Researcher: New forensic analysis indicates bones were Amelia Earhart's
Source: Phys.org
Researcher: New forensic analysis indicates bones were Amelia Earhart's
March 7, 2018, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Bone measurement analysis indicates that the remains found on a remote island in the South Pacific were likely those of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, according to a UT researcher.
Richard Jantz, professor emeritus of anthropology and director emeritus of UT's Forensic Anthropology Center, re-examined seven bone measurements conducted in 1940 by physician D. W. Hoodless. Hoodless had concluded that the bones belonged to a man.
Jantz, using several modern quantitative techniquesincluding Fordisc, a computer program for estimating sex, ancestry, and stature from skeletal measurementsfound that Hoodless had incorrectly determined the sex of the remains. The program, co-created by Jantz, is used by nearly every board-certified forensic anthropologist in the US and around the world.
The data revealed that the bones have more similarity to Earhart than to 99 percent of individuals in a large reference sample. ... The new study is published in the journal Forensic Anthropology.
Read more: https://phys.org/news/2018-03-forensic-analysis-bones-amelia-earhart.html
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)The bones conclude they were female. Other objects found seem to suggest that the only females likely on that island were her. It's still based more upon inference by a lack of evidence than anything else.
Nitram
(22,671 posts)"The data revealed that the bones have more similarity to Earhart than to 99 percent of individuals in a large reference sample."
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)It seems to suggest, from other comments in the article, that this is based upon things like height and size in general. Just not sure who the "reference sample" was. Yes, Earhart wasn't "typical" for her day. But she wasn't exactly "one in a hundred" either.
Nitram
(22,671 posts)A "large set" of reference samples.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Not just "exceptionally short" or "giant head", but subtleties such as ratio of forearm to lower arm, paired with height, weight, etc.
I think that's what Jantz means.
bitterross
(4,066 posts)Nothing like a sensational finding to promote one's own software is there? Yes, I'm a total cynic. I also know there are other clues, such as photos of a woman who was likely/possibly Earhart, in Japanese photos from the time that have been found recently. These point to her surviving a crash and not dying on the island.
I'm not saying he's wrong, but I'm not saying this really ends all speculation.
Lokilooney
(322 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,369 posts)Never mind.... bones lost.
Hulk
(6,699 posts)Guess Im missing something. In this day and age of DNA being used to match individuals to a crime or connection seems a rather simple test to use? Male or female bones seems a bit inconclusive.
Sneederbunk
(14,208 posts)dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Does that mean we can move onto finding out what happened to the missing Judge Crater?