One major area of forensic science is to provide identifications of previously unidentifiable individuals. Many of these techniques rely on the accurate interpretation of the morphology of the facial form. An individual's facial form is the result of a complex interaction of their genetic ancestry and the many environmental factors they are exposed to throughout their lives. Facial studies to date have primarily focused on single populations, or on comparing different populations residing in different areas. Very few have looked at the relationships between the facial forms of different populations living in the same area of individuals of mixed population ancestry. In this study the facial morphology of 431 West Australian young adults was analysed, and the relationship between their self reported population affinity and their facial form investigated. The impact of factors such as sexual dimorphism and body mass on facial form were also considered. The relationship between the facial morphology of individuals of mixed population heritage and their parent populations was studied, as was the effect that migration can have on facial form. Strong relationships between self-reported population affinity and facial form were demonstrated over the range of populations in the study. Sex and body mass were seen to have an impact on the morphology of the face; but they did not eclipse the influence of the genetic population affinity. Individuals with ancestry derived from more than one population were seen to resemble one population over another in different areas of the face rather than demonstrating an equal combination of both parent populations. A migration effect was seen in the facial forms of even the first generation offspring of migrants.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/281362 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Ruddenklau, Kate Johanna |
| Publisher | University of Western Australia. Centre for Forensic Science |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Kate Johanna Ruddenklau, http://www.itpo.uwa.edu.au/UWA-Computer-And-Software-Use-Regulations.html |
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