How can we tell whether a skeleton is African, European, Asian, or Native American?
As you look at the people you encounter day to day, you are sure to be impressed by the tremendous diversity in the shapes of faces and bodies you see. Families tend to share a range of physical characteristics, and differ from other families. Ethnic groups also tend to have distinctive physical characteristics because they are more closely related to each other and share more genes than do persons comprising other ethnic groups. (A gene is the bio-chemical element in the chromosome that controls heredity). The skeleton is the body’s framework and reflects many of the distinctive characteristics that are associated with personal, family and ethnic differences. Anthropologists may be able to measure facial dimensions, for example, of skeletons that will enable them to create a composite sketch of the person’s original appearance. They can then compare the characteristics of the individuals comprising the African Burial Ground population with known African, European, and Native American
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