fun fact: When subjected to fire, the human body initially takes on the pugilistic posture, also called the boxer’s pose, where the fingers, wrists, elbows, and knees flex. This posture occurs because fire makes the muscles shrink, which in turn causes the joints to flex. If a body in a fire does not take on a pugilistic posture it can be a clue that the joints are damaged and unable to flex, perhaps indicating that the victim suffered pre-burning skeletal trauma. The pugilistic posture can only be examined on bodies that possess burned soft tissue. If the soft tissue is fully consumed by fire, only skeletal fragments remain and forensic anthropologists will be called upon to look for evidence of trauma on the bone.