Re: what's the differance between the compositon of chicken bone and human bone

What’s the difference between human and chicken bone?

The difference between human (a mammal) and chicken (a bird) bone is both a whole lot, and not very much. It really depends upon how you ask the question.

If you look at the chemicals that bones are made from you would find that there is not much difference across the animals. In some cases the difference between individuals (two people for example) might be greater than the differences between the average human and the average chicken.

However, if you cut the bones open, or look at the microscopic structure, you will see lots of differences. There are some important differences in how bone cells are arranged between bones in the same body. The thigh bone, for example, follows a different arrangement of cells than the skull bones do. You would also see important differences between the ends of the thigh bone versus the middle.

These types of differences are even greater between human bones and bird bones. Chickens, and all birds, have basically hollow bones. The outer shell of the bone is very thin compared to the bones of mammals. I’m not sure what the “bone in vinegar” experiment is, but if its purpose is to see how fast the vinegar acid dissolves the bone I would expect it to dissolve the chicken bone faster. Not because the chicken bone is chemically different, but because the mammal bone is denser.

All that said, there is still a lot of comparative anatomy you can observe between chicken and human skeletons. Although there are a few important differences (after all a chicken is a chicken) there are lots of similarities. One of the best ways to study comparative anatomy using chicken bones is to follow the guidelines provided in the book: Make Your Own Dinosaur out of Chicken Bones by Christopher McGowan. I’ve recommended this book before on the Mad Scientist Network. Whether you are in elementary school or graduate school I still think it’s one of the best books on comparative anatomy that you can read.