The wrist's eight carpal bones in two rows, and the joints they form with the radius and the hand
Eight carpal bones in two rows make the wrist. Which ones meet the radius, why the ulna touches none, and the landmarks you can find on your own hand.
Anatomy study guides
Guides for students who are learning the bones of the human skeleton and need to recognize them on exam day.
The ankle joint's three bones: the tibia, the fibula and the talus, with the malleoli and the heel below
Three bones form the ankle joint: the tibia, the fibula and the talus. The malleoli you can feel, how the talus carries weight and the tarsals around it.
The knee joint's three bones: the femur, the tibia and the patella, and where the fibula fits
Three bones form the knee: the femur, the tibia and the patella. The surfaces that meet, why the fibula is not one of them and what the kneecap does.
The three bones at the shoulder: which two form the joint, which two form the girdle and where to feel each one
The shoulder joint is two bones, the humerus and scapula; the girdle is the clavicle and scapula. Each bone, its three joints and the landmarks to feel.
The sutures of the skull: coronal, sagittal, lambdoid and squamous, with the bones each one joins
The skull has four main sutures: coronal, sagittal, lambdoid and squamous. The bones each one joins, where to find it and how the newborn fontanelles close.
The 22 bones of the skull, from the brain case to the jaw, and how to label each one
The skull has 22 bones: 8 around the brain and 14 in the face, and only the mandible moves. Each bone, the sutures and a table to label a skull from any view.
The four bones of the pelvis, the three parts of each hip bone and the landmarks to find
The pelvis has four bones: two hip bones, the sacrum and the coccyx. Each hip bone's three parts, the joints that close the ring and the landmarks to find.
The leg in anatomy and in everyday speech: which bones count, from the hip to the ankle
In anatomy the leg has two bones, the tibia and fibula; everyday speech adds the femur and patella. Each bone's ends and landmarks, and the 30-bone count.
How many bones the adult human body has: the 206, where they sit and why babies have more
An adult human body has 206 bones: 80 along the axis and 126 in the limbs and girdles. The count by region, why babies have more and why some books say 208.
What counts as the arm: the humerus, the two forearm bones and the 30 bones of the upper limb
In anatomy the arm has one bone, the humerus; everyday speech adds the radius and ulna. Each bone's ends and joints, and the 30 bones of the whole upper limb.
How to sort any bone into the axial or the appendicular skeleton, with counts that add up
The axial skeleton has 80 bones and the appendicular 126. A four-step method to sort any bone, a count table that adds up to 206 and the borderline cases.
The 27 hand bones in three groups, with a count for every finger
The hand has 27 bones: 8 carpals, 5 metacarpals and 14 phalanges. Names by group, a count for each finger, the total without the wrist and the sesamoids.
The radius and the ulna side by side: thumb side, length and each end
The radius is the lateral forearm bone on the thumb side, the ulna the longer medial one. Compare each end, the elbow and the wrist, plus a memory cue.
The 26 foot bones in three groups, and why some counts give 28
The foot has 26 bones: 7 tarsals, 5 metatarsals and 14 phalanges, plus two sesamoids that make some counts 28. Names, groups, arches and a quick self-test.
How to tell a human bone from an animal one, in five checks from shape to microscope
Shape, size, growth plates, the thickness of the compact layer and the microscope: how forensic anthropologists separate human from animal bone, step by step.
The pectoral girdle and the pelvic girdle compared, bone by bone
The pectoral girdle is the clavicle and scapula, built to move; the pelvic girdle is the hip bone, built to bear weight. Bones, joints and a quick check.
Typical and atypical vertebrae: which ones break the pattern, and how to spot them
Most vertebrae follow one typical pattern, but C1, C2, C7, T1 and T10 to T12 do not. One clue for each atypical vertebra, plus a quick check for T12.
A mnemonic for the cranial bones, one for the facial bones, and a check on a real skull
Two sentences for the 8 cranial and 14 facial bones, a trick for the paired ones that turn six names into eight bones, and a way to check them on a skull.
The tibia and the fibula side by side: position, weight and each end
The tibia is the large medial bone of the leg and the fibula the thin lateral one. Compare their ends and weight bearing, plus a cue to tell them apart.
How to study for an anatomy practical on bones, from three weeks out to exam day
How to study for an anatomy practical on bones: what spotter stations ask, a three-week countdown, and how to run a timed test at home before the exam.
A mnemonic for the tarsal bones, and how to check it on a real foot
A tarsal mnemonic tied to where each bone sits, with a name cue for the talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid and cuneiforms, plus a grid to test yourself.
How to tell cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae apart
Cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae compared in one table, from transverse foramina to rib facets, plus three questions to identify any loose vertebra.
Markings on bones, explained with one real example each
The markings on a bone in one list: what each term means, a real example of each, and how to tell a tubercle from a tuberosity or a fossa from a foramen.
Male and female pelvis compared, trait by trait
How the male and female pelvis differ: inlet shape, subpubic angle, sciatic notch and sacrum in one table, with the numbers and why one trait is not enough.
Mnemonics for the carpal bones, and the order each one gives you
Two mnemonics for the carpal bones, the order each one encodes and a trick for trapezium vs trapezoid, so you can name the 8 wrist bones on exam day.
Siding a bone: how to tell left from right, one landmark at a time
One routine tells you if a bone is left or right: find proximal, anterior and medial, then read the side. With landmark tables for nine paired bones.
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