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Objectives: With the increased use of 3D‐generated images in biological research, there is a critical need to adapt classical anatomical measurements, traditionally conducted with calipers, to a virtual environment. We present detailed protocols for measuring bicondylar length, a critical dimension of the femur, using three different imaging software programs—3D Slicer™, Amira™, and Simpleware™. These protocols provide researchers and practitioners in radiology, orthopedics, biomechanics, and biological anthropology with accurate and reproducible measurement techniques. The objective is to standardize and support virtual osteology in biomechanical research, stature estimation, and related medical and anthropological studies. Materials and Methods: Adhering to standardized protocols, we adapted femoral bicondylar length measurements for computed tomography images from a New Mexican collection (n = 10). The method was designed for applicability and reproducibility across three software platforms. By comparing measurements from the same sample across different observers and different platforms, this study validates the accuracy and consistency of the adapted protocol, demonstrating its utility for research and clinical assessments. Results: We present a step‐by‐step guide for each program, detailing bone alignment and measurement. We illustrate each step and provide video tutorials via links for an enhanced understanding of the process. Discussion: Bicondylar length can be measured effectively in each software program following the provided instructions. However, ease of measurement varied among the programs, with some offering a more straightforward process. This variability underscores the importance of choosing appropriate software for the user's needs and proficiency. It also suggests areas for improvement and standardization in software design and instructional clarity. Research Highlights: The study introduces a detailed protocol for measuring femoral bicondylar length in 3D bone renderings using three different software programs: 3D Slicer™, Amira™, and Simpleware™.Comprehensive step‐by‐step descriptions, accompanied by illustrative images and video tutorials, are available to researchers to replicate the measurement process easily.Error testing across all three software programs and among different observers on the same software program demonstrated low variability, indicating that this measurement protocol is precise and reliable across all three platforms and with different observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes the differential diagnosis of osseous growths in the first metatarsals of an adult male previously unreported in the literature. Examination of the remains via macroscopic analysis and conventional radiography identified unusual bilateral growths arising from the lateral aspects of the first metatarsals with growth directed towards the tarsometatarsal joint. Two exostoses in the ribs were also observed. Using the available evidence, hereditary multiple osteochondromas (HMO) was determined the likely causative disorder for the pedal growths based on the presence of cartilage caps on the ends of the growths, a lack of articular morphology, and the presence of a rib exostosis consistent with HMO. The potential bilateral expression of HMO in the first metatarsals in this case challenges the dominating diagnostic criteria that HMO growths are directed away from the growth plate and only occur in the metaphysis, expanding the spectrum of HMO’s manifestation in the human skeleton. Medical records for the decedent provided no indication of a disorder associated with the development of osteochondromas, nor any indication that medical treatment was undertaken to manage the growths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cranial landmarks have been used in research and casework since the late 19th century, at which time some of the earliest landmark and measurement definitions were codified. Over the last two to three decades, however, many biological anthropologists have shifted from taking traditional caliper-derived measurements to using a three-dimensional (3D) digitizer to collect spatial coordinate landmark data. The increasing use of landmark-based data collection methods have necessitated a shift in the practitioner’s focus from understanding measurement definitions to being able to identify the location of a particular landmark in three-dimensional space. As a result, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences published a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which provides a comprehensive list of landmark definitions for practitioners to reference while digitizing. The movement toward open access resources and digital pedagogy led to the development of a digital companion to the current SOP, entitled Landmark and Measurement-based Data Assistant (LAMbDA). LAMbDA is a free, publicly-available web interface (www.locatelambda.org) that serves as a pedagogical resource and a repository of information for those using a digitizer to collect 3D cranial coordinate data. This tool provides a series of photogrammetry models with annotated landmarks so that proper landmark placement can be viewed in 3D space following definitions provided in the Harris County SOP. Additionally, the website provides useful references, a manual with landmark placement definitions and comments on special anatomical circumstances, supplementary photographs, and the 3D models are available to download for 3D printing physical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Las estimaciones de ancestría suelen basarse en mediciones del cráneo. Los modelos más comunes usan agrupaciones discretas que abarcan poblaciones muy diversas como, por ejemplo, "hispano." Esta investigación se suma a otras recientes que desafían estas categorías mediante análisis de ancestría más detallados. Examinamos la información craneométrica de una muestra de individuos provenientes de varias regiones de Antioquia, Colombia. Primero, evaluamos la muestra buscando entender la variación intrarregional de la forma craneal como función del lugar de nacimiento o de una categoría de agrupación construida socioculturalmente. Luego, agrupando la información colombiana, comparamos la variación craneal con agrupaciones globales, tanto contemporáneas como prehistóricas. Los resultados no presentaron una variación intrarregional significativa en Antioquia; los modelos de clasificación arrojaron resultados débiles (28,6% para lugar de nacimiento y 36,6% para agrupación social). En comparación con otras agrupaciones (negro estadounidense, blanco estadounidense, asiático, hispano contemporáneo, y amerindio prehistórico) nuestro modelo clasificó correctamente el 75,5% de las muestras. Seguido, afinamos el modelo dividiendo la muestra 'hispana' entre mejicanos y guatemaltecos, obteniendo una tasa de certeza de 74,4%. Estos resultados indican diferencias significativas en la estructura craneal entre agrupaciones usualmente clasificadas como 'hispanos', y secundan la introducción de mayor detalle en las estimaciones de ancestría basadas en información craneométrica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population affinity estimation is frequently assessed from measurements of the cranium. Traditional models place individuals into discrete groups such as Hispanic that often encompass very diverse populations. Current research, including this study, challenges these assumptions using more refined population affinity estimation analyses. We examine craniometric data for a sample of individuals from different regions in Antioquia, Colombia. We first assessed the sample to understand intraregional variation in cranial shape as a function of birthplace or a culturally constructed social group label. Then, pooling the Colombian data, we compare cranial variation with global contemporary and prehistoric groups. Results did not indicate significant intraregional variation in Antioquia; classification models performed poorly (28.6% for birthplace and 36.6% for social group). When compared to other groups (American Black, American White, Asian, modern Hispanic, and prehistoric Native American), our model correctly classified 75.5% of the samples. We further refined the model by separating the pooled Hispanic sample into Mexican and Guatemalan samples, which produced a correct classification rate of 74.4%. These results indicate significant differences in cranial form among groups commonly united under the classification "Hispanic" and bolster the addition of a refined approach to population affinity estimation using craniometric data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioarchaeology is fraught with profound ethical quandaries, yet it has lagged behind the larger discipline of anthropology in the development of ethical principles and a professional code of ethics. Here, we propose an additional ethical justification for bioarchaeology based on relational ethics, theoretical work on embodiment, and the produced and constituted nature of human bodies, and on deriving meaning from skeletal remains: highly contextualized skeletal data analyzed in a relational, contingent interpretive space can generate otherwise inaccessible, direct information about the constitutive, productive effects of processes like power and oppression on human bodies. This enables recovery and recognition of the agency, singularity, and meaning of past peoples through giving voice to their narratives. This justification is not universally applicable; it is best suited to skeletal remains from marginalized, disenfranchised, and impoverished individuals and communities. We conclude with a case study applying the approach to a skeletal sample from the 18th-19th century Mississippi State Asylum to demonstrate that the approach complements more traditional bioarchaeological research while providing an additional foundation for ethical discourses and debates in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]