Sue Black: What stories do our skeletons tell?

In today’s episode, we’re chatting to Professor Sue Black, an anatomist and forensic anthropologist. You might’ve seen characters doing her job on television, in shows like NCIS or Silent Witness – although, they’re not quite an accurate portrayal, as you’ll find out.

Over the course of her career, Sue has worked with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Nations, helping to identify victims and perpetrators from only sections of their bodies – perhaps a finger found in a bin bag, or the back of an assaulter’s hand caught on film. Her work has taken her to places such as Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq.

She talks to us about how science helps her piece together fragmented parts of a human jigsaw. This episode contains some graphic content, including descriptions of criminal acts and dissection, that some listeners might find upsetting.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

• Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, Overcast
• Read the full transcription [this will open in a new window]

This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:

• Brian Switek: How did bones evolve?
• Mark O'Connell: Transhumanism: using technology to live forever
• Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?
• Nathan Lents: Everything that's wrong with the human body
• Ritu Raman: Can you build with biology?
• Aleks Krotoski: What happens to your data when you die?