Body Farms Trivia Quiz

Answer: Knoxville, Tennessee

Forensic anthropologist Dr. William Bass developed the first body farm at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He was frequently consulted by police forces for information about decomposed human remains that were a result of crimes. Dr. Bass opened the first body farm in the world.

It was called the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, and was located behind the University of Tennessee Medical Centre. This facility sits on a 2.5-acre (10,000 square metre) wooded plot. There are a variety of settings on the plot that allow decomposition to be studied under different conditions such as sun, shade, under water, and locked in vehicles.

The plot is surrounded by a security fence, and it not open to the public.

Answer: Yes

Entomology is the study of insects. This is a key science in forensics because flying and crawling insects have certain feeding and reproductive behaviour on dead bodies. These behaviours are typically timed for the different stages of the decomposition of flesh. By studying the insects on a dead body, scientists can estimate the time of death.

One example of forensic entomology is that scientists have learned that the blowfly (Calliphoridae) is usually the first insect to interact with a dead body. The flies lay their eggs on the body. Scientists know how long the eggs take to hatch and grow into the different stages of the bug's life, so they can estimate how long a body has been dead by examining the larval stage of the blowfly. Insects can also help determine whether a body was moved after death. If insects that are found on a body don't live where the body is found, forensic entomologists can state that the body was moved after death.

Answer: To study decomposition in different environments

North America contains a large variety of weather patterns. Some areas have traditional seasons, with temperatures that range from warm in the summer to quite cold in the winter. There are also areas that are hot and dry for most of the year, while other areas are more damp and temperate. Having multiple body farms spread around different areas allows scientists to study decomposition in all of these weather situations.

Answer: Near Trois-Rivières, Quebec

In August, 2020, Canada's first body farm opened near Trois-Rivieres. Canada's freezing winter temperatures pose a challenge for forensic investigators because insect behaviour is different than in other parts of the world. Also, the sub-zero winter temperatures can freeze the flesh of dead bodies, stopping decomposition.

The site in Canada aims to study both of these factors in order to assist investigators when bodies that have been exposed to the elements in Canada are discovered.

Answer: Donation

Most body farms receive their bodies from people who pass away and have indicated that they wish to donate their bodies to science. It is strongly recommended that individuals who wish to donate their bodies for forensic study at a body farm inform loved ones of their wishes. Most body farms return the skeletal remains to families for a final burial, but some individuals go one step further and request that their skeletons be donated to medical schools or other teaching facilities.

In some cases, body farms will accept bodies from morgues if they are unclaimed.

However, this raises ethical concerns, so this practice is frowned upon in many cases.

Answer: 2016

Australia's first body farm lies on the edge of Sydney. It is the first body farm outside of the US. The Australian body farm opened in 2016 and is called the "Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER)". Taphonomy is the scientific study of fossilization.

This includes the study of human decomposition. It was important for Australia to have its own body farm because many of the results that were found in the US were not relevant in Australia due to the different environments.

Answer: Pigs

British facilities that study how bodies decay after death don't typically use humans in their research. One British scientist explains this by saying that body farms in other parts of the world typically study older peoples' bodies, but the information that is gleaned is often not helpful in solving crimes that usually occur with younger people. So, in the UK, pigs are used to learn about the effects of the environment on decomposition because pigs' bodies are actually quite similar to those of humans.

Answer: Study of how vultures affect the decay of human bodies

In 2008, Texas State University opened a body farm near San Marcos, Texas. This was the first body farm in Texas, and at first vultures in the area disrupted the study of decomposition by scavenging the bodies. Vultures were not a concern at other body farms that had been opened in the US up to that point, so until they appeared, it hadn't occurred to researchers that they would be a concern.

Although they initially interfered with the observations of "natural" decomposition, the vultures provided researchers with a new line of study. That is, researchers were able to observe how the vultures affected decomposition. Now, bodies are placed inside fenced areas, with fencing above and on the sides, if non-vulture activity is studied.

Answer: Colorado

The Forensic Investigation Research Station (FIRS) is located near Whitewater, Colorado which is 4750 feet (1448 metres) above sea level. This body farm is relatively small when compared to others. The outdoor facility is only about one acre (4047 square metres).

This area is totally fenced with razor wire to protect the area from trespassers. There is also an indoor facility at FIRS that contains a morgue, classrooms, and a research lab. This particular body farm is dedicated to research and education, so the indoor facilities are used by researchers, students, and law enforcement officers who wish to learn about body decomposition at higher altitudes in the US.

Answer: Florida

The University of South Florida opened the first subtropical body farm in the US. The site opened in September, 2018 with a time-limited contract from the county for the use of the land. The site contains a body farm and a curated skeleton collection. The land-use contract is set to expire in 2022, but the university is actively searching for an alternative site for its body farm.