ETX 20 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Skeletonization, Spiral Fracture, Cartilage
1 Jul 2016
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Document Summary
Bones are the framework of the vertebrate body. Main source of data for study of human evolution. Can provide information on prehistoric customs and diseases. Taphonomy is the process of transformation from the biosphere (living realm) to the lithosphere (geological realm) Body farm: place in knoxville, tn that studies bodies and what happens to them when they are placed in different environments (trunks of cars, dumpsters, etc) Cartilage and tendons begin to dry and shrink. Goes from dark greasy yellow color to white. Exposed bone will crack and peel due to chemical and mechanical weathering. Like onion skin or paint chipping off a wall. Outer layer of bone will tell you about the soil and environment that surrounded the bone. Inner bone shows more of what the original bone composition was, due to diet. Organic bone can t hold itself together, turns to powdery mush. Deoxygenated but wet environment turns body into soap.
