This chapter begins with a brief overview of Brazil's somewhat hectic past and some key developments in legislation that have led to the rather incongruous state of forensic archaeology in a country whose economy is ranked the world's sixth largest and which has been chosen to host major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. It discusses the contemporary situation in forensic archaeology in Brazil and follows with a reference to illustrative examples. The close interface between forensic archaeology and anthropology in Brazil makes both areas almost indistinguishable. Contemporary practice does recognise that forensic archaeology and anthropology represent more than excavation and osteology. The wider significance of forensic archaeology and anthropology to the rule of law and the safeguarding of human rights is of contemporary as well as historical importance, in Brazil as it is elsewhere.

This article explores historical and contemporary approaches to the use of genetic and archaeological evidence in the interpretation of European Prehistory. It begins by reviewing the early work of anthropologists, which was ambitious in scientific scope and effort, but doomed in interpretation by the framework of colonial expansion and racial hierarchy within which it arose. It briefly considers the emergence of serology and genetic studies, and the gradual displacement of the racial paradigm following the Second World War. The Neolithic transition and the genetics of populations in Europe model of Ammerman and Cavalli-Sforza is used to generate a fuller discussion of the dimensions involved in combining archaeological and genetic evidence, and alternative mechanisms are explored. The potential for ancient DNA to contribute to this and other debates is raised, and the prospects offered by more recent scientific developments in human genetics are considered. Genetic studies-modern and ancient-have become established as having the potential to support archaeological investigations with considerable breadth and time-depth. The paper aims to offer a nuanced consideration of a number of issues arising from this discussion and concludes that genes, environment, language and archaeology are individually and together legitimate and pressing subjects of enquiry for the scholar of the past.

In Approaching Utility in Forensic Anthropology, Evison, Francisco, and Guimarães (2012) propose an attrition model for the study of the impact of forensic anthropology in the justice system and consider wider implications for crime prevention and public health and safety. In this short supplementary article, brief illustrations of case findings are offered to demonstrate their significance in case progression—or conversions—in the investigative and prosecutorial process. The examples, it is suggested, support the specific arguments for improved communication and integration, feedback on evidential reliability, and tailoring of research and education to reflect caseload proposed via the attrition model, as well as policy advances that would improve efficacy in public health and safety.

The aim of this brief critical qualitative analysis is to examine the development of forensic anthropology in Australia, at a time of significant change in the discipline. It will briefly summarise its historical establishment, making comparative reference to other regions—particularly the United Kingdom and United States, and the influence of the Bali Bombings of 2002, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004 and Black Saturday Bushfires of 2009. The analysis goes on to consider key factors in research in forensic anthropology in the United States, and the development of standards and regulation in the US and UK. The significance of research in post-mortem diagenesis in Brazil—a country sharing aspects of climate, soil types and demography with Australia—is also considered, as well as the significance of patterns of casework encountered in Australia compared with those of other jurisdictions. While forensic anthropology as a discipline has grown remarkably in recent years, this analysis suggests that research and training tailored to the specific pattern of casework encountered in Australia is now essential to support the development of national standards in science, education, and professional regulation. The significance of the establishment of the first taphonomy research facility outside of the US—the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research—is briefly considered with reference to what this facility may offer to the development of forensic anthropology in Australia.

Genetic genealogy is an emerging branch of the complex 21st-century science of human ancestry and origin. It features intersecting research interests, including traditional genealogy, population genetics, physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, history, sociology, health sciences, and other fields in the humanities. Study of this branch points out the absence of traditions, including genetic genealogy, in the academic campus curricula. At the same time, an integral component of genetic genealogy is population genetics, which is a basic academic subject. This research review assesses three types of curricula: curricula for genetic genealogy courses, curricula for population genetics courses, and curricula for general (integrative) genealogy. The description of the second and third types focuses on how they relate to the curriculum for genetic genealogy courses. In addition, many other resources for curricula are analyzed, since numerous publications and websites offer important learning tools and embed elements of academic curricula.