For the first time, researchers have identified what appears to be a network of approximately 20 microbes that universally drive the decomposition of animal flesh. The findings have significant ...

Establishing a precise time of death (the postmortem interval, or PMI) upon discovery of a corpse is notoriously challenging, however easy fictional medical examiners might make it seem. Some forensic ...

Crime documentaries and courtroom dramas offer only a glimpse into the complex world of forensic science. While DNA analysis plays a key role in identifying suspects or victims, the scope of ...

Organic life on earth dies, and when that happens, it must decompose. Most decomposing organic material on Earth is dead plants, and this is a process scientists have described in detail. But we know ...

Extreme weather conditions can make reconstructing the scene of a crime more difficult. Nick Thompson/iStock via Getty Images Plus What happens to a dead body in an extremely cold environment? Does it ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Microbes that lurk in decomposing human corpses could help forensic detectives establish a person ...

Eric Benbow and some colleagues were having a few beers when Benbow came up with a new term for what they studied: the necrobiome. Though it sounds rather Lovecraftian, the necrobiome simply refers to ...

Decaying corpses can be completely unrecognizable with peeling skin, bloated abdomens, seeping liquids, and a foul smell. Microbes are one of the key architects of this process. A body’s organic ...

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Microbes that lurk in decomposing human corpses could help forensic detectives establish a person's time of death, a new study finds. The research, published Feb. 12 in the journal Nature Microbiology ...