CEDAR FALLS -- When forensic anthropologist Tyler O'Brien is brought in by police to examine and identify skeletal remains and determine a cause of death, no throbbing soundtrack pulses in the background. His lab isn't filled with cutting-edge technology seen in TV shows like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigations," "CSI: Miami" and "Bones."

He works with scientific tools, charts and a computer. He doesn't carry a badge and he doesn't hunt down criminals.

In a real forensics lab, only about half of the crimes ever get solved and it usually takes more than an hour to do it, said O'Brien, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Northern Iowa.

He is curator of the UNI Museum's popular new spring exhibit, "Death Perception: The Science of Forensic Anthropology," open now through May 16.

"There are no graphic or disturbing images. It's an opportunity to educate the public and tell them more of the truth about forensics in a way that doesn't romanticize or exploit death. It's a science that deals with the dead in a respectful manner," O'Brien said.

As visitors enter the exhibit, they are confronted by a human skeleton dressed in tattered clothing, propped against a tree. The police can't identify the person, how he or she died or when death occurred. As the exhibit unfolds, visitors follow the process to identify the victim's gender, ethnicity and age and determine whether it was foul play.

The display points out the differences between forensic anthropologists, coroners and medical examiners. Forensic anthropologists are experts in physical anthropology and the human skeleton and are called in by law enforcement on cases where the remains are skeletonized, decomposed or otherwise unrecognizable. They determine whether the remains are actually human, too. "The family dog may drag home a bone or someone stumbles across bones like a golfer did last year. It turned out to be deer bones."

The exhibit provides hands-on experience, as viewers act as the specialist in order to make a possible identification and determine whether a crime was committed. "Death Perception" also will demonstrate the forensic anthropologist's role as both consultant to law enforcement and voice for the dead, said Jori Wade-Booth, museum public affairs coordinator.

"The dead do tell tales," O'Brien said. "If you know how to study the clues, bones can speak to you. It's a forensic anthropologist's job to listen to the bones and the story they're telling. It also serves the bereaved because the remains are treated with respect."

Discovery and recovery, analyzing the bones and writing the report are the three phases of a forensic anthropologist's work. Through science, he or she can determine age, sex, stature, ancestry and whether disease or trauma was the cause of death. Viewers will explore manner of death and causes of death with examples of broken, healed bones, gunshot wounds, knife markings and blunt force trauma. An entomology section will demonstrate how insects aid in determining time since death or post-mortem interval.

There also is a display devoted to the Body Farm, the University of Tennessee's Forensic Anthropology Center, and its founder and O'Brien's mentor, William Bass III.

Bass and his team have spent decades documenting various stages and forms of human decay. At the Body Farm, O'Brien particularly focused on studying underwater decomposition.

Forensic science and anthropology is a popular subject in the media, such as TV shows, movies, books and games.

For that reason, O'Brien isn't surprised to see increased interest in forensic anthropology as a career.

"People are curious about it. It's an intriguing science and a lot of students are deciding to major in it," he said.

Contact Melody Parker at 291-1429 or melody.parker@wcfcourier.com.