Just Do It

CSI: Museum

by Campbell States

Thu., Oct. 16, 6 p.m., $5-$10, Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St., 215-898-5093, museum.upenn.edu

If the TBS Freddy Krueger marathon won't cut it this Halloween, the Young Friends of Penn Museum have some real-life horror for you. At "CSI: Museum," Janet Monge, a forensic anthropologist and co-curator of the "Surviving: The Body of Evidence" exhibit, will give a lecture on the science of forensic anthropology in popular shows such as CSI and Bones.

So what do forensic anthropologists do, exactly? Forensic anthropology is the use of physical anthropology (how humans evolve biologically) and osteology (the study of bones) in a legal setting. If a body is discovered in the Schuylkill, police would first consult a forensic anthropologist to identify it.

Monge will be joined by a panel including Philadelphia medical examiner Greg Collins and forensic investigator Steve Olszewski to discuss national and local cases where forensic anthropology has led to a conviction. Be warned — there will be some graphic photos, and this is not for young kids or the faint of stomach.