Every part of us has a tale to tell. Forensic anthropologist and bestselling author Professor Dame Sue Black reveals how she extracts the facts of human life from the bones we leave behind.

Sue Black is among the world’s most renowned forensic anthropologists. She was the lead anthropologist for the British Forensic Team’s work in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo, and she was one of the first forensic scientists to travel to Thailand following the Indian Ocean tsunami to provide assistance in identifying the dead.
Now, drawing upon her years of research and a wealth of remarkable experience, Professor Black takes us on a journey of revelation. From skull to feet, via the face, spine, chest, arms, hands, pelvis and legs, she shows that each part of us has a tale to tell. What we eat, where we go, everything we do leaves a trace, a message that waits patiently for months, years, sometimes centuries, until a forensic anthropologist is called upon to decipher it.
Some of this information is easily understood, some holds its secrets tight and needs scientific cajoling to be released. But by carefully piecing together the evidence, the facts of a life can be rebuilt.
Limb by limb, case by case – some criminal, some historical, some unaccountably bizarre – Sue reconstructs with intimate sensitivity and compassion the hidden stories in what we leave behind. In this conversation with Erica Wagner, she will take us deep inside the science of human anatomy and forensic anthropology.
 

Praise for Sue Black:

“The corpse whisperer … could Black’s life be any more ready for a series producer to pitch to Netflix? … and is it OK for her, or us, to enjoy this quite so much?” – Helen Rumbelow, The Times
“For someone who deals in death every day, Sue Black has a rare ability to make blood and bones come alive. A marvellous writer.” – Ruth Davidson SMP
“A fascinating overview of the human skeleton from the forensic anthropologist’s point of view, with case studies that are both pertinent and entertaining.” – Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan, Bones series
“Gripping from the start, Written in Bone is superb – fascinating in its detail of real life cases and written with a narrative that propels you forward to the next page.” – Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes
This event takes place at 7:00pm BST.
This livestream is held in partnership with Penguin Live.