Osteology/anatomy skeleton

An understanding of the skeleton is fundamental to the study of biological anthropology. Fossil evidence and evolution, primatology, human variation, growth, bioarchaeology, and forensics all use osteological observations as their base. The skeleton is an important tissue medically and provides support, protection, movement, and reservoirs of calcium and nutrients for the body. The description of bones is very specific, but in general the bones can be divided into axial and appendicular, and often the skull is considered as functionally separate from the rest of the skeleton. The skeleton is not a dead tissue and it is important to realize that over 50 percent of the material in bone is not hard calcium.