Whose Bones Are These? Investigating A Classroom Skeleton

Summary

A mysterious human skeleton hanging in a high school art room sparks an investigation into its origins. Experts analyze the bones to uncover clues about the individual’s sex, age, height, ancestry, and geographic origins. The skeleton is revealed to be a young woman of Asian descent, likely from the Indian subcontinent, with possible ties to a 19th-century trade in human remains. Chemical and radiocarbon testing help confirm her time period and dietary habits, leading to a deeper ethical reflection on the use of human remains in classrooms and museums. This investigation transforms a pile of bones into a person with a haunting backstory.

Takeaways

• 😀 A mysterious skeleton hangs in a high school art room in Erie, Pennsylvania, made of real human bones, but no one knows its origin.
• 😀 The school principal and art teacher have no clear answers about the skeleton's background, with only rumors suggesting it came from the Ganges.
• 😀 Elissa Nadworny, a former student and NPR journalist, takes the initiative to investigate the skeleton's origin and history.
• 😀 The team initially considers DNA testing but ultimately decides to examine the skeleton's physical features to gather clues.
• 😀 Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist, analyzes the bones and concludes that the skeleton is female, despite initial assumptions it might be male.
• 😀 The skeleton is estimated to have been about 20-30 years old at the time of death, based on the fusion of bones and other age indicators.
• 😀 The individual's height is calculated to be just over 5 feet, similar to Elissa Nadworny's own height, adding a personal connection to the investigation.
• 😀 A digital database of skull measurements reveals that the skeleton most closely resembles a Japanese female, though the ancestry is more likely 'Asian.'
• 😀 Geochemical analysis of the skeleton’s bones suggests the person came from a region that didn’t eat much corn, pointing to Central Eurasia or India as possible origins.
• 😀 The timeline of the skeleton's life is estimated to be between 1875 and 1920, coinciding with the period when the trade of human remains from India was common.
• 😀 The investigation raises ethical questions about the use of human remains in educational settings and the importance of treating them with respect and dignity.

Q & A

What is the significance of the skeleton in the art room at the high school in Erie, PA?

The skeleton in the art room is made of real human bones, but its origin is mysterious. No one knows where it came from or who the person was, leading to various speculations and investigations into its history.

Who are the key people involved in investigating the skeleton, and what roles do they play?

The key people involved in the investigation are Mrs. Leasure, the art teacher, who doesn't know where the skeleton came from; Mr. Vieira, the principal, who believes it may have come from the Ganges; and Elissa Nadworny, an NPR journalist, who investigates the skeleton's origins as part of a project.

What was the initial hypothesis about the skeleton's gender?

Initially, the skeleton was believed to be male based on its bone structure, but after a thorough examination, it was determined to be female due to features such as the size of the mastoid process and other skeletal characteristics.

How did Dennis Dirkmaat and his team help identify the skeleton's characteristics?

Dennis Dirkmaat and his team at Mercyhurst University measured the skeleton's bones and used markers such as the shape of the pelvis, mastoid process, eye sockets, and brow ridges to determine the skeleton's gender, age, height, and ancestry.

What did the analysis of the skeleton's bones reveal about its age?

The analysis revealed that the skeleton belonged to a person who was likely between 20 to 30 years old, with the most probable age being in the mid-20s, based on the fusion of certain bones like the clavicle.

How was the height of the individual estimated from the skeleton?

The team measured various bones and used these measurements to calculate the height of the individual. The result indicated the person was slightly above 5 feet tall.

What was discovered about the ancestry of the individual?

The team used a digitized database of skulls to compare the head measurements of the skeleton, and the analysis suggested that the person likely had Asian ancestry, with the skull resembling that of a Japanese female.

What were the possible origins of the skeleton, and how were these determined?

The origins of the skeleton were investigated by looking at historical evidence of a bone trade between India and the West in the 1800s. Geochemical analysis of the bones suggested a diet consistent with someone from the Indian subcontinent, supporting the possibility that the skeleton came from India or the Ganges region.

How did the geochemistry lab help determine where the skeleton came from?

A small sample of bone was sent to a geochemistry lab, where the analysis of isotopes revealed a dietary signature consistent with someone from continental Asia, particularly India or Pakistan, rather than from a coastal or island environment like Japan.

What did the radiocarbon analysis reveal about the time period in which the individual lived?

The radiocarbon analysis showed that the skeleton did not belong to someone who lived after 1955, but further analysis suggested the person likely lived between 1875 and 1920, a period that aligns with the time frame when human remains were being traded from India to the U.S.