(no subject)
Masterpost
Introduction/Author's Notes/Glossary
About a year ago, I was taking a forensic anthropology class, and I sat down to watch an episode of Bones when it returned after the Dramatic Writers' Strike Hiatus of '08. With about a month of osteology and forensics behind me, I suddenly had just enough knowledge to realize that just about everything presented in the show was wildly inaccurate in ways that I had previously never imagined. They made up bones! They made up science! Crimes were solved based on evidence that wouldn't have been admissible in a court of law! I decided, just to show them up, that I was going to prove that an undergraduate with just a couple anthropology classes could totally show up their pathetic attempts at science. I wrote a couple of pages and then stuck them in a folder.
Over the course of the semester, I accidentally became one of those people who takes a class and realizes it's what they want to do with their life. This fic became about something I love - something I'm passionate about, something I would happily spend the rest of my life doing - and instead of telling the right story, this became about telling this story. This is the story of Jared and Jensen - or Brennan and Booth, if you're looking at it a particular way - but it's also a love story to an emotionally difficult, sometimes traumatic, unbelievably challenging science.
I want to point out that since the very premise of Bones itself is essentially impossible, the general accuracy of this story is low. That said, I did my level best to ensure that the science here (or at least the forensic anthropology) was as accurate as I could make it. Some details have been changed for the sake of having a story; to name a few, several of the characters working at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office probably wouldn't really work at an ME's office in real life. The Field Museum does not, to my knowledge, have an extensive human skeletal collection. (Although the Smithsonian does!)
Huge thanks to wendy, chash, and clex_monkie89 for the beta, to jamesinboots and unreckless for audiencing, and to rosekay, for essentially making this whole thing possible through constant cheerleading and harassment about Special Agent Jared Padalecki. I also want to thank all the people who somehow, through sheer force of willpower and positive comments, got me through writing a 36K story.
Glossary
These are by no means all the difficult terms in this story, but hopefully it will provide a jumping off point. If you have questions about anything, feel free to ask!
Osteology is the study of bones.
Forensic anthropology is the application and use of human osteology and physical anthropology in a medicolegal setting. Forensic anthropologists analyze human remains, creating a biological profile which includes sex, age, stature, ancestry, and unique skeletal features. Forensic anthropologists determine identity, work to identify cause of death and the circumstances surrounding death, and can analyze what has happened to a body after death.
Forensic psychology is a branch of psychology associated with the legal system; forensic psychologists assess criminals and evaluate witnesses. They may also provide criminal profiles to law enforcement.
Odontology is the study of teeth.
Forensic entomology is the application of insect biology to criminal matters. Insects are often used to determine the context of a burial and the post-mortem interval (time since death).
Pathology is the study of disease through human tissues, bodily fluids, and whole bodies.
ME Medical Examiner, a forensics official responsible for investigating deaths in a certain jurisdiction, determining cause of death, and issuing death certificates. It's important to note that while many people use the terms coroner and medical examiner synonymously, the two are different; a coroner is an elected official with no required qualifications, while a medical examiner is an appointed official who must possess an M.D. Medical examiners are often pathologists.
ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, is an international court established by the UN to investigate and prosecute the Rwandan genocide.
JPAC CILHI Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command / Central Identification Lab, Hawaii, is a forensics lab run by the US military with the express purpose of recovering and identifying the remains of US POW and MIA soldiers from past conflicts. JPAC-CILHI is one of the major employers of civilian forensic anthropologists in the US.
FORDISC a program used to identify sex and ancestry. Anthropologists input specific skeletal measurements and FORDISC provides probabilities of the remains being of a certain sex or certain ancestry.
CODIS Combined DNA Index System; essentially a DNA database.
IAFIS Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System; a fingerprint identification and criminal history system maintained by the FBI.
PMI Post-Mortem Interval, or time since death.
Presumptive ID is an ID based on evidence found at the scene; e.g. a body in an automobile accident found with a driver's license might be presumptively IDed as the individual listed, but presumptive IDs require confirmation via things like dental records, since individuals often trade effects.
mtDNA a type of DNA analysis used to identify remains; inherited solely from the mother, mtDNA is often used to exclude possible matches in missing persons cases.
PCR is a method of replicating small amounts of DNA for analysis.
Further Reading
If you'd like more information about human osteology or forensic anthropology, these books are a good jumping off point:
The Human Bone Manual by Tim White, a guide to human osteology
Hard Evidence by Dawn Steadman, forensic anthropology case studies
The Bone Woman by Clea Koff, a forensic anthropologist's take on human rights investigations with ICTR and other UN tribunals
Death's Acre by Bill Bass, a book about "the body farm" at UT Knoxville
Stiff by Mary Roach, which, while not strictly about forensic anthropology, provides an interesting perspective on death and dying
Authors I patently do not recommend:
1. Kathy Reichs - SO MUCH BAD SCIENCE. Which is minorly baffling, since the woman is insanely qualified as a forensic anthropologist, and yet. SO MUCH BAD SCIENCE.
2. Patricia Cornwell - SO MUCH REALLY BAD SCIENCE.