A Forensic Archaeological And Skeletal Case Study, Jennifer F. Byrnes, William Belcher
Multi-Agent Scavenging Patterns In Hawai‘I: A Forensic Archaeological And Skeletal Case Study, Jennifer F. Byrnes, William Belcher
Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications
Knowledge of the behavior of local fauna can aid forensic investigators in developing awareness of site formation processes. In Hawai‘i, little has been published on the effects of feral domestic pig (Sus scrofa) and feral domestic dog (Canis familiaris) scavenging and bone dispersal on field recovery and laboratory observations. In this Pacific tropical setting, the most consequential terrestrial taphonomic agents are pigs and dogs, both in terms of hard tissue modification and dispersal of remains across the landscape. In 2017, an archaeologist discovered the remains of an unidentified decedent on the island of Kauaʻi, State of Hawai‘i during a cultural …
Case Report: Digital Restoration Of Fragmented Non-Human Skull, Gargi Jani, Abraham Johnson, William Belcher
Case Report: Digital Restoration Of Fragmented Non-Human Skull, Gargi Jani, Abraham Johnson, William Belcher
Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications
Reconstruction of fragmented material remains has been given a considerable attention in the fields of archaeology, forensic anthropology, and palaeoanthropology. Fragmented osseous remains are often found in cases of mass disasters, burning incidents, crash incidents, as well as bodily mutilation through criminal and suicidal activities. In cases where the remains are burnt or fragile, the handling of the remains becomes difficult and improper handling may lead to further destruction of the evidence. In such cases, digital restoration of the remains by means of threedimensional technology can be done as it is a non-invasive in nature and minimizes physical handling. It …
The Role Of Forensic Anthropological Techniques In Identifying America's War Dead From Past Conflicts, William Belcher, Calvin Y. Shiroma, Lesley A. Chesson, Gregory E. Berg, Miranda Jans
The Role Of Forensic Anthropological Techniques In Identifying America's War Dead From Past Conflicts, William Belcher, Calvin Y. Shiroma, Lesley A. Chesson, Gregory E. Berg, Miranda Jans
Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications
The Scientific Analysis Directorate of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is a unique entity within the U.S. Government. This agency currently houses the world's largest, accredited skeletal identification laboratory in the world, in terms of the size of the scientific staff, global mission, and number of annual identifications. Traditional forensic anthropology is used for the formation of a biological profile (biological sex, stature, population affinity/ancestry, and age) as well as trauma and pathologies that may be compared with historical records and personnel files. Since World War II, various scientists associated with DoD have conducted …
Scientific Integrity In The Forensic Sciences: Consumerism, Conflicts Of Interest, And Transparency, Nicholas V. Passalacqua, Marin A. Pilloud, William Belcher
Scientific Integrity In The Forensic Sciences: Consumerism, Conflicts Of Interest, And Transparency, Nicholas V. Passalacqua, Marin A. Pilloud, William Belcher
Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications
The goal of this paper is to discuss scientific integrity, consumerism, conflicts of interest, and transparency within the context of forensic science. Forensic scientists play crucial roles within the legal system and are constantly under various pressures when performing analytical work, generating reports based on their analyses, or testifying to the content of these reports. Maintaining the scientific integrity of these actions is paramount to supporting a functional legal system and the practice of good science. Our goal is to discuss the importance of scientific integrity as well as the factors it may compromise, so that forensic practitioners may be …
Who’S Buried In Custer’S Grave?, P. Willey, Douglas D. Scott
Who’S Buried In Custer’S Grave?, P. Willey, Douglas D. Scott
Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications
On 10 October 1877, the year after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, General George A. Custer’s coffin was transported from a temporary grave in Poughkeepsie, NY, by steamer and cortege to permanent interment in the U.S. Military Academy’s Post Cemetery. The ceremony included the appropriate military and funerary rituals. There were, nevertheless, reasons to believe that Custer’s skeleton may not have been in the coffin—thus, he may have missed his own funeral. Custer’s remains, or part of them, may have been overlooked during the exhumation and left on the battlefield, only to be recovered around 1940. These bones, as …