2 - Human Remains and Scientific Research

Summary

The main areas of research which involve human remains today are detailed and a brief history of how remains have been incorporated into osteological studies in the past is considered. One important aspect of the research undertaken today with human remains is that it often has real-world applications. Rather than being driven purely by academic curiosity, which in the past looked for similarities and differences in remains, today researchers try to answer specific scientific questions. These can range from a better understanding of how children grow and develop, the effects of disease on bones, how our activities can shape our skeletons and looking for disease vectors and parasites in the remains themselves. The chapter also looks at the many different techniques used to examine remains, ranging from the well-known traditional methods to newer more high-tech techniques. The chapter gives examples of the real-world issues that museum collections of human remains have addressed. It also highlights problems inherent in working with human remains and the changes in attitude to providing access for scientific research that have occurred in recent years.