Methodology for estimating endocranial capacity in a modern European population.

Various methods have been published in the literature to estimate endocranial capacity. These are based on mathematical equations using measurements made directly on the skull or indirectly from X-rays, by filling the skull with various materials, by endocasts both physical and virtual (using 3D CT-scan reconstructions). Each method has its advantages, limits and drawbacks.

A comparison between neural network and other metric methods to determine sex from the upper femur in a modern French population.

Forensic anthropologists are frequently asked to assess partial or badly damaged skeletal remains. One such request led us to compare the predictive accuracy of different mathematical methods using four non-standard measurements of the proximal femur (trochanter-diaphysis distance (TD), greater-lesser trochanter distance (TT), greater trochanter width (TW) and trochanter-head distance (TH)). These measurements were taken on 76 femurs (38 males and 38 females) of French individuals.