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What is the maximum number of individuals who could be represented by these bones? Explain your answer. (Hint: Assume every bone in the collection could be from a different person.)

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Osteologists determine the maximum number of individuals based on the total number of pieces found in the remains. In the exposed example, the maximum number of individuals represented by these bones is 22.

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There is a protocol to follow when finding bones together or close to each other.

1)   Bone's identification. To know which bone each of the pieces represents.

2)   Classification of the bone's origin to know if bones belong to an animal or a human being.

3)   Then the potential number of individuals found should be estimated. This step is one of the most significant ones for osteologists: determine the number of individuals found.

  • The minimum number of individuals the remains represent
  • The maximum number of individuals the remains represent

Bones might represent as many individuals as pieces there are. Or as many individuals as pieces can form by assembling them.

For instance, if a right femur and a right tibia are found together, the minimal number of individuals is one -because they could belong to the same person-, and the maximum number is two -because each of the bones could belong to a different person-.

Bone's characteristics such as sizes, bilateral traits, staining properties, articular matching, among others, are significant when trying to assembly an individual. However, these clues are not definitive.

Previous data can also be helpful when determining the number of individuals represented by these bones. Knowing the number of dead individuals in this place, ages, sexes, races, etcetera, can make the determination easier.

The most defining analysis to be performed when possible is DNI. A more confident determination on the number of individuals can be done by performing DNI analysis.

In the exposed situation there are 22 pieces, identified as follows

  • 3 skulls
  • 6 femurs → 4 of them are right femurs
  • 2 right humerus
  • 2 left tibia
  • 4 hip bones → 3 left and 1 right
  • 5 scapula → 3 right and 2 left

According to this information, the first assumption should be that each piece of bone represents one single individual.

So, if there are 22 pieces, they might be representing 22 different individuals. This is the maximum number of individuals there might be present.

Since there are four right femurs, we could assume a minimum number of 4 individuals represented by these bones.

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