They are able to approximate how old the person was by examining the joints, bones, and teeth. A child's skull has more separation between the bone plates. The smoother the skull, the older the person. The examination of wrist development for children under thirteen is another reliable method of determining age. For most bones, the estimation of age works best if the victim is under age 30.
Forensic scientists use formulas to determine height based on the length of leg and arm bones.
The longest bone, the femur, is best for this, but estimations can also be made from the metacarpals in the hand. They are able to tell the person's weight by the wear on the bones at certain points. They may be able to identify the racial group to which the person belongs by examining the width and height of the nose. Facial or head hair, when found with the skeleton, can also help determine race. Caucasian nose holes are triangular, Negroid's square, and Mongoloid's diamond-shaped.