Final answer:
The closure of the sutures of the skull can be used to estimate a person's age. This process occurs in predictable stages, making it a helpful marker for age-estimation in anthropology and forensic science. Racial ancestry, height, or sex cannot be estimated from suture closure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The closure of the sutures of the skull can be estimated to determine a person's age. During growth and development, certain parts of the skull, such as the frontal suture, parietal bone, and occipital bone, have sutures that close over time. Scientists and anthropologists use the state of these sutures as an indicator of age because this closure process occurs in predictable stages throughout a person's life. Traditional paleodemographic age-estimation methods, however, may have limitations, such as potential bias and difficulty in estimating age in older adults. The timing of the closure of cranial sutures does not accurately indicate racial ancestry, height, or sex.
When estimating age using skeletal markers, a skeletal age-estimation procedure called 'transition analysis' is often used. This technique is applied to adults and considers various skeletal-age markers, such as the pubic symphysis, the iliac auricular surface, and cranial suture closure. In younger individuals, age estimation is based on epiphyseal fusion, dental development, and eruption rather than suture closure. It's important to note that concepts such as racial ancestry cannot be determined from suture closure, as all human races have skulls of identical dimensions and shapes.