ABSTRACT
Compared to other forensic disciplines, the forensic anthropologist’s typical toolbox is relatively low tech, consisting of calipers, an osteometric board, a set of regression equations, a database of skeletal measurements, and their experience. As technologies have advanced, some anthropologists have begun to incorporate three-dimensional (3D) tools, such as digitizers, surface scanners, computed tomography scanners, and photogrammetry methods into their analyses. However, despite their potential utility in data archiving, research methods, and case documentation and analysis, professionals in the field do not yet universally employ this technology. This is likely due to issues concerning budgetary constraints, delayed advancements in analytical software, unknown accuracy rates, a lack of standardized data-collection methods, and ethical concerns regarding data sharing and archiving. Increased interdisciplinary collaboration and public awareness of these limitations is the first step in alleviating these issues and increasing the utility of these new technologies into the forensic anthropologist’s repertoire.
