Introducing a stature estimation tool for human skeletal material to the public

Abstract

Human stature is an individualised characteristic that results from a complex interaction between genetic endowment, environmental and socioeconomic conditions. It is a key concept in the study of the human past, since along with the biological information (genetic variation and natural selection), it provides information about the overall trends in the standards of living. It is also an essential component of forensic identification. Therefore, the computation of accurate stature estimations from skeletal material is of interest in many scientific fields such as biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, palaeogenetics, forensics and archaeology. Living stature from skeletal material can be estimated by applying different methods. The most common are the so-called mathematical methods. They are based on regression equations that estimate stature from long bone lengths. Nowadays there are many regression equations and the correct choice for individuals and populations of specific temporospatial settings is not an easy task. At the same time, the application of all existing methods is laborious and time-consuming. This paper introduces a novel web application, which a) is user friendly, b) allows the fast and simultaneous calculation of off-the-shelf stature estimation equations, c) offers a variety of equations to choose from, d) offers a cross-check among different equations and the comparison of results and e) produces both individual stature estimation and also mean stature from more individuals simultaneously. To our knowledge such a tool is absent in the current scientific community and it will be essential to the practitioners of many fields.