Sex of human remains revealed by ear bone

Forensic researchers at the University have uncovered a way of identifying the sex of human skeletal remains - by measuring the inner ear. (Published 24 March 2014)

Dr Elena Kranioti, lecturer in Forensic Anthropology in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, and a team of forensic anthropologists have published a study in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

The research showed the bony outer wall of the inner ear could indicate the sex of human remains, with males consistently having larger, differently shaped bony labyrinths compared with females. This methods offers a accurate

The study was carried out in partnership with scholars from the Universities of Crete, Greece and Tübingen, Germany. Full coverage of the research has been published on the University news page.