Bones contain clues as to the personal identification of an individual.
Skeletal traits on the skull and pelvis can also help anthropologists determine whether an adult was male or female, and how old he or she was at the time of death. Conversely, it is extremely difficult to assess the sex of children since they have not reached puberty, when sexual characteristics become apparent. Some skeletal traits associated with sex include the widening of the female pelvic opening to support childbirth, or the roughening of the male occipital bone on the skull, usually associated with large muscle attachments. Before puberty, these sexual traits have not yet surfaced. Bones also contain evidence pertaining to nutrition, disease, and trauma.