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Anthropologists examine various nasal and other features in skulls to determine the ancestry of the person. Features in the nasal area that may offer clues to the individual’s ancestry include the following:

Nasal Features	European Continental Ancestry	Asian, Native American, or Polynesian Ancestry	African Continental Ancestry
opening	narrow & tall	medium & short	wide & short
bone	high	low	medium
spine	projecting	n/a	n/a
sill	sharp	dull	guttering

Determining ancestry from skeletal remains is a difficult and complex task since more and more people are of mixed ancestry. Therefore, anthropologists examine numerous phenotypic characteristics by analyzing both the visual features and mathematical measurements of a skull before forming their conclusions. As scientists, forensic anthropologists continue to study skeletons to improve their techniques and enhance their ability to estimate the biological profile. In addition, other forensic scientists use DNA analysis to conduct biogeographical ancestry estimation.