3. DEFINITION OF HUMAN REMAINS
We acknowledge the definition of human remains given in the DCMS guidelines and base our definition on that. We use the term human remains to mean the bodies, and parts of bodies, of once living people from the species Homo sapiens (defined as individuals who fall within the range of anatomical forms known today and in the recent past) and any evolutionary earlier hominins with which modern humans today may share a common ancestor (e.g. Homo neanderthalensis). This includes osteological material (whole or part skeletons, individual bones, or fragments of bone or teeth), soft tissue including organs and skin, embryos and slide preparations of human tissue. In line with the Human Tissue Act 2004, the definition does not include hair and nails. Human remains also include any of the above which may have been modified in some way by human skill and/or may be physically bound-up with other non-human materials to form an artefact composed of several materials. This definition includes artworks composed of human bodily fluids and soft tissue.