The Foot in the Foreclosure - S5-E8
Audio problem: In the beginning of the episode, Booth introduces his grandfather to Sweets and his grandfather asks, "Where did you get your M.D., in a Cracker Jack box?" You can hear Bones laugh, but her mouth remains closed.
Dr. Temperance Brennan: I've never gotten a B and I never will.
Seeley Booth: That's my girl.
Question: When Doctor Brennan is examining the victim's skull, she states that a "straight suture across the palatine bone" indicates that the victim was a native Japanese speaker. I've studied linguistics, but I've never heard of a person's native language actually affecting their anatomy. So, for example: would a person of Japanese heritage who was born and raised in the US and spoke only English be distinguishable from a person who grew up in Japan and spoke only Japanese, purely by their palatine bones? (00:06:10)
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Answer: Since the palatine bone is a bone that helps form the mouth it has a lot to do with speaking. The shape of it differs a lot depending on your ethnic background. I would guess that they, in the show, meant that the person's bone tells that they were Japanese and that it was "made for the purpose of speaking Japanese." That's what I'd assume anyway. I've studied molecular biology though, so I'm not an expert on bones.