Why can't subadult sex estimation be reliably determined from skeletal remains?

• A. Because sexual dimorphism is pronounced before puberty; morphological features are reliable, and DNA testing is rarely required.
• B. Because subadult bones do not preserve well.
• C. Because subadult bones have obvious sexual dimorphism.
• D. Because sexual dimorphism is not pronounced before puberty; morphological features are unreliable, and DNA testing is often required for accuracy.

Answer: (D)

Sex estimation in subadult skeletons is unreliable because the features that differentiate sexes in adults simply aren’t expressed yet. Before puberty, bones show very little, if any, differences between males and females, so pelvic and skull morphology overlap widely. That means trying to judge sex from shape, size, or other superficial traits leads to high error rates and is not trustworthy.

In other words, puberty drives the development of pronounced sexual dimorphism, and without that stage completed, morphological cues are not dependable. When accuracy is needed for subadults, genetic methods—DNA testing—are often required, provided the DNA is recoverable, to determine sex with confidence.

The other statements misstate the biology: sexual dimorphism is not pronounced before puberty, so morphology isn’t reliable; subadult bones don’t show obvious, reliable sex differences; and relying on those traits without genetic confirmation would be inappropriate.