How to judge by the bones "Cao Cao" age?

Bones tell ?

Beijing News "new known weekly" archaeologist "Cao Cao's Tomb" found in the human male, died aged approximately 60 years old, and Cao Cao at the age of 66 is very similar. How, then, scientists from the bones found in identifying gender, age and other information?

In fact, in archaeology, and forensic forensic, judging by the bones of many gender approach, generally can be divided into two categories: observation method and apparatus for measuring method.

The former is the finger with the naked eye observing morphological differences of bones to determine the gender. In General, male bones more bulky, surface roughness, muscle attachment Office tab, you can also use the pelvis to identify: female pelvic outlet size larger. This difference has been since the fetal stage. In addition, skull, sternum, clavicle, scapula and limbs, etc. also exist some gender differences. While the latter refers to the use of bones of the remains of the measuring length, width and height, angle and thickness measurements. The available data and men mean and compare female mean; or by the corresponding mathematical means that data to calculate the regression function. To determine the gender.

Bones also tell us the age of the deceased.

Many factors will have an effect on skeletal morphology, so starting from bone, usually when the age identification to prove each other using a variety of methods. Many bones feature will grow older rendering rules changes. For example, 30 to 40 years old, costal cartilage ossification centers increased, sternum handle and sternal body healing, 40-50 years old, the sternum and the xiphoid healing, throat and costal cartilage starts to solidify, over 60 years, systemic cartilage ossification occurs.

For adults age determination of bone, a bone through observation and comparison of morphological changes more often.

Childhood, bone tissue composition of organic matter,makes the bones of toughness and hardness. To adulthood, inorganic substance ratios gradually increased, when the bones are not only hard and elastic toughness are very good, to senile, inorganic constituents to further increase the bones brittle, while HYPEROSTOSIS and absorption, skeletal morphology also has the appropriate change. Guess adulthood and subsequent bone age, the observation of the symphysis surface is one of the best ways. To infer here bones feature to control the age, error in 5 years, died at the age of 20 to 40 years old, error even reduced to two years.

In archaeological excavations, skull generally save relative intact, from here also to find plenty of clues to identify age.

The skull consists of 29 block bones, in addition to the mandible, both among other skull to sutural. Although most of the skull bone joint healing speed difference between the individual and the larger, but still provide for age of valuable information. Such as skull base joint healing time is relatively stable, generally 20 to 25 years old, by observing the basal joints fusion conditions can determine whether an adult skeleton master. When the people entered the senile, sutural occurs fully fusion and energy dissipation. The combination of these information, experienced experts only naked can generally figure out the death of the ages.

Bone in dense hard tissue significantly slowed the environmental factors and microorganisms on organizational structure, save for DNA provides ideal places.

In addition the bones of hydroxyapatite adsorption on DNA has further delayed the DNA degradation process. Believe that Cao Cao from "suspected" skeletons in the extraction of DNA and in supplement is not possible, as is and for future generations of Cao 's, or DNA and Cao Zhi extract to the tomb of a DNA through the Millennium "paternity" be careful consideration of archaeologists.

□ Japan color reference (Sichuan cell biology PhD)