Question

You are an anthropologist analyzing bone remains from the grave of an ancient female human. Within one of the bones, you find an unusually high concentration of collagen. What does this suggest about the ancient female? A She broke a bone and then died before it was fully healed. B She broke a bone and then died a few hours later. C She broke a bone at a very young age, but it fully healed. D She broke a bone at a very young age, but it did not fully heal.

Answer 1

The most likely thing that happened with this poor young woman who broke her leg was that she broke hte bone at a very young age and that it fully healed. C

This is so because collagen is a substance that gets secreted at the point of fracture which helps strengthen the bone. Having a higher amount of collagen at the site of a broken bone means that the bone probably healed properly and there was a remainder of collagen to be found.