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Secrets of the Dead

Identifying Biological Sex from Skeletal Remains

Corinne Duhig and Ben Garrod perform a virtual autopsy on Skeleton 4926, whose remains date to the time of the Roman occupation of Britain. Corinne, an osteoarchaeologist, and Ben, a biologist and her former student, inspect a number of features that can help indicate biological sex. Based on the angle of the pelvic bone and a defined brow ridge, they are confident the skeleton is male.

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