Identifying the dead
 

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/...fying-the-dead

I have just started this free online course from the University of Dundee which seems very interesting. It is about forensic anthropology in particularly how the police can identify a body.

I have already learned several interesting facts including the fact that some American birth certificates include a footprint. One task was to fill in am interpol missing persons form which was suprisingingly difficult. I certainly would not be able to say what my nearest and dearest had in his pockets or how many fillingls he has got in his teeth.

The prize for finishing is a Val Mcdermid e book.

Anne

That sounds really interesting - but how would a baby footprint help in identifying, say, a 23 year old man?

OC

There was a program on a few years ago that aimed at identifying remains found at archaeological digs History Cold Case which was fascinating. Professor Sue Black of the University of Dundee was the main forensic anthropologist.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_...anthropologist)

Yes she is the one leading the course.

Today's fun fact was that any thing more than seventy years old is counted as archaeology. Roughly if strontium ninety can be found in a bone it must be post war and subject to forensics. It makes you wonder what our children will absorb to make dating their bones easy.

I am not sure the baby foot print would help. The question posed was what information the state collects which would make identifying our body easier and students were discussing what was on various certificates and which countries stored finger prints, blood, DNA etc.