Evidence of fatal skeletal injuries on Malapa Hominins 1 and 2

Malapa is one of the richest early hominin sites in Africa and the discovery site of the hominin species, Australopithecus sediba. The holotype and paratype (Malapa Hominin 1 and 2, or MH1 and MH2, respectively) skeletons are among the most complete in the early hominin record. Dating to approximately two million years BP, MH1 and MH2 are hypothesized to have fallen into a natural pit trap. All fractures evident on MH1 and MH2 skeletons were evaluated and separated based on wet and dry bone fracture morphology/characteristics. Most observed fractures are post-depositional, but those in the right upper limb of the adult hominin strongly indicate active resistance to an impact, while those in the juvenile hominin mandible are consistent with a blow to the face. The presence of skeletal trauma independently supports the falling hypothesis and supplies the first evidence for the manner of death of an australopith in the fossil record that is not attributed to predation or natural death

The Use of Three-Dimensional Scanning and Surface Capture Methods in Recording Forensic Taphonomic Traces: Issues of Technology, Visualisation, and Validation

Three-dimensional (3D) space capture is now routinely applied in forensic practice. This has often taken the form of using pseudo-3D visualisations such as 360° photography (return to scene) or digital photogrammetry or true 3D space capture using laser scanning (to derive surfaces), or total station survey methods (to derive Cartesian coordinates). Often these are used to record topography and spatial distributions at crime scenes and may be used to provide a spatial archive of evidence found at a scene or as an aid in visualisation for courtroom purposes. However, there is a growing interest in the use of 3D data capture methods for recording and analysing taphonomic evidence, both for purposes of recording and data sharing, but also to facilitate formal taphonomic analyses which are often qualitative with regard to taphonomic trace criteria. However, as the application of 3D data in taphonomy is a relatively new phenomenon, there remains little consensus on what equipment and imaging modalities are either appropriate or indeed best, to use, and whether digital models of taphonomic traces are analytically valid or verifiable. This paper sets out to highlight and evaluate a number of technological approaches