Final answer:
Bones reveal information about a person's age, sex, health, and social practices; bioarchaeology interprets skeletal remains in cultural contexts, and forensic anthropology applies these methods to criminal investigations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bones can reveal a wealth of information about a person's biological profile, including their age at death, sex, nutritional status, diseases they may have suffered from, and even aspects of their social identity. The study of human remains in an archaeological context is known as bioarchaeology, which focuses on what skeletal material can reveal about the culture, diet, disease, and socioecological systems of past populations. Forensic anthropology, a branch of biological anthropology, applies similar techniques to solve crimes. By examining skeletal remains, forensic anthropologists can discern the nature of a crime and determine key details about the individuals involved, such as the presence of trauma, disease, or malnutrition that left marks on the skeletons. For example, skeletal evidence of infant cranial boarding provides insights into cultural practices and social status within ancient civilizations. Moreover, in cases where written records are scarce, such as during the Black Death, bioarchaeological research on skeletons can offer direct information about mortality patterns and the health of individuals who perished. Technicians using sequence similarities can establish paternity or match DNA at a crime scene to a suspect, highlighting the overlap of genetic analysis with the study of bones.