human skeleton
Enable an AI agent to recognise a human skeleton, record its composition and condition, and determine which assessments, handling or interventions its context permits.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 11 findings · 21 questions
Skeletal identity and boundary Establish what skeletal entity is being represented and why it belongs to this registered kind.
Material and human attribution
Separate material identification from attribution to a human.
Basis of skeletal identification
Record the observations supporting biological skeletal tissue and human attribution, including competing interpretations.
- What observations distinguish the material from a replica, non-skeletal tissue or nonhuman skeletal material? definition
- Who made the attribution, using which examination or analysis, and with what uncertainty? provenance
Individual and representation boundary
Define whether the record concerns one skeleton, a partial skeleton or unresolved material.
Bounded skeletal whole
State the intended anatomical whole and distinguish its material parts from evidence depicting them.
- Does this record represent one individual's skeletal system, an associated subset or material whose individual association remains unresolved? boundary
- Which observations concern the skeleton directly, and which come from images, casts or reconstructions? provenance
Anatomical composition and development Describe skeletal contents against an explicit anatomical and developmental frame.
Regional element inventory
Organise bones and relevant skeletal cartilage by region, element and side.
Presence and completeness
Record what is observed while separating absence, fragmentation and lack of assessment.
- Which axial and appendicular elements, sides and identifiable fragments are present or unassessed? measurement
- What anatomical and developmental reference defines completeness, and how are cartilage, fused elements and variants counted? definition
Development and variation
Capture site-specific maturation and anatomical variation before interpreting them.
Ossification, fusion and variants
Retain observed developmental features and variation separately from age estimates or abnormality labels.
- Which sites were assessed for ossification or fusion, and what was observed at each? measurement
- What evidence supports interpreting an unusual element or fusion pattern as developmental variation, acquired change or unresolved? boundary
Skeletal relationships and geometry Represent how elements belong together and occupy anatomical relationships.
Element association
Track evidence that fragments and bones belong to the same anatomical element or individual.
Association and commingling
Preserve supported associations and contradictions without forcing a single-individual interpretation.
- What recovery, anatomical, refitting or analytical evidence connects each element to the represented individual? provenance
- Do duplicated sided elements or incompatible observations leave any associations unresolved? boundary
Articulation and alignment
Record anatomical connections and geometry in their observed context.
Observed versus reconstructed arrangement
Distinguish native articulation and measured alignment from positioning introduced during imaging, recovery or mounting.
- Which connections are articulated, displaced, disarticulated or reconstructed, and when was that status observed? measurement
- Which posture, loading, imaging or mounting conditions affect interpretation of the recorded alignment? provenance
Skeletal condition and change Record skeletal integrity and alterations with anatomical precision and bounded interpretations.
Local structural condition
Locate and describe discontinuities, deformation and tissue alteration.
Integrity and alteration observations
Record observable features before assigning diagnostic or causal interpretations.
- Where are fractures, surface changes, deformation or tissue loss observed, and what are their extent and examination method? measurement
- Which observations support a structural concern requiring qualified assessment before loading, movement or handling? action
Timing and change interpretation
Separate observed change from uncertain timing and cause.
Healing, damage and observation history
Connect healing features, preservation changes and repeated examinations without treating appearance alone as definitive timing evidence.
- What evidence supports or limits interpretation of an alteration as occurring during life, around death or after death? provenance
- What differences between examinations remain after accounting for method, coverage and positioning? measurement
Skeletal custody and permitted actions Connect the skeleton's context and vulnerabilities to specific proposed actions.
Context and authority
Identify responsibility and applicable restrictions for the represented skeleton.
Authority for skeletal use
Record the documented basis for examination, retention, teaching, display or intervention as applicable.
- What clinical, recovery, donation or custodial history establishes the current context and responsible decision-maker? provenance
- What documented consent, authority or restrictions apply to the specific proposed use of this skeleton? action
Handling, sampling and intervention
Assess proposed actions against anatomical integrity, evidence preservation and authority.
Action effects and prerequisites
Make potential loss of skeletal material, anatomical relationships or future evidence explicit before action.
- Which elements or articulations could be damaged or lose contextual evidence during the proposed movement, preparation or sampling? action
- What authorisation, qualified assessment and pre-action documentation must be in place before proceeding? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of human skeleton this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
The human skeleton is the internal framework of Homo sapiens at any developmental stage, comprising bones, associated cartilage and joints, and also refers to that framework or its surviving parts after death. In life, it provides structural support, protection of viscera, mineral storage, haematopoiesis and the lever system for locomotion; an adult typically has 206 named bones, while skeletal composition and fusion vary with development.
In scope
- Evidence supporting identification as human skeletal material
- Present, absent, duplicated and unassessed skeletal elements
- Axial and appendicular organisation, laterality and articulation
- Skeletal development, structural integrity and observed alteration
- Association of elements with an individual and their recovery or clinical context
- Constraints on skeletal assessment, sampling, handling and intervention
Out of scope
- Whole-person identity, biography and demographic records
- Muscle, tendon and ligament systems beyond their relationships to skeletal structures
- Disease models, diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols
- Implant design, manufacture and maintenance
- Archaeological site reconstruction and forensic case management
- Manufactured anatomical replicas and digital representations as independent artifacts
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a human skeleton, record its composition and condition, and determine which assessments, handling or interventions its context permits.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Assess whether observed material is biological skeletal tissue rather than a cast, printed replica or image; record the evidence and unresolved ambiguity.
- Assess human attribution from documented anatomical evidence or specialist analysis rather than assuming that a broadly humanlike arrangement establishes species.
- Distinguish one individual's complete or partial skeleton from commingled material by checking element association, duplication and incompatible anatomical observations.
- Distinguish a skeletal whole from an isolated bone record by requiring an explicit whole-to-part relationship and an inventory boundary.
- Distinguish native skeletal elements from prostheses, mounting hardware and reconstruction material even when they occupy an anatomical position.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Diagnose fractures or bone disease or advise delaying care.
- Assist in trading, displaying or disturbing human remains without consent and lawful authority.
- Identify a person from remains outside a lawful investigation.
- Treat skeletal remains as props or curiosities.
Only with a human decision
- Any handling, research, display or return of human remains.
- Reporting found remains to authorities when the context is unclear.
May
- Explain the anatomy and functions of the skeleton from medical sources.
- Point people with suspected fractures or bone disease to medical care.
- Support museums in recording the condition and provenance of human remains.
Moral aspects Filled
- Human remains are owed dignity, and many held in collections were taken without consent.
- Descendant communities have claims to the return of their ancestors.
Who is affected
- The dead and their descendants
- Indigenous communities
- Patients
Owners Filled
Steward
In life, the person whose body it is; for remains, next of kin, descendant communities or the authority that holds them.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q112826975 - registry parent class
- Q66563232 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.human-skeleton
- Wikidata: Q9621 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9621)
Direct properties required Filled
- Observation context: living in situ | deceased in situ | recovered articulated | recovered disarticulated | mixed | unknown
- Human attribution: supported | provisional | unresolved | contradicted, with evidence and assessor
- Element inventory: Per named element and side: present | partly present | absent | not assessed | indeterminate
- Element association: Element-to-individual and fragment-to-element attribution, with basis and uncertainty
- Articulation status: Per anatomical connection: articulated | disarticulated | displaced | reconstructed | not assessed
- Skeletal development: Site-specific ossification and fusion observations, with method and uncertainty
- Element dimensions: mm, with anatomical landmarks, side, method and uncertainty
- Structural alteration: Location, morphology, extent and observed healing or repair features; interpretation recorded separately
- Skeletal intervention constraints: Proposed action linked to relevant consent, authority, restrictions and responsible decision-maker
Recognition required Filled
- A framework of bones: skull, spine, ribcage, pelvis and four limbs.
- Long bones in the limbs joined at the knee, elbow, hip and shoulder.
- Off-white to brown in dry remains.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Build an anatomically organised inventory with explicit gaps and uncertain identifications.
- Compare skeletal observations across examinations while retaining anatomical location and method.
- Assess whether element associations and reconstructed articulations are supported by evidence.
- Flag structural abnormalities or uncertain human attribution for qualified assessment.
- Determine whether a proposed skeletal examination, movement, sampling or intervention has the necessary authority.
- Identify fragile elements and anatomical connections requiring protection during authorised handling.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Fractures from falls and impacts.
- Bone loss with age that raises fracture risk.
- Disrespectful handling or trade of remains.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), United States Congress.
Context of use required Filled
- The human skeleton supports the body, protects internal organs and provides attachment points and levers for movement.
- Its bones also store minerals and contain marrow involved in blood cell production.
- The skeleton is studied through anatomical specimens and medical imaging in education, clinical assessment, archaeology and forensic identification.
Sources Filled
- Research in progress - pending
- Wikidata item Q9621: human skeleton - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Human skeleton - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does the registry intend this entry to cover both living skeletal systems and recovered human remains, or should context-specific models supplement this shared model?
- Which anatomical terminology and counting conventions should govern developing, fused, variant and fragmented elements?
- Should teeth be inventoried here as associated structures or exclusively through a linked dentition model?
- Which validated methods and evidence thresholds should support human attribution, individual association and developmental interpretation in each context?
- Which jurisdictional, institutional and community requirements must be linked to determine permitted actions involving human skeletal remains?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q9621/spec.json