How Does Forensic Anthropology Help Solve Crimes? - with Sue M. Black

Please be aware that due to the nature of the topic of forensic anthropology, this recording includes discussions of violence, child sexual abuse, death by suicide and mass-fatality events, which some viewers may find disturbing.
Forensic anthropology aims to unveil the identity of a person from sparse evidence, be it the perpetrator or the victim.
Sue's book "All That Remains: A Life in Death" is available to buy now: geni.us/ZGfpSJ
Subscribe for regular science videos: bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
Watch the Q&A: • Q&A: How Does Forensic...
Books referred to in this talk:
"The Death Ship" by B. Traven - geni.us/7Ijv
Dame Susan Margaret Black DBE FRSE FRCP is a Scottish forensic anthropologist, anatomist and academic. She is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University. Sue was awarded an OBE in 2001 for her work in war crimes investigations in Kosovo and in 2016 she was awarded a DBE for her services to education and forensic anthropology.
This talk and Q&A was filmed in the Ri on 22 February 2019.
0:00 Introduction
2:36 Who is Sue Black?
8:48 Defining identity
14:43 How much change is unidentifiable?
17:51 How DNA changed the forensic world
20:45 What do forensic anthropologists study?
24:35 A case from Migdale Wood
34:03 The power of hands in forensics
38:42 Mapping veins and freckles in disturbing cases
48:23 Building an anatomical database of vein patterns
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[@steveb6441]

I've been following Sue's work for a few years now and I have to say she is one of the most phenomenal women walking the face of the earth .... I have a huuuuge amount of respect for her.. if you enjoyed this, track down all her other talks, presentations .. you won't be disappointed 😉

[@buradley4452]

Thanks, I will do that.

[@Tiger89Lilly]

I adore her lectures and conversations. I've been binging on her again she is one of my heroines and I have so much respect for her. I wish I was intelligent enough to understand her text books

[@Cazza1206]

@@Tiger89Lilly her book 'All that remains' is brilliant

[@Tiger89Lilly]

@@Cazza1206 I can't wait it's on my Christmas list. I had Caitlin Doughty book collection for the last Christmas. My family think I'm mildly morbid

[@solomonreal1977]

....... maybe Prof. Gen. Sue has been following YOUURRRRRR work years you slasher BRUTE!!!!

[@peerke7392]

Sue Black is doing such an important and fantastic work. But vein patterns can also be useful in much smaller every day terms: I am a mother of identical twins. And I mean IDENTICAL! Two days after they were born the nurse and I were searching the babies' bodies for small signs that would help us keep them apart once we went home and the identification bracelets were off. Like, you don't want to feed one child twice and let the other starve. Or you dress them in different colours but then you give them a bath and then you wonder who is who. We knew what lack of sleep could do to your focus ability and we really didn't want that. Friends suggested impossible things like tattoos or ear piercings or markings like a dot on the foot - in winter. As I said: impossible! So the nurse and I searched and we dicovered just what Sue Black explained. You could see the vein patterns on their temples. And not only that. The pattern on one child formed a round E as in €. This child also has an E in the name while the other has not. This helped us to be confident to always and definitely tell the children apart. They are teenagers now and we don't need that help anymore but you can still see the pattern on the temples.

[@mmedi6165]

Cute story😊Thanks 4 sharing!

[@robynw6307]

Astounding.

[@sheilahopwood7262]

WOW, that is absolutely amazing. Can imagine that being quite daunting for you to start off with your little newborns. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@Amandavg]

My best friend is a hairdresser and the mom of identical twin boys. She could always tell who was who because they have different cowlicks. 1 has one cowlick and the other has two haha

[@robinteske1717]

I had that problem with my first set of twins. A babysitter switched the girls unintentionally. While showing someone how I could tell them apart (one had a faint strawberry mark at the base of her skull), the mark wasn't on the girl who should have had it! So I switched them - back, I hope. To this day (they are now 31), there is a slight doubt in my mind as to whether the one I call "Ann" is really "Mary". If so, it doesn't matter anymore; I missed named them in the first place and it got corrected!

[@kristelacortez]

Riveting. The jury that “didn’t believe” that brave girl makes me sick. Thank you to scientists who never give up, I hope the victim is ok now!

[@sarah3796]

Yes yes! I agree! Thank you Sue Black

[@5uper5kill3rz]

Imagine being a Defence lawyer tho🤢

[@julianbatcheler9970]

Hearing that made me so angry and upset.

[@dragonstooth4223]

@@julianbatcheler9970 yeah I was angry too. I hope that girl is alright.

[@julianbatcheler9970]

@@dragonstooth4223 me too… maybe she got lucky and he died of cancer or got locked up for something else

[@TenorReacts]

I literally could watch and listen to her for hours. She has such a calming tone. She could literally read from the Telephone Book and I’d listen! Great lecture Sue

[@Jules-xm1ky]

If she ever writes a book, I want her to narrate her audiobook

[@johngarcia8827]

So true. I was going to turn this video off because I was trying to relax but I kept it on because her voice was too relaxing to shut off

[@amiehamilton1840]

I have two of her audiobooks. They are both on audible.... enjoy!

[@lionswimmer4637]

What a superb woman. Every moment she speaks, I wonder what she'll say next as she weaves he eloquently-delivered and -organized talks. This is what education is supposed to be! She tells a story, delivers a mystery, adds twinkles of humor and consistent kindness, keeping the listener on the edge of their seat. There are so many kool themes woven into her talks, which can be extrapolated to various areas of life; all while she's educating about forensic anthropology, anatomists, criminology, public health, and the need to mitigate/stop the child abuse epidemic. Thank you for being an outstanding person and a superb public speaker, scholar, professional, and citizen. Mrs. Black!

[@rrhodes75rr]

I am majoring in BA in Anthropology and after hearing this lecture I know this is the field I want to pursue. Great Lecture thank you

[@heatherlorraine4126]

@Jaxtyn Marlon to

[@feddy11100]

@Jaxtyn Marlon not very bright are you? You just admitted to commiting a cyber crime on a public forum. So cool.

[@BoHolbo]

@@feddy11100 As much as I want this to be the case, it isn’t. But it is at least against KZbin TOS, And I recommend that everyone who comes across unsolicited spam comments like this NEVER click those links, as they may lead to a webpage that will automatically load a virus on to your computer, and possibly even other devices on your network!

[@kismetau]

I wish l knew about this field when l was in school 20 years ago. All the best to you with it.

[@andrewwells6323]

Best of luck with your studying!

[@10AntsTapDancing]

I feel for Jake and the pain he must have been in to kill himself at 22. My life was a train wreck at that age but I managed to survive and now at 69 glad I didn't make that final decision. Sue Black is awesome.

[@cathhl2440]

Oh my… I hope you’ll be able to encourage younger people with your testimonies!

[@L30N4tER]

the teenage girl's case where she is too brave to cry; the definition of irony. I am going to use this every time someone asks me to explain irony.

[@MSK-jd5fi]

I’m a run of the mill American senior citizen who stumbled on this lecture in my KZbin feed and I have to say I am blown away by Dr. Black. Such a compelling and compassionate lecturer and so knowledgeable. I will be seeking out her videos.

[@adoptedscot]

Try her book All That Remains - it’s really entertaining even though it’s about death it had me laughing out loud.

[@MSK-jd5fi]

@@adoptedscot thank you! I will seek out her book.

[@pramodherath2383]

Mom not believing her is bad enough. Jury didn't believe her despite the damning evidence! That's a heartbreaking story. I hope she didn't end up in such a bad situation as she muses she would have.

[@rolfs2165]

To think about it: _They didn't believe her, because she didn't cry._

[@jenpw1525]

This is why more victims don’t speak up

[@DemstarAus]

I understand but musing that someone had run away from home and not knowing wether or not they are still alive is not the same as assuming they have died or remained at home. I agree with you, but know that our minds finish yhe work of a suggestion when only a ghost is alluded to.

[@tattycakes2k2]

Who did they think was abusing her? How many other men are in the house? Whose ring was it? She should have been removed to protective care because if her parents weren’t abusing her, they weren’t stopping someone else going in and doing it.

[@billsugden3734]

Sue Black is always worth listening to.

[@9027history]

So interesting.

[@allisonmckenzie4907]

I just discovered Professor Sue Black today and I’m overwhelmed with her amazingly interesting, informative and frankly mesmerising delivery, so eloquently spoken and emotive! I now go in search of more from her 👏

[@evayevaeve]

I've readen "written in bone" and I read "all that remains" now, so I'm very happy to hear the voice of the person whose inner thoughts and knowledge I've been so enjoying. Also some of the information that she says in the lecture she wrote in books, so it's I feel like I'm listening to her reading her book. Fascinating! One of the most incredible women I know!

[@LindsayDaly]

Wow. The fact that she created a whole new way of anatomical identification just because she felt she had failed that poor girl - amazing.

[@samrowland2816]

Today I learned that 'Gracile' is the proper way to say "blokes a bit skinny"

[@patriciagriffin1505]

There are no more tears for this young woman to cry. She told her mother brought charges against her father then he wasn't convicted who has tears from r this feasco

[@purplecleo]

Incredible the places you can find horrible sexism and evidence that the law protects abusers and villifies victims. The story of the girl whose father was abusing her is chilling. Thank you so much for sharing the story.

[@sarkysue4938]

I never realised just how significant Joey finding his hand twin really was. What a brilliant lecture. Understandable for all. Off to find more.

[@michaelfrost4584]

Thank you for your excellent video. I'm an Australian and some 14yrs ago l was on a jury. As you know l cannot talk about the case but l was the only one who believed the young girl . Same thing, because she was angry and didn't cry the rest did not convict. That's when l lost faith in our jury system because some in the jury were soo un worldly it just sadden me. I always think of the young girl and hope she is OK.

[@5uper5kill3rz]

I thought all the jury had to agree? I’ve never done jury service so I don’t know how it works

[@alihovenden9065]

@@5uper5kill3rz it depends on the jurisdiction/country sometimes an 11/12 or 10/12 in favour of a decision is enough

[@andrewlavey6992]

Wow! What a presentation and all without notes. Thank you, Mrs Black, for a very informative, and humorous presentation.

[@highonimmi]

i've never seen her use them...and i have watched close to 20 lectures.

[@grahamrankin4725]

I use this lecture KZbin in my Introduction to Forensic Science undergrad course.

[@Mcfreddo]

Poor Jake. Sad. If you are thinking about it, don't. There's always someone ,in the minimum, that will love you! You're worth it!

[@SandraNelson063]

I can just feel her genius and humor thru the tab screen. I bet she would be an absolute joy to work with.

[@patrickchang-leng1073]

And learn from

[@blue_rackham]

What a brilliant lecture. Sue Black is an excellent orator.

[@chrisberry9017]

What a deeply thought provoking presentation. Thank God for people like this who dedicate their lives to justice, especially for the innocents. We ALL need to be vigilant.

[@BritBelle89]

Love this woman! Thank you for dedicating your life to these global issues that effect all of humanity!

[@pawsatplay5219]

I love forensics! That said, I cannot praise Sue M. Black enough for her capability of relaying her knowledge. This lecture was so interesting, I didn't even feel the time pass by!

[@triciabarr4620]

I could listen to her speak for hours! She's fascinating and has a great story telling ability. If she was a professor in a University or College near me I would sign up for her classes/courses as often as I could. Then again it really helps the subject matter is captivating ...well to me it is

[@Emotionally_Isolated]

The most impressive lecture I've watched. Ever. Thank you!

[@sheribrougham4863]

Wow found this by accident. It's now 3am. I can't shut it off. She's so interesting and easy to listen to.

[@trustthewater]

Easily one of the best talks I've seen. Very well done and very informative. I just wish she had more time. This work is extremely important. I'm thankful I have not had to deal with incidents like those described. It must be immensely taxing to work with such information. I am certainly not strong enough.

[@fernandoperez-gonzalez267]

Great talk. One minor slip: "six fingers" is not "seis desmos" in Spanish, but "seis dedos". There is indeed a "seisdedos" surname in Spain.

[@amandajones661]

I love listening to her so much!!

[@shelliebob100]

I could listen to professor Black forever and not be bored by what she says.....shes just so interesting. So insightful and so knowledgeable on so much.

[@beverlypont2124]

Oh, I could.listen to this lady all day. She has the loveliest way of putting things across. I formative, sensitive and gentle. I really like that. I shall be watching more of this lady. Such an interesting subject too. Thanks.

[@tanjacavalli885]

I went to a school reunion after 35 years (I moved when I was 10). I did not recognize the exterior while I was approaching the chatting group (I was obviously a bit late...) but somehow I had the memory of the faces and the mannerisms, and the "new" face superimposed and matched the persons in the first ten seconds of talking to them.

[@5uper5kill3rz]

Yeah that was a strange point to me, I left school in 2014 and I’m pretty sure I could identity all of them, maybe a change in gender identity would make it more tricky but I wonder at what age do people change beyond recognition? I suppose it’s a bit different with my generation as we’ve all been following eachother on instagram since we were still in school so you see how people slowly change over time

[@jameseastwood4984]

I had a very similar experience, with a break of twenty years. My friends looked incredibly old when I looked at them, but within minutes everything had adjusted and they were exactly as I had remembered them.

[@Tuning3434]

Very interesting topic. I guess there will be a time in the relative near future where child molesters, if caught on film, will have very likely chance to be be identified if ever charged with these allegations. More the reason why it is so important that victims should be always report, and society should always support them.

[@Jules-xm1ky]

Perfectly said! Put my thoughts into words for me

[@elizabethstone435]

Embarrassed to say only just discovered sue black, but so exited to start a journey of discovering more

[@gracebateman777]

Cried my eyes out for that girl who wasn't believed. Great progress with this new technology 👏 excellent presentation, I will be watching more of her lectures.

[@tonechild5929]

I remember when someone with my first, middle, and last name retired at the company I work for and all of my credentials were wiped - took a week to be able to use corporate systems again!

[@robynw6307]

My Mum, too, had delicate hands. And I, too, got my Dad's shovels. Along with my Dad's weird flat, wide nails. But I adore my Dad and love having his hands. And when he goes to be with Mum, I will still have his hands as a link to him that will never go away.

[@rocktapperrobin9372]

What a phenominal talk. A pity YT inserted so many ads (about every 4-6 mins) that it became hard to follow. Excellent research

[@julianablanz2205]

my late father had the tip of his pinkies a liitle bent sideways and one of the first things he noticed about me when i was born was that i had his pinkies, this lecture made me feel even more connected to him now :)

[@amandajones661]

I wish I lived in the UK so I could take her classes.

[@mariamassey5468]

FASCINATING WOMAN, IMMACULATELY STRUCTURED, WISE, ELOQUENT X NEVER REPEATS HERSELF NOR WASTES WORDS SHE IS INSPIRATIONAL...A WALKING ENCYCLOPAEDIA. AN HOUR FELT THAT ONLY 10 MIN HAS PASSED. LEGENDARY SPECIALIST IN MULTIPLE FIELDS. THIS IS WHAT YOUNG WOMEN SHOULD AIM TO BE LIKE...THIS IS A ROLE MODEL TO FOLLOW!!!❤️❤️❤️

[@ShelleygypsywitchMayes]

Much much admiration For Dame Sue Black. She’s is so awesome

[@tabaks]

Outstanding work! It was a sobering but promising and very well presented lecture.

[@lisaash7535]

She's incredible! Now going down a rabbit hole to find out everything about her. What a wonderful teacher.

[@juliebatchelor55]

I’ve only just seen this (2023). What a wonderful speaker and horrifying statistics re child sex abuse

[@yvonneanderson8936]

I adore Dame Sue And have followed her work for many years , she is such an inspiring woman . I’m too old to study anthropology or forensic science but I’d give my back teeth with all the dna in them to see her give a lecture

[@leecarlalevens2448]

Incredibly captivating speaker on such important issues in the investigative world. This is an excellent video. Thank you.

[@meeprific]

This woman is a fantastic speaker, that was brilliant.

[@attic6]

Wow. What an amazing teacher and person.

[@mayaflynnster]

We stumbled in @4:30ish and stayed glued - fascinating ! Thank You for what you do!

[@katmarks8062]

What a wonderful way to use your gifts. Thank you for having the courage to educate, and inspire! You have changed countless lives, by giving a voice to those affected most. I see you being the catalyst to world wide change. 💜

[@ainieting2305]

I watch and listening this for my 2nd final exam. thanks so much for the lecture. Worth to listening.

[@Zack-nn9rw]

As a Criminology Student this really helps out alot in my Forensic and Investigation subjects.

[@lawrence5117]

Absolutely fascinating. A very interesting and informative talk.

[@alayneperrott9693]

Superb - and also deeply humane.

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Truly fascinating. Very important work. Thanks for sharing

[@marcnormandin2877]

The world needs more people like Sue!

[@bellaiswijianto9807]

I am collage student of physical anthropology, and I plan to have master study, I think this is the right choice for my master study :)

[@19822andy]

I really hope you're not a collage student.

[@kismetau]

@@19822andy (using my anthropologic forensic skills) I’m pretty sure she’s not a native speaker of English and lives in a non-English speaking country, maybe Indonesia.

[@kismetau]

@Bella, how did l do with my guess?

[@sunbeamgal1]

Absolutely riveting! I could listen to Sue all day long. ❤

[@judihardman321]

Sue, your Are amazing. Well spoken and a most concerned, honest person I’ve ever seen in forensic sciences

[@sandrakarnon4125]

Fantastic lecture without notes and ums and ahs. Thoroughly enjoy watching 🇦🇺👍🏻🇦🇺

[@JacGBoots1]

absolutely!

[@adoptedscot]

Dame Sue Black us fabulous- so intelligent and a great speaker.

[@JacGBoots1]

WOW! Great presentation and information! Thank you!

[@VirtanenDK]

Amazing she's got 9 dislikes !! So much great information on us humans. Just the story about mom's living in your head, was amazing !! Have a nice day 👋

[@bmortloff]

The dislikes come from people who should be investigated

[@bigfishysmallpond]

Those are pedophiles

[@amym4624]

She is absolutely brilliant

[@gayejenkins7913]

Just enjoyed this lecture so much. So interesting. Her way of getting the facts across are amazing.

[@leah1tee367]

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you!

[@CyrilleParis]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@drewa6891]

Incredible talk. Great work Sue.

[@SarahHarperScott]

What a wonderful educational resource. Thank you for sharing.

[@crystaledwards9878]

As the newly minted grandmother of identical twins, this is really cool.

[@tishapaculba]

i really enjoy listening to her !!! thank you for this

[@darrenmarchant1720]

brilliant lecture.

[@brandyjean7015]

Dearest Sue, I so enjoy listening to your brilliant, educated, humorous mind work. Thank you.

[@hdeedeeh]

Brilliant and fascinating, thank you.

[@mtngrl5859]

Fascinating presentation. I find it shocking how minor the sentencing is. A multiple pedophile only getting 6 year sentence? Then a grown man raping a 2-year child only getting 15 year sentence. This child will live with this for the rest of its life. No wonder, the incidence of these type of crimes is so high. What is known in the US, is that rapists and child molestors have an 85% rate of doing it again. They shouldn't be let out again.

[@jamesthornton9399]

Thankyou.

[@Bones.x]

Those statistics are much higher than I thought 😢 it's important to teach our children to say no and to respect that no to a kiss or hug goodbye. Very interesting lecture! My father always taught me I was stupid because I followed a lower level education. Now I'm 32 I know this isn't true but believing it all my life has limited me and I wish I could have received a higher education as this interests me so much! It still feels great to be able to see these lectures and understand and learn from them now.

[@snowflake8835]

I absolutely didnt know that Im such a fan of hers! Until I figured out that Ive seen a large part of her Reel Truth Crime series. Shes incredible! Worth a watch and listen! SB!!

[@hjpngmw]

I stumbled on this video and found it fascinating. I shared it with my sister who's degree is in forensic science, and she enjoyed it as well.

[@lindzht]

I love this woman so much!

[@judyhunt123]

I could listen to this woman for hours. I have watched numerous documentaries she has done, she is fascinating to listen to. I like that she speaks in terms anyone can understand.

[@musiqtee]

Just 12:30 into the talk; I’m thinking that “person number” (given at birth, immediately) as used here in 🇳🇴 adds something to societal identity. Some mean this unique number facilitates surveillance (i.e. state). At the same time this number really facilitates the individual’s ability to act IN society. This ID number interlocks with everything both private and public, and decouples name changes from identity at a practical and objective level. Subjectively sure, a name is also identity, culture and lots more. But this number is linked to both biometric and medical info, as well as economic dispositions, ownership or work life. This sounds massive, but probably eases forensic work, and also just being alive and well… 😊

[@ammarsohail7901]

Wawo amazing especially the way of understanding.

[@noone7777777]

Wow. You are a truly brilliant lecturer.

[@PINKLUNAMOON]

So sad that poor guy and I can't begin to imagine the pain of his mum and dad... I am always worried when it comes to my children and always hope they will never do such a thing but come to me for help. 😢

[@hellekimery9537]

So very cool, great info, and how all of that can or should be used in court, when presented by experts .

[@nuts1755]

I've been reading susan black's wWitten in Bones and All That Remains. As a biology student, i am so intrigued about forensics. She explained this so well even to me, a no one!

[@afrococonut8018]

First time hearing Sue and i was so intrigued. Great story teller and lecturer!

[@st0lenhal086]

You’re amazing. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and talent with the world.

[@ChrisH133878]

Amazing woman. Thank you for your passion and commitment.

[@mannyespinola9228]

Thank you for this video

[@mgb7475]

Dame Sue Black is an amazing woman and a blessing to the world for the work she does.

[@channelofjames]

Great interesting lecture!

[@nettieb7918]

I have been transfixed on this lecture, I want to hear more it's soooo fascinating.

[@alexcarvalho2175]

I watched all the documentaries with her about old bodies found here in Uk, history cold cases. Was fascinating