J-Skel: The Digital Age Estimator of Subadult Skeletons

The goal of the project is aimed at acquainting students and younger researchers with age estimation methods and descriptions of juvenile (or subadult) skeletal remains.  Due to the numerous, complex, and well-documented changes that occur to the skeletal system from birth up to the advent of adulthood (at about 18-20 years old), aging methods for this populational subset are much more accurate and tightly bound than those for adults.  However, there is no free or digital resource for students of osteology to utilize in order to familiarize themselves with subadult skeletal remains.

J-Skel fills that void and allows students to interactively estimate the ages of subadult remains by comparing bony elements and descriptions outlined on the website to physical remains that the user might have in front of them.  By going through the methods presented on the site, users will not only become proficient at estimating skeletal ages of juveniles, but they will also foster an appreciation for the complexity of human growth and development which can then be applied to a multitude of other disciplines such as public health and safety, physical anthropology, bioarchaeology, medical anthropology, medical practices, and many more.