For most, it's a suffocating sensation, but not for Dr. Doug Owsley. In this episode of Save Our History we meet a bone detective who's used to the odor of decaying bodies. As Division Head of Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Owsley has often jumped into ancient graves, pried open coffins, and examined decaying skeletons, all in search of clues about our past.

In Written in Bone, we explore the world of Doug Owsley, one of the top forensic anthropologists in the world. We find out how his vast knowledge, intense curiosity, and dogged determination have helped him and his dedicated team uncover secrets of individuals, cultures and communities going back centuries. We see them in action in the field and in the lab, using a range of sophisticated technologies that include digital 3D imaging, scanning electron microscopy, carbon 13/isotope chemistry, cranial morphology, DNA analysis, DEXA scanning, MRIs and CAT scans.

Over the last 30 years, Doug estimates that he's examined more than 10,000 skeletons, including those of Easter Islanders, Plains Indians, Jamestown colonists and the Kennewick Man. He's helped identify war victims in Croatia and U.S. servicemen from the Persian Gulf War. He's traveled into remote areas of guerilla-infested Guatemala to track down the remains of two kidnapped Americans. He's identified bodies from the Waco disaster, the Jeffrey Dahmer case, and the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. It's no surprise that he's on the FBI's speed dial for both cold cases and live crime scene investigations.