ABSTRACT
One of the first questions faced by a forensic anthropologist is whether skeletal remains are human or nonhuman. When complete or partial bones are present, gross analysis of morphological features can often be used to confirm or rule out whether the remains are human. Extreme fragmentation makes morphological analysis more difficult if not impossible and may require microscopic, biochemical, or DNA analysis. This chapter explores the morphological differences between human and nonhuman bone and discusses the most common examples of misidentification. Next it investigates microscopic techniques for distinguishing human from nonhuman bone. Finally it reviews chemical and biomolecular analyses.
