• In Mumbai, investigators said they might apply for a bone ossification test to determine whether the prime accused in the murder of Vakola guitarist Bennett Rebello (55) is a minor or not.
Key highlights:
• Bone ossification, or osteogenesis, is the process of bone formation.
• This process begins between the sixth and seventh weeks of embryonic development and continues until about age twenty-five; although this varies slightly based on the individual.
• There are two types of bone ossification, intramembranous and endochondral.
• Intramembranous ossification directly converts the mesenchymal tissue to bone and forms the flat bones of the skull, clavicle,
and most of the cranial bones.
• Endochondral ossification begins with mesenchymal tissue transforming into a cartilage intermediate, which is later replaced by bone and forms the remainder of the axial skeleton and the long bones.
• In 2016, the Bombay high court ruled that a bone ossification test is by itself not conclusive proof of age.
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Mains Paper 2: Health
Prelims level : Bone Ossification test
Mains level : Key findings of the test